Team Sonic Racing

Genre: Kart Racer

Players: 1-4 Team Competitive (Local Split-Screen, Local Wireless) 2-16 Team Competitive (Online)

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in the Team Sonic Racing + Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD Bundle along with Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz HD. It is also in the Sonic Mania + Team Sonic Racing Double Pack bundle along with Sonic Mania. In addition, it is also in The Ultimate Sonic Bundle, along with Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces.)

Team Sonic Racing’s release on the Nintendo Switch is in the unenviable position of being a Kart Racer on the same platform as a game that is arguably the greatest Kart Racer of all time, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Also, more recently, fans of the genre looking for more of a challenge have gotten Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled. In this competitive an environment, what does Sonic have to offer players?

First, it should be stated that this game looks fantastic. While it doesn’t have the 60FPS visuals of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (or the versions of Team Sonic Racing on other platforms, for that matter), its tracks are colorful, detailed, and imaginative.

The core gameplay here is also pretty good, with top-notch driving action… although I have to add a few caveats to that. This game’s focus is on the “team” part of the title, with players encouraged to share items with other racers on their team… who they are also sorta’ still competing with. If you do well but your team loses, that could set you back, but depending on the challenge you’re facing, the same is true if your team does well but you’re not in the lead of them. In addition, it’s hard to feel like you’re making much of a difference when you donate an item to a teammate – they’ll respond with a “thank you” message, but otherwise all you see is your item disappear with little indication how much it truly helped the recipient. Hmm.

The other way teammates in this game help each other is through the game’s drafting mechanic, which gives players a speed boost if they follow in the wake of the person on their team currently in the lead. In theory this seems to add another great way for you to try to assist your team – choosing a good path for them to follow helps all of you. However, in practice, giving boosts in this way seems to lead to some rubber-banding that’s frustrating.

In the end, these issues aren’t enough to make Team Sonic Racing stop being fun, but they do weigh down on things somewhat and keep it from being quite as good as, well, the obvious competition. If you already own Mario Kart and are looking for another good Kart Racer for the Switch, Team Sonic Racing is still an excellent choice. But if you don’t own Mario Kart… get Mario Kart.

tl;dr – Team Sonic Racing is a Kart Racer with a focus on its team dynamics, and it’s a solid entry in the genre. However, it’s not without its flaws, and it is largely overshadowed by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which is simply an all-around better game. If you want a second kart racer though, Team Sonic Racing is a good choice.

Grade: B-

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2019 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Driving/Racing Game

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