Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is an enjoyably surreal experience

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Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is a fun-filled kart racing game featuring popular SEGA characters. Players race across land, air, and water in transforming vehicles, with dynamic tracks and interactive environments adding to the excitement. The game includes a wide range of solo and multiplayer modes, making it a great choice for both casual and hardcore racing fans.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

80%

Audience ScoreBased on 6,111 reviews

gameplay246 positive mentions

stability65 negative mentions

Innovative transformation mechanic adds depth and variety to races.
Beautifully designed tracks based on iconic Sega franchises, with dynamic elements that change each lap.
Tight, responsive controls and a satisfying boost system enhance the racing experience.

Difficulty spikes in single-player mode can be frustrating, especially against aggressive AI.
Some guest characters feel out of place in the Sega-themed roster, detracting from the overall experience.
The game can suffer from crashes and technical issues, particularly on modern systems.

gameplay
576 mentions
43 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed" is highly praised for its innovative transformation mechanic, allowing vehicles to switch between car, boat, and plane mid-race, which adds depth and variety to the racing experience. Players appreciate the smooth controls, engaging drifting mechanics, and dynamic track designs that change during races, creating a fast-paced and chaotic atmosphere. While some aspects, like the boat mechanics, receive criticism, the overall gameplay is considered fun, challenging, and a worthy alternative to other kart racers like Mario Kart.
- “This mechanic sets the game apart from other kart racers by offering diverse racing conditions and forcing players to master different types of terrain: land, air, and water.”
- “Cars handle with traditional racing mechanics, planes allow for more verticality and freedom of movement, and boats introduce the challenge of managing water physics, making each lap dynamic as the terrain shifts.”
- “The transformation mechanic is fun, there's a good amount of weapon pickups, and no micro-transactions.”
- “The gameplay has some classic kart mechanics one would expect such as drifting and picking up items, but in transformed the vehicle can also transform into a boat or a plane which changes up the gameplay quite a bit.”
- “The titular 'transform' mechanic is mostly what's to blame. So whenever they feel compelled to add a water section to a track because they have this boat mechanic they want to use, it just immediately deflates how well a track is working up to that point.”
- “The boat gameplay is often unstable but the other two racing modes are fine.”
graphics
502 mentions
60 % positive mentions
38 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The graphics in "Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed" are widely praised for their vibrant, colorful aesthetics and impressive detail, effectively capturing the essence of classic Sega franchises. Many players note that despite the game's age, the visuals hold up well against modern standards, offering a visually appealing experience with smooth performance, especially on PC. However, some users have reported technical issues, particularly with Nvidia graphics cards, which can detract from the overall experience.
- “The graphics are stunningly impressive, not to mention trippy at some points, the racing mechanic reminds me of Diddy Kong Racing (land, hovercraft, plane).”
- “The visuals are stunning and sharp, with vibrant colors and detailed environments that add to the overall enjoyment of the game.”
- “Despite this game being more than 10 years old, the graphics look amazing and hold up to today's standards.”
- “For the year of 2013, it has such bad graphics that my eyes hurt after a few minutes of playing.”
- “The graphics are unpolished and have crashed on two different gaming computers.”
- “Despite a lot of background visuals going on at times, the paths are never obscured and remain clearly visible.”
music
385 mentions
53 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The music in "Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed" is widely praised for its energetic and nostalgic remixes of classic Sega tracks, enhancing the overall racing experience. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's ability to complement the fast-paced gameplay, with many noting its catchy and upbeat nature that keeps players engaged. While some express a desire for more variety in music selection, the general consensus is that the soundtrack is a standout feature that adds significant charm and excitement to the game.
- “The soundtrack perfectly complements the high-octane gameplay, making each race even more immersive.”
- “The music is fantastic, all the track tunes are awesome remixes of older Sega games themes... make sure you play with headphones on :)”
- “The music gives me a sense of nostalgia, with that unmistakable Sega sound, however, after a while, the constant 'Sega sound' blaring in your ears may start to drive you crazy, so consider turning down that music, or disabling it!”
- “The soundtrack is annoying and so is the voice, as is common with sonic-based games, but fortunately you can turn both of these off, and the voice option is actually funny when you turn the volume down/off.”
- “It's all remixes, and they're - again (sense a theme here) - not always successful at capturing what made the original music.”
- “The music gives me a sense of nostalgia, with that unmistakable, Sega sound; however, after a while, the constant 'Sega sound' blaring in your ears may start to drive you crazy, so consider turning down that music, or disabling it!”
story
137 mentions
12 % positive mentions
77 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is generally viewed as lacking a traditional narrative, with many players noting that it primarily consists of varied mission types rather than a cohesive storyline. However, the world tour mode and mission challenges are praised for their structure and replayability, offering a fun and engaging experience, especially in multiplayer. While some players appreciate the character unlocks and mission diversity, others criticize the repetitive nature and difficulty spikes within the story mode.
- “The story mode is one of the best I've ever played in a racing game, with a variety of missions to always keep you entertained.”
- “They even tacked on a very expansive (albeit very challenging) story mode just to add flavor to such an interesting game.”
- “The game controls really well and the story mode is pretty long and challenging in a fun way.”
- “The 'story mode' (if you want to call it that) is repetitive with the modes.”
- “The story mode is vast, but lacks a lot of the 'story' part.”
- “While at this point I would normally give an introduction to the game's background story, there is no story here.”
replayability
78 mentions
46 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The game offers high replayability due to its diverse character roster, varied track designs, and multiple game modes, making it enjoyable both solo and with friends. Players appreciate the depth provided by vehicle transformations and the challenge of mastering different tracks, while the online multiplayer features enhance the overall experience. However, some users note that the replay value may diminish for solo players after completing the campaign, suggesting that the game shines brightest in multiplayer settings.
- “Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed offers plenty of replayability thanks to its diverse character roster, varied track designs, and multiple game modes.”
- “The game has very gorgeous aesthetics, a very cool soundtrack, and a lot of replayability.”
- “With the use of three formations for each vehicle (car/boat/plane) and every character having their own individual play style, this game certainly offers a great deal of replayability.”
- “Considering the poor replay value, I wouldn't recommend paying full price for it and would advise anyone wanting to try this game to wait for it to be on sale.”
- “With the servers being deader than dead, the replayability is not what it could be, but nevertheless the game is quite dense and provides quite a lot of challenges.”
- “Other than that, let's get into the part that is unreplayable.”
humor
74 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players enjoying the quirky character roster, including unexpected additions like TF2 characters and a football manager, which leads to amusing gameplay moments. Many reviews highlight the game's funny animations, voice lines, and the overall lighthearted tone, making it a fun experience both solo and in multiplayer. Overall, the combination of humorous mechanics and character interactions contributes to a delightful and entertaining racing experience.
- “This game is so funny to me.”
- “Hilariously awesome game that makes me literally laugh out loud.”
- “It's a funny game, good for when you want a challenge against your friends, or simply got nothing to do!”
optimization
71 mentions
45 % positive mentions
45 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The game's optimization varies significantly across platforms, with most users reporting solid performance and stable frame rates, particularly on consoles and lower-end PCs. However, the Windows version suffers from notable performance issues, including crashes and stuttering, leading to frustration among players. Overall, while some players praise the game's graphics and smooth performance, others highlight the need for better optimization, especially for specific configurations and features like split-screen mode.
- “The performance on most platforms is solid, with stable frame rates, even when the screen is filled with chaos.”
- “The game is very well optimized as well, runs at 60fps@1080p without ever dropping (old gtx660).”
- “With a well optimized engine allowing for nearly anyone to play, it's almost a surprise how good this game manages to look.”
- “The game keeps stuttering even when I put it on the lowest settings.”
- “Great game but has super bad performance issues/crashes in Windows 10, even in compatibility mode and even after spending several hours on trying to figure out solutions online, nothing seems to have fixed it.”
- “Optimization is nonexistent, makes the game sluggish and not nice to look at because of the framerate.”
stability
71 mentions
7 % positive mentions
1 % neutral mentions
92 % negative mentions
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous reports of bugs, crashes, and freezes, particularly on Windows 11 and with certain graphics cards. Players have experienced issues with controller configurations, random disconnections in multiplayer, and glitches that can disrupt gameplay. While many find the game enjoyable when it works, the overall consensus is that it suffers from significant stability problems that detract from the experience.
- “The game runs great whether you're on a toaster or a more expensive PC.”
- “Excellent port from the console versions, runs great, plays great with both keys or a controller.”
- “One of the best kart racing games on any system; great PC version looks and runs great, lots of fun to play online.”
- “The game itself would be great fun with kids, but it's just too buggy.”
- “It's really fun to play when it works, but it's very buggy and janky, freezes frequently, drops multiplayer randomly, menus bug out and don't display properly, and is not nearly as polished as Mario Kart.”
- “Bugs and glitches are so abundant in this game, that it's the main reason the game has turned into a swear-fest for me.”
grinding
22 mentions
5 % positive mentions
27 % neutral mentions
68 % negative mentions
Players consistently note that grinding is a significant aspect of the game, often requiring extensive time investment (60-100 hours) to unlock characters and complete challenges. While some find the grind enjoyable and rewarding, others criticize it as tedious and frustrating, particularly due to a lack of variety in characters and a cumbersome leveling system. Overall, expect a grind-heavy experience if you aim for 100% completion.
- “Grindy (60 - 100 hours).”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The leveling up system is dull and tedious beyond words.”
- “Unlocking characters can be tedious.”
atmosphere
7 mentions
57 % positive mentions
14 % neutral mentions
29 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its nostalgic arcade feel, enhanced by excellent music, sound effects, and announcer commentary. Players appreciate the visually stunning stages and well-designed tracks, which contribute to a fun and engaging experience reminiscent of classic racing games. Overall, the combination of exciting gameplay and vibrant visuals creates a captivating and enjoyable atmosphere.
- “The stages are visually stunning and enjoyable, the racing feels tight and satisfying, and the whole game has a very fun, lovable atmosphere.”
- “Music, sound, and the announcer are excellent and combine for a great and fun atmosphere.”
- “The tracks are all well designed, the music is great, the graphics are clean and pretty, and the atmosphere is surprisingly fun.”
- “This game is really eye candy; sometimes you get shivers just by looking at the atmosphere.”
- “I can't believe I am playing this game for the first time in 2016. I should have played this years ago; I never suspected it was that great. The levels are really amazing. I'm a Nintendo fan and have played all the Mario Kart games. This one is even better if you look at the level design (spacy as hell) and action racing. The cars, like Knuckles', are really awesome, and I really like the aquatic parts; those remind me of Wave Race: Blue Storm (GameCube's jetski racer) atmosphere.”
monetization
5 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has drawn mixed reactions, with some players initially perceiving it as a cash grab due to the inclusion of random third-party characters and excessive advertising. However, those who look beyond these elements may still find enjoyment in the gameplay, despite the presence of promotional content.
- “The third-party batch of characters are very random and are just thrown in there for advertising gimmicks.”
- “When transformed came out, I assumed it was a crappy knockoff and cash grab.”
- “Advertisement is created by Zork Industries & Dr. Eggman.”
emotional
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its powerful soundtrack, which has deeply resonated with players, evoking strong feelings and even bringing some to tears.
- “The soundtrack made me cry.”
- “The story touched my heart in ways I never expected.”
- “I felt a deep connection to the characters and their struggles.”