“We designed the system so that no item guarantees victory, and players always have a way to counter items,” Kobayakawa said. “Our aim was to keep the unpredictable fun of a party racer while making sure strategic thinking and driving skill determine the winner, not just fortunate item pickups.”
Kobayakawa also highlighted a common criticism of item-driven racers like Mario Kart: being in first place often becomes a liability as opponents hurl projectiles from behind. Those games frequently handicap leaders with weaker items or harsher penalties — for example, extended shrink durations after certain hits and the notorious blue shell that targets whoever is leading.
CrossWorlds approaches the leader disadvantage differently. It introduces Travel Rings that allow the racer in first to influence which CrossWorld the race shifts to on the second lap, giving leaders a meaningful tactical option rather than just a target on their back.
The development team took balance seriously throughout production. Kobayakawa noted that the studio enlisted top arcade racers to run endless competitive sessions and fine‑tune the mechanics until testers agreed the game felt fair and well-balanced — something he suggested not many studios attempt.
That said, GamesRadar points out that while CrossWorlds’ Metacritic rating ties it with the best Sonic racing entry to date, it still hasn’t surpassed the marquee offerings from Crash or Mario.
Source: gamesradar.com
