Game Review: Sonic Dash 2 - Sonic Boom by SEGA
Sonic the Hedgehog has been around for longer than I can remember in both TV and game consoles. During all these years the franchise had its ups and downs but it always managed to return stronger and remain relevant. Despite the backlash that Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric received when it was released for the Wii U last year (and for good reasons), the animated TV show of the same name did (and still does) fairly well so SEGA didn’t give up on the project and now brought us an improved game for smartphones. After the success that was Sonic Dash game app back in 2013, it was only a matter of time before the 2nd installment would be released. Now in Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom, the Sonic Boom world and characters are part of it in an attempt to fix what was wrong with the Wii U version.
Plot
Similar to the first Sonic Dash game, Dash 2 is also an endless runner and that means Sonic is doing exactly he is perfect at: Running! With improved graphics and designs, more features and the beloved characters from the Sonic Boom series, it is a treat for both Sonic fans and Endless arcades’ lovers alike. Sonic must run to catch the evil Dr. Eggman, which is futile as you can imagine, since it’s an endless runner we’re talking about (not that it would be much more probable if it was any other type of game, though).
Gameplay
The game starts with a tutorial, which teaches you the basics. During gameplay, if you find something unclear or forget something, you can always try the tutorial again from the settings menu. This is a very useful option and it’s always a relief when you are able to go back and see something you forgot (e.g. how a move is executed).
The main character is of course Sonic but you can unlock the rest of the characters and use whoever you prefer as you advance. As in all endless runners, the character moves automatically and the player needs to swipe only left and right to change lanes, up to jump and down to slide. In Sonic Dash 2, up and down have one more purpose: to destroy enemies. If you have an enemy above you, you can jump and roll into a ball in order to destroy it. The same happens when you slide if you have an enemy in front of you. Of course it only works with creatures and not with inanimate objects, such as rocks.
While you’re running, you’ll have to collect as many golden rings, red stars, blue orbs and power ups. Rings are important for character upgrades, and red stars are the game’s currency that you use to revive your character when you lose in order to continue from where you left off as well as buy tickets and unlock characters. Orbs fill the dash bar and you can then use it by double-tapping to destroy enemies with bigger force and earn different rewards as well, depending on which character you play with. Sonic for instance, gets a ring magnet when he dashes and Amy (my personal favorite) turns enemies into rings with her hammer. The rest of the characters have a unique dash attack as well.
Magnets, multipliers and more are also scattered around for you to pick up. But the most important power ups are small sprites that are available every few hours (unless you want to spent red stars to get one immediately) and are not found in-game. Each has a different color and unique ability, e.g. Spark gives you a bonus revive automatically if you lose, or Legs that makes your dashing lasts 10% longer. The sprites fly at your side while you run but you have to activate them before you start the game.
The enemies come in a variety of forms, like giant wasps, spiked bombs, crabs, and of course there are rocks, trees, gaps to jump above and more. If you don’t roll in time to destroy them and instead collide with them, this will cost you rings but it’s game over when you lose all rings or you collide with trees or stones. Even these are vulnerable to dashing though so destroy them without fear.
The game has all sorts of Events and Missions, which reward you with gifts if you complete them successfully. Events expire after a while and it’s up to the player to decide if they’ll take part, but missions on the other hand are available always and impossible to ignore. Having to run X number of meters without losing, collecting X number of rings, or destroying X number of enemies are some of the most common ones you'll come across. To play you spend a Ticket, and a new one is available every few minutes so if you run out of your available ones you’ll have to wait a while before having the chance to run again or use the store.
In-App Purchases
Which brings us to the IAP section of Sonic Dash 2. The store gives the player the chance to buy various bundles of stars and rings. To be more precise, you only spend money to buy the red star bundles and then use the stars to purchase the ring bundles and tickets. Despite the fact that rings are available in tons to collect in-game, tickets and sprites are hard to get, thus buying red stars is very tempting. I wish there were more ways to get stars though because it doesn’t feel too fair the way it’s structured now.
Graphics & Sounds
Watching your favorite cartoons in 3D form is always a treat for the eyes and Sonic Dash 2 is no exception. Fluid graphics, amazing colors, great environment and character designs will captivate you. In addition to the graphics, joyful tunes give the perfect balance and offer a pleasant experience for the player.
Conclusion
Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom is an endless runner that might not add something new to the formula, yet it manages to be pleasant, it makes use of the good aspects of the genre (for the most part) and offers a quality game in both gameplay and design alike. The IAP system is a bit unfair but not to the point of getting frustrating. Hopefully we’ll have more Sonic game apps in the future that are closer to the classic Sonic games, but for now, even as an endless arcade, it is worth giving a try.
Download Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom for iOS devices here.
Download Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom for Android devices here.
Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom screenshots
