Introduction

Think Sonic in a racing suit, but with teammates. Team Sonic Racing is Sumo Digital's 2019 attempt to make karting less about single-minded glory and more about cooperative chaos. Instead of the usual 'I must be first or I sulk in the corner', the game turns the podium into a group project where you share power-ups, build an "Ultimate" meter, and occasionally remind your teammates that boosting your pal in seventh place is a legitimate strategy. Released across multiple platforms in May 2019, the Nintendo Switch version keeps the bright, turbocharged personality of the Sonic universe intact while grafting on a teamwork-first design that splits opinions like a racetrack shoulder splits lanes.

Gameplay

If you were expecting a Mario Kart clone wearing a blue hedgehog suit, this will surprise you - in a good way. Team Sonic Racing keeps the kart-racing basics: drift around corners, land tricks to refill boost, grab power-ups from question-mark canisters, and sprint through boost panels. But the game's identity lives in its team mechanics. You and up to two teammates form a trio (four teams of three on the track), and races are scored more on efficiency and teamwork than pure finishing order. Share Wisps (the Sonic-series power-ups), pass boosts, and fill a shared "Ultimate" meter that delivers a glorious burst of speed when full. The meter's length can be extended by smacking into competing racers, which, frankly, feels like petty revenge with a lot of visual flair. Characters come in three classes - speed, technique, and power - and each class brings distinct handling quirks and abilities. Technique racers like Tails cruise over rough terrain without losing momentum, while speed racers lean into top-end velocity and power characters are little tanks of chaos. There are 15 playable characters, organized into five pre-formed teams for story missions, though most modes let you mix and match whoever's driving-themed haircut you prefer. Vehicles are personalized: each character gets a car that reflects their personality, and parts can be unlocked and bought with Mod Pods, the in-game currency you earn by racing. These parts change handling, acceleration, boost, defense and top speed, while cosmetic options like paint jobs and horns satisfy collectors and flexers alike. Tracks are a highlight. There are 21 courses, split across seven themed zones, many of which gleefully reference classic Sonic levels. The developers borrowed and reworked a few tracks from Sumo's past All-Stars racing games, but for the most part each stage is crafted to encourage the kind of cooperative play the game prizes: alternate routes for different playstyles, opportunities to use Wisps cleverly to help a teammate, and well-spaced boost pads that reward timing and coordination. The modes are straightforward but serviceable. Grand Prix awards points for team placement, Time Trials test your mastery of a course's flow, Exhibition lets you tinker with rules, and Team Adventure acts as a story-driven tutorial and campaign wrapped into one. Team Adventure teaches you the systems and hands out unlocks for multiplayer, but it's also where the game trips on its own shoelaces. The campaign uses static character art and mission objectives (collect rings, smash targets, survive eliminations) stitched together with a thin plot about an alien named Dodon Pa and an Ultimate Energy Engine. The narration and voice acting here drew a lot of criticism on release - reviewers found it awkward enough that you'll probably spend most of your playtime skipping cutscenes and getting back to the tracks. Multiplayer is a selling point: four-player split-screen locally and up to twelve players online lets you test team chemistry with friends or strangers. The game does not support cross-platform play - a technical limitation the team has cited - but the matchmaking and online options are otherwise competent. Importantly for modern-era gamers, Sumo Digital elected to ship all game content at launch and avoid microtransactions. No surprise DLC gates, no pay-to-win parts: everything unlocks through driving, which feels refreshingly honest. Where Team Sonic Racing really manages to surprise is how satisfying cooperative wins feel. Send a rocket to help your pal in seventh place leap a few positions and watch the scoreboard tremble - it scratches a very specific itch in multiplayer racing, that odd joy of helping someone else shine. Critics praised this twist on the genre, calling it a thoughtful evolution of arcade racing. On the flipside, many reviewers compared it unfavourably to prior Sumo titles and genre heavyweights like Mario Kart 8, arguing that while the team mechanics are novel, they don't always compensate for rough edges in presentation and narrative flair.

Graphics

Sumo Digital used a modified version of the All-Stars engine to build Team Sonic Racing, which matters because the visuals lean into clean, colorful, high-energy design rather than photorealism. Tracks pop with Sonic-style theming - think bright neon, whimsical set pieces, and environmental callbacks to Sonic Colors, Sonic Unleashed, and classic Zone architecture. The cars and characters are expressive without being overly detailed; the animation during boosts, tricks and Wisp effects is punchy and satisfying, and track hazards read clearly in the heat of a race. On the Nintendo Switch, the visuals are tuned to preserve that Sonic shine. The style is intentionally cartoonish, which helps hide any technical compromises and keeps the aesthetic consistent across platforms. Course design is where the graphics really pay off: routes feel curated, with visual landmarks that help you learn layouts quickly. If you're the kind of player who remembers a shortcut by the giant loop or a landmark tree, TSR's level design will warm your heart. Critics tended to praise the track designs in particular, noting that they offer variety and strategic choices rather than just pretty backdrops. The presentation does, however, get dinged when it comes to the game's story mode and its delivery. The cutscenes use still character portraits over backgrounds - charmingly minimalist, if you're generous - but they come across as a missed opportunity. Voice acting was widely lampooned at launch, with many reviews describing the vocal performances as more parody than character. Luckily, you can skip voices and jump straight back into the races, where the graphics do most of the talking.

Conclusion

Team Sonic Racing is the Sonic franchise wearing an organiser's sash: it wants you to play nicely, share your toys, and win as a unit. When the team-based systems click, the game delivers one of the most genuinely fun cooperative racing experiences in recent years. The Ultimate meter, shared Wisps and upgradeable vehicles give you ways to influence a race beyond simply trying to cross the line first - and that makes for memorable moments with friends. Critics and players alike loved the track design and the musical backing (Jun Senoue and several guest composers bring the kind of 'rev the engine' soundtrack a Sonic racer deserves), but the game isn't without its missteps. The story mode is thin, cutscenes are static, and the voice work often misses the mark. If you're after a kart racer with a fresh idea that rewards teamwork, Team Sonic Racing is worth a look - especially with friends. If you want a pristine single-player campaign or flawless presentation rivaling the most polished kart racers on the market, this probably won't replace your top pick. On the Switch it still looks lively, handles crisply, and folds its best ideas into the core racing loop, which is why I score it a solid 7.5 out of 10. It's not perfect, but it's a joyful, Sonic-branded ride that gives multiplayer a clever twist - and sometimes that's all you need to have a blast. Now, someone please fill my Ultimate meter; I want to show off my teamwork skills (read: petty boosting).

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