A whole bunch of Sonic Boom details have come in from new press previews. You can find a roundup of the latest information below.
– Demo broken up into different selectable sections
– Level from the campaign, Doctor Eggman boss fight, on-rails level to zoom through
– Each played differently
– Zoomy level had several paths to take
– Each one leads to more or less rings
– Combo system assigns letter grades based on performance
– This seems to be based on number of hits and not variation of moves
– Also in play is some sort of collectible currency (apart from rings) that go toward what might be an upgrade system
– Puzzles are mixed in with combat and exploration
– Eggman fight features him in a giant suit and he shoots rockets which either crash into Sonic and/or Knuckles, or come to rest on the ground
– Need to pick up the undetonated ones and use the EnerBeam to fling them back at the evil doctor
“If you’re a classic Sonic gamer, a 2D fan, you have an appreciation for the platforming. This game has quite a bit of that classic platforming. I think these levels inspire some of that feeling for the old places that Sonic went back in the day.” – Steve Frost
– Game has some hub world interactions
– Most levels will feature a branching path that only one specific character (you’re presented with a choice of two per level) can take
– Select characters on the GamePad
– Hub worlds and speed levels will make use of Sonic Boom’s full roster
– When two local players are in the same game and the time comes to split up, player one runs a character with the GamePad on its screen and player two uses a Wii Remote or Pro controller for their character on the television
– Big Red Button Entertainment thought hard about adding split-screen local multiplayer — either to bring more human players to the game, or to let the Wii U Gamepad perform other functions for them
“We had, for a long time, considered split-screen play. And it just didn’t feel as special. If we’re out in real life, and we’re off exploring, we have our cell phones and cameras out, we’re calling each other and saying, ‘Hey, you should see what I’m seeing.’ We wanted to have that sharing.
“Split screen doesn’t really do that because you’re constantly staring at the other person’s screen. That sense of wonder, of what the other person is doing, is gone.”
– Sonic and his cohort are exploring an ancient, unknown island
– Eggman has sought to exploit an ancient evil being named Lyric,
– It’s turned out to be more than he can handle
– Eggman isn’t supposed to be a bumbler — “he’s still got that fun personality, but his presence overall is more formidable”
– Sonic’s principal concern is exploring the surface and neo-Atlantean ruins and beating up the danger lurking within
– Knuckles can climb rock walls in sections specific to him
– Tails can hover on air currents and ride them to his goal
– Each character comes equipped with an “enerbeam”
– This lets you grapple and move pieces in puzzle levels
– With it, you can also lasso and toss foes into one another
– This will be required in some battles
– Previews mention that the camera isn’t up to snuff
– 3DS version is more of a traditional 2D, scrolling platformer
– No multiplayer in the 3DS version
– Can swap characters on the 3DS touch screen and solve multiple platforming puzzles
– Sonic Boom on 3DS features its own story and another entry point into the canon
– Sega’s strategy is that wherever someone’s interest might be piqued they may find something different in the other two.
“The thought is, we can only show you X amount of the world, and the others can show you even more. By virtue of the cartoon, the toys and the games, you can see this big cohesive world.”
