Story

Let's not let it get complicated. As a reviewer who keeps a stock template for all reviews this is a massive fall point of for racing games. As truth be told there's no story except for you having a rival in each grand prix. There's no context for the rivalry, and it's random so you won't be feuding with your characters sworn enemies but you know the player to beat and that they'll be racing hard for all of the 3 races in the grand prix.

Gameplay

The core racing mechanics are solid - this is SEGA and Sonic Team in their pomp. Sega are unfairly in Nintendo's shadow with their kart racers but this game is definitely worth sitting up and paying attention to. The drifting is great the HUD is clear and the benefits to drifting and stunting over obstacles is clear. If you want to win you need to get your racing on point and use your power ups wisely or you'll quickly drop to the middle of the pack.

The pre race setup is deep and meaningful. You choose your racer as always they have their attributes and your car which again has it's strengths and weaknesses. Here's where arguably the best part of the game kicks in though you get a perk card. This is upgradeable, it starts of as a bronze card where you select one upgrade or power up to start the race with. Completing races and grand prix gets you tickets (exp) which levels this up to other rarities such as Gold and Silver. Getting these allows you to start the race off in a stronger position with power ups and perks and manage your racers.

The return of Extreme Gear from Sonic Riders is a welcome addition for fans. Local multiplayer is for 4 players with racing and arena modes like all good kart racers should have. Each map has 5 collectible rings on them to collect which encourages you to find shortcuts which it great.

Visuals & Design

On Nintendo Switch 2, CrossWorlds is a showcase title that demonstrates what the new hardware can do. The game runs at a smooth 60fps in both docked and handheld modes, with vibrant, colorful environments that pop on the OLED screen. Each of the 24 tracks has distinct visual identity, and the dimensional shifts when you hit travel rings are genuinely impressive - there's real technical wizardry happening to seamlessly transform entire track layouts on the fly.

Character models are wonderful every character looks fantastic. The art direction is bright and clear. The soundtrack is exactly what you'd expect - high-energy and electronic tracks that wouldn't feel out of place in classic Sonic games, though no one track is a standout banger it's still a wonderful experience.

Performance

Performance on Switch 2 is good - Loading into the races can be choppy but the actual racing is buttery smooth. I encountered zero crashes during my playthrough. The game handles the transition between standard karts and Extreme Gear seamlessly without any lagging or frame drops.

There are occasional minor visual glitches - texture pop-in during Travel Ring transitions, rare instances of AI racers getting briefly stuck on geometry - but nothing game-breaking. The online infrastructure seems robust, with matchmaking typically finding games within 30 seconds and connection quality remaining stable throughout races. Battery life in handheld mode averages around 3-4 hours, which is reasonable for a visually demanding racer.

Value

At £64.99 for the Standard Edition, CrossWorlds is no mistake a AAA game. I can't deny that the resources SEGA poured into this wouldn't have been vast and they have crafted something that is truly competitive with the racing side of Mario Kart.

However, SEGA is clearly building this as a live service title - there's a Season Pass (included in the £89.99 Digital Deluxe Edition) that promises additional characters and content packs post-launch.