Sonic Rush Review (DS)

Sonic takes one step back and sprints a thousand forward

When I handed Sonic Rush over the counter, my local game store minion made an interesting statement…

“Y’know, the problem is Sega are making the 3D Sonic games too much about speed and not enough about plat-forming.”

It’s not a thought that ever occurred to me before, but his words did ring true in some respects. The old 2D Sonic games, although relying on Sonic’s ability to zip through levels and past obstacles often, required a fair amount of exploration in order to find the quickest route with the best power-ups. Recent 3D offerings have thrown together a mesh of trial-and-error tasks followed by ‘Speed Sections’ where the only effort made on the players’ behalf is to push the left stick upwards for long periods of time whilst tripping up on the occasional glitch. So, with that statement, it’s fair to say that the head of the nail has been thoroughly whacked and Sonic Rush batters it down some more for good measure.

Sonic Rush is appropriately named, skipping past animated cut scenes and slow repetitive dialogue to move an all too familiar plot device forward and jumping right into the gameplay. Small conversation scenes come across every so often, yet plot takes a back seat in this one and paves the way forward for old school gameplay.

We’re back to a retro 2D formula here, and although they don’t bring out a classical platforming shine that the old Sonic games did and focuses more on speed, levels manage to balance both attributes well on their shoulders. Areas show various different paths through the levels, allowing freedom of exploration and hidden away in the environments are portals that throw Sonic into ‘Special Stages’, necessary for 100% completion for the Obsessive Compulsive. To compensate the speed factor of Sonic Rush, level design is remarkably simple. Thanks to action taking place on both screens, obstacles can be seen above or below easily and although swerving your eyes from one screen to another rapidly may make your pupils vomit from motion sickness at first, it proves to be a valuable asset in aiding you to prepare for upcoming obstacles or enemies.

Plot takes a back seat in this one and paves the way forward for old school gameplay

A new feature that benefits the pace of the game is the boost meter sitting to the left of the screen. Killing enemies and performing tricks fills up the meter, and by hitting the X button, Sonic barges across the screen at lightning speeds so quickly he almost tears out of the side of the DS. In previous Sonic games, any attempts at this sort of blistering speed were met with a sudden stop at a wall or were spoilt by unforeseen enemies forcing you to lose both your rings and your patience. However, using your boost allows Sonic to become invincible for the duration and allows him to easily batter off enemies by whizzing into them. Although this sounds like an easy way to complete the game, levels are broken up by environmental challenges fairly and boost drains incredibly quickly in long bursts. This addition allows players to fully appreciate the speed elements of the series that Sega have been trying to build up over the years.

Unfortunately it seems that Sega got incredibly paranoid that this simplicity was going to bore players and so made the later levels more complex…and as a result, they all suffer. Some suffer from seemingly impossible obstacle layouts which force you to stop and scratch your head for a few moments before traversing and others rely on that learning through trial-and-error aspect that have hindered other Sonic games over the years. Despite having the benefit of two screens, I had to perform a ‘Leap Of Faith’ in some cases in desperate hope that I’d hit the ground running and not fall to my death for the hundredth time. Although these moments occur rarely, they do suddenly halt an otherwise smooth game.

Gameplay moves out of its retrospective 2D settings and jumps into the realms of 3D on only 2 occasions. The boss battles are fought in 3D and can be genuinely challenging, despite all bosses equipping themselves with A MASSIVE WEAK POINT. However, the 3D perspective actually feels a lot more effective when it comes to the Special Stages. Special Stages are played out a lot like the ones in Sonic 2, with Sonic running down a half-pipe collecting rings and avoiding mines. This is the only instance where the touch screen comes into play, with Sonic following the stylus around. The touch screen works incredibly well here, allowing Special Stage controls to run smoothly and compensate the speedy pace brilliantly making Special Stages incredibly enjoyable rather than a chore to gain all the Chaos Emeralds.

It’s a shame the game had to be so short, and playing the game through again with ‘Blaze the Cat’ seems like a cheap way to extend the lifespan. Yet Sonic Rush provides an excellent plat-forming experience pumped full of retro charm should leave a lot of Sonic fans with a big grin on their faces.