Sonic Dash (for iPad) Review

The endless runner is a tricky mobile game genre. It's inherently repetitive, but it has to offer enough variety and satisfying gameplay to keep you coming back. Temple Run gets it right by giving you just enough room to move, just enough upgrades, and just enough variety in environments to keep you playing. Sonic Dash, Sega's new endless runner featuring Sonic the Hedgehog, makes a valiant effort to offer a Temple Run experience, but while it looks great it simply doesn't have enough content to keep you coming back to this $1.99 iOS game. The game functions on iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. I tested it on an iPad.

Not So Free Running
Sonic has only a few actions. He can move left or right, automatically aligning with one of three lanes; he can jump to avoid pits and spikes; and he can roll to destroy enemies and get under gaps. A boost meter fills as you run, and, when full, it lets you speed through all obstacles for a short period of time. That and two context-sensitive situations (tapping on fish to homing attack over big pits, and sliding gestures to do optional stunts when switching between areas) are his entire repertoire of moves. There's no tilting, turning, or careful maneuvering as in Temple Run.You have to jump, roll, and dodge over three lanes of repeating areas, and that's it.

There are two types of terrain: Green Hills Zone-style grass and Aquatic Ruin Zone-style ancient ruins. The terrain is effectively identical, with the same sorts of obstacles including the exact same enemies between them. Chemical Plant, Death Egg, and Casino Night-style zones would have greatly added to Sonic Dash's variety and appeal, considering that they are much more recognizable and engaging than Aquatic Ruin.

Few Options
Unlockables are sparse, and full of microtransactions. The main currency is gold rings, which can be used for a few permanent upgrades like dash meter speed and length of ring magnet pickups (the only pickup in the game besides rings) and temporary bonuses such as letting you get a head start of some distance. However, since the tracks don't vary that much, the head start means little. You can also earn red rings by performing objectives like running a certain distance or destroying certain enemies with your roll, but they're given so rarely the only way to collect them in any quantity is through in-game purchases. The red rings can be used to unlock Tails, Knuckles, and Amy from the Sonic the Hedgehog series to serve as identical-playing alternate skins, or to buy revive tokens that let you keep running after you fall.

Sonic Dash looks good and simple, with the classic Sonic the Hedgehog design for everything but Sonic himself (who has "new Sonic" green eyes). It offers as faithful a 3D reproduction of Sonic levels as Sonic Generation's version of Green Hill Zone, complete with occasional loops and corkscrews that keep a smooth framerate as rings and obstacles go by. There are only three types of enemies: red crabs, purple robot turtles, and robot fish. They look like they come straight out of the classic Sonic games, but some more diversity in both the enemies and the terrain would have been welcome.

Sonic Dash is diverting, but there isn't enough to it to really keep you sticking with it. The controls are too limited to offer the responsive challenge of Temple Run, and there isn't nearly enough variety, even as an endless runner. Its $2 price tag isn't terrible for a bit of Sonic the Hedgehog fun, but it'll get old fast.

Sonic Dash (for iPad)

3.0

See It

$0.00 at Apple.com

MSRP $1.99

Pros

• Good graphics.
• Smooth framerate.
• Recognizeable Sonic design.

Cons

• Not much variety.
• Only two environments.

The Bottom Line

Sonic Dash is a fun iOS endless runner starring gaming's fastest hedgehog that doesn't quite offer the variety of Temple Run.