Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers is a mixed bag. A lot of reviews act like this game is awful, but I don't think it is; I find the game very fun, and it does improve on issues that I had with Sonic Robo Blast Kart 2, its predecessor. However, the developers have made questionable decisions that have turned a lot of players off from it.
To begin, Ring Racers is fundamentally inaccessible, in multiple senses of the word. The game is mechanically dense, which can be a turn-off. I personally enjoy the complexity of it, as it makes this game truly one of a kind. I also feel that the mechanics can be explained to a new player quickly and easily, despite the tutorial's best efforts.
Speaking of which, we come to most folks' chief complaint: The restriction of the game's content. Unlike SBR2K, you can't just install the game and hop online with your friend. The game starts up with a setup sequence which I found to be charming, if not a touch long-winded. Following that was the tutorial, which is a unskippable 30-minute stage that still fails to cover core mechanics of the game. Once you clear that, you get access to the main menu finally.
You still need to unlock the tracks and most of the characters, as well as key features of the game. This content is presented through a Super Smash Bros.-style unlockable gallery. The gated features include basics like online play, time trials, and loading mods. This makes the game effectively impossible to get quickly set up for a game sessions with a friend, unless you provide a list of the cheat codes the devs mercifully provided, or send over a save file with the needed content unlocked (Google is your friend for both of these). This is... egregious, to put it lightly. I understand and respect the desire from the devs to ensure players appreciate every bit of their 5 years of hard work; however, most players, including myself, find this to be an unwelcome change, if not a dealbreaker.
Beneath the complexity of the mechanics and the headache of getting started, is the game fun? Yes, it is. It's still a kart racer, with all the glorious chaos that entails. It can be overwhelming even by the standards of the genre though. Some mechanics shine while others are underutilized. The tracks also vary in quality. The AI is difficult, with rubberbanding that brings to mind racing games from the late 90s and early 00s. Getting hit with items leads to the harshest punishment I've seen in any kart racer; on multiple occasions, I'd be hit by an item in first place and by the time I recovered, I found myself in the last place. The handling is very slippery, adding to the chaos of the game.
Ring Racers does improve over its predecessor in two key ways: first of all, I feel the track design is more readable in this game. While playing SRB2K, my friends and I have run into several cases where we got confused on where the track expects us to go next. This game remedies that with redesigned tracks from the first game. The second improvement is the addition of a proper local multiplayer mode. In SRB2K, the local multiplayer almost feels like an unintended feature. However, this game supports local multiplayer naturally. I know this is a more niche features among the game's target audience, but it is something I sorely missed in SRBK2.
To conclude, Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers is a very promising game. The game is uniquely complex by kart racer standards, both to its benefit and detriment. The gameplay is fundamentally fun, building off a solid base, but still needs fine-tuning. The core issue with the game is its gating of so much of its content to newcomers. Even without the flawed physics and irritating onboarding, I still wouldn't say this is a game for everyone, and that's okay: SRB2K, its predecessor, isn't going anywhere. It released in a flawed state, but if AAA games can recover from rough launches, I don't doubt this can too.
To begin, Ring Racers is fundamentally inaccessible, in multiple senses of the word. The game is mechanically dense, which can be a turn-off. I personally enjoy the complexity of it, as it makes this game truly one of a kind. I also feel that the mechanics can be explained to a new player quickly and easily, despite the tutorial's best efforts.
Speaking of which, we come to most folks' chief complaint: The restriction of the game's content. Unlike SBR2K, you can't just install the game and hop online with your friend. The game starts up with a setup sequence which I found to be charming, if not a touch long-winded. Following that was the tutorial, which is a unskippable 30-minute stage that still fails to cover core mechanics of the game. Once you clear that, you get access to the main menu finally.
You still need to unlock the tracks and most of the characters, as well as key features of the game. This content is presented through a Super Smash Bros.-style unlockable gallery. The gated features include basics like online play, time trials, and loading mods. This makes the game effectively impossible to get quickly set up for a game sessions with a friend, unless you provide a list of the cheat codes the devs mercifully provided, or send over a save file with the needed content unlocked (Google is your friend for both of these). This is... egregious, to put it lightly. I understand and respect the desire from the devs to ensure players appreciate every bit of their 5 years of hard work; however, most players, including myself, find this to be an unwelcome change, if not a dealbreaker.
Beneath the complexity of the mechanics and the headache of getting started, is the game fun? Yes, it is. It's still a kart racer, with all the glorious chaos that entails. It can be overwhelming even by the standards of the genre though. Some mechanics shine while others are underutilized. The tracks also vary in quality. The AI is difficult, with rubberbanding that brings to mind racing games from the late 90s and early 00s. Getting hit with items leads to the harshest punishment I've seen in any kart racer; on multiple occasions, I'd be hit by an item in first place and by the time I recovered, I found myself in the last place. The handling is very slippery, adding to the chaos of the game.
Ring Racers does improve over its predecessor in two key ways: first of all, I feel the track design is more readable in this game. While playing SRB2K, my friends and I have run into several cases where we got confused on where the track expects us to go next. This game remedies that with redesigned tracks from the first game. The second improvement is the addition of a proper local multiplayer mode. In SRB2K, the local multiplayer almost feels like an unintended feature. However, this game supports local multiplayer naturally. I know this is a more niche features among the game's target audience, but it is something I sorely missed in SRBK2.
To conclude, Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers is a very promising game. The game is uniquely complex by kart racer standards, both to its benefit and detriment. The gameplay is fundamentally fun, building off a solid base, but still needs fine-tuning. The core issue with the game is its gating of so much of its content to newcomers. Even without the flawed physics and irritating onboarding, I still wouldn't say this is a game for everyone, and that's okay: SRB2K, its predecessor, isn't going anywhere. It released in a flawed state, but if AAA games can recover from rough launches, I don't doubt this can too.