Sonic Dash Review
PROS
- Pitches itself as a standard runner, but manages to be something that requires far more skill than 'fast reactions'.
- Risk-reward mechanics as you decide whether to bank your rings or go for bigger bonuses.
CONS
- Environment changes don't bring any significant gameplay changes; provides no additional sense of progression or variety.
- Aggressive IAP advertising despite having already paid-to-play.
VERDICT
Sonic Dash doesn't seek to innovate in the auto-runner genre, and for that alone it's disappointing, but if you scratch beneath the surface you'll find a game willing to throw a significant challenge your way.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
I mean, we knew this was always going to have to be a thing, right? This is Sonic the Hedgehog after all, and the blue-hued hero is no stranger to the old vertical running, sporting variations on the theme in many of his 3D titles. And so, Hardlight and SEGA have brought us Sonic Dash, a Temple Run-esque runner that boils down the franchise in to something short, occasionally fun, and easy to pick up and play.
At first it's easy to dismiss Sonic Dash as 'yet another clone', but beneath the surface lies a runner that requires a surprising amount of skill to become adept at. The trap so many other similar titles run in to is not knowing how to add challenge to the later stages of the game; not so with Sonic Dash as the game starts throwing new combinations of spikes, walls, pillars, and enemies to block your way.
In order to overcome these you'll need to master the simple, but responsive control system. Swiping left and right will make you change lanes; swiping down will perform a spin-dash; and swiping up will perform a jump. Advanced maneuvers include being able to swipe down mid-jump to quickly dash to the ground, and then swiping down several times to extend the length of your dash.
If anything proves to be disappointing, it's the lack of imagination when it comes to the upgrades available for Sonic. Aside from the ring-powered dash that makes Sonic temporarily invincible, the only other power-up is a magnet to collect more rings. It's odd that something as obvious as having a temporary shield (a common power-up in the platformer) would be missing;.
Also, while the game makes excellent use of the basic environments on offer, there's very little difference between the two visually distinct areas aside from the occasional speed zone in the Green Hill-like area.
With any luck these shortcomings will be fixed in future updates as the all-important core gameplay remains engaging enough to keep hitting 'play again' - at least for now.
Screenshots
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