During early development the developers experimented with having each character have a different way of racing, with Sonic running, Dr. Eggman in the Eggpod, and Gilius Thunderhead from Golden Axe riding on top of a Chicken Leg. This idea was abandoned when they found that the gameplay just wasn't enjoyable, mostly due to the racers being different sizes, as well as problems getting characters on foot to drift the same as characters in cars.