Team Sonic Racing walks an odd line between a really good game and a very, very bad one. Developer Sumo Digital usually create great racing games, with the likes of Forza Horizon and the iconic Sega All-Stars under their belt, I began to question why this felt so average in comparison. Each of the SEGA racing games came with a distinct theme to set them apart. The first title had three types of vehicles, where each had their own advantages depending on the track itself. The second title allowed vehicles to transform based on the surrounding terrain. This time around, everyone drives cars in teams of three.

The point is to have all three racers on your team in a rank high enough to accumulate enough points to be first overall. If you come first, while your teammates come in the last two places, you might very well still not win the race. It is a clear attempt to bring new life in a rather simplistic genre.



There are a lot of strategies built around this team racing concept. Racers can drive within the highest ranking teammate's slipstream to gain boost, and experienced players can give a consistent amount of boost to their teammates. Weapon pickups are in the form of Wisps and they allow you to drop obstacles, boost yourself, shoot rockets and more. There is the option to either use a Wisp on yourself or pass it on to a teammate who needs a helping hand. I never really encountered this while playing with my friends, but the AI often needed some aid.

That being said, there is no real reason to use the Wisps. Even if you do take the time to learn which symbol does what, they offer little-to-no purpose in the race itself. I often found that simply focusing on racing and taking corners as fast as possible earned me ranks faster than using the power-ups. Even falling back and trying to use the Wisps to catch up proved more cumbersome than just simply overtaking other racers.

That being said, we mostly drove off of cliffs or ended up widely confused by the sudden sense of speed it offers.

However, there is a good reward to all of this as a meter underneath the rear bar fills up slowly with every team action performed. This unlocks an ultimate move that speeds up all three team members and makes them invulnerable to any attacks. Play your cards right and you can climb up a few places, while taking out opposing racers. That being said, we mostly drove off of cliffs or ended up widely confused by the sudden sense of speed it offers. This requires some skill to perfect. However, the special move is a quintessential asset to a winning team.



All of these mechanics work together to form a somewhat unique mascot racer. Unfortunately, the biggest drawback lies in the fact that SEGA only decided to focus on the Sonic franchise. You only get to play using Sonic and a number of his friends and foes. This is rather odd considering Sumo Digital have a history of including a wide array of SEGA franchises. The same can’t be said for this latest effort, unfortunately, as the roster is purely Sonic characters, and the tracks in this game are mostly based upon the later games in the Sonic series.

The roster is rather basic, with the cast being the typical members, with a few being lesser known Sonic characters. You’ll get the ones you’ve always loved such as Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, Dr. Eggman and Metal Sonic. Others include the likes of Silver, Vector and Omega which may be favoured by some.

Where it really started to GO wrong was the inability to choose your own team. For example, Sonic is forever tied to Tails and Knuckles, and Dr. Eggman has to go with Metal Sonics and Zavac. It was fun to see them sticking to canon material at first, but the lack of versatility in team choices became very frustrating as time went on.



The rather odd, but typically Sonic story was included in Team Racing. A tanuki by the name of Dodon Pa invites the Sonic crew to his planet to take part in a series of dangerous races. Sonic seems thrilled at the opportunity, while his friends don’t believe Dodon Pa to be overly trustworthy, and feel like Dr. Eggman is up to something. Somehow and someway, Dodon Pa’s invitations make it to other dimensions and eras to explain the presence of both Silver and Blaze. The story itself is nothing special and merely serves as a plot device for the Adventure Mode. While you will barely notice the story, you will need it. Without it, Team Sonic Racing loses its entertainment value very quickly.

...the standard races weren’t challenging, but the side objectives were almost gruelling.

There are some welcomed, unique aspects of Adventure Mode. This mode works on a star-earning system that requires players to meet objectives in order to give the races something extra to work with. It's particularly fun with friends, as trying to coordinate and achieve the same objective proves more challenging than you would think. There are some really difficult races, such as collecting rings through a race to prevent the timer from running out or keeping your entire team safe in an elimination race. These subtle secondary objectives give the standard racing a nice coat of paint and keep things interesting. That being said, the standard races weren’t challenging, but the side objectives were almost gruelling. It would be nice to have something that could balance the two mission types.

As you progress, you earn credits which can be used in a machine to earn customisation options for all vehicles. Car parts can be used to change a vehicle’s speed, acceleration, and handling. Other parts are purely for aesthetic purposes, including paint schemes that give your car a little uniqueness on the track.



Sound design is rather good for a mascot racer. Picking your loadout and saying you’re ready give you an engine roar worthy of a V8 muscle car, while a techno-like soundtrack is consistently murmuring in the background.

Team Sonic Racing is a decent mascot racer, that chose to focus too much on the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. The game sorely lacks in variety and can lose its charm once you try to dig more than skin deep. Sonic fans are sure to get a kick out of SEGA’s latest racer, but may feel there is a lot to be desired by our lightning-fast, blue hedgehog. It’s definitely not the best or most interesting racer out there, which is sad considering it does try changing the typical mascot racing formula. On the bright side, the team elements work phenomenally and offers a unique experience. There is some entertainment to be found in Team Sonic Racing, but mostly for the younger fans of the lovable hedgehog.