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Sonic Rumble (ソニックランブル[10] Sonikku Ranburu?) is a party mobile game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Sega[12] in collaboration with Rovio Entertainment[2] and will be published by Sega for Android, iOS and PC.[10] It was originally scheduled for release in the winter of 2024, then delayed to 8 May 2025, before being postponed again to an unspecified date. The App Store currently showcases a release date of 31 July 2025, however, this has been confirmed to be a placeholder date.
Synopsis[]
Sonic Rumble takes place in a twisted toy world created by Dr. Eggman named Egg Toy Land.[9] Toy figures of Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends must traverse the toybox and compete against one another in races.
As shown in the introduction, Eggman sends invitations and some toy figures to Sonic and Miles "Tails" Prower, who are sitting on a couch. The genius is claiming that his new dangerous, gorgeous creations will need to be controlled by their wits to proceed through the stages. He then states excitingly that the one to collect the most rings will be the winner, before adding that he plans to crush Sonic once and for all, and whacks his figure with a figure of Sonic. He ends his message by taunting the blue hedgehog, daring him to be, "a pawn in [his] game".
Sonic then comments how the doctor seems to have a bit too much time to spare as he looks at a figure of himself and Tails. The two-tailed fox asks what Sonic plans to do, to which Sonic smirks as he gets up on his feet. The speedster doesn't know what his arch nemesis is planning, but he doesn't plan to back down from a challenge. He then says he is game, and is prepared to beat him with the Sonic figure he holds in his palm.
Gameplay[]
As the name suggests, Sonic Rumble will be a survival and racing game set across locations from the Sonic series. Players can join matches through online connectivity, each of which can hold a maximum of 32 contestants. In these matches, players must compete to gather the most Rings or compete to be the fastest in races.
Races involve the player characters running through various obstacle courses with the ultimate goal of reaching the track's end as fast as possible, all the while using the stage's gimmicks to boost themselves, and avoiding any obstacles along the track that may hinder their progress.
There are five game modes, broken down into three rounds. The first round consists of all 32 players and is a simple run-to-the-end minigame where half of the contestants will be eliminated. The second round will be selected randomly out of three choices: Survival, Hunt or Team. The third round - consisting of the final 8 players - is Ring battle.
Each game mode has the following objectives:
| Game mode | Objectives | Players | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run |
|
32 | 1 |
| Survival |
|
16 | 2 |
| Hunt |
| ||
| Team |
| ||
| Ring Battle |
|
8 | 3 |
Additionally, there are several, currently unknown and unnamed, second level minigames; such as a chase minigame where the player must run away from Badniks in Silent Forest, pushing colored balls into holes with colored tiles (potentially a territory grab minigame) in Lava Mountain, and a game where four players are stood on a biplane in Sky Sanctuary.
Brand new modes will be added in "Pre-Launch 2", starting with Co-Op Battle, that will be enabled every two weeks (Friday to Monday) where you must work as a team of up to 32 players to defeat the Death Egg Robot and the Egg Pawn Rangers, that will allow you to earn mission points from cooperative battles and exchange them for "Skins" of your favorite characters.[13]
Also brand new modifications to some of the game modes in "Special Rumble", for "Run", it can be modified to "Run Battle" and "Survival" to "Survival Battle", with "Ring Battle" getting two: "Low Gravity Battle" and "Hyper Boost Battle", where the movements of our characters will be modified. Additionally, you can earn Special Rumble points and redeem them for Skins of your favorite characters.[14]
And finally "Custom Matches", as the name indicates, you can customize the scenarios or stages that will appear in each round within the games.[15]
The game also includes a Battle Pass, where players can earn exclusive rewards in free and paid tiers.[16]
Power-ups[]
- Barrier
- Boost
- Magnet
- Range Attack
- Hoverboard
Objects[]
- 100 Count Ring
- 20 Count Ring
- 50 Count Ring
- Balloon
- Bomb
- Cloud
- Dash Ring
- Egg Goggles
- Giant Ring
- Grind Rail
- Grind Shoes
- High-speed warp tube
- Horizontal Bar
- Medal
- Mega Mack
- Jump Panel
- Propeller Spring
- Ring
- Red Star Ring
- Sonic's shoes
- Super Ring
- Spring
- Treasure Box
- Windmill
Miscellaneous[]
- Skills
Characters[]
Playable[]
- AiAi
- Amy Rose
- All-Star
- Crystal
- Extreme Riders
- Gothic
- Popstar
- Riders
- Valentines
- Avatar
- Bear
- Bird
- Cat
- Dog
- Hedgehog
- Rabbit
- Wolf
- Big the Cat
- Angler
- Santa Claus
- Blaze the Cat
- Gold
- Maid
- Riders
- Charmy Bee
- Chrome
- Cream the Rabbit
- Riders
- Ruby
- Spring
- Dr. Eggman
- M.D.
- Riders
- Espio the Chameleon
- Crystal
- Jet the Hawk
- Gold
- Pilot
- Knuckles the Echidna
- Garnet
- Reindeer
- Riders
- Treasure Hunter
- MeeMee
- Metal Sonic
- Crystal
- Ruby
- Miles "Tails" Prower
- Chrome
- Crystal
- Extreme Riders
- Riders
- Sailor
- Topaz
- Wooly
- Movie Sonic
- Opa-Opa
- Rouge the Bat
- Cheerleader
- Chrome
- Riders
- Rockstar
- Witch
- Shadow the Hedgehog
- Chrome
- Flame
- Gold
- Gold Style
- Pirate
- Riders
- Silver the Hedgehog
- Chrome
- Firefighter
- Lantern
- Server
- Skater
- Sir Galahad
- Sir Gawain
- Sir Percival
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- 2025 New Year's
- Extreme Riders
- Gold
- Gold Style
- Grind Shoes
- Halloween
- Knight
- Officer
- Pirate
- Riders
- Slugger
- Stealth Suit
- Thanksgiving
- Wooly
- Vector the Crocodile
- DJ
- Gold
- Werewolf
- Zavok
- Crystal
Non-playable[]
Enemies[]
Eggman Empire robots[]
- Bomb
- Buzz Bomber
- Caterkiller[note 1]
- Chopper
- Clucker
- Crabmeat
- Crawl
- Egg Pawn[note 2]
- Fire Rhinobot
- Flapper
- Grabber
- Iwamodoki
- Owl Mech
- Soccer ball-like variant of the Bomb
- Spinner (Metal)
- Moto Bug
- Nebula
- Penguinator
- Solid Flapper[note 3]
- Thunder Spinner
Other[]
Bosses[]
Co-op Battle Mode[]
- Death Egg Robot
- Elite Death Egg Robot
- Egg Pawn Rangers
- Elite Egg Pawn Rangers
- Mech Dragon
- Death Queen
Other[]
Miscellaneous[]
Cosmetics[]
A blurb about a sticker in Sonic Rumble.
- Buddies
- Boo
- Caliburn
- Chao
- Death Egg
- Froggy
- Koco
- Omochao
- Tails
- Tornado
- Wisp
- Effects
- Emotes
- Sticker (excluding the "Fearless" Sticker - which offers a reward)
- Trail
Stages[]
There are a total of three rounds. As of Pre-Season 4, the game has 12 levels, based on locations from past Sonic games. Stages in Bold are available in Stage Challenge.
| Stage | Original game | Rounds | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Green Hill | Sonic the Hedgehog |
|
Green Hill Ring Battle | |
| Chemical Plant | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 |
|
Chemical Plant Ring Battle | |
| Sky Sanctuary | Sonic (3) & Knuckles |
|
|
|
| City Escape | Sonic Adventure 2 | City Escape Run | City Escape Team | City Escape Ring Battle |
| Seaside Hill | Sonic Heroes |
|
|
Seaside Hill Ring Battle |
| Sweet Mountain | Sonic Colors | Sweet Mountain Run | N/A | Sweet Mountain Ring Battle |
| Starlight Carnival |
|
|
| |
| Desert Ruins | Sonic Lost World |
|
N/A | Desert Ruins Ring Battle |
| Frozen Factory |
|
Frozen Factory Ring Battle | ||
| Silent Forest |
|
|
Silent Forest Ring Battle | |
| Lava Mountain |
|
|
| |
| Pinball Carnival | Sonic Superstars | Pinball Carnival Run | Pinball Carnival Hunt | Pinball Carnival Ring Battle |
Development[]
Sonic Rumble is under primary "development and management" by Sega,[9] with assistance from Rovio Entertainment, a Finnish game developer best known for creating the Angry Birds series;[2] the company was bought by Sega in 2023, becoming a subsidiary of the Sega Europe division.[17] This thus marks Rovio's first game involvement following Sega's acquisition.
In an interview with Takashi Iizuka on 3 October 2024, he admitted that he wishes to expand the game's roster by adding lesser-known characters that players wouldn't recognize easily.[18] Iizuka also stated that Sonic Rumble won't feature pay-to-win mechanics due to how poorly received they tend to be in the West.[19]
According to SEGA, the delays are due to them being in current discussions in areas for improvement with Rovio which were found during the testing process in some regions, and plan to launch the service globally as soon as they can see the path to make improvements.[20]
A new Sonic Rumble Creators Program was later revealed in 13 March 2025, this allowed Youtube users that in return of making videos for the game, they'll have access to early content, Discord membership, a new Tails skin, and Chao Buddy.
Veli Kiviaho, the coordinator between Rovio and SEGA teased that the first crossover event will happen before the global launch of the game, with an IP that hasn't been seen recently in other games.[21]
The Q&A later elaborated on several things, that running a beta on mobile platforms is “just not easy,” citing Android and iOS restrictions are causing complications, however, they expressed interest in the idea of a Steam beta, stating that “it’s something we’d like to do.”, but they also cautioned that it would only make sense if the delay is extended, noting, “if the game is not delayed by a super long time,” a Steam beta might not be worthwhile.
The developers also addressed hopes for collaborations beyond Sega’s own properties. While Sonic Rumble already features crossovers with franchises like Super Monkey Ball and Altered Beast, the idea of other third-party collaborations could be possible. And when asked about user-generated content like custom maps, the developers shared that it’s “something we might explore in the future”.[22]
Release[]
Through the official Sonic Rumble website, players could register to take part in the closed beta test of the game (exclusive to the United States). Submissions were accepted until 19 May 2024, and testing took place on 24 May (8:00pm to 11:00pm EST), 25 May (12:00pm to 3:00pm EST and 8:00pm to 11:00pm EST) and 26 May (same as 25 May).
On 19 August, Sega revealed that Sonic Rumble will have a series of "pre-launch" play periods that will test the mobile platformer in a number of key markets throughout the summer, starting with the Philippines with a follow-up phase including Peru and Colombia with a focus on Latin American countries. Once the Summer pre-launch phases were completed, a second "Pre-Launch Phase" will begin consisting of pre-registration for players, ahead of a full global launch in the Winter as originally announced.[23]
On 5 October, it was announced that on 11 October, Sonic Rumble will enter "Pre-Launch 2", bringing a new patch packed with improvements and fresh content to more regions, including a (optional) monthly subscription that will allow players to win more Rings in each game and eliminate ads, general improvements to the user interface and the function of linking an account in order to transfer game progress to PC and vice versa. Once that version was released, users who participated in the first pre-launch phase received 30 Red Star Rings and 5000 Rings as a reward.[24]
On 5 December 2024, Pre Registrations were opened. Depending on the amount of of pre registrations, more rewards would be given, including a playable Movie Sonic.
On 26 February 2025 it was announced that Sonic Rumble would be delayed and pushed the release date to Spring 2025.
On 8 April 2025, it was announced that Sonic Rumble would be released on 8 May 2025.
On 30 April 2025, it was announced that Sonic Rumble was delayed for the 3rd time, because of this an official Discord channel was made for people to post questions about the delays, new modes and additions coming to the game, to the extent possible, these will be answered on May 2.[25]
Promotion[]
Sonic Rumble was shown at the Tokyo Game Show 2024, with novelty gifts being offered. All players received a novelty paper fan containing the key art of the game on the front and a render of all the playable characters on the back. Those who competed and finished first to third received a Sonic Rumble-branded neck fans and those who placed fourth to eighth received a novelty bottle holder.[26]
A demo of the game, along with Sonic X Shadow Generations, was playable during the Thailand Game Show 2024, held between 18 and 20 October 2024.[27]
Trivia[]
The early title referencing Toy Story.
- Sonic Rumble was initially titled "Sonic Toys Party".
- The early title of the game also looks very similar to the Toy Story logo.
- The game was leaked around two months before the game's announcement trailer.
- This is the second ever Sonic game to have an official Discord Server.[28]
- For mobile devices, this is the first game to be developed by a third-party besides Hardlight.
- An early build of the game made use of stolen fanart in a mode selection screen for "Ring Collection", likely unintentionally. The original artwork was made by TBSF.[29]
- After purchasing a character, the character will briefly pull a pose before showcasing their win animation. Some of these poses are references to other media and games.
- Sonic the Hedgehog's seems inspired by his artwork from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
- Miles "Tails" Prower appears to be based on stock artwork.
- Knuckles the Echidna's is based on his artwork from Sonic Frontiers.
- Amy Rose's is based on her original bio artwork from Sonic Channel.
- Metal Sonic's is based on artwork from Sonic Free Riders.
- Doctor Eggman's is a reference to one of his iconic poses from the classic era, specifically that of his Sonic the Hedgehog CD artwork.
- Shadow the Hedgehog's pose seems inspired by his original bio artwork from Sonic Channel.
- Rouge the Bat's is similar to her artwork from Sonic Heroes.
- Cream the Rabbit's is based on artwork from Sonic Battle.
- Silver the Hedgehog's appears inspired by his pose while using his Levitate ability in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
- Big the Cat's is based on his original bio artwork from Sonic Channel.
- Additionally, after showcasing their win animation, characters will pull another pose. Some of these poses are references to other media and games as well.
- Sonic the Hedgehog's references Classic Sonic's stage clear pose from Sonic Generations.
- Miles "Tails" Prower's references his artwork from Sonic Free Riders.
- Knuckles the Echidna's is mostly original but seems to borrow elements from his Sonic Runners artwork.
- Amy Rose, while having no direct match, looks somewhat similar to a piece of stock artwork. It also may reference a Sonic Advance animation.
- Metal Sonic's references the iconic finger wag Metal has had since Sonic CD.
- Shadow the Hedgehog crossing his arms harkens back to his stage clear animations from games such as Sonic Heroes and Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
- Rouge the Bat's seems to be inspired by her May 2017 artwork from Sonic Channel.
- Cream the Rabbit's entire win animation and final pose references an animation she and Cheese have in Sonic Advance 2.
- Silver the Hedgehog's references his artwork from Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity.
- Blaze the Cat's references her artwork from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
- Big the Cat's appears based on his stage clear animation from Sonic Adventure.
- Vector the Crocodile's pose is based on his artwork from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games.
- Several skins reference other games and media in the series.
- Detective Tails and Tycoon Rouge both are based on their outfits from The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog.
- DJ Vector, Witch Rouge, Treasure Hunter Knuckles, Lantern Silver, Popstar Amy, Rockstar Rouge, and Spring Cream's skins are taken directly from Sonic Forces: Speed Battle.
- Captain Shadow and Pirate Sonic's skins are from Sonic Dash.
- Server Silver's outfit comes from his August 2023 Otherworld Comedy artwork, where he is an undercover butler.
- The later added Skater Silver comes from his April 2023 Otherworld Comedy artwork, where he is Princess Elise's ice skating instructor.
- Halloween Sonic is based on his vampire outfit used in several Sonic Channel artworks.
- All the 'Riders' themed outfits are based on the character's outfits in the Sonic Riders series
- Notably, the only characters missing their riders outfit are Silver and Vector.
- Woolly Sonic is likely a reference to the Sonic-themed costume from Yoshi's Woolly World that could be unlocked with Sonic's amiibo.
- The designs for Extreme Riders Sonic, Tails and Amy are based off Sonic Riders concept artwork.
- Gold Style Sonic, Gold Style Shadow and Stealth Suit Sonic are based on their respective outfits from Sonic Speed Simulator.
Videos[]
Notes[]
- ↑ Functions like the Sandworms in Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations.
- ↑ Comes in a variety of various variants that function differently from one another.
- ↑ While some Solid Flappers are completely unarmed, others are equipped with guns that shoot missiles similarly to the Cannon Flapper.
References[]
- ↑ Sega (8 May 2024). Sonic Rumble. Sega. Retrieved on 9 May 2024.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Rovio (@Rovio) on Twitter. Twitter (8 May 2024). Retrieved on 9 May 2024. "BIG NEWS! We're thrilled to be able to share some details about @Sonic_Rumble, our first full-on new game collaboration with @SEGA since joining the Sega family! See more below, and learn more about how to join the upcoming closed beta test."
- ↑
@Sonic_Rumble on Twitter. Twitter (19 August 2024). Retrieved on 20 August 2024. "Hey Philippines
The wait is over, #SonicRumble is here!
Time to dive in and catch some waves of fun!
Are you not in the Philippines? No worries! We’re working hard to get everyone on board this Winter!
#Philippines #PreLaunch" - ↑ sonic.fans.argentina on Instagram. Instagram (25 August 2024). Retrieved on 25 August 2024. "¡Continúa el Pre-Lanzamiento 1 de Sonic Rumble! ¡En menos de 24hs se unen 🇵🇪 Perú y 🇨🇴 Colombia!"
- ↑ Tails' Channel on Tumblr. Tumblr (9 September 2024). Retrieved on 9 September 2024. "New: #SonicRumble developers confirmed eight new territories to receive access to the pre-launch build on 12 Sep 2024. - 🇫🇮 Finland, - 🇸🇪 Sweden, - 🇳🇴 Norway, - 🇩🇰 Denmark, - 🇧🇪 Belgium, - 🇳🇱 The Netherlands, - 🇱🇺 Luxembourg, - 🇧🇷 Brazil. The news was first teased in the form of a word puzzle that was published on social media over the weekend."
- ↑
@Sonic_Rumble on twitter. Twitter (8 October2024). Retrieved on 8 October 2024. "With Pre-Launch 2 coming up, we have a whole bunch of new regions lined up to join the fun!
Do you spot yours? Let us know in the comments!
#SonicRumble" - ↑
@Sonic_Rumblee on Twitteer. Twitter (5 December 2024). Retrieved on 5 December 2024. "Maintenance is over and more Rumblers are here to join the fun!
Welcome South Korea and Thailand to the server!
#SonicRumble" - ↑ https://discord.com/channels/1230603220368232571/1232575660200038462/1367013439960256553
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Sega (8 May 2024). SEGA Unveils All New Sonic the Hedgehog Mobile Game: Sonic Rumble!. Sega Corporation. Retrieved on 9 May 2024.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ【公式】 (@SonicOfficialJP) on Twitter. Twitter. ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ【公式】 (@SonicOfficialJP) (8 May 2024). Retrieved on 8 May 2024.
- ↑ Sonic Central - September 24th, 2024. YouTube. Sonic the Hedgehog (24 September 2024). Retrieved on 24 September 2024.
- ↑ Sega (8 May 2024). SEGA Unveils All New Sonic the Hedgehog Mobile Game: Sonic Rumble!. Sega Corporation. Retrieved on 9 May 2024. "Developed and managed by SEGA in collaboration with Rovio, known for the global success, Angry Birds, Sonic Rumble is the first title to be released jointly by SEGA and Rovio. SEGA aims to further expand the presence of the Sonic the Hedgehog brand within the global mobile gaming market with Rovio's marketing expertise and experience."
- ↑ sonic.fans.argentina on Instagram. Instagram (8 October 2024). Retrieved on 8 October 2024. "¡NUEVO MODO "Batallas Cooperativas" en Sonic Rumble!"
- ↑ sonic.fans.argentina on Instagram. Instagram (9 October 2024). Retrieved on 9 October 2024. "¡NUEVO MODO "Special Rumble" en Sonic Rumble!"
- ↑ sonic.fans.argentina on Instagram. Instagram (9 October 2024). Retrieved on 9 October 2024. "¡Llegan las "PARTIDAS PERSONALIZADAS" o "CUSTOM MATCHES" a Sonic Rumble!"
- ↑ @CeloSonicRumble on Twitter. Twitter (23 May 2024). Retrieved on 24 May 2024.
- ↑ Scullion, Chris (18 August 2023). Sega has completed its acquisition of Rovio. Video Game Chronicle. Retrieved on 8 May 2024.
- ↑ Sonic Paradise on X. Sonic Paradise (3 October 2024). Retrieved on 3 October 2024.
- ↑ Free-to-play Sonic Rumble won't have gacha mechanics because the West doesn't like them. Video Game Chronicle (8 October 2024). Retrieved on 8 October 2024.
- ↑ Sega Addresses Sonic Rumble Delay, Confirms Rovio’s Role in Refinements. sonic-city.net (6 March 2025). Retrieved on 6 March 2025.
- ↑ Behind the scenes of Sonic Rumble's delay, development and the Rovio x Sega partnership. PocketGamer.biz (13 March 2025). Retrieved on 11 April 2025.
- ↑ Sonic Rumble Developers Address Delay, Possible Beta Test, and Future Content in Q&A (English). Sonic City. Sonic City (5 May 2025). Retrieved on 5 May 2025.
- ↑ Sonic Rumble Launch Roadmap Revealed, Southeast Asia and Latam to Play First. sonicstadium.org (19 August 2024). Retrieved on 19 August 2024.
- ↑ Sonic Paradise on X (5 October 2024). Retrieved on 5 October 2024.
- ↑ En el Discord oficial de Sonic Rumble se ha habilitado un canal para postear preguntas sobre el retraso, los nuevos modos y añadidos que llegarán al juego con el lanzamiento, etc. En la medida de lo posible, se responderán el próximo día 2 de mayo. (30 April 2025). Retrieved on 30 April 2025.
- ↑ SEGA Atlus Tokyo Game Show 2024 SONIC RUMBLE (19 September 2024). Retrieved on 19 September 2024.
- ↑ Thailand Game Show on Facebook (Thai) (10 October 2024). Retrieved on 20 October 2024.
- ↑ @Sonic_Rumble on Twitter. Twitter (8 May 2024). Retrieved on 9 May 2024. "Apologies for the inconvenience! We've identified an issue preventing players from joining our Discord server via the provided link in the auto-response email to our closed beta test applicants. Please use this link instead: https://discord.gg/sonicrumble. Thanks for your patience!"
- ↑ @TBSF_YT on Twitter. Twitter (24 March 2024). Retrieved on 11 October 2024. "oh hey its my render lmao"