Team Sonic Racing Review (Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Switch & PC)

Team Sonic Racing immediately finds itself wedged between a rock and a hard place, with Mario Kart and its Rainbow Road-fueled kingdom just over yonder, and several other competitors who, like most aspiring poster children, believe that the only way to achieve greatness is to have a karting game of their very own. Sadly, Sonic isn’t the first to put pen to paper or to reach the same conclusion as its closest adversaries. It knows that, in order to have a successful karting game, you need three things: genuinely good tracks, memorable characters, and a boatload of chaos.

To put it out there, Team Sonic Racing is one of the better karting games on the circuit. While it might not hold onto an original idea, it does feature a generous deal of likable qualities, with a fully-fledged team-based campaign, a treasure trove of challenges, and a plot that, while a little light and somewhat forgettable, is as serviceable as the gameplay itself. Unlike, say, your average karting game à la Racing With Ryan—a game that helplessly misses the mark in more ways than one, Team Sonic Racing has a bit more going for it. Headache-inducing drift challenges aside, it delivers a lofty career mode, a vast collection of creative tracks, and a buttery smooth feel that, honestly, puts a lot of the generic B-tier karting chapters to shame.

The element that sets Team Sonic Racing apart from its closest competitors is its team-oriented gameplay style. Rather than having you duke it out against five or six rival characters over a series of tournaments, the campaign invites you—Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, naturally—to carve into a series of events as a team and collectively earn points. In each race, for example, the trio must work together to collect gold rings, outmaneuver rival trios, and earn a spot on the podium. To that end, it isn’t a matter of winning as an individual, but rather, about utilizing each of Sonic, Knuckles and Tails’ abilities and working to build points over the course of various stages.

Needless to say that it’s the little details here that make a difference to the overall experience. Typically, you would drift through pick-me-ups and utilize a trap of some kind to slow your enemies down. Team Sonic Racing, while still being in receipt of all of these usual karting tropes, adds a second layer to it. Take the races, for example. If you collect a mystery box, a trap, or a projectile, then you can effectively pass it to one of your teammates. Similarly, you can collectively band together to activate a team-driven super boost that allows all three of you to get a leg up on the rival team. The point is, everything that you do in Team Sonic Racing is in aid of a broader purpose.

Of course, circuit racing isn’t the only thing that fuels these engines. In addition to the familiar three-leg races that consume a sizable chunk of the career mode and roadmap, there is also a handful of challenges for you to dabble in on the side. Frustratingly, though, the challenges are arguably some of the toughest I’ve seen in a karting game. Take the drift sections, for example. Unlike your bog-standard drifting challenges in which you would naturally earn points for holding a drift for extended periods of time, the mini challenges here require you to glide through red pockets on the track and earn points to unlock new chapters. On paper, it doesn’t sound that difficult. In practice, though, it’s an absolute nightmare, especially when you’re racing against a strict time limit.

The silver lining to all of the above is that Team Sonic Racing has some of the cleanest and most intuitive mechanics I’ve seen in a karting game. Despite the fact that I just talked down on its drifting challenges, the controls are, in all fairness, incredibly smooth and easy to navigate. Drifting feels effortless, as does the simple act of blitzing through courses, triggering the occasional speed boost, and activating the odd trap. And that’s a huge boon in itself, truly. It doesn’t feel painfully sluggish, and, true to the spirit of a Sonic game, it makes a conscious effort to prioritize high-octane gameplay over dull, snail-like progression.

Combined with a wealth of colorful tracks, original characters and a setlist of power metal ballads, Team Sonic Racing stands out as a delightful karting game that, while still one of dozens, brings a tremendous amount of content and replay value to an otherwise bloated formula. That being said, it certainly isn’t without its flaws. Although the gameplay is smooth and the world design is great, I just can’t bring myself to say that it’s an ideal choice for those who might be looking to introduce a karting game to a younger, less experienced player. Again, see drifting reference.

Aside from the odd difficulty spike and the irritatingly unfair mid-game challenges, Team Sonic Racing is a lot of fun to power through. Although it isn’t the first of its kind to fuse team-based racing with a traditional Mario Kart-like formula, it is a game that embraces the cannon fodder and simply rolls with it. Because as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. As it turns out, that same rule applies to most karting chapters.

Verdict

Team Sonic Racing adds a streak of blue to a bustling circuit of karting-fueled chaos, with a team-oriented campaign that is surprisingly well executed, a roster of characters that are genuinely enjoyable to play as, and a trove of challenges that, while awfully difficult to beat at times, complement the game’s overall theme. Again, it isn’t the first to brew a cocktail of asphalt and mystery pick-me-ups, but it is a fitting addition to the field, nonetheless.

If you’re looking for a karting game that finesses the formula and dares to do things a little differently, then Team Sonic Racing will likely serve your needs as a well-rounded entry-level experience with just enough creative energy to keep you behind the wheel. Even with its few minor faults, it’s still a solid racing game that checks all of the usual boxes. Is it the next Mario Kart? No. Is it in a league above the likes of Racing With Ryan? A million times, yes.