Sonic's DS debut is fast, challenging, and exciting from beginning to end
The evil Dr. "Eggman" Robotnik has once again stolen the chaos emeralds along with an alternate version of himself, Eggman Nega. The trouble only gets worse when Eggman also steals the sol emeralds from a different dimension as well. With the sol emeralds in Sonic's universe, the two worlds will become unstable and fall apart. Now Sonic, along with his new friend Blaze the Cat, need to stop both Eggman and Eggman Nega and restore their worlds. This is mostly the typical plot for a Sonic game but it works wel enough. The best part of the story is Blaze. Sonic characters don't always turn out that great but Blaze is one of the best in the series. Like I said, there isn't much to offer in story, but it is interesting without being in your face.
The game itself plays like a normal 2D Sonic game, only much faster than any games before it. Your goal is to get from point A to point B while running, jumping and now boosting your way through each level. Unlike previous games, you now have a boost meter which runs out when using your boost attack. How do you refill it? You perform tricks in mid air, or while grinding, by pushing the B button repeatably. The boost is your most useful attack as it not only gives you a burst of speed, but it can also kill enemies that get in your way (whom will also refill your boost meter) and help you pass certain obstacles. However, don't get too carried away for the level design can sometimes get a little cheap and lead you into one of numerous bottomless pits. I understand the game is trying to be challenging, but the game's difficulty relies too heavily on these bottomless pits which can be very frustrating.
You have the choice between only 2 characters this time; Sonic the Hedgehog or his new friend, Blaze the Cat. As far as I can tell, there isn't much difference between these two characters other than Sonic runs faster but Blaze can jump much higher. Both have their uses, like Blaze's superior jumping ability can help her reach higher areas and Sonic can breeze through the level faster. At least there's no useless gimmicks this time, and both characters are fun to play as, even if there is little difference.
Like most every Sonic game, especially the side scrolling games, each stage has 2 acts and one boss (with 7 stages total). For the most part, the level themes are your typical Sonic formula: a grassy forest world, a casino, a desert, a water world, a sky world, and Eggman's base. The most original level in this game is an aircraft carrier, but that's not to say any of these stages are bad, just the typical Sonic stages. What's more original are the bosses, which are some of the better boss fights in the series, and some of the most challenging.
Blaze gets her Sol Emeralds back after every boss fight throughout the story, but Sonic has to get his Chaos Emeralds back by competing each special stage. These can be found in the middle of a stage as a wheel that you grab onto and use up 2/3s of your boost. Now you are placed in a half pipe (Sonic 2 style) and control Sonic with the stylus. The goal is pretty much the same as most: grab a certain amount of rings before reaching the end while dodging bombs and enemies. You can even run into balloons in the stage and drag the stylus across a certain pattern (in the correct order, as they are numbered) for a chance to earn extra rings. These stages may seem difficult at first, mainly the later ones, but all it takes is some trial and error. Other than that, these special stages are some of the best in the entire series. Using the stylus only adds to the fun and the later ones are challenging without being too cheap.
For an early DS game, the graphics are great for a 3D game in a 2D perspective. The environments look good too, but sometimes you go too fast to really appreciate them. The music is done by Hideki Naganuma, famous for the soundtrack of Jet Set Radio, and it really shows. His catchy mix of hip-hop and funk is back in this game too and like JSR, it compliments the game's style well. Some of it may sound cheesy at times, but it's an overall great soundtrack and it's a nice break from the rock tracks.
If anyone is looking for a Sonic game where they can go fast, this game is sure to please. Fast is a good thing and it works very well in this game, but sometimes I wish more platforming was involved so I can slow down and see what's ahead. Still, Sonic Rush is fast, challenging, and most of all, fun from the very beginning to the end credits. It may not play like the classics, but it's a great modernized version of the 2D formula.