Sega's beloved blue blur has hit a spectacular roadblock in his latest mobile outing. Sonic Racing Crossworlds, developed by Hardlight Studio, arrives with the weight of expectation from fantastic console predecessors like Transformed and Team Sonic Racing. Unfortunately, this free-to-play title careens off track almost immediately, becoming a cautionary tale of aggressive monetisation strangling fun gameplay.
A Far Cry From Console Greatness
Long-time fans expecting the tight, skill-based racing of Transformed will be bitterly disappointed. Crossworlds reduces the exhilarating racing formula to a simplistic, automated affair. Your primary input isn't steering but managing a frustrating energy system that gates your progress at every turn.
The game employs a controversial two-currency system: Rings for standard upgrades and the premium Red Star Rings for anything meaningful. Earning enough Rings through normal play to upgrade your vehicle requires a mind-numbing grind, clearly designed to push players towards in-app purchases.
Aggressive Monetisation Sucks the Fun Dry
Crossworlds doesn't just suggest spending money—it demands it. The energy system depletes rapidly, forcing players to either wait hours to continue or pay to refill. This mechanic feels particularly egregious in a racing game, where the core enjoyment should come from continuous play.
Vehicle upgrades are locked behind a punishing gacha system, where pulling duplicate characters and parts becomes the norm rather than the exception. This creates an immediate pay-to-win environment that undermines any sense of fair competition.
Visuals and Presentation: The Lone Bright Spot
If there's one area where Crossworlds doesn't disappoint, it's the presentation. The game looks fantastic, with colourful tracks and detailed character models that pop on mobile screens. Sonic and friends are rendered with care, and the soundtrack delivers the energetic beats fans expect.
However, these pretty visuals can't mask the fundamental problems. The automated racing means you're mostly watching rather than playing, and the constant barrage of monetisation prompts quickly shatters any immersion.
Final Verdict: A Crash and Burn
Sonic Racing Crossworlds represents everything wrong with modern mobile gaming. It takes a beloved franchise and suffocates it with greedy monetisation tactics that prioritise profit over player enjoyment. While the presentation shines, the core experience is a hollow, frustrating grind designed to open wallets rather than provide entertainment.
For genuine Sonic racing thrills, players are better off revisiting the superior console entries or exploring better mobile alternatives. This Crossworlds journey ends before it even properly begins—stalled by corporate greed rather than celebrating gaming's fastest hedgehog.
