Sonic games have almost always been about running as fast as you can from left to right. So it only seems natural that Sonic would star in his own 2-D running game that you see so often on mobile devices. And now he and his pals Tails & Knuckles are in their own runner, as Sonic Runners is a free-to-play game on iOS and Android devices (reviewed on iPad here).

Just like any other runner, Sonic zips by on his own and you tap the screen to make him jump and double jump. Collect rings so you can take a hit, and avoid enemies and obstacles. If you lose all your rings, fall into a pit, or run into a wall, the stage is over. You progress through the game by scoring lots of points, which lets you bypass dots on the map until you get to the boss. Collect diamonds, animals, and other goodies to increase your score. At the end of each stage, you’ll fight Dr. Eggman. Just avoid his attacks and jump at him or lob his bombs back at him like always.

Eventually you’ll be able to unlock characters like Tails and Knuckles. But it takes FOREVER to do so. I finally unlocked Tails, who can glide after you double tap the screen, but I don’t know what Knuckles does. You can also collect power-ups and equip them before your run. Most are typical Sonic staples like extra rings, invincibility, and the different colored Wisps from Sonic Colors, which lets you dash through the air, dig through the ground, and other things for a short while. You can also equip ‘buddies’ like Chao and other SEGA characters from games like NiGHTS. These will help you boost your score percentage or let you avoid obstacles.

As a free-to-play game, there are a few annoyances. Pop-up ads are notorious here, and you’re always asked if you want to buy extra items at the in-game store. You also always have to be connected to the Internet to play. If you lose all your tries, you will have to wait a while for them to refill, but I didn’t find that much of a problem. The levels lack variety, too. But at any rate, Sonic Runners is still more robust than other games of this ilk, and best of all, the characters look more like they did in Sonic Colors or Sonic Lost World, and not like in Sonic Boom. So that’s a good thing.

Kid Factor:

Sonic and friends bash into robots that fall apart when defeated, and if they get hit, they just get knocked back a bit. And that’s as violent as it gets. If you’re OK with your kids playing other Sonic games, they’ll be OK here. Kids love Sonic, but parental supervision is recommended for this game because of the pop-up ads (some even advertise games not suited for kids), and the in-game purchases.

Tags: Game Reviews