Thankfully, these are usually optional races, branched off from the main progression, so they shouldn't hold players back but will aggravate completionists. It feels nigh-impossible though, the slightest mistake or missed ring meaning you're out of time before you achieve the goal. Starting with a matter of seconds on a timer, you'll have to rack up a high enough score to win medals, or collect enough rings. The latter two of these see some of the game's strangest difficulty spikes though. Adventure also throws a few variant race styles in – Survival is a tense elimination format, where the last racer each lap is knocked out Grand Prix sees you having to place first over four back-to-back races Daredevil has you drifting through red and yellow posts to rack up points and multiplier bonuses Ring Race has you collecting Sonic's familiar golden rings against the clock.
#TEAM SONIC RACING ROSTER SERIES#
The group approach is the main style of play in the story-driven adventure mode, which sees Sonic and his allies and enemies drawn into a series of races by the suspicious Dodon Pa. The power-ups, called Wisps, are also restricted by character type – a speed racer will never get a technical racer's Wisp, for instance – but the ability to trade items between teammates allows for some tactical play. Riding in an ally's slipstream builds up a slingshot charge, allowing you to catapult ahead with a speed boost, while swerving past stalled pals gives them a jump start.
This is somewhat mitigated by some genuinely fun mechanics that make use of the team format. Finishing first place yourself, but having teammates come further down the chart and potentially robbing you of the win is immensely annoying.
This is fine for multiplayer races – online or off – where you can co-ordinate efforts, but can become frustrating when playing solo, when the other two characters are AI controlled. Each racer earns points based on their finishing position, and the team's final score determines placing. While you'll only select one racer to directly play as, the performance of your teammates impacts the chances of victory. Doesn't have the effortless charm of its predecessors.