USgamer published a new article with a whole bunch of details about the just-announced Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice. You can find the information rounded up below, and the full piece here.
– Game is being tightened up compared to last year’s release
Sega producer Omar Woodley:
“We launched Sonic Boom as a new franchise last year with Shattered Crystal, at the same time as a new animated series that airs on Cartoon Network. Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice is the next episode in conjunction with the animated series.”
“We’re developing the game with Sanzaru Games, who also did Shattered Crystal. We think that they grasp the concept of Sonic, and what makes him unique. They also got on board with Sonic being more exploratory and having more adventure instead of that classic arcadey feel of gameplay. That’s not to say we distance ourselves from that – there is quite a bit of speed in the new game, and quite a bit of the same nostalgia that’s familiar, but new. But in a nutshell, this is a new franchise.”
“A lot of the characters are shared between the series and the game. Sticks is the new character – she’s a jungle badger. She’s a bit of a hermit, but she befriends Sonic and Amy, and they help to bring her out of her shell. She’s very shy and a bit neurotic, and thinks everyone is out to kill her. But she’s a cool character who’s very different to the other Sonic characters.”
– 2.5D platformer
– Exploration toned down
– More speed compared to the last game on 3DS
– Cut back on the length and size of levels
– There is now a linear path
“So we’ve dialed down the length and the size of the levels and cut a linear path through the middle. The exploration now happens above and below it. So now you can have that classic experience of running through the level at high speed if you want, but now you can also explore too.”
– Lots of collectibles
– These are tied up in the exploration aspect
– Collectibles unlock things like characters and bonuses
– 7 islands
– 6 are exploration-based and feature 4 levels plus 2 bonus stages
– Seventh island is Thunder Island
– Thunder Island is a 2-player local-play option that is based on a race between Eggman’s bots
“Basically, Eggman has found a new element called Ragnium, which he melts down and combusts as fuel. These bots, which are henchmen in the animated series, have been brought into this game as rival racers. Eggman’s goal is to humiliate Sonic by making bots that are faster than him. Of course that whole plot fails… but to do that you need to beat all the bots in the game to prove Eggman is wrong – there’s one on each island. As you progress, you unlock character bots that can then be used to race your friends in local play on the crazy courses we’ve designed.”
“The main story follows a henchman called Defect. He’s been designed by Eggman to find Ragnium and mine it. He has these eco magnets that are supposed to enable him to raise it out of the ground. However, when Eggman turns him on, it totally fails – which is why he’s called Defect. However, it turns out that he can magnetize everything other than Ragnium, so he begins to use his powers to build himself up so he can beat Sonic. Also, part of the storyline is that as Eggman collects Ragnium, he’s polluting the environment. So part of the game is restoring the environment – which is an homage to the original Sonic games.”
“The adventure stages are the main levels of gameplay through the game. There are four per island, and you can use each of the game’s characters in every level. Each character has his or her own special powers and there are setups in the game where you need to use all of them at some point. You can switch between them on the fly by using the touch pad. Sonic can jump higher than all the other characters, and has a special air dash. New to the cast is Amy, and she has a hammer that can break things and alter the terrain of a level. Tails returns and he’s the gadget guy. He can hover and fly by using air streams, plus he also has a blaster that can reflect off mirrors. Knuckles can punch stuff, and can also burrow underground and reach parts of the landscape no other characters can access. Sticks has a cool boomerang that you can take control of and guide around so it can hit things that might be around corners.”
“Also, every character has fire and ice abilities that can be used to freeze water so you can walk over it. There are setups where ice blocks are in the way that you can melt to go through, or water spouts that you have to turn into ice so you can run across them. In some situations you have to change from fire to ice ability very quickly. It can be very fast – almost like changing gear in a racing game.”
– Challenge Rooms are designed for hardcore fans
– Don’t have to complete them to finish the game
– Need them for 100% completion
– In one room, Sonic is grinding down a rail, reminiscent of Sonic Adventure 2 on Dreamcast
– A lot of the challenge comes from environmental puzzles throughout the game
– Most enemies aren’t aggressive
– Some enemies are different and will chase them
– 4 bosses
– Bosses use both of the 3DS’ screens
– “You’re always going to be Sonic in a boss fight, but for each fight you’re paired with another character so you can use their special abilities.”
– Boss fights see Defect using items from the environment to construct a giant monster
– One boss battle: Defect was driving a large creature made out of tar and dinosaur bones, which attempted to smash Sonic at the bottom of the screen; tar flowed out of the ground that Sonic had to avoid stepping into, and then Defect blew tar bubbles, which companion character Tails was able to dodge by floating over
– Once they were safely negotiated, the creature was momentarily vulnerable to attack
– Bonus levels take the form of the 3D tunnel run from Sonic 2 where you’re running down a tube collecting rings and dodging hazards
– 12 of these in the game
– 2 other types of bonus levels
– One bonus level features the Sea Fox submarine from Game Gear Tails Adventure, where you float around shooting at things with your sub while looking for collectibles
– There’s also a hovercraft game where you’re racing up the screen trying to avoid or blast icebergs. Again, there are collectibles to pick up
