Sonic and the Secret Rings

"Frustrating yet somehow fun"

I wasn't really a gamer back in the years of Sega's consoles, so I never really experienced what many would call a “true” Sonic game. Since I've been playing games, it's been Nintendo all the way with me -- I would take the portly Italian plumber of that blue hedgehog any day. But as time passed, I just couldn't resist the appeal of the Sonic games. So, when Sonic Rush was finally released on the Nintendo DS, I felt I had to pick it up. I won't say too much about that now because I'm still working on it and I think it's too early to give a real opinion, but I'll say that my first impressions were definitely negative ones. And then comes along Sonic and the Secret Rings on the Nintendo Wii. I got wise and decided to rent it, and now I'm on the lookout to make this game my own.

Upon starting up this game, you're quickly thrust into a plot that, gathering from my rather limited knowledge of all things Sonic, is quite atypical for the series, for two reasons. First off is the fact that Secret Rings does a fairly good job of really taking a step in a new, inventive direction in terms of story telling. In all the few Sonic games I've played, the basic story is something along the lines of, “Dr. Eggman is up to something evil, Sonic needs to stop him.” Well, this time around, Sonic is visited by a genie from the classic work Arabian Nights who tells him an evil being, Erazor Djinn, is taking over the world encased by the book. So, it's up to Sonic to find out what's going on and stop Erazor Djinn. In addition, however, tons of Sonic characters make appearances, but they're all playing the part of a character in the book and don't actually recognize Sonic. It's a cool set-up and works surprisingly well.

The downside to all this? Well, the way that the story is told is incredibly lazy. Rather than opting to go for animated cutscenes to impart the game's plot to the player, Sonic Team has instead decided to tell the game's story via some story-book-esque constructions. The artwork is faded and lacks the vibrant color that has made the graphics of recent Sonic games so enjoyable. The text scrolls down at the bottom of the screen, and even within the storybook frames, there's hardly any movement -- at all. It's really disappointing, and I know that fans of the game will stand behind Sonic Team's choice, that it makes it seem like this is all a book. Well, personally I believe that to be an excuse for the development team's laziness, because the presentation of the story could have been loads better. Admittedly, there are a few animated cut scenes, and they look absolutely fantastic, but sadly these are few and far between.

Don't get confused, however, and take this to mean that the game's graphics are poor, because nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, Secret Rings is actually one of the best-looking games on the Wii. It's not going to win any records, up against titles like Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, but the fact remains that this is definitely one of the prettier-looking titles on the Wii. Sonic himself looks excellent, especially as you progress further into the game and can fly through levels. Environments are also very nice-looking and quite distinct, an aspect of graphical design that many games don't always get right. That is to say, each of the game's worlds are obviously different from each other, and they all look good to some degree -- some look downright fantastic. Additionally, the cut scenes mentioned earlier look beautiful on the Wii, an impressive feat considering the system's position as the least powerful (graphically, anyway) of the current-generation consoles.

Game play is where the game really starts to get rolling, and at the same time starts to run into some significant problems. The game is divided up into worlds, which were briefly mentioned above, and each of which have their own distinct feel. Much like classic 3D Mario platformers, there are a number of levels in each world -- the area you're playing in stays the same, although different levels have you playing through different parts of that locale. The levels themselves don't vary much; for example, each world has multiple levels that have essentially the same goal. For example, sometimes you'll have to defeat a certain number of enemies, collect a certain amount of rings, or even defeat no enemies at all, while others simply have you run through a level without any specific goal in mind, aside from reaching the finish line.

The game's controls are one of the real problems, for the simple reason that sometimes they just don't really work. The game is all about simplicity, and some of the most important actions are just that, in a very good way. For example, Sonic along rails automatically, and you can tilt the remote left and right for Sonic to run in that direction. Jumping is also easy to do, and involves just tapping the 2 button, or pressing and holding the button for a longer jump. Attacking is a kind of iffy action, because it involves shaking the Wii Remote when the automatic cursor on an enemy changes from green to red. Problem is, this mechanic doesn't always really seem to work, so sometimes by the time you've performed this action, the cursor has already disappeared, so Sonic flies off in the wrong direction -- and usually into space, causing you to have to replay the level. Additionally, the fact that Sonic is constantly moving can cause some problems when you're navigating tricky platforming parts. The 1 button is a break and is used occasionally in some obstacle challenges, but it's pretty stupid that you've got to break on a platform to ensure that Sonic doesn't run off the edge. Finally, you can pull back on the remote to get Sonic to move backwards, and this is an important and necessary action, but it's not responsive and oftentimes doesn't work.

That said, though, Sonic and the Secret Rings manages to be a lot of fun, for the most part. The sense of speed is really fantastic, and there are few Wii gaming experiences out there that are more fun than flying through a level in Secret Rings, effortlessly steering around obstacles, flying over gaps, and destroying enemies. It's fast, fun, intuitive, and what I perceive to be what the Sonic experience is all about. If that's in fact the case, then Sonic and the Secret Rings has succeeded hugely. Why? Because in the past Sonic games that I have played, I've never really experienced that fun. The games have always been a chore, and while Secret Rings is by no means perfect, it's core game mechanic is a heck of a lot of fun.

One slight problem, however, that can sometimes detract from the fun you'll have with the game is this title's difficulty level. The game is fairly challenging in and of itself, featuring plenty of enemies (easy enough to kill -- they serve mainly as jumping-points to cross large chasms), jumping challenges, and navigation requirements. However, where the game runs into a wall is when it throws an annoyingly and unfairly difficult level your way. Often these levels are hard to by-pass, and are so incredibly difficult to beat just because the developers felt like being mean to you. For example, in one level, you're trying to run away from a herd of stampeding dinosaurs -- yet, unless you memorize the stage, there's really no way that you're going to be able to beat it.

This leads into, and is directly related to, another big problem with the game: the camera. It's right behind Sonic for 99% of the game, and from this comes things both good and bad. First of all, it definitely does increase the overall sense of speed that you get while playing this game, which is definitely a good thing. But on the opposite end of this spectrum, it's also makes it hard to see upcoming obstacles, which is obviously a huge problem when a big part of the game lies with jumping gaps, destroying enemies, and avoiding environmental obstacles. What's even more annoying and actually compounds the problem is the way in which Sega tries to deal with the issue: by placing invisible obstacles to slow you down. For example, coming up on a few enemies around a bend, there's a log on the ground which automatically stops you, so that you can see the enemies and react. But because of the stupid camera, the developers had to put stuff in the game that destroys the whole fun of it: the speed.

Sonic and the Secret Rings also introduces a surprisingly fun and interesting role playing system. How does a high-speed, no-frills platformer like Sonic possibly mesh with an RPG mechanic? Well, it's actually done quite well. You receive points for beating levels, and these points are then converted to experience. Once you've gained enough experience you'll level up, gain some skill points, and usually learn a new skill. But just learning a skill isn't enough -- you've got to equip it. Each skill has a cost in skill points, and you assign Sonic skills that you think are going to help most during the level. It's a neat system, as many of the skills aren't required but drastically improve your playing experience. Some just give you a ring bonus at the start, while others increase Sonic's speed or turning ability.

There's also a multiplayer option, but it's really not that impressive. Think along the lines of Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz: a bunch of not-so-good minigames that support up to four players. Most of the minigames seem broken or are just plain boring, but if you're looking for a game to play with friends, you may spend a little time messing around with Secret Ring's multiplayer mode. It doesn't do much for the game's replay value, but at the same time it doesn't hugely hurt it. There's also a page-collecting system, where you get “pages” (bonus content, playing off the game's biggest theme) by reaching certain requirements on different levels. Finally, along the lines of replay value, the whole skill system may also boost the time you spend with this game, as levels can be played differently depending on which skills you have equipped.

All told, Sonic and the Secret Rings is a pretty good game. It certainly can't compete with the likes of Super Mario Galaxy in terms of pure platforming fun, and there are a few drawbacks to the game that are, without a doubt, going to frustrate you. But even with that frustration, there's a lot of fun to be had with Secret Rings. It really seems to be returning to Sonic's roots -- that is, it's all about going fast and having fun with a simple, easy to use game mechanic -- and while it's not all the way there yet, it's certainly headed in the right direction.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/28/08

Game Release: Sonic and the Secret Rings (US, 02/20/07)