It must be hard for Sonic nowadays. The once so popular Sega mascot is struggling hard to deliver great games. Before we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the blue hedgehog, we get a new game in the Sonic Boom franchise on Nintendo 3DS. I’ve played it for a while now and I’ll share my first experiences in this preview.
Sonic Boom
First things first, Sonic Boom isn’t your regular Sonic game. Instead of just running around, Sonic Boom features small puzzles and a lot of dialogue. The moment you start playing the game, you’ll see a scene, revealing the story of the game, which is rather light, to be honest. Dr. Eggman discovers a new element called Ragnium and tries to create robots that are faster than Sonic. The goal of his master plan? Show the world that Sonic is no longer the fastest creature alive. It sounds like a light plot and it actually is but the dialogues are filled with references and jokes to keep the story entertaining.
The most important event of the story is the fire and ice powers. The Sonic crew gains these powers when Sonic and Amy closed one of the Ragnium points on the map. Closing this resulted in fire and ice powers that could be transferred to other Sonic members using Tails’ science. Again, the story doesn’t make sense all of the time but it’s a good excuse to give the cast some new powers to experiment with.
Beat the levels
Unlike the other Sonic Boom games, Fire and Ice plays like a combination of the traditional 2D Sonic games influenced with the 3D universe. The game is divided into different worlds, all including an amount of separate levels. The worlds will offer the needed variation, just like the ones of Super Mario games. The first world is an icy world for example, while the second one is set on a sunny beach. This variation is something that will keep the game fresh and prevent it from getting boring too soon. So what are the levels about?
Well, since it’s a Sonic game, most levels revolve around speed. You’ll need to run as fast as possible and dodge enemies while doing so. If you get hit, you’ll lose coins, the moment you lost all your coins and get hit again, will result in a return to the closest checkpoint. Sounds like your typical Sonic games but thanks to the characters, the game does feature some puzzle elements.
Use the different characters and their powers
You start the game with Sonic and Amy and you’re able to change between them anytime you want, even during the levels. Sonic has his air dash attack while Amy can use her powerful hammer to pound objects into the ground. Later on, you’ll unlock new characters as Tails that all have their own unique set of abilities. Tails can hover and shoot a laser beam for example while Sticks (another new character) can activate switches with her boomerang. It’s great to see the Sonic cast in action and it’s fun to play the levels with different characters since some will be able to unlock hidden paths.
Something all characters have in common, however, are the fire and ice powers. By tapping the shoulder buttons, you’ll switch between fire and ice in seconds, which is needed in order to survive. During your run, you’ll need to melt ice blocks with your fire in order to keep your momentum. The ice power is used to create extra platforms out of water blocks. It feels a little gimmicky at first, but the two powers are really shaping up to deliver new types of gameplay in the Sonic universe.
Boss battles and races
During my time with the game, I also faced huge boss battles that filled up both screens of the 3DS system. These boss fights demand speed and tactics in order to survive. It’s a welcome change to the regular gameplay and thanks to the scenes; you’ll always have a smile on your face before and after the boss fights. Those fights seem to offer the needed variation but I’m wondering what kind of boss the game will throw at me in a later stadium.
Besides bosses, you’ll also have to participate in so-called bot races before you can unlock the next world. These races take place on a smaller map where you’ll need to be faster than the robot that’s chasing you. In order to win, you’ll need to run perfectly, the moment you’ll hit an obstacle or miss a boost; you’ll lose the race. Although it’s a great idea, it doesn’t really feel like a necessary element at this point but perhaps this can also change the more I play.
Early conclusion:
Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice plays like a more traditional Sonic game, which is good compared to the 3D Sonic Boom games. The game seems to nail the speed and thanks to the different characters, you’ll have enough variation to keep you going. I’m only wondering if the boss battles and bot races can remain fun after hours of playing. Only time will tell, I definitely need to play the game a little more but from what I’ve seen, this could be a very enjoyable Sonic game.
