Sonic and the Secret Rings (Wii) Review

A new Sonic is on the block and he’s taking names

At last, an enjoyable Sonic game exclusive to Wii we can be happy to call our own, well to a certain extent at least. Sonic and the Secret Rings is the latest Sonic title from SEGA, following the ill fated Sonic the Hedgehog on the Xbox 360. Over the past decade Sonic has copped a lot of flack, many critics commenting on the inability of his 3-D gameplay that has yet to top the brilliance of the classic 2-D scrollers. Sonic Rush on the DS appeased some fans that wanted their old Sonic adrenalin rush but many were still awaiting a return to form on an entertainment system in the comfort of your lounge room. Sonics latest iteration doesnt quite return the blue Hedgehog to his glory days but definitely sets him on a path that will lead to greater things.

What sets Secret Rings apart from its predecessors is the simple yet intuitive control scheme that plants our hero on rails, rather than in the more complex camera controlled style. Back are the ambient and colourful worlds, however few there may be, and also returns to a simpler method of game progression, only ever being able to play as Sonic instead of his gaggle of friends and rivals. Its not all roses and chocolates however and despite some interesting new concepts Sonic still has a plentiful way to go before truly achieving the greatness that it only took Mario one game to do in his move to 3D. So what sets this game apart from the recent Xbox 360 title. Firstly, the story is more laid back and doesnt include references towards Sonic falling in love with a human girl. In fact at times the story is somewhat pointless and only features as a fill in between worlds. Secondly, an all-new RPG (Role Playing Game) style leveling up system has been added which I will get into more detail later on.

And then he woke up, and it was all a dream

One eventless day Sonic is taking a much needed nap after slugging his way through the near unplayable Sonic The Hedgehog (not really) when suddenly a mystical genie appears before him. She has come before Sonic to ask for his help as her world within the book of the Arabian Nights is under siege. Seems another genie within the book called the Erazor has discovered the means to cause all sorts of mayhem in the Arabian Nights and that if he isnt stopped he will gain enough power to seep out into Sonics world and prove to be an annoying itch in ones backside. Our reluctant hero dives into the world of the Arabian Nights to save the worlds and break the sound barrier all at once. Throughout the games single player mode you will be instructed to collect 7 world rings however not all of these are required to reach the final boss. They are required to complete the game in all its entirety but the developers dont seem to go to great lengths to make these world rings, which seem so important during the cut scenes, to actually be of any importance at all in the end.

The Story is broken up in two different sections, the tutorial and the main portion of the game. In the Tutorial, which is required to be completed in the beginning, you will learn the very basics of the games control mechanics as well as having to come to terms with just how slow Sonic is in the beginning. This is due to the leveling up system which you get a taste of quite early but cannot use to achieve its full potential until the Tutorials have been cleared. Throughout the story every so often you will achieve enough to unlock a new skill, which can be taught to you by going back to the Tutorial mode and playing the recently unlocked mission. Once youve slugged youre way through the Tutorials next comes the core of this here Sonic game. Available to you is the first world which takes place amongst old Arabian buildings and at first the game will simply require you to run from Point A to Point B. Sounds simple enough but afterward you unlock a new mission which doesnt take place in a new level but instead, the same level with the old Arabian buildings only with either a different or shorter course or a set way in which to complete the mission. Each world, in which there are 7 are broken up into smaller missions that will have you doing all sorts of bizarre and crazy things. One mission might have you breaking pots while another will have you not destroying any enemies. There is a vast range of these missions in each world but unfortunately the game falls short in actually delivering any variety. After a short while youll start to see the same exact missions prop up in a new world and youll be wishing they had just added more worlds instead of focusing solely on the missions. The most fun Ive had is during the first mission of each level where you have to run from A to B, just like in the classic days. Each world will finish with a boss but every single mission doesnt need to be completed to reach the boss, most of it is story based so will seem to unlock itself out of the ordinary. For what there is the world themes are very well done and interesting. Some examples of them being Arabian ruins, a Dinosaur themed world, ruined Pirate ships that fire canon balls at you as well as a floating Kingdom.

The RPG element in this game actually acts as one of the most fundamental aspects of the title. Up until now such a thing has never been done in a Sonic game and its quite warming to see that it can work so well if you look past the little annoyances of having to work up to get the best out of Sonic instead of having his speed right from the very beginning. At the completion of each mission you will be rewarded points for successful completion as well as Time bonuses and the sorts. These points go towards an accumulated amount in which, once a set amount has been reached you will level up and achieve a few extra Skill Points. The importance of these Skills Points is they allow you to unlock certain attributes into the rings Sonic wears that will make him faster, slower, stronger and a little more magical. The attributes themselves are only obtainable through completing certain missions as well so to get the most out of this feature you will have to slug your way through almost every mission in every world before Sonic is as fast and as dynamic as he was born to be. As mentioned earlier, the only catch is Sonic starts off as a sluggishly slow old Hedgehog that takes minutes, not seconds before gaining any decent acceleration.

Spontaneous combustion is advised

As yet another Wii game it is to be expected the game will feature, to an extent, a new and innovative control scheme that reinvents the series. While it definitely is new it cant be helped to feel that a lot more work is required before the controls feel homely. As the game is mostly on rails, except for the brief multiplayer mode, you hold the controller horizontally and tilt left and right to move Sonic. While you can achieve backsteps in the game by twisting the Wiimote backwards they are almost impossible to perfect, which forward twists even making Sonic step backwards at times. Later into the game the side steps feel incredibly responsive as long as the correct attributes are attached to your ring but early only it feels really sluggish, especially when a multitude of sharp turns have to be made in unison. The buttons that will get the most wear and tear is the 2 and 1 buttons respectively. 2 will act as Sonics jump and 1 will bring him to a stop as a brake. The longer you hold the Jump button the higher and further Sonic will jump, where a tap will give him a bounce and a long pause will send him jumping for miles. Braking acts almost the same way where tapping it will slow Sonic down a little and holding it will bring him to a complete stand still.

Toward the middle of the Story you will unlock two special moves that allow you to slow down time and accelerate Sonic into a speed boost of explosive proportions. These are mapped to the Up and Down buttons on the D-Pad and will come to use when you have to beat the clock or avoid dangerous objects that could ruin your run of not getting damaged in a mission. Finally and definitely the best aspect of the controls is the ability to, when in mid air lock onto enemies and objects and by thrusting the controller forward hurtle Sonic into them. This works incredibly well when a series of enemies are lined up and you have to time almost perfectly your jump to avoid getting damaged by the fire breathing enemies while at the same time keeping in the air to be able to fling Sonic at them. This feature also aids in reaching hard to reach places as well as collecting Fire Souls that are the hidden blue coins in the game. However excited I may sound about the controls in actual action they can prove to be very touch and go and will require much concentration if you dont want the pent up anger about Sonic skidding right into an abyss causing your head to spontaneously combust.

If one more party game comes out on the Wii I swear

Multiplayer was slapped onto Secret Rings as desert for gamers that had slugged their way through the single player mode. It is yet again another party orientated multiplayer fest, with up to four players being able to go head to head in a series of mini games that will test your patience, knowledge and trigger fingers. There are quite a few modes to play, all which ultimately include the same mini games as the others and ends with whoever comes first after a series of mini games have been played. Theres not much variety to the modes but there is plenty of variety in the mini games with over 70 available and some only obtainable by collecting the Fire Souls in the story mode. There is plenty of reason to check this mode out during the duration of playing the story mode but not enough to hold your attention for any longer than an hour or two. Some of the mini games include rolling boulders over Scarabs and holding the treasure chest with the greatest amount of coins, using both the speaker and the motion sensor to some extent. As a nice treat to old Sonic fans you can play as one of up to eight characters from the Sonic universe, including Tails and Knuckles. Again, four must be obtained by completing and collecting things in the single player mode.

Not since Twilight Princess have I been able to see any other game has graphically wowed me as much as Sonic has on the Wii. While not quite as excellent as the latest and greatest Zelda, Sega have proven that they can really awaken a systems potential like no other developer can. The environments are stunningly beautiful with delicately designed backgrounds and lush, exotic exteriors that remind you of what it would it be like to be in the Arabian Nights. While not quite as impressive as anything the next generation systems can throw at us, Secret Rings is in the middle ground between last gen and next gen. The audio on the other hand is like listening to someone scratching apart an old 80s band while playing Aqua in the background. I say Aqua because they were quite possibly the reason thousands of people spontaneously began to bleed from their ears back when Barbie Doll was released and the music in Sonic could just about do the same thing. The main theme is aggravatingly annoying and it never stops. It will loop again and again and again and guess what? Again, and the whole time youre asking why Sega didnt add a feature to stream your own music. Character dialogue however is surprisingly good and not going to be the result of many head injuries. For the most part all the in game sound will come from the speakers in your TV but as mentioned earlier, some multiplayer modes will use the Wiimotes speaker, immersing you in the game that little bit more.

Sonic and the Secret Rings also includes a ton of unlockable content from videos and concept art that will have you breaking the speed of light to obtain during the single player. The new levelling up system works like a charm if you look past its shortcomings and the control scheme attaches itself to the gameplay almost perfectly. For Sonic Team to come this far after such a recent disappointment on next gen systems is a good sign for fans that were losing faith in their favourite blue hedgehog. While I do insist that newcomers should stray on the side of caution when it comes to buying this game it is a no brainier for fans of Sonic that wish to relive his glory days while experiencing the beginning of something new.