Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice
| Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice | |
|---|---|
 Promotional artwork | |
| Developer(s) | Sanzaru Games |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Composer(s) | Richard Jacques[1] |
| Series | Sonic the Hedgehog |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 3DS |
| Release date(s) | 2016 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure, platform |
Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, known as Sonic Toon: Fire & Ice (ソニックトゥーン ファイアー＆アイス) in Japan, is an upcoming 2016 action-adventure platform game developed by Sanzaru Games and published by Sega. It is part of the Sonic Boom spin-off franchise of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, along with the games Rise of Lyric and Shattered Crystal, and a TV show. Originally planned for a release in Fall 2015, Fire & Ice is now scheduled to be released on the Nintendo 3DS in 2016.[2]
Plot
Discovering an element known as Ragnium, Eggman starts harnessing it for himself, using it to create robots that can allegedly outrun Sonic and his friends while also damaging the environment in the process. Meanwhile, D-Fekt, a rejected robot Eggman created to search for Ragnium, starts using his magnetic powers to try and become more powerful. Sonic and his friends attempt to stop Eggman and D-Fekt and restore balance to the environment.[3]
Gameplay
Like the previous 3DS entry, Shattered Crystal, Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice is a side-scrolling platform game in which Sonic and his companions fight their way through various stages. In addition to Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Sticks, Amy has been added as a playable character. Like the previous game, players can switch between characters at will in order to use their unique abilities such as Tails' flight, Sticks' boomerang, and Amy's hammer. A unique feature in this game is the addition of fire and ice elements, which apply both to the level environments and character abilities. For example, Sonic can infuse himself with fire to break ice blocks or surround himself with ice in order to freeze water, alternating between the two at will. The game will also feature various special stages, bonus minigames, challenge rooms, and local two-player modes.[4]
Development
Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice was first announced on June 9, 2015.[4] Sega producer Omar Woodley has stated both Sega and developer Sanzaru Games have been learning from their experience with Shattered Crystal, which received mostly negative reviews upon release.[5] One of the problems they identified was how, even though the game was targeted towards children aged 7–11, fans of classic Sonic games picked up the game and had a harder time getting into Shattered Crystal's lengthy exploration-based levels. As such, levels have been made shorter and include paths to better suit gamers who prefer speeding through levels, in addition to explorational elements.[3] On September 15, 2015 Sega announced that Fire & Ice which was planned for a release in Fall 2015, would be delayed to 2016 to allow more development time and coincide with the series' 25th anniversary.[6]
References
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog [sonic_hedgehog] (9 June 2015). "@sonic_hedgehog: @SANeroChaos @_Kitsune91 Actually, Richard Jacques -is- working on the soundtrack for Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice! (Surprise!)" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ↑ "Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice Release Date Pushed Back To 2016". Retrieved 2015-10-06.
- 1 2 http://www.usgamer.net/articles/whats-next-for-sonic-the-hedgehog-and-friends
- 1 2 Klepek, Patrick (June 9, 2015). "Sega's Not Giving Up on Sonic Boom". Kotaku. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ↑ "Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal". Metacritic. November 11, 2014. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
- ↑ Aaron (14 September 2015). "Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice moves to 2016". Sega Blog. Sega. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
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