Sonic Runners

Sonic Runners (ソニックランナーズ) is a 2015 side-scrolling platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, developed by Sonic Team for the Android and iOS mobile platforms. It was first announced by publisher Sega on 28 December 2014. It later came out in Japan and Canada on 25 February 2015 before coming out worldwide on 25 June 2015.

Plot
The story follows Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles as they follow Dr. Eggman through different areas as he hatches various plans in succession, with the core goal of retrying his mind control cannon from Sonic Colors. Team Sonic usually runs into these situations unintentionally, finding Animals or Wisps in trouble, Orbot or Cubot carrying out orders, or robots walking around where they should not be. Along the way, the team have several side-adventures where they help Animals, Wisps and Chao with issues or just travel new places. Another subplot involves Team Sonic going on the hunt for Master Emerald fragments after Knuckles was forced to shatter the Master Emerald to stop Eggman from stealing it.

The last story arc revolves around Dr. Eggman who has stolen the Chaos Emeralds and drained them of their power to provide the last fuel needed for his mind control cannon. Team Sonic thus set out to reclaim the drained Emeralds before facing Eggman in a final showdown. Amidst this, Sonic reabsorbs the Chaos Emeralds' energy back into the Emeralds as Eggman uses his mind control cannon on him and becomes Super Sonic. Using his newfound power, Sonic destroys the mind control cannon and peace reigns over the world once more, though Eggman still gave the heroes the slip.

Gameplay
Sonic Runners is a 2D side-scrolling runner with stages that can be played in a minute or two. The player can tap to perform jumps and move the characters. Using Chao, Buddies, items and radio controlled toys, the player's objective is to get the highest score for a level. By doing so, the player can also collect Crystals, which increase the score as long as the player is keeping the combo going.

At the end of a majority of chapters (Unless the plot doesn't involve him like "Ring Hill", or they simply don't run into him, which usually hails an item of some kind instead.), the player also has to engage in boss battles with Dr. Eggman, who has variations on his Egg Mobile. These variations have differing weapons, but commonly involve dodging weapons centered around Spiked balls and jumping into the Yellow Ball contained in others, which will fly back into his machine and damage him.

Progressing the game's episode as Sonic will eventually unlock more playable Sonic series characters, such as Miles "Tails" Prower (unlocked by clearing Chapter 10 and entering Chapter 11) and Knuckles the Echidna (unlocked by clearing Chapter 16 and entering Chapter 17:"Goodbye Greenery"). Additionally, the game will be updated to include more characters as well. Each character has their own different action and their levels can be raised using Rings collected in the stages.

The characters are best used in "Specialist Areas". While the levels are playable as any character, specific character types are more suited to exploring these levels, with more accessible areas using their abilities. The regions themselves carry specific aesthetics (Windy Hill = Speed, Sky Road = Flight, Lava Mountain = Power, etc.). An emblem next to the chapter title on the menu screen notes which type is recommended.

Event characters
These playable characters were only available for the duration of a specific in-game event, becoming unaivalable as the corresponding event ended. It is unknown if they will return in future events.

Upcoming playable characters
Assets for the following characters have been found in the game's files, hinting at their future appearance.

Non-Playable

 * Dr. Eggman
 * Orbot
 * Cubot
 * Animal friends
 * Flicky
 * Pocky
 * Pecky
 * Cucky
 * Ricky
 * Picky
 * Rocky
 * Chao
 * Hero Chao
 * Dark Chao
 * Omochao
 * Wisps
 * White Wisp
 * Cyan Wisp
 * Yellow Wisp
 * Indigo Wisp
 * Deadly Six
 * Zavok
 * Zazz
 * Zomom
 * Master Zik
 * Zeena
 * Zor

Enemies
{|

Windy Hill

 * Moto Bug
 * Caterkiller
 * Spinner

Sky Road

 * Egg Pawn
 * Buzz Bomber
 * Balkiry

Lava Mountain

 * Crabmeat
 * Snail Blaster
 * Nebula
 * }

Zones
The game has three main zones, all of which are from Sonic Lost World. Aside from those, special alternate versions of those zones have also appeared in events. The zones of the game are:

Windy Hill
Windy Hill is the first stage of the game. This level first appears in Episode 1. It is best played by speed characters.

Sky Road
Sky Road is the second stage of the game. This stage appears in Episode 11. It is best played by fly characters

Lava Mountain
Lava Mountain is the third stage of the game. It first appears in Episode 17. It is best played by power characters

Desert Ruins
Desert Ruins is an event stage that was released 16 July 2015.

Unknown Windy Hill "Night Themed" Stage
This stage was also discovered through the game's assets. Currently, this stage is not available, but it has been suggested that it will become available in later updates.

Windy Hill In Spring
Windy Hill in Spring was a zone that appeared in the Easter event.

Puyo Puyo's Falling Sky Road
Puyo Puyo's Falling SKy Road only appeared during the Puyo Puyo event, where characters could collect Puyo coins to gain bonues rewards, including Amitie Amy.

Birthday on Windy Hill
This stage is exclusive to the Sonic Runners event, "Happy Birthday Sonic!". The character can collect birthday cakes in this zone.

Buddies
Buddies, formerly called "Companions", are companions which player characters can take along during a level. Some help raise the player's score while others can enhance item effects. Just like the playable characters, the Buddies have a certain attribute, meaning that their effects will be amplified when paired up with the "right" player character. Currently, there are twenty different types of them, but more are expected to be added. Like the playable character, the Companions can be leveled up.

Items
Items will players achieve better performance when equipping them. Up to three Items are available for use at a time.

Levels

 * Episode 1-1: It's Doctor Eggman, the evil scientist! The evil genius Dr. Eggman is back to sow chaos in Sonic and the Animals' peaceful world.
 * Episode 2-1: Save the Animals! Sonic and friends drove Dr. Eggman away, but he won't give up, and is kidnapping Animals again!
 * Episode 3-1: Dr. Eggman's Dirty Tricks Sonic and friends foiled Eggman's plan to turn Animals into robots, but just what WAS he planning?
 * Episode 4-1: Little Chao Lost Sonic and friends come across a lost chao, and decide to help it get home safely!
 * Episode 5-1: A Not-So-Heavy-Load Dr. Eggman had ordered Cubot to collect items [to get] ready for his big comeback. But can Cubot deliver...?
 * Episode 6-1: Evening Patrol Sonic and friends hear some Animals calling out in fright. Better find out what's up...
 * Episode 6-2: Evening Patrol 2 Sonic and friends are on their way to fetch a translation unit so they can talk to the White Wisp.
 * Episode 7-1: Earthquake Island Pinky says there have been a lot of earthquakes lately, and asks Sonic and friends to investigate...
 * Episode 8-1: The Mysterious Light Ricky and his friend get a fright from a mysterious light on the way home. Find out the truth behind it!
 * Episode 9-1: Disaster Zone The Friends find the remains of a great disaster, and are asked by the local Animals for help...
 * Episode 10-1: Dr. Eggman's Robot Army Attacks! Eggman's robot army attacked an Animal village! Invade Dr.Eggman's base and save the Animals!
 * Episode 11-1: Chasing our Tails Having managed to drive Dr.Eggman away, the gang follow Tails as he guides them to an all-new area!
 * Episode 11-2: Chasing our Tails 2 Tails leads the way as the gang investigate an all-new area - home to one of Dr.Eggman's bases!
 * Episode 12-1: Picky's Pig-Out Sonic and co. bump into Picky, and the poor pig's real hungry! They'd better find him some food!
 * Episode 13-1: Little Pocky Lost Pocky's crying because he's lost his mother. It's up to Sonic and co. to reunite them!
 * Episode 14-1: Ricky's Request Dr.Eggman has built a factory right next to Ricky's home, and it's polluting the water! Do something!
 * Episode 15-1: Ring Hill Knuckles remembers a rumor about a place called Ring Hill, and the gang decide to go check it out!
 * Episode 16-1: Dr. Eggman's Secret Experiment Sonic and friends hear a rumor that Dr.Eggman is conducting a secret experiment. Time to investigate!
 * Episode 16-2: Dr. Eggman's Secret Experiment 2 Sonic and friends have found Dr.Eggman's base. Now it's time to find out what he's up to!
 * Episode 17-1: Goodbye Greenery Pocky needs help! All the greenery is disappearing from the hills where he lives!
 * Episode 18-1: Damsel in Distress Rocky's girlfriend has gone missing. Help him to find her!
 * Episode 19-1: The Animals Fight Back The gang visit the Animals' village, but there are no Animals to be found! Where have they all gone?!
 * Episode 19-2: The Animals Fight Back 2 Sonic and co. have agreed to help the Animals with their plan - but just what ARE they planning?
 * Episode 20-1: Sonic the Villain The animals are suddenly scared of Sonic, and won't come near him... What on earth is going on?
 * Episode 20-2: Sonic the Villain 2 Metal Sonic has been pretending to be the real Sonic and scaring the Animals. After him!
 * Episode 21-1: Flicky Gets Flustered Flicky can't find his little brother, and comes to ask Sonic for help. Can the gang help him out?
 * Episode 22-1: Wisps from On High Mysterious creatures are getting the Animals agitated. The gang think they're Wisps, and go looking for proof!
 * Episode 22-2: Wisps from On High 2 Eggman is taking the Wisps back to his base! Can Sonic catch up with him and free the colorful creatures?
 * Episode 23-1: Showdown with Eggman's Airforce Dr. Eggman's airforce are preventing Flicky from taking to the skies! Find Dr. Eggman's airbase!
 * Episode 23-2: Showdown with Eggman's Airforce 2 Eggman left Orbot in charge, so Sonic had no trouble disabling the base. Now to find the man himself!
 * Episode 24-1: Angel Schmangel Cucky and Omochao say they've seen an angel. Time for Sonic and friends to find out what's really going on...
 * Episode 24-2: Angel Schmangel 2 The "angel" turned out to be a Hero Chao, and now Metal Sonic has kidnapped it! Sonic to the rescue!
 * Episode 25-1: Treasure in the Clouds The Hero Chao tells the gang about a treasure hidden in the clouds, and Knuckles is keen to seek it out!
 * Episode 26-1: Birdly Paradise Dr. Eggman's forces have taken over Cucky's place! Drive them away so Cucky can get his life back!
 * Episode 27-1: Little Walrus Lost Sonic and co. find Rocky in a panic, and unable to find his way home. It's up to them to help him!
 * Episode 28-1: Penguins Might Fly Pecky and his pals used to fly freely round these parts - until Eggman showed up. Now they're grounded!
 * Episode 29-1: Guarding the Sky Temple Some Animals come to Sonic and co. asking for help, and offer to guide them to Dr. Eggman's latest base...
 * Episode 29-2: Guarding the Sky Temple 2 The "Animals" were really Orbot and Cubot! Time to interrogate them and find out what Eggman's up to...
 * Episode 30-1: Bring on the Dawn! The sun has stopped rising in Cucky's part of the forest, so there's nothing to crow at! Do something!
 * Episode 31-1: After that Emerald! Flicky comes to speak to Knuckles, and he's all aflutter - Eggman's after the Master Emerald!
 * Episode 31-2: After that Emerald 2 The Master Emerald has been stolen! Sonic and co. need to find Dr. Eggman and get it back!
 * Episode 32-1: A Red-Hot Winter Pecky's village has suddenly become unbearably hot. It's up to Sonic and co. to find out what's going on!
 * Episode 33-1: The Hunt for the Master Emerald After shutting down Dr. Eggman's factory, the gang find Pocky waiting with some important information!
 * Episode 33-2: The Hunt for the Master Emerald 2 Metal Sonic has run off with a fragment of the Master Emerald. Sonic and friends set off in hot pursuit!
 * Episode 34-1: Ricky's Request Ricky's found a tree that he can't cut down, no matter how hard he tries! Time for Sonic to give it a try!
 * Episode 35-1: The Dragon's Hoard The map Sonic and pals found is actually a treasure map! Time for a spot of treasure-hunting!
 * Episode 36-1: The Hunt for the Master Emerald 3 Now that they have an Emerald Detector, it's time for the friends to get back on the trail of the fragments!
 * Episode 36-2: The Hunt for the Master Emerald 4 Sonic and pals have headed up to the clouds in search of a Master Emerald fragment.
 * Episode 37-1: A Gift for Mama The gang's Master Emerald sensor leads them to Picky. Can he be persuaded to part with his fragment?
 * Episode 38-1: The Hunt for the Master Emerald 5 Dr. Eggman has taken Picky - and the Master Emerald fragment too! Get after him!
 * Episode 38-2: The Hunt for the Master Emerald 6 Dr. Eggman has run off with the Master Emerald fragment! Time to chase him down!
 * Episode 39-1: Guardians of the Master Emerald Having assembled all the Master Emerald fragments, the gang head to the temple to put it back together...
 * Episode 39-2: Guardians of the Master Emerald 2 Just as Sonic and pals are thinking of how to protect the Master Emerald, Omochao appears!
 * Episode 40-1: The Eggman's Plans The Animals are convinced that Dr. Eggman's up to his old tricks. Time to find out what he's planning...
 * Episode 40-2: The Eggman's Plans 2 It seems Flicky might have some information about Dr. Eggman...but might also be in need of rescuing!
 * Episode 40-3: The Eggman's Plans 3 Flicky's been abducted by Eggman! Sonic and friends to the rescue!
 * Episode 41-1: Uncovering Eggman's Plans Sonic and pals learn that Dr. Eggman has been collecting Chaos Emeralds. The question is: Why?
 * Episode 41-2: Uncovering Eggman's Plans 2 Dr. Eggman is trying to make a brainwashing laser to control the world! The gang have to stop it being fired!
 * Episode 41-3: Uncovering Eggman's Plans 3 Sonic and co. manage to get their hands on a Chaos Emerald detector. Now they just need to fix it...
 * Episode 42-1: Collecting the Chaos Emeralds Tails has fixed the detector, so it's time to go hunt down the Chaos Emeralds!
 * Episode 42-2: Collecting the Chaos Emeralds 2 Sonic and co. have followed the detector to one of Dr. Eggman's energy collection devices...
 * Episode 43-1: Collecting the Chaos Emeralds 3 Sonic and pals have found one Chaos Emerald, now it's time to round up the rest!
 * Episode 43-2: Collecting the Chaos Emeralds 4 Sonic and pals head for another one of Dr. Eggman's energy collection devices - this time with Cubot in tow!
 * Episode 44-1: Collecting the Chaos Emeralds 5 Sonic and co. have recovered the second Chaos Emerald. Now it's time to find the third!
 * Episode 44-2: Collecting the Chaos Emeralds 6 Having successfully evaded Orbot's traps Sonic and co. head for the third Chaos Emerald!
 * Episode 45-1: The Wisp Garden While looking for the fourth Chaos Emerald, the gang bump into a giant group of Wisps!
 * Episode 46-1: Collecting the Chaos Emeralds 7 Sonic and co. set out in search of more Chaos Emeralds - this time with Wisps in tow!
 * Episode 46-2: Collecting the Chaos Emeralds 8 Metal Sonic appeared out of nowhere and stole on of the Chaos Emeralds! Get it back!
 * Episode 47-1: Collecting the Chaos Emeralds 9 A powered-up Metal Sonic has swiped the gang's Chaos Emeralds! How are they going to get them back?!
 * Episode 47-2: Collecting the Chaos Emeralds 10 Having overcome Cubot without laying a finger on him, the gang head to the next energy collection device!
 * Episode 48-1: Collecting the Chaos Emeralds 11 Sonic and friends have avoided Metal Sonic and retrieved another Chaos Emerald. Onto the next one!
 * Episode 48-2: Collecting the Chaos Emeralds 12 Sonic and pals have survived Orbot's traps. Time to get the search for the Chaos Emeralds back on track!
 * Episode 49-1: Collecting the Chaos Emeralds 13 The gang have secured all the easy Chaos Emeralds - now it's time to take some risks!
 * Episode 49-2: Collecting the Chaos Emeralds 14 En route to find Chaos Emeralds, the gang prepare for a showdown with Metal Sonic...
 * Episode 50-1: Boiling Point With the brainwashing laser ready to fire, the gang get ready for the final showdown with Dr. Eggman!
 * Episode 50-2: Boiling Point 2 Sonic and co. have begun their invasion of Eggman's HQ. Next on the menu: More robots!
 * Episode 50-3: Boiling Point 3 Sonic and pals are making short work of Dr. Eggman's defenses. Next up: Orbot!
 * Episode 50-4: Boiling Point 4 Cubot's tip-off got the team safely through Orbot's traps. Time to go even deeper into Eggman's HQ!
 * Episode 50-5: Boiling Point: Finale Having managed to make their way past Metal Sonic, the gang are finally at the heart of Eggman's HQ...

Events
Several events have launched for Sonic Runners, each time announced and advertised by in-game notifications as well as on the game's official website.

Facebook Campaign
One of the unlimited events, offering the player 10 Red Star Rings for each friend that signs up for Sonic Runners after sending him an invitation via Facebook. Additionally, Amy Rose will be unlocked if ten Facebook friends start playing the game.

The Chaotix Detective Agency Premium Roulette
An event which started on March 5, 2015 and added Vector, Espio and Charmy as playable characters for the first time. By hitting the Character Egg on the Premium Roulette or the Special Roulette, players were able to unlock one of these three. It was possible to unlock the same character more than once, which would be compensated with 50 Red Star Rings, 3 Special Eggs and 10000 Rings. The campaign was at first scheduled to end on March 15, 2015, but was later extended due to popular demand, eventually ending on March 22, 2015.

Animal Rescue Event
An event which ran from March 13, 2015 to March 15, 2015. During this time, players were able to gain several rewards by collecting a certain amount of Animals in the stages, among them the Companion RC Monkey, first introduced in the game during this event.

Windy Hill in Spring Event
The Easter event for Sonic Runners, introducing the first Special Stage in the game called "Windy Hill in Spring", available from March 30, 2015 to April 6, 2015. By collecting Easter Eggs in this stage, players are able to climb up the rankings, unlock several prizes and proceed in new Story Events along the way. The event also introduced three new Companions: Merlina, Easter Bunny and Easter Chao. While the former can be unlocked and leveled up by proceeding in the event, the latter two are only available through the Premium Roulette.

Happy Birthday Sonic!
The 24th anniversary event for Sonic The Hedgehog. This event was offering Classic Sonic as a playable character and 3 exclusive companions: The Sega Genesis, The Death Egg and Cartridge. A new special stage and episode was also available called "Birthday At Windy Hill". Sonic, Tails and Knuckles try to stop Dr. Eggman from taking over the world after trashing Sonic's birthday. While rescuing his friends. In this special stage some collectables are replaced with Birthday Cakes, a slice= 1 cake A whole cake= 10 cakes, you can collect these cakes to get rewards (Items, Wisps, Red Star Rings etc.). The special stage was available until 3/7/15 and Classic Sonic was available until 10/7/15.

Development
Development for Sonic Runners began in 2013 according to Takashi Iizuka. However, In February 2014, a poster hosted at a German toy fair announced a 2015 Sonic game for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Wii U, as well as the Sonic Boom games, a feature film, and Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. This information circulated on the Internet, especially concerning the unannounced Sonic game, but Sega quickly asserted that the information on the supposed new title was false. Later in 2014, however, rumors of a smartphone game titled Sonic Runners began to circulate online; Sega had registered the domain name sonicrunners.com in July of that year. On 28 December 2014, Sonic Runners was eventually announced by Sega during the annual “Sonic Fan Thanksgiving” event at one of their Joypolis amusement parks. At the event, Takashi Iizuka personally revealed that Sonic Team’s next project was “Sonic Runners“ on the mobile. He promised that more information about the game would be revealed sequentially, starting in January 2015, but nothing was released during that month. Its gameplay style was quickly speculated by fan to be an endless runner, like Sonic Dash, which is also a smartphone game.

A small teaser and more details about the game were revealed on 3 February 2015. According to Takashi Iizuka, the game will be a "2D side-scrolling runner with stages that can be played in a minute or two." On 3 February 2015, Tomoya Ohtani announced on Twitter that he will be composing the musical score for the game.

Release
Sonic Runners received a sudden soft-launch on 25 February 2015 and in the Japanese and Canadian App Store and Play Store app marketplaces.

A few months later, in 25 June 2015, it was made available worldwide. It is available for free on recent iOS and Android devices, and contains in-app purchases. It currently has compatibility issues with certain Android operating systems, however. Sega has made an announcement that they will attempt to fix these issues ASAP.

Reception
Upon the game's announcement, Thomas Whitehead of NintendoLife voiced disappointment at Sonic Runners not being a Wii U title. Similarly, Tatiana Morris from GameZone hoped that it would not be the only Sonic game of the year, instead wishing for a console game similar to Sonic the Hedgehog or Sonic Adventure. Destructoid staff writer Brett Makedonski opined that while "it's tough to imagine Sonic fans getting too excited about Sonic Runners", its future augured well after the critical panning of Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal.

Upon release, Sonic Runners on iOS platforms has received mixed reviews. Destructoid gave Sonic Runners a 6/10, stating that the gameplay was fun, and that the developers should "take pride in their work", but criticized it's heavy emphasis on "pay to play". "The Jimquisition" called the gameplay "solid, but panned the game for it's many ads, the pay to win emphasis, and terrible load times, assigning the title a 4.5/10. Echoing these thoughts was Shaun Musgrave of Toucharcade, who praised the core gameplay, but criticized the game for it's overabundance of monetizing, in the end giving it a low score of a 2/5. However, later reviews lightened up on the game, though the general consensus was generally the same; the core gameplay was fun, but the monetization and load times hampered the experience to mediocrity. It currently holds a Metacritic critic average of 51/100, with fan averages showing a current average of 7.6/10. GameRankings was slightly more positive, holding a 58.75%, though this is probably due to it's stricter requirements.

Google Play's average for the Android variant is strangely positive, garnering a 3.9/5 from around 15,507 user ratings.

Trivia

 * Not counting their co-production credits in Sonic the Hedgehog 4, this game marks the first time Sonic Team themselves have ever published a mobile game.
 * This is the second game to feature every main character aside from Eggman Nega and the Babylon Rogues, the first was Sonic Generations.
 * However, in Sonic Generations, Big the Cat and E-123 Omega only appeared as statues, and Metal Sonic appeared in his Classic form.
 * This game marks the first time in twelve years that Charmy Bee has been playable since Sonic Heroes.
 * This is also the first game to feature Charmy with a running animation rather than just a flying animation.
 * When performing a Spin Dash, Amy, Omega, Espio and Vector do not curl into a ball.
 * The Ring Boost acquired by using Chaotix Type characters may be a nod to their Team Blast Chaotix Recital from Sonic Heroes which awarded them with rings for every enemy destroyed during and shortly after using the ability.
 * The double animal score boost that the Team Rose characters have is a shout-out to the fact that Big's main story in his to playable appearances in main games have been saving his buddy Froggy.
 * The enemy bonus awarded to Mech-type characters is a reference to E-123 Omega's quest for revenge on Dr. Eggman and his creations.
 * Vector's Dash Attack is equal to his Head Slide ability introduced in the Mario & Sonic series, which is not surprising considering several developers from Sega Sport R&D, the developers behind said series, are listed in the credits for Sonic Runners.
 * This is the first game since Shadow the Hedgehog to use profanity, because Knuckles says "damn" on a few occasions.
 * Sonic Runners' canonicity appears to be dubious at best, but it appears to specifically follow the canon of the handheld versions of multi-platform Sonic games. This is evident several times, such as as Mother Wisp being mentioned; Sonic and Tails only encountered her in the DS version of Sonic Colors. However, the game is equally evident in being non-canon due to some companions being characters from certain games that endings imply Sonic will never meet again, such as Chip, and Sonic not knowing who Merlina is, despite his encounter with her in Sonic and the Black Knight.
 * Sonic Runners makes numerous grammatical error, the most prominent being that the word "get" is used in place of "go" (e.g. Sonic exclaiming, "Let's get after them!", instead of "Let's go after them!")
 * The game appears to be heavily based on Heroes, Colors, and Lost World, in terms of plot, characters, gameplay, and zones.
 * Not counting their cameo in Eggman's flashback in Sonic Generations, this is the first time Metal Sonic, Orbot and Cubot appeared in the same game. However, they have yet to be seen interacting in any of the current episodes.
 * This game's menu reuses sound effects from Sonic Free Riders.

Videos
Official trailer = Gameplay trailer =