Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed: Ocean View

The game mechanics of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed are to race until you win, collect experience based on what rank you end up in at the end of the race, and to unlock characters, each containing their own specific characteristics of speed, handling, boost, and all-star. 

You must use skills you pick up with each character you choose, learn who works best in each area/track, and from that information, pick the most capable character of winning the race. You can also simply pick your favorite character and learn how to use them to their full potential to win, or pick one of the more OP characters (*cough* Sonic *cough*) and use them to win almost every time.

What is successful about these mechanics are the fact that you are given the chance to play as almost every main Sonic character that has ever existed in the Sonic the Hedgehog Universe; but not all of them, because there would be a LOT of characters to pick from. They work well with the level design because each level seems to cater differently to each character. Some characters have an easier time than most getting into first place (this partially has to do with the player behind the controller of course) on certain tracks, whereas others do not. However, this role can easily be changed on more challenging tracks.

There are many obstacles including but not limited to: other players (throwing collected items; bumping you out of the way, getting in front of you, etc.), hazards on the track like giant rolling boulders, huge monsters, the track changing for each lap, and many more.

To excel at this game, it is highly recommended that you learn how and when to use your items so you stay out of trouble and out of reach of other players, but it is also super important to learn how to use the drift button! Drifting helps you navigate otherwise difficult curves, so instead of slowing down or running into the wall and having to loose speed, you can keep it while still dominating the track. It is also recommended that you use the speed boosts given to you, but know when you can or can't use them to your advantage, and adapt to those decisions.

The player is guided simply by the direction of the track. It's all relatively straightforward, but when you come to a split or a more wide-open area of the track where it isn't as obvious where to go, there are arrow signs that point you in the right direction...and if you don't see those, a message will instantly pop up telling you that you're going the wrong way, so there's that, too.

The player is contained by guard rails on the track, and more natural barriers like islands, stretches of trees, rock walls, etc., when they are not on the normal track.

Below is my layout for the Ocean View level: