Sonic and the Secret Rings

Sonic and the Secret Rings (ソニックと秘密のリング Sonikku to Himitsu no Ringu?) (formerly known by the working title Sonic Wild Fire and Sonic and the Secret of the Rings) is a video game within the Sonic the Hedgehog series that was released exclusively for the Wii on 20 February 2007 in North America, 2 March 2007 in Europe, and 15 March 2007 in Japan. This is the first 3D Sonic game since Sonic 3D Blast to feature Sonic as the only playable character in Story Mode. It is the first installment in the Sonic Storybook Series.

Gameplay[]

General[]

Game Guide and Secrets Enemies scattered throughout the game are described as "spirits". Each enemy has different attributes depending on their predominant color. Purple and green enemies are normal enemies and have no special attributes while red enemies can spew fire in a rotary or linear motion. To defeat some of these enemies, Sonic will need to make usage of some of the 104 skills that will be available to him as the game progresses.

Controls[]

In Adventure mode, players control Sonic with the Wii Remote by holding the controller sideways with both hands and will be able to use the controller in unique ways that take advantage of the Wii Remote's control mechanisms. Unlike other Sonic games, in which Sonic is controlled directly, Secret Rings features an indirect "on-rails" method of control in which Sonic moves forward automatically in a semi-linear path. Sonic's movement can be controlled by tilting the controller left or right.

Abilities[]

Sonic has special moves that can be both customized and combined to suit certain situations. Sonic can use some of 104 new skills throughout each of the stages in this game. With special skills equipped, Sonic can perform new moves, his existing moves are improved, and certain effects are bestowed. For instance, one defensive move enables Sonic to, upon sustaining damage, lose only ten rings instead of the usual twenty. Another increases the range of his homing attack, and a third grants him the ability to back flip. A fourth grants him a Soul Gauge with which to perform super moves. There is also an Experience Point and leveling system, in which the player's score, collected Fire Souls and some skills contribute towards increasing the player's level. Leveling up grants the player more points with which to equip skills, a higher cap on the number of rings you can hold and an increased Soul Gauge. Players have to, before selecting a stage, decide which skills would be best-suited for the respective mission and equip certain skills over others. Since there are so many skills, players may customize one of the four "Skill Rings" available, so they do not have to select all the skills they need each time they enter a new level.

When Sonic's Soul Gauge is sufficiently full, using the D-pad enables Sonic to use one of two abilities. "Speed Break" boosts Sonic to incredible speeds and grants him partial invincibility, allowing him to defeat enemies, break certain objects, and ignore certain hazards. "Time Break" slows down time for better aim and obstacle evasion, and can expose certain items and objects (such as some Fire Souls) that would be invisible and impossible to collect or interact with otherwise. Both moves require a base amount of Soul (around fifty points, which can be checked in the Pause Menu, along with other statistics,) to initiate, and then continually drain Soul while in operation. Also, one skill, named "Soul Resurrection", allows Sonic to take a hit without dying at zero rings by depleting his Soul Gauge by a hundred points. To build up energy in this "Soul" meter, small collectible "fire orbs", called Pearls, are dispersed throughout each stage. Also, certain Skills can increase the Soul Gauge. Certain stages will also present the need for Sonic to utilize different mechanisms to reach new areas. These special stage-unique abilities and mechanisms range, depending on the stage.

Modes[]

There are four modes in the game: Adventure, Party, Special Book, and an Options mode to configure game settings.

Adventure[]

Adventure mode consists of the eight stages that players will navigate Sonic through as part of the game's main plot, the eight stages are:

Lost Prologue
Sand Oasis
Dinosaur Jungle
Evil Foundry
Levitated Ruin
Pirate Storm
Skeleton Dome
Night Palace

The game's storyline takes roughly ten to fifteen hours to complete, but for devoted players who want to unlock bonuses and all 104 of Sonic's skills, it will take a total of thirty hours or so to complete. In doing so, Sonic Team has attempted to give the game additional replay value.

Party Mode[]

Main article: Party Mode[]

The game features a multiplayer Party mode that can support up to four players simultaneously. This mode allows connectivity with GameCube Controllers for players 2-4, a feature that was never mentioned by Sega. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy are all default characters, but Shadow, Cream, Silver, and Blaze are all unlockable characters that can be accessed only after meeting certain requirements in the game. "Fire Souls", hidden items found in some of the game's missions (three in each applicable one), unlock various "goodies" for this mode. Obtaining a certain number of Fire Souls will unlock new mini-games, new modes/options, or one of the four secret characters. This multiplayer mode takes the form of having players compete in select mini-games out of the total forty, either individually or collectively in consecutive orders based on secular gameplay modes. One mode, "Genie's Lair", has players participating in a variety of mini-games for an opportunity to open a treasure chest with goals of locating Sonic Tokens. Too, the game spans a total of 6 different, theme-inspired modes that enable players to participate in select mini-games. The six boards also feature various "mini events", similar to Sonic Shuffle. The actual mini-games themselves have players performing various tasks that take advantage of the Wii Remote's capabilities, although some are quite minimal and could, quite easily be executed with the Gamecube Controller. Omochao serves as the "announcer" for the Party Mode of the game, somewhat similar to his minor role in Sonic Riders.

Special Book[]

In Special Book mode, players can play the 225 bonuses in the game that are unlocked by beating levels quickly, achieving various milestones and discovering secret areas. Some of these unlockables include movies of the making of the game, cutscenes, video interviews, concept artwork and music from the game.

Artworks[]

Story Mode: Renders 3D[]

Characters[]

In addition to Sonic the Hedgehog, several other characters appear in the game. Many of these characters are new to the franchise; however, some older characters from the franchise have returned to portray Arabian Nights characters. These returning characters are recognized throughout the game by Sonic, but do not recognize him in return.