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Sonic and the Secret Rings(JP) is a Sonic platforming game, that is exclusive to the Wii. Instead of having a free roaming environment, Sonic and the Secret Rings is on-rails, that is, you follow a set path. This makes it more like the traditional 2D version of the series, and eliminates the slow emerald finding levels in Sonic Adventure 1 and 2.

Themes[]

  • Arabian Nights: A sandy oasis and the main theme in the game.
  • Dinosaur Island: An area that takes place in the past.
  • Evil Foundry
  • Levitated Ruin
  • Pirate Storm: An area that takes place near a stormy ocean full of pirates.

Moves[]

Two new moves allows Sonic to speed time up, and to slow time down. He is also able to do many of the attacks that he was able to do in the previous Sonic entries, such as run very fast, the spin attack, and others.

Customizable skills[]

In January 2007, Sega revealed that Sonic would have around 100 skills. These skills will do multiple things, such as how Sonic handles, to special abilities, and so on.

Mini-games[]

In 2006, Sega revealed that there would be a certain amount of multiplayer mini-games that you and your friends were able to play. In January of 2007, Sega revealed that there would be forty of these mini-games. The mini-games also include popular characters from the Sonic universe, such as Knuckles and Amy.

Plot[]

Characters[]

Sonic is the game's protagonist, and his sidekick throughout the game is Shahra, "Genie of the Ring". Their enemy is Erazor Djinn, a genie who aspires to erase the entirety of the Arabian Nights book. He was once the Genie of the Lamp from the story of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, who was punished for misdeeds and imprisoned in his lamp until he granted the wishes of one thousand people. Erazor did so, gaining a renewed hatred of humanity and deciding to take over the world. Several Sonic series characters appear in the form of figures from Arabian Nights, such as Miles "Tails" Prower as Ali Baba, Knuckles the Echidna as Sinbad the Sailor, and Dr. Eggman as Shahryār. Though Sonic recognizes them as old acquaintances, they do not recognize him, and Shahra insists that Sonic's perception is mistaken.

Story[]

Development[]

E3 Preview[]

At E3 2006, with the Wii, the Sonic game was there. The preview was called Sonic Wildfire, and was a demo. The game was said to be a launch title at the time, but is to be released March 2007.

Reception[]

Sonic and the Secret Rings has received mixed to positive reviews. Several critics praised the game's visuals, although equally common were criticisms directed at the control scheme, both for its steep learning curve, as well as what some have called "loose and unresponsive mechanics." Another source of frustration for many critics, such as IGN, was the fact that the game frequently forces Sonic to stop and walk backwards, and that the camera, frustratingly, remains in the same position, preventing the player from seeing what he's backing into. A general theme that can be picked out of many reviews, even the positive ones, is that the missions are occasionally frustrating and that the difficulty seems to spike randomly, something X-Play, in particular, took issue with. X-Play also disliked the mission structure, claiming that the game forces players to spend the bulk of their time playing what they referred to as "leftovers."

Several critics considered the game, in spite of its occasionally frustrating controls and mission structure, a step in the right direction for the series which has been declining in terms of popularity and critical reception for the last several years.

Sonic and the Secret Rings was the 13th best-selling game of February 2007 in North America, with 83,000 copies. As of September 2008, the game has sold 1.2 million units worldwide.

Screenshots Gallery[]

External links[]

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