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Revision as of 21:27, 14 March 2007
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| Sonic and the Secret Rings | |
|---|---|
| File:SONIC WII CVR SHT2.jpg | |
| Developer(s) | Sega of Japan |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Designer(s) | Yojiro Ogawa |
| Engine | PhysX |
| Platform(s) | Wii |
| Release |  February 20, 2007 March 2, 2007  March 8, 2007  March 9, 2007 March 15, 2007 |
| Genre(s) | Adventure Action |
| Mode(s) | Single Player Multiplayer |
Sonic and the Secret RingsSonikku to Himitsu no Ringu (ソニックと秘密のリング), formerly known by the working title Sonic Wild Fire, is a video game within the Sonic the Hedgehog series that was released exclusively for the Wii on February 20, 2007 in North America and in Europe on March 2, 2007,and will be released in Japan on March 15, 2007. It has been said many times that this is the first Sonic game to feature Sonic as the only playable character in Story Mode since the release of 16-BIT and 8-BIT versions of Sonic the Hedgehog in 1991, although Sonic the Hedgehog CD in 1993, Sonic 3D Blast in 1996, and Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure in 1999 featured Sonic as the sole playable character.
Plot
The story begins with Sonic napping when suddenly, he is awoken by Shahra the Ring Genie, who pops out of a book of the Arabian Nights and into Sonic's world. She reveals that an evil entity known as "Erazor Djinn" is absorbing the power of the book and causing pages of it to disappear. If he is not stopped, his power will be unleashed onto the real world unless the "Legendary Blue Hedgehog", told of in the stories, can stop him. Shahra gives Sonic a ring that seals a contract between her and her new master. Sonic rubs it as instructed, and is asked for a wish. He sneezes from the magic dust and humorously asks for a few handkerchiefs. After doing so, he wishes to travel into the world of the Arabian Nights and flies into the book on a magic carpet stating, "Now this is first class!" Armed with his signature speed, "Sonic...take part in an epic quest" to save the missing pages and set the world of the Arabian Nights back in order.
Near the start of the story, while Sonic travels inside the book's Lost Prologue, Erazor approaches Sonic and he gets shot in the chest with a flaming arrow that is slowing burning out, like a fuse. Erazor then tells Sonic that he'll remove the curse if he'll bring the seven world rings (Replacing the chaos emeralds in the story) which are scattered throughout the worlds in the book. If he fails to do so, the arrow will burn untill it eventually extinguishes along with Sonic's life force. With his life on the line, Sonic heads off to locate the World Rings for Erazor and Shahra continues to go along on Sonic's journey, feeling guilty for getting him involved. And so, Sonic sets off into the world of Arabian Nights with goals of locating the seven World Rings, in hopes of understanding the mystery of their power.
The first place he searches is in the desert world of Sand Oasis to search for the sultan, King Shahryar, the main character of the Arabian Nights, who resembles Dr. Eggman. Sonic first thinks that Eggman is behind the entire plot to erase the Arabian Nights world and attempts to question him. Shahra stops him and neither her or King Shahryar know who Dr. Eggman is. After a short talk, King Shahryar is swooped up by a "pterosaur" commanded by Erazor, which Sonic grudgingly saves him from. This scene leads up to the next world, Dinosaur Jungle. Depending on what levels the player decides to go to, Sonic will either go straight to Dinosaur Jungle, or go on farther in Desert Oasis to meet Ali-Baba (whose real world counterpart is Tails) and fight the world's boss,the Sand Scorpion who holds one of the seven World Rings Sonic must collect. After picking up the Yellow World Ring from the remains of the monster, it is revealed that whoever gathers up all seven World Rings will be offered as a sacrifice to open a gateway between worlds.
After Sonic clears Dinosaur Jungle he moves onto Evil Foundry, a large, metal, factory-like stage where Sonic confronts Erazor, who summons the Ifrit Golem, a gargantuan fire giant. Sonic and Shahra decide to escape instead of confront the overwhelmingly powerful Ifrit. Ali-Baba thinks that they should find his friend, the wise Sinbad, to help them defeat the Ifrit. Sonic and Shahra go to the Levitated Ruin and free a trapped Sinbad (the Arabian Nights counterpart of Knuckles) who tells them that the best way to destroy the Ifrit is to, "splash some water on him". Sonic sarcastically replies causing a feud between the two characters, emulating their real world nature. Ali-Baba forces his way in between the two to stop the fighting and says the only problem with that plan was getting enough water to stop such a large fire golem. Sinbad replies that he was getting to that part before he was interrupted, saying that they would be able to get enough water to beat the Ifrit with the Water Blue Ring, a ring Sinbad used to control storms before it was stolen by pirates. Sonic heads off to Pirate Storm in order to confront the pirates and take back the Water Blue Ring. After defeating the world's boss and acquiring the ring, Shahra hands Sonic a mysterious relic and tells him to use it if he has no choice. The pair then return to the Evil Foundry to face off with the Ifrit.
After a challenging battle, Sonic defeats the Ifrit, but finds a time bomb. They escape and throw the time bomb into the air. It explodes, revealing the fire ring. As Sonic takes up the ring, he realises the cause of the Ifrit Golem's anger. The seven World Rings contain various emotions (this particular ring containing rage). Sonic then goes to the Skeleton Dome and meets the undead King Solomon, who has been turned into a floating skull by Erazor Djinn. Sonic agrees to confront the resurrected forty thieves and get the king his original body back. King Solomon then tells Sonic that he must face Erazor in his lair, knowing that Erazor is said to be a Genie of the Lamp, just like Shahra is Genie of the Ring. King Solomon is still weary, sensing death approaching. Sonic then goes to the final world, Night Palace, where Erazor resides. After several challenging obstacles, Sonic finds and confronts Erazor Djinn. After a heated battle, Erazor is defeated by Sonic. However, before he can be completely defeated, he escapes through a door and proceeds to lock it. The lock can only be opened by the seven World Rings, so Sonic returns to the different worlds of the Arabian Nights to locate the remaining rings.
After Sonic collects the rings, the door opens and a "Last Chapter" is revealed as another mission under Night Palace. In the last story, Erazor convinces Shahra to give him the seven World Rings that her and Sonic have collected. Shahra complies and reveals that her and Erazor were once together and that she wants to be back with him. Sonic rubs his ring and commands Shahra to do what she "feels is right", causing her mind to crack at the two different choices she wants to make. Erazor tries to sacrifice Sonic, the collector of the World Rings, in order to gain their full power and gain the abilities of the creator. However, Shahra blocks Erazor's blade and is struck down in Sonic's place. Sonic makes one final wish for Shahra to grant - asking her to "not die, and for things to go back to the way they were". Although she does not have the power to grant the wish, the mysterious relic she gave to Sonic returns to it's original state, being Erazor's lamp. Soon after, Erazor absorbs the seven World Rings and transforms into Alf Layla-wa Layla (Which translates to One Thousand Nights and One Night, or One Thousand and One Nights, the book the game is based on). However, his transformation cannot be completed as he is required to absorb Sonic, the collector of the rings. With the help of three of the World Rings (symbolizing Sadness, Rage, and Hatred) and also some of Shahra's power, Sonic undergoes a radical transformation into a new form, Darkspine Sonic.
Sonic's body (including his arms) become a deep indigo color, and his muzzle, stomach, and ears become white. His pupils, irises, mouth, gloves, and shoes disappear, and he gains four big glowing rings around his wrists and ankles. He also has two thick, white parallel stripes going up his forehead, a white stripe around his feet and arms, and has an orange fiery aura. In a sort of inverse situation from his other transformations, his quills do not point upwards, but instead downwards. His quills appear noticeably longer than they do in his normal form. His voice also changes to a much more menacing, slightly demonic tone, but his personality remains intact, albeit fiercer. After a vicious battle, Sonic destroys Alf Layla-wa Layla and Erazor is returned to his original state as well as Sonic. Sonic, now controlling Erazor with his lamp, wishes to bring Shahra back to life, return the world back to normal, and for Erazor to be sealed away in the lamp forever. Erazor is forced by the power of the lamp to grant Sonic's wishes, even though he expresses a denial to do so. Shahra, though back to life, is still overcome with grief over the loss of Erazor. Sonic understands this, and wishes for a mountain of handkerchiefs so she can cry for as long as she needs to, alluding touchingly to the start of the story.
After the credits roll, Shahra, as the narrator, says that Sonic eventually returned to the real world. Sonic ran endlessly until he found his way out, while having many adventures with Ali-Baba and Sinbad, concluding that these are stories "for another time". She then bids a touching farewell to Sonic, the "Legendary Hedgehog". After the second credits roll, a cutscene is seen where the Arabian Nights book shows the beginning of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, which then changes into Sonic and the Secret Rings.
Modes
The following four modes are featured in the game: Adventure, Special Book, Party, and a mode to configure Options.
Adventure
It has been confirmed that the game's Adventure mode, which consists of the eight stages that players will navigate Sonic through as part of the game's main plot, will take roughly 10 to 15 hours to complete. For devoted players who want to unlock bonuses and all 104 of Sonic's skills, it will take a total of 30 hours or so to complete. In so doing, SEGA has attempted to give the game additional replay value.
Party
The game features a multiplayer "party" mode that can support up to 4 players simultaneously.
The first four characters are all default characters, but Shadow, Cream, Silver, and Blaze are all unlockable characters that can be accessed only after meeting certain requirements in the game. "Fire Souls", hidden items found in some of the game's missions (3 in each applicable one), unlock various "goodies" for this mode. Obtaining a certain number of Fire Souls will unlock new mini-games, new modes/options, or one of the four secret characters. This multiplayer mode mode takes the form of having players compete in select mini-games out of the total 40, for an opportunity to open a treasure chest with goals of locating Sonic Tokens across 6 different, theme-inspired boards. The six boards also feature various "mini events", similar to Sonic Shuffle. On one board, for instance, players will have to chase thieves and play lotteries. The actual mini-games themselves have players performing various tasks that take advantage of the Wii Remote's capabilities.Omochao serves as the "announcer" for the Party Mode of the game. A significant number of the games resemble the mechanics of other games Wii Sports, Rayman Raving Rabbids, Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz, and even, Sonic Shuffle, the game this mode has been consistenly referred to.
Special Book
The "Special Book" is the game's "extras" mode, in which players have the opportunity to unlock 225 bonuses through beating levels quickly, achieving various milestones and finding secret spots. Some of these unlockables include movies of the making of the game, cutscenes, video interviews, concept art, and music from the game.
The book consists of a total of 15 seperate "chapters", containing different types of unlockables.
Control
In Adventure mode, players control Sonic with the Wii Remote by holding the controller sideways with both hands and will be able to use the controller in unique ways that take advantage of the Wii Remote's control mechanisms. Unlike other Sonic games, in which Sonic is controlled directly, Secret Rings features an indirect "on-rails" method of control in which Sonic moves forward automatically in a semi-linear path. Sonic's movement can be controlled by tilting the controller left or right. The "Nunchuk" peripheral is not used in this game. Some find holding the pad this style uncomfortable on the middle finger when shaking it.
The Number "1" Button acts as a "brake" button. This slows down Sonic to a stop if he is running or grinding, cancels a jump if Sonic is in a jump, and holds Sonic in a stop if he's not moving.
The Number "2" Button is use to control Sonic's jump. If the player holds down this button Sonic will Slide and start charging his jump. The length and height of the jump depends on how long the button was held down.
During a jump, a lock-on mark will appear on a potential target. By tilting the controller forward quickly during a jump, Sonic will perform a "Homing Attack" (similar to that in previous games) to attack enemies or home in on items. Only by executing the sequence with proper timing will you be able to perform combo attacks, and hit other enemies or objects up ahead.
Pulling the controller towards you allows you to make Sonic walk backwards, combining this with turning allows Sonic to rotate 360 degrees.
By proceeding further in the story, the game unlocks controls that were previously unavailable. These two controls utilize the Up and Down arrow keys (the up and down position of the keys when the controller hold sideways).
The Up arrow key activates the Speed Break; a press will activate it, and another press will deactivate it. The Speed Break lets you run through courses really fast. The Down arrow key activates the Time Break; as with the Speed Break, a press will activate it, and another press will deactivate it. The Time Break slows down everything else so you can easily walk through crowded courses without getting hurt.
Characters
In addition to Sonic, the following characters have been confirmed to be in the game:
- Shahra the Ring Genie: A special, eager young genie/djinn who enlists the help of Sonic. After Sonic's life is endangered, Shahra feels somewhat responsible and she decides to help Sonic in his quest. In the game, she grants Sonic special abilities and bonuses to help Sonic in his quest. As shown in gameplay videos from IGN, she appears as a ball of light in the stages, similar to Tikal the Echidna in Sonic Adventure and she appears to have a strong relationship towards Erazor. In the end of the story she is revealed as having a partnership of sorts with Erazor. However, she does not believe this is the "right path" when Sonic wishes for her to "Do what you truly think is right!"). Her name is a reference to Scheherazade.
- Erazor Djinn: An evil genie/djinn named Erazor who threatens the existence of the Arabian Nights world. Erazor is the genie from Aladdin and the Magic Lamp. Erazor was punished for his wrongdoings long ago, and would be freed from his lamp after he granted the wishes of 1000 people. After being freed, he had a hatred for the world. At the start of the story, Sonic is struck by a flaming arrow and is forced to go on a hunt for the world's seven "World Rings", unbeknownst to him what really threatens the Arabian Nights world. The enemies spread throughout the stages are actually minions who work for Erazor. In the main storyline, he resides in a large palace, absorbing the power of the Arabian Nights book, and causing the pages to disappear, and only Sonic can defeat his power. Along his journey, Sonic will learn more about Erazor and how the real world has, also, become endangered. His name is an obvious pun on "eraser", and "razor", as he is erasing the pages of the Arabian Nights book, and that his weapon is a giant razor blade.
- Kri Ma Djinn: As revealed on the official US site, creatures known as "Kri Ma Djinn" make appearances in some of the mini-games. "Majin" is the Japanese prounounciation of "Ma Djinn" and "Majin" also means "demon person" in Japanese.
- Pri Ma Djinn: As revealed on the official US site, a genie known as "Pri Ma Djinn" makes an appearance in some of the mini-games.
- Uhu: A "Wind Genie" who appears in the missions of some of the game's stages. He is "known for his speed" and as such, Sonic will, in certain stages, have to face him in a race to the end of the level.
- King Solomon: A wise old king who resides in a chamber inside the Skeleton Dome. He is the original figure who stopped the enemies many years ago before Erazor tried to take over. In the game he appears as a large skeleton because of something, that is not revealed, that Erazor has done to him.
In an interview at E3 with the game producer, it was stated that past characters - both major and minor - will appear in the game but will appear in a "different light". It has since been revealed that certain characters who made an appearance in the Arabian Nights tales will be portrayed by various major and minor characters from the Sonic franchise. These are not the characters themselves, but are actually the Arabian Nights characters who have taken the forms of those Sonic recognizes as his friends (and enemies). Some of these characters are:
- Dr. Eggman: Plays the role of King Shahryār (Template:Lang-fa) of Persia, seen after the Sand Oasis stage. His physical form is that of the games before the next-gen game, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). He has recently been attacked by an unknown entity and he mistakes Sonic for the attacker.
- Miles "Tails" Prower: Plays the role of Ali Baba, first seen in the Sand Oasis stage after Sonic save him from being attacked by Erazor's henchman. His purpose in the story is small, he gives advice at various points in the game and tells Sonic where to find Sinbad (Knuckles).
- Knuckles the Echidna: Plays the role of Sinbad, seen in the Levitated Ruin stage. His only purpose in the game is to help Sonic find the Water Blue Ring,that the pirate stole from him after they captured him.His appearance and the role he plays in relation to Sonic ties into the Levitated Ruin level.
- Big the Cat makes cameo, easter-egg appearances in some of the game's stages. He also has his own "diary" in the Special Book that contains many bonus pictures of him in some of the stages. He does not portray any Arabian Nights character.
Stages
Sonic and the Secret Rings features a total of eight stages in the main game. Through information collected from trailers for the game, it has been confirmed that time totals, and scores will be tabulated throughout the course of the game.
Lost Prologue
The first stage of the game, this level serves as a Tutorial stage as Shahra "will show you the ropes on Sonic's various abilities". This stage also contains 21 missions which consist of using abilities after you have obtained them. The stage has you running along book pages as most of the course. It is supposed to be the gateway between the real world and the world of the Arabian Nights.
Sand Oasis
This level is set in the Arabian Nights theme from which the game's setting is designed from.
The obstacles found throughout Sand Oasis include purple enemies that simply float, red enemies that spew fire at Sonic, as well as giant swords/axes that launch at Sonic, spikes on the ground and at the top of the building as well as the flame throwers inside a temple. The level's boss is the Sand Scorpion - a large purple scorpion, that has eyes on its claws, tail and back.
Dinosaur Jungle
Set in the dinosaur era in the past, this level features new pathways such as prehistoric jungles and running across the backs of certain dinosaurs.
This stage is based on the "Sinbad" tale, when Sinbad journeys on an adventure into a mysterious forest with strange beasts.
Evil Foundry
A large Arabian-style castle, filled with traps, mysterious creatures and hot molten metal. The level's boss, known as Ifrit, is a large metallic creature, arising out of a pool of molten metal.
Levitated Ruin
This level resembles a floating palace high in the sky. In this stage, Sonic must search for Sinbad. There are occasional strong bursts of wind that will push sonic back until he reaches full speed and can run through them. There are parts of this stage where sonic will run on a trail of light that is created by a flying gargoyle. This stage is also the only stage to feature zip-lines.
Pirate Storm
This level is set in a stormy area on the shoreline, filled with pirate ships. Select obstacles will include a section where Sonic rides a rocket high above the water. This level also features plenty of old school platforming challenges. The level's boss is Captain Bemoth: a horned leech creature who is a fusion of many enemies combined.
Skeleton Dome
Set in a mysterious cavern on the brink of collapsing, this level features trails that will fall beneath Sonic's feet if he's not fast enough, as well as "branching paths" mentioned previously in an interview. Players will confront a fork in a road and will be required to choose one of three paths, all of which lead to different areas to explore; one path with a red-eyed skull will lead to a room full of rings whereas others will lead you further on into the stage. The stage features raining volcanic ash, as well as a mine, a mysterious chamber, and a graveyard.
Night Palace
A lengthy palace level that includes an urban setting that Sonic traverses at night using magic carpets. The palace contains a poisonous room that slowly depletes Sonic's rings that he must escape while in a later act, the palace leads into outer space, towards the game's final boss: Erazor Djinn.
The stage also includes the mission entitled "Last Chapter" where the Last Story takes place: in a black void where you fight Alf Layla wa-Layla as the new, transformed Sonic, Darkspine Sonic.
Gameplay
General
Enemies scattered throughout each of the respective stages in the game are described as "spirits". Each enemy has different attributes depending on their predominant colour. Purple and green enemies are normal enemies and have no special attributes; red enemies can spew fire in a rotary or linear motion; yellow enemies are electric and can give a shock when touched. To defeat some of these enemies, Sonic will need to make usage of some of the 104 skills that will be available to him throughout the game.
Challenges
Each stage will feature a total of twelve different challenges, one of which is the main story mission, and the remainder of which are either occasional Special Challenges/Boss levels or one of the following categories:
Head to Head: Race and win against a glowing blue genie named "Uhu".
Beat the Clock: Complete stages within a specified time limit.
Stealth Attack: Avoid defeating any enemies.
Collect Rings: Obtain a certain number of rings.
Chain of Rings: Form a combo of a certain number of rings by acquiring them in quick succession.
Rampage!: Destroy a certain number of enemies.
No Pearls: Avoid collecting any pearls.
Hands Off: Finish the stage with 0 Rings.
Diehard Challenge: Finish the mission without ever dying.
Perfect Challenge: Finish the level without ever taking damage or dying.
Completion of certain missions will unlock new missions and progress the storyline.
Abilities
Sonic has special moves that can be both customized and combined to suit certain situations. Sonic can use some of 104 new skills throughout each of the stages in this game. With special skills equipped, Sonic can perform new moves, his existing moves are improved, and certain effects are bestowed. For instance, one defensive move enables Sonic to, upon sustaining damage, lose only 10 rings instead of the usual 20. Another increases the range of his homing attack, and a third grants him the ability to backflip. A fourth grants him a Soul Gauge with which to perform super moves. There is also an experience and levelling system, in which your score, collected Fire Souls and some skills contribute towards increasing your level. Levelling up grants you more points with which to equip skills, a higher cap on the number of rings you can hold and an increased Soul Gauge. Players have to, before selecting a stage, decide which skills would be best-suited for the respective mission and equip certain skills over others.
When Sonic's Soul Gauge is sufficiently full, using the D-pad enables Sonic to use one of two abilities. "Speed Break" boosts Sonic to incredible speeds and grants him partial invincibility. "Time Break" slows down time for better aim and obstacle evasion. Both moves require a base amount of Soul to initiate and then continually drain Soul while in operation. To build up energy in this "Soul" meter, small collectable "fire orbs", called Pearls, are dispersed throughout each stage.
Certain stages will also present the need for Sonic to utilize different mechanisms to reach new areas. These special stage-unique abilities and mechanisms range, depending on the stage. This includes:
- The ability to sidle along narrow walls, present in most stages.
- A catapult that Sonic can use to launch himself to far away areas. This ability is present in the Dinosaur Jungle and Pirate Storm stages.
- The ability to reach higher, hard-to-reach platforms using a "flying pot" by swinging the Wii Remote up and down in a rapid motion. This ability is present in the Sand Oasis, Dinosaur Jungle, Evil Foundry, and Night Palace stages.
- The ability to bounce on magic carpets that serve as a trampoline, transporting you to secret areas. This ability is present in the Dinosaur Jungle stage.
- The ability to shoot off into the distance at rapid speeds using a hoop, by swinging the Wii Remote forward rapidly once it gets smaller. This ability is present in most stages.
- The ability to use a "zipline" to reach other areas by an aerial route. This ability is present in the Levitated Ruin stage.
- The ability to swing on ropes to cross certain gaps. By moving the Wii Remote foward while swinging foward, you can increase how far you are swinging. This ability is present in the Levitated Ruin stage.
- The ability to grind on rails, like all other 3D Sonic games since Sonic Adventure 2. This ability is present in most of the stages.
Audio
Music
A number of music tracks found in Sonic and the Secret Rings were previously revealed through various trailers on the web, most notably, IGN. Tracks include "Seven Rings in Hand" which is played in several different places within the game, including the menu screens, the opening cinematic, the final boss fight, and whenever a level is completed. Other music tracks include, "Let The Speed To Mend It" - the main theme for the Sand Oasis stage - as well as "The Palace That Was Found" - the main theme for the Evil Foundry stage.
The audio, generally, remains consistent with the Sonic formula whilst featuring some "Middle Eastern touches" in keeping with the game's main theme.
Some of the musical performers consist of such musical groups as Steve Conte, Le Club Bachraf (Yoshiko Matsuda, Jun Chikuma and Takako Nomiya), Soul Toul, and Runblebee, who performed select audio tracks in Sonic Riders.
Through the Special Book, the game also features remixes of some of the game's music tracks. It was rumored that one of these was a remix of Throw It All Away, Shadow's theme from Sonic Adventure 2, but this turned out to be false. This rumor is thought to be brought on by the first verse of Sand Oasis' music sounding very similar to the first verse of "Throw It All Away".
Voice actors
The game features both subtitles and Japanese voices which can be toggled in the Options Menu in the game. As with all of the "post-Shadow" games up to this point, this one features the 4Kids actors performing the English voices.
Development
History
Sonic and the Secret Rings has been in production for approximately two years, but work on the actual game was only one year. The idea for the game came about after the developers realised the potential of the Wii Remote. Yojiro Ogawa has stated that the next-gen Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) was originally planned to be ported to the Wii; he later elaborated that to port the Xbox 360 game would mean that the game would come out much later, since they had to wait for the original game to be completed, whereas they wanted to release a Sonic game much closer to the Wii's launch. With less time to develop the game than normal, and two different play modes, the development team for this Sonic game was much larger than that of a normal Sonic game. The game uses the Ageia PhysX game engine.
The game has gone through several name changes. It was first known as Hyper Sonic during a showreel of upcoming Wii games at the Nintendo Press Event at E3 2006 (possibly the name for the beta version of the game) , then turned up as Sonic Wild Fire during the same event in all of the following trailers, and then changed to Sonic and the Secret of the Rings before being slightly modified into Sonic and the Secret Rings in August 2006. Apparently, Sega preferred the original name "Wild Fire" over "Secret Rings" (that is, "Wild Fire" was to have been the final name), but due to copyright reasons, it had to be changed.
The game's art and setting were heavily influenced by Shadow of Colossus, Prince of Persia, and God of War, which were the insperations behind the Arabian Nights setting
Cancelled features
The game was originally rumored to use the WiiConnect24 service. It was planned to have somehow utilized the Mii system and it was also rumored in early production that the game would have a customizable soundtrack.
Reception
The game has received above average scores praising it for its graphics, varied challenges, as well as its many resolved issues (such as camera angles, poor controls, and other gameplay elements) that were present in preceding 3D Sonic games, making it the most well-received 3D Sonic game since Sonic Heroes. It has, however, been criticized for its steep difficulty in later stages, leaving players frustrated at times, an uninteresting story, as well as the cutscenes, and that the player is now forced to do certain missions in order to proceed throughout the rest of the story. The current GameRankings average is 72% over 27 reviews. Some examples of reviews can be seen below:
- Gaming Age - B+
- Game Brink - 81/100
- GameSpot - 7.6/10
- 1UP - 7.5/10
- Yahoo! Games - 3.5/5
- IGN - 6.9/10
- NGamer - 82%
- Official Nintendo Magazine - 81%
- Gamepro - 3.75/5
- Nintendo Power - 8.5/10
- Game Informer - 5.5/10
- Gamesradar - 8/10
- IGN (UK) - 7.9/10
- Sonic Stadium - 8/10
References
- Sega Japan Wii Site
- Japanese Sonic and the Secret Rings page
- IGN.com: Sonic and the Secret Rings Preview
- Nintendo Press Site
- Presenting Wii ' sonic and ring ' trial version of secret to 1000 people (Japanese)
- Q&A: Sonic and the Secret Rings' Yojiro Ogawa
- Famitsu: Sonic and the Secret Rings
- Sega Sonic and the Secret Rings Page
- The Wiire reports about Sonic and the Secret Rings
- Sonic Stadium: Disney Adventure Magazine Info
- New Official Nintendo Magazines preview
- Wave TV Trailer
- Secret Rings: First Impressions
- Sonic and the Secret Rings Japanese site update
- Official Site from SEGA
- Secret Rings: First Impressions
- Q&A: Sonic and the Secret Rings' Yojiro Ogawa
- IGN.com: THQ's Wii Line-up Examined
- IGN.com: THQ's Wii Line-up Examined
- IGN.com: THQ's Wii Line-up Examined
- Ring of sonic and secret (Japanese)
- IGN Sonic and the Secret Rings (Wii) Media Page
- E3 06: Sonic Wild Fire Q&A
- Sonic Wildfire in Development for Two Years
- Exclusive: Nintendo Power March 2007 Info!
- Exclusive: Nintendo Power March 2007 Info!
- Exclusive: Nintendo Power March 2007 Info!
- ^ Thomason, Steve. "New Blue", Nintendo Power Vol. 213. Nintendo
- Video Games Blogger: Sonic and the Secret Rings
- Sonic and the Secret Rings Feature Preview
- Sonic And The Secret Rings Gameplay E3 2006
- Gamespy Wii Page
- Games Master Exclusive Preview
- Exclusive: Nintendo Power March 2007 Info!
- Games Master Exclusive Preview
- Games Master Exclusive Preview
- GameSpy Sonic and the Secret Rings (Wii) Screenshots
- Previews: Sonic & Secret Rings
- Sonic Stadium: GamesMaster Exclusive Preview
- Official Nintendo Magazine Review
- The Sonic City Blog: Secret Rings, what the experts say
- GameSpy Sonic and the Secret Rings (Wii) Screenshots
- Sonic And The Secret Rings Gameplay E3 2006
- Pearls may also be obtained by defeating enemies.SPOnG.com: Sonic and the Secret Rings
- Sonic and The Secret Rings 19/01
- IGN.com: Sonic and the Secret Rings Media
- Sonic and the Secret Rings Feature Preview
- Seven Rings in Hand ~ Sonic and the Secret Rings Original Soundtrack
- Offical Sonic and the Secret Rings Gamesite
- SATSR Gameplay
- "The Wiire reports about Sonic and the Secret Rings Progress". Thewirre.com.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|accessyear=and|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Sonic Team's Yojiro Ogawa - Interview at SPOnG.com". SPOnG.com.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|accessyear=and|coauthors=(help) - "Lifting the lid on Sonic's Secret Rings". IGN.com.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameters:|accessyear=and|coauthors=(help) - Go Nintendo Blog Archive: Sonic and the Secret Rings Physics engine and Criterions Renderware
- IGN: Lifting the lid on Sonic's Secret Rings
- GameRankings page for Sonic and the Secret Rings
- Gaming Age Sonic and the Secret Rings review
- Game Brink review: Sonic and the Secret Rings (United States)
- GameSpot Sonic and the Secret Rings review
- Running in the right direction.
- Sonic the Hedgehog speeds down the road to redemption in his debut on the Nintendo Wii.
- IGN Sonic and the Secret Rings review
- A Sonic game that is actually good? Can it be true?
- New System Same Sonic
- That damned hedgehog gets a second lease on life
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External links
- Screenshots and Review
- Official US Website
- Official European Website
- Trailer
- Internet Games Database entry for Sonic and the Secret Rings