Ichiban Kasuga from Like a Dragon joins Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds for free, with a themed festival this weekend
The weekend event will let players earn more Like a Dragon themed cosmetics
The next free Sega crossover character has been added to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds today.
Ichiban Kasuga, the protagonist of 2020 game Yakuza: Like a Dragon and every main entry since then, is available now as part of a free DLC update.
Players who update their game will find the following unlocks waiting for them when they next play:
- Ichiban Kasuga playable character
- Dragon Brave vehicle
- Two new Like a Dragon songs in the Jukebox
- Special emotes and sounds
As is the case with all other racers who have been added to the game, Kasuga’s arrival will be celebrated with a limited time Festival Event, which takes place this weekend.
The Ichiban Kasuga Festival will start on November 7 at 00.01am UTC / GMT, and will end on November 10 at 11.59pm UTC / GMT.
During that time, players who take part in online multiplayer racers will collect Festival Points, and as they hit certain milestones they’ll unlock exclusive rewards.
These include a new The Dragon’s Heir title, a Comeback Kit gadget, six decals and a new Like a Dragon themed horn.
Kasuga is the third in a series of free monthly Sega crossover characters coming to the game, after the first – Hatsune Miku – arrived on the game’s release date, followed by Joker from Persona who arrived in October.
A new Sega crossover character will be added every month, but Sega has yet to officially confirm who’s coming next. The game’s physical box shows the character Nights, suggesting they will be coming at some point.
As well as the free content, a paid Season Pass featuring six crossover packs is also available. The first of these packs, based on Minecraft, is already live, offering three new characters, a new vehicle, a new course and new Jukebox songs.
This will be followed by a SpongeBob SquarePants DLC pack later this month, then packs for Pac-Man, Mega Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and Avatar Legends.
VGC’s Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds review calls the game “a great alternative to Mario Kart’s new open-world focus”, noting that Nintendo‘s decision to tweak its formula for Mario Kart World makes Sega’s offering the best option for those seeking a ‘traditional’ karting game.
“CrossWorlds is a brilliant karting game with satisfying handling, a fun portal mechanic and useful customisation options,” we wrote. “Its weapons aren’t as punchy as we’d like and it’s unclear how it’s going to keep players’ attention long-term but it’s a genuine, more traditional alternative to Mario Kart now that Nintendo’s pointed its series in new direction.”
