Sonic Boom was one of the most ambitious projects Sega had ever undertaken with Sonic the Hedgehog. It was a full-on attempt to create an entirely new sub-franchise for the blue blob, complete with a new world, radically different character designs, and an accompanying animated series.
Nintendo fans certainly had reason to be excited; the games would be Nintendo exclusives!
But what was supposed to be the third pillar for the franchise crumbled to dust faster than anyone could have guessed. After a measly three games, Sonic Boom was unceremoniously abandoned, leaving a black mark on the series and a legacy as one of Sonic’s biggest mistakes.
Believe it or not, it’s been 10 years since Sonic Boom first hit store shelves. Has time been kind to short-lived series? Are there any aspects of the franchise worth revisiting today? Let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly in Sonic Boom.
Adversity makes you run faster
The concept behind Sonic Boom wasn’t terribly different from what we’ve seen elsewhere with the blue hedgehog.
Sonic was still the sharp speedster he always was, racing through the world and thwarting the plans of Dr. Eggman for world domination. Series mainstays Tails, Knuckles, and Amy were also there, though the personalities of the latter two were slightly altered from their in-game counterparts – for better or for worse.
Amy’s irritatingly overbearing crush on Sonic was greatly toned down, creating a much more level-headed character who usually acted as the voice of reason for the group. Knuckles has undoubtedly experienced the biggest changes, both physically and mentally. His naivety and gullibility, traits that had become more pronounced for comedic effect over the years, turned into utter stupidity. He also received the most drastic redesign, with a new reinforced body to match his more stubborn personality.
Rounding out the team is Sticks, an eccentric boomerang-wielding jungle badger who acts as the group’s wildcard – cheeky, outgoing and maybe a little crazy.
Sonic Boom marked the first time that Sega attempted to create an offshoot of the franchise specifically for Western audiences, so much so that there was initially no intention of bringing it to Japan at all (until they changed their minds). With Western sensibilities in mind, it only made sense for Western developers to tackle new games. So who better to take on the job than Big Red Button and Sanzaru Games, two companies well-versed in character-driven adventure games?
Between them, the teams worked on Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clankand Sly Cooper series. Big Red Button would handle the Wii U title, Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, and Sanzaru would develop the 3DS game, Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal.
With such a pedigree behind them, fans were cautiously optimistic. Similar to games like Jak and Daxter and UnchartedRise of Lyric placed a much stronger emphasis on exploration and combat, allowing the characters’ individual personalities to shine more, with bits of high speed thrown in for good measure. Shattered Crystal placed a similar emphasis on exploration in 2D side-space, giving it a slightly more traditional feel than its 3D counterpart.
The ugly, the bad and the good
So why did Sonic Boom stumble right out of the gate?
The lion’s share of fan vitriol can be placed on Rise of Lyric. The Wii U game suffered from an incredibly difficult development cycle. It was planned to be released on the latest consoles, but due to the aforementioned exclusivity deal with Nintendo, it was moved to the Wii U. Unfortunately, Nintendo’s console was not compatible with the game’s engine, so significant changes were required for the game to even work properly on system. The final result, while certainly playable, was a mix of hastily reworked ideas, unnecessary bloat, sluggish gameplay, and game-breaking bugs.
Shattered Crystal fared better (Nintendo Life gave it a solid 6/10 back in 2014), but still failed to resonate with audiences due to its equally slow pace and bland gameplay. Ultimately, both games were colossal bombs, becoming the worst-selling titles in franchise history.
But hey, enough of the ugly and the bad. Sonic Boom also had its good moments, some of which still stand the test of time today.
Alongside the games, there was an animated series that opted for a more comedic approach to Sonic’s adventures, showing different life stories with action.
Unlike the first two games, which are rarely, if ever, looked upon fondly (or without it), the Sonic Boom animated series is still regularly quoted and discussed today. Don’t believe us? Search on YouTube “Sonic Boom” and see just how many compilations of funny moments from the show there are with over a million views. The show even got a well-deserved edition of the complete SteelBook 2022 series.
However, despite the poor reception of the games, Sega was not ready to abandon the franchise just yet. Instead, it looked at what worked and what didn’t. Since the 3DS title was the better received of the two, it was decided to use this as the basis for the sequel, Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, in 2016. Sanzaru Games tweaked the gameplay formula, reducing the exploration aspects and giving this third game much more emphasis on speed and platform.
It wasn’t enough. Even with a surprisingly quality sophomore effort and a wonderful TV show, Sega quickly swept Sonic Boom under the rug. The bold experiment was deemed a failure, casting a dark cloud over the franchise that took years to dissipate.
Unlike the Sonic series as a whole, the quality of the Sonic Boom series varied greatly from product to product. Rise of Lyric was an almost incorrigible mess. Shattered Crystal was a mediocre tagline, but it had potential. Fire and Ice realized that potential with a much more authentic Sonic experience worth playing. And the TV show was ordinary entertainment, quality entertainment.
One can’t help but wonder if Boom would have found his footing in the end if Sega had given him more time to grow and learn from his missteps, especially with the franchise’s latest well-received course corrections. But there’s no point in thinking about what might have been.
Excuse us, we suddenly feel the urge to binge-watch some “Sonic Boom funniest moments” cartoon compilations on YouTube. They will be just as funny more 10 years from now.
