It’s been a year of racing across land, sea, air, space, and time, but the on-track action is far from over. After releasing six major DLCs in waves, with the Avatar Legends Pack set to conclude its first season on 14 October, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is revving up for Season Pass 2, which adds some familiar faces and new vehicles to the roster.
As previously announced, the content rollout will kick off with the Godzilla and Neon Genesis Evangelion expansions, plus Bayonetta as a free racer. There’s a catch, however – a recent hands-on preview at Sega’s office in Tokyo introduced the free-to-play Rival Duel mode that pits players against the Umbra Witch in a series of one-on-one matches, with the distance between the two highlighted on screen. The new Rival Boost mechanic proves handy for closing the gap when used strategically, and clearing every third track for the first time earns a reward, but having to win every round makes the unlocking process more challenging than it sounds, despite all the fun.
Joining Bayonetta on the roster are McLaren Sonic and Aegis, as part of the Persona 3 Reload collaboration, alongside Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Shikinami from Evangelion. All four characters can also be paired with their own themed vehicles: Butterfly Witch, McLaren Racing Car, Paradion Dressy, and EVA-01 / EVA-00 / EVA-02, respectively. The Godzilla Cruiser, King Ghidorah Coupe, and Mothra Surf round out the list, each retaining the distinctive characteristics of their namesake.
On that note, players will encounter kaiju chaos on the new Godzilla Escape course, where the towering King of Monsters unleashes his signature Atomic Breath attack on the streets. Tokyo-III, meanwhile, features the EVA-08 and NERV building, and both tracks are playable in Rival Duel, Time Trial, and Grand Prix modes.
Season 2 of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds will roll out in phases across this fall. The purchase bonuses for Season Pass 2 include the Dreamcast EU, SEGA Saturn JP, and Genesis Tower US vehicles, whereas Super Shadow (racer) and Super Dark Flare (vehicle) are bundled as the Season Pass 1 & 2 Dual Purchase Bonus.
Check out all of the action in the 10-minute preview above.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
