Cranking up the game's story mode fills you in on what's going on. Sonic and his closest buddies are forced into a high-speed hoverboard racing tournament hosted by Dr. Eggman, pit against a colorful new cast of villains known as the Babylon Rogues, comprising anthropomorphic bird versions of the mammalian heroes.
Each of the playable characters in the game falls under one of three play styles. Characters like Sonic and Jet the Hawk, his green-feathered nemesis, are 'speed' types, whose attributes lend themselves towards inherently faster course times. The characters in Sonic Riders blessed with technical aptitude, namely Tails and mauve-plumed Wave the Swallow, are 'fly' types, who can catch more air. The 'power' types rely on brawn over finesse, featuring Knuckles, who can punch his way through to shortcuts that the other characters can't access. His counterpart is Storm, the Albatross. Was there a sudden shortage of interesting birds? Regardless, the character designs are a perfect match for the familiar crew of Sonic and his cohorts, and the game's visual style is clean, brightly colored, and attractive with the familiar cartoon feel.
The action takes place on a series of diverse courses, with all the usual archetypes; for starters, you've got the fancy futuristic city course, the jungle track, a desert course with plenty of ancient Egyptian appeal, and a factory stage with plenty of delightful molten lava to splash around in, or avoid if that's your preferred route. Each course's environment is littered with interactive objects that serve to either provide a shortcut across the track, or to just ruin your day.
In Metal City, for example, you'll have to dodge speeding cars that cross your path. It's interesting to note that the environment-conscious citizens of Metal City don't drive SUVs, but there's still that pesky vehicular manslaughter problem. Some of the more interesting ways that racers get around the tracks include being launched across a great distance by an ancient Ballista in the Desert Ruins track, and riding the back of an enormous millipede in the Green Cave; a definite freak out moment for the squeamish types who can't stand the sight of creepy crawly things.