Sonic and the Secret Rings Feature Preview
We get our ring on and check out a near-final version of Sonic the Hedgehog's Wii adventure.
We chat with Sega's Ben Harrison about the upcoming Sonic game for the Nintendo Wii.
Much like the speedy blue hedgehog that serves as its title character, Sega's upcoming Sonic and the Secret Rings has made a zippy run to release. We got our first look at the game at last year's Electronic Entertainment Expo where the promising game debuted among the varied crop of new software for Nintendo's funky new platform. In keeping with the unique vibe that ran through all of the Wii software, the game used the Wii Remote to control Sonic as he sped through levels. Though we've had the chance to see the title on and off since its debut, we haven't gotten a proper look at the game. But, with its release fast approaching, Sega popped by recently to show us a near-final version of the game to give us an idea of just how it has turned out.
In many ways, Sonic and the Secret Rings offers a retro Sonic experience. Whereas the spiny hero's past few adventures have forced him to share the spotlight with various faces from the Sonic universe, Sonic and the Secret Rings takes a back-to-basics approach. The blue blur will be the only character you'll control throughout the whole adventure. Although the game goes back to its roots by keeping the spotlight on Sonic, its story takes a pretty radical departure from the standard setup. The narrative finds our hero visited by a female genie named Shahra who has a "Princess Leia moment" and pleads for his help. It seems her 'hood, the world of the Arabian Nights storybook, is having a really rough time. An evil genie named Erazor Djinn is looking to wipe Shahra's world out, one story at a time.
Never one to turn down a damsel in distress, Sonic offers his services and heads off with Shahra to take care of business. Unfortunately, his first encounter with Erazor goes pretty poorly, and he winds up getting shot in the chest with a fire arrow that is slowing burning out, like a fuse. Erazor tells the hedgehog that the only way he'll remove the arrow is if Sonic travels into the world of the Arabian Nights and collects the seven secret world rings. While helping a villain isn't typically Sonic's style, the spirited hedgehog doesn't have much in the way of a choice because his life will be "forfeit" if he doesn't bring the rings back before the arrow's fire burns out. (D'oh!)
So, with his life on the rapidly burning line, Sonic heads off to do what he does best, collect rings. Fortunately, Shahra comes along for the ride to lend a hand, which is the least she can do, considering she got him in the mess in the first place. While this story may sound like it takes Sonic far and away from the familiar crew he's run with in his previous games, you'll actually come across a number of individuals in the Arabian Nights world who are pretty close doppelgangers to Knuckles, Dr. Eggman, and others.
Once you hop into the game, you'll find that, in keeping with its storybook theme, its levels are broken into multipart chapters that feature different challenges, which open up as you progress. The first level is the Lost Prologue level, which essentially functions as the game's tutorial. Shahra will show you the ropes on Sonic's various abilities in short chapters. Though you'll play through eight short chapters initially to get the basics of controlling Sonic down, you'll actually return to the prologue a few times once you get further into the game as Sonic gains new skills.
We were able to try out a handful of different levels, set in unique areas that reimagined many signature Sonic locales with an Arabian Nights twist. All told, we checked out six levels: Lost Prologue, Sand Oasis, Dinosaur Jungle, Evil Foundry, Levitated Ruin, and Pirate Storm. As we mentioned earlier, Lost Prologue is a tutorial actually set on the pages of the storybook. The level is functional and just features a path where you'll test out Sonic's abilities. Sand Oasis is the now-familiar desert area, which eases you into the action. Dinosaur Jungle is a fanciful level that finds you tearing through a lush jungle populated with, you guessed it, dinosaurs. Evil Foundry showcased a more industrial area that was a bit out of the Arabian Nights norm and closer to the traditional look of a Sonic level. Levitated Ruin kept closer to the storybook theme but married it with the scarier elements of the sky levels from the Sonic Adventure games. Wind plays a huge factor in progressing, and you'll need to use the environment to block for you. Finally, the Pirate Storm level was an insane mix of racing and platforming set against the backdrop of an ocean wracked by a storm. You'll play through each level a number of times and try to meet various mission requirements (you'll find 100 missions in all to go through).
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- GameSpot Score7.6good
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- Release: Feb 20, 2007 »
- ESRB: Everyone
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