Sonic Runners

Sonic Runners (ソニックランナーズ) is a video game for the Android and iOS in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, announced by publisher Sega on 28 December 2014. It was initially released as a soft launch in Japan and Canada on 25 February 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 also have several side-adventures where they help Animals, Wisps and Chao with issues or just travel new places.

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, companions, items and radio controlled toys, the player's objective is to get the highest score for a level.

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. If you have Caliburn as a companion, he will hit him for you, and if you have a wisp equipped upon entering, you will automatically attack once.

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 (Grass = Speed, Sky = Flight, Rock/Volcano = Power, etc.). An emblem next to the chapter title on the menu screen notes which type is recommended.

Companions
Companions are buddies 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 Companions 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.

Non-Playable

 * Dr. Eggman
 * Orbot
 * Cubot
 * Animal friends
 * Flicky
 * Pocky
 * Pecky
 * Cucky
 * Ricky
 * Picky
 * Rocky
 * Chao
 * Hero Chao
 * Dark Chao
 * Omochao
 * Wisps
 * Zavok
 * Zazz
 * Zomom
 * Master Zik
 * Zeena
 * Zor

Enemies

 * Egg Pawn
 * Moto Bug
 * Buzz Bomber
 * Crabmeat
 * Caterkiller
 * Balkiry
 * Nebula
 * Snail Blaster
 * Spinner

Levels

 * Episode 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: Save the Animals! Sonic and friends drove Dr. Eggman away, but he won't give up, and is kidnapping Animals again!
 * Episode 3: 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: Little Chao Lost Sonic and friends come across a lost chao, and decide to help it get home safely!
 * Episode 5: 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: Evening Patrol Sonic and friends hear some Animals calling out in fright. Better find out what's up...
 * Episode 6: 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: Earthquake Island Pinky says there have been a lot of earthquakes lately, and asks Sonic and friends to investigate...
 * Episode 8: 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: Disaster Zone The Friends find the remains of a great disaster, and are asked by the local Animals for help...
 * Episode 10: 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: 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: 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: 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: Little Pocky Lost Pocky's crying because he's lost his mother. It's up to Sonic and co. to reunite them!

Development
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 February 26th, 2015 and is only currently available in the Japanese and Canadian App Store and Play Store app marketplaces. It does have an American page in the Play Store, but has an expected "This Item is not available in your country." banner. It is available for free on recent iOS and Android devices, and contains in-app purchases.

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.
 * From data, it appears that this is the first game since Sonic Adventure 2 to have "Dark" and "Hero" type brandings on characters.
 * This game will mark the first time in ten years that Charmy Bee has been playable since Sonic Heroes.

Videos
Official trailer = Gameplay trailer =