Racing around at the speed of sound in Sonic Racing CrossWorlds is a blast, but there’s a lot under the hood of the rides Sonic and friends are speeding on. Mastering tight drifts, selecting the perfect gadget combinations, and more are important in learning the race tracks.
Thankfully, Lord Sonic is here in the realm to give some tips and tricks to dominate the race track.
Peddle to the Metal – Mastering the Drift
One of the biggest mechanics to master in any racing game is the drift. This mechanic is in every racing game, where you nail hard turns. In kart racers, like Mario Kart, you can get a boost to get ahead of the pack. A similar mechanic is present in Sonic Racing CrossWorlds, where a meter appears by the side of your racer once you start drifting.
You can build up your boost up to three levels (and a fourth level, depending on whether you have the right gadget equipped). From my experience with the game so far, the best boosts to nail are the Level 1 and 2 ones. They aren’t the strongest compared to Level 3 and 4, but they can be performed faster.
And when you master the drift, nailing repeated Level 2 drift boosts can easily get you ahead of the pack. The trick is learning the right time to release the accelerator button (X or R1/R2). By letting go of the gas, you can perform tighter turns. You might lose some speed, but you can easily maintain your momentum by putting your foot on the gas after the sharp turn is made.
Doing that Grind – Unlocking a Complete Gadget Plate
Speaking of gadgets, to leverage CrossWorlds gadget systems, you need to unlock the Complete Gadget plate. Doing so involves completing races, which is the easiest way to unlock this through the Grand Prix mode (as you are completing four races back-to-back). You can also complete races through any mode in the game.
Even better, if you play the single-player demo on any platform, you can easily make progress and carry your save over to the full game.
Draw of the Hand – Have Multiple Gadget Load-Outs
And once you unlock the complete gadget plate, you will notice that you have multiple loadouts to choose from. With an endless amount of vehicle and character class options to choose from, having the most options is ideal. More so, considering how online-focused Sonic Racing CrossWorlds can become.
It’s far easier to swap between different pre-made gadget load-outs than to revisit menus non-stop and make a new build.
An Undefeatable Set List – The Jukebox Mode
While you are driving around the many CrossWorlds, you might want to jam along to a different set of tunes. Thankfully, returning from Sonic Frontiers is the Jukebox Mode. By earning sets of three A-Ranks during the Time Trial mode, you can unlock a greatest hits playlist of iconic Sonic music.
Want to race to Undefeatable from Sonic Frontiers? Or want to escape some cities with Sonic Adventure 2 music? Mastering the time trials is key to unlocking every song for the Jukebox. Once you unlock the songs you want, you can create a favorite playlist, and your selected music will randomly play in all race modes, including online multiplayer.
Leverage the Handicap – Difficulty & Course Retry Options
Something I leveraged a lot during my review process for CrossWorlds is how generous the game is with its difficulty. If players desire a challenge, the game gladly offers it through AI difficulty sliders. So when facing off against Rivals in the Grand Prix mode, you have a preset difficulty.
However, if you want more rewards, you can increase the difficulty to whatever level you want. But when things get too challenging or if a race doesn’t go your way, you can spend twenty tickets to restart any race without losing progress. And the best part is that progression still carries over for the core unlockables (unlocking the Secret Grand Prix, Mirror Mode, etc).
When other kart racers do not have that option and you are forced to restart a Grand Prix, it’s awesome that Sonic Racing CrossWorlds includes this accessibility feature.
Expect the Unexpected – The Travel Rings
To round out these tips and tricks, we must discuss the Travel Rings. Before entering lap two of any race, the lead racer can decide where everyone goes next. You can pick a set location or a random course. These random courses, both online and in single-player, can even lead to other proper race tracks, not just the game’s core set of CrossWorlds.
If you are in first place and have to make the call, it is a dynamic and fun decision to make. Do you take everyone to a location that everyone can clearly see? Or one that is completely random?
The random option is by far the most fun, but if you know a CrossWorld like the back of your hand (for me, it’s Cyberspace from Sonic Frontiers), then picking that might help maintain your lead.
Super Sonic Racing – Closing Thoughts on Sonic Racing CrossWorlds Tips & Tricks
These are just some of the many strategies you can use to dominate the race tracks in CrossWorlds. Stay tuned for continued coverage on Sonic Racing CrossWorlds, including our full review!
