To show off the game's dynamic maps, Transformed offers a decent selection of modes, from the typical 4-race tournament to the quick race. Occasionally players will lose sight of where to go next as a result, their sight lines lost in the design of each track, but usually there are guide arrows pointing them in the right direction. Racing through a track that isn't simply the same landscape during all three laps is a welcome change of pace, and helps keep the player from running on autopilot the whole way through. The "transform" concept does make it difficult for casual gamers to hop in and race with ease, but for those who have become jaded by the endless cycles of arcade racers it's a nice change of pace. Racing through the skies, for example, has a lot more freedom of movement, and turns each track into a more open play space, whereas the water sections are much looser on the controls. Yes, Mario Kart 7 introduced the idea first, but Sonic & All-Stars actually does it better, making all three forms play differently.
Thankfully, as the game's name suggests, the karts are capable of a transform ability whereby they can double as a boat or plane depending on the terrain. Oftentimes a track will lose its racing surface midway through, and force the player either to the skies or water. However, these tracks are not just static raceways, but are gradually changing landscapes that, usually by the final lap, look completely different. The tracks are designed in such a way to pay homage to the spirit of each game, and they incorporate some of their more popular elements. Each track is based on a specific Sega or video game property, from Golden Axe to Shinobi to Super Monkey Ball. While the game's world tour mode gets plenty of mileage out of each map by mixing and matching various race types, they individually have their own appeal for Sega fans. While a unique cast of unlockable characters will be a major draw at first glance, Sonic & All-Stars' greatest achievement is its 20+ maps. It's not the ideal leveling system, but it does keep things balanced when newcomers are racing up against veterans.
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Usually a mod will boost one specific stat, like drifting, but at the expense of another. Those characteristics, however, can be tweaked to some degree by the game's leveling system, which unlocks a different, character-specific mod at each level.
Each racer, from Sonic all the way down, has their own signature kart, which by extension has its own characteristics, be it faster acceleration, a higher top speed, or better handling. This iteration's new racers include the likes of Wreck-It Ralph, Vyse from Skies of Arcadia, and (oddly) Danica Patrick. Like with the first game, Transformed presents players with a wealth of iconic Sega-brand racers, and a few oddballs to keep things feeling fresh.
Granted, Transformed is, at its core, a kart racer, and gamers disinterested by that concept best turn back now, but what it does do for the genre is worth commending. Sega and developer Sumo Digital aren't shying away from the fact that Mario Kart serves as their game's inspiration, but, at the same time, they aren't simply copying Nintendo's successful formula - they're evolving it into its own evocative offering.Īll-Stars Racing Transformed, a successor to the surprisingly successful Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, takes a thing or two from the page of Mario Kart 7, and even its own past iteration, but evolves those similar concepts into something unique. Going through a review of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed without mentioning Mario Kart would be extremely difficult, because the similarities are present from the very beginning.