Sega steers its mascot back on track…
What's your favourite Sonic game? Ask anyone over the age of 20 that question and they'll inevitably come back
with an answer involving one of the older MegaDrive games - Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles are both popular choices - or
possibly the newer, but still side-scrolling, Sonic Rush on DS. There's no getting past the fact that, amongst gamers who
remember Sonic's heyday, the more modern 3D releases in the series have had a bit of a mixed reception.
Old-school style
But even those players will find much of what they love from the old-style Sonic experience in Sega's latest 3D offering,
Sonic & The Secret Rings on Wii. It's not perfect by a long stretch, but it certainly banishes the idea that Sonic's
head-down hurtling and platform prowess can't work in three dimensions, while providing Nintendo's new console a much-needed
original and oft-enjoyable speed-based romp with bags of replay value.
To call Secret Rings a pure platformer, however, would be somewhat misleading. Having puzzled long and hard about how to
do justice to Sonic's speed in full 3D, Sega have made a game here which mixes well-timed jumps and spin attacks with the
conventions of a racing game. This is basically an on-rails platformer, and though that wouldn't wash with the likes of Mario
in this day and age, for the purposes of a Sonic title it works very well indeed.
A much-needed original and oft-enjoyable speed-based romp with bags of replay value.
As too does the motion-sensing control system. Holding the Wii Remote sideways like a joypad in much the same way as you
would in Excite Truck, tilting forwards speeds up the heroic ‘hog, while sideways dips steer him through the levels -
which wouldn't be out of place being labelled as tracks. Having said that, they do throw up enough typical Sonic traits -
enemies to bash with his lock-on homing attack, ravines to leap, springs to bounce off, rails to grind and handfuls of golden
rings to collect - to retain a very old-school platform feel.
Additionally, there's also a pretty hefty RPG-style character development system in Secret Rings, where level completion
grants Experience points, with which you can purchase more skills for Sonic throughout the adventure. Equipped to different
Skill Rings which you select before each level, his improvements include the ability to run faster, or an extra number of
rings - but you can only use a few at any one time, meaning you'll have to choose wisely depending on the mission
objective.
No shortage of fun
And there's certainly no shortage of them. Secret Ring's seven worlds each encompass a drastically different visual style,
and boast multiple story and challenge missions. From a sandy desert oasis to a land choc-full of dinosaurs, a pirate ship to
a floating ruin, it's an impressive visual feast for Wii gamers to enjoy - and throws up a variety of interesting conditions,
such as collecting a certain amount of rings, racing a character to the finish line, or hurtling through levels without
breaking a single one of the ceramic pots strewn liberally about the place.
Something we've neglected to mention so far is the story aspect - and that's because it's really not the game's greatest
selling point. It sees Sonic spirited into the book Arabian Nights to stop an evil genie destroying the story, and won't be
winning any new converts from those who've so far shirked Sonic's 3D outings. However, the Arabian Nights theme itself crates
one of the Wii's most powerful, lense flared, motion-blurred visual experiences yet, and the handling of familiar Sonic
characters - Knuckles, Robotnik (well, Eggman) and co. - as the book's key characters, is a nice fit.
From a sandy desert oasis to a land choc-full of dinosaurs, a pirate ship to a floating ruin,
it's an impressive visual feast.
The main drawback of Secret Rings, sadly, is that it can at times feel a little one-dimensional. Sonic is always moving
forwards, and stopping him completely is actually assigned to pressing and holding the 1 button, so there's still that issue
of on-rails gameplay and a questionable lack of in-game control - not helped by a sometimes unresponsive lock-on targeting
system or the ever-so-occasional instance when the Wiimote doesn't pick up your motions at all.
Moreover, moving backwards - achieved by tilting the Wiimote towards yourself - is counter intuitive as the camera doesn't
move to let you see behind you, while an ability to jump backwards is only granted later in the game. At the game's
(incredibly slow) outset this proves frustrating - with an objective of killing all 10 enemies in one level, you'll have to
start the mission again if you miss one and then take a jump out of its reach. Why Sega didn't include the option to turn
Sonic through 180 degrees we're not sure, but we'd expect to see it in the sequel.
We're confident there will be a follow-up, because despite the drawbacks, Secret Rings does enough right to be a lot of
fun. An additional minigame-mad multiplayer Party mode makes it a good social offering too, and when the spiny blue speedster
is hurtling through the game's stunning vistas at full tilt, it's really an experience to behold. Sega have tried something
new here, on a console dedicated to new gaming ideas, and for the most part it works. Give Sonic & The Secret Rings a
try; it may just end up your new favourite Sonic title.
GAME's Verdict
- Sonic's head-down hurtling has never felt so fast or looked so good.
- Plenty of replay value with tons of Challenges.
- Fun four-player minigame-based Party Mode.
- On-rails play can be a little one-dimensional.
- Sometimes doesn't pick up on your Wiimote motioning.
- Why can't we just make Sonic turn around?!?
Review by: Mark Scott
Review Published: 02.03.07