Level Up: Sonic Rush

Note: I start the review by playing the Sonic X theme.

Yeah, I could have used the Sonic X theme when reviewing any Sonic video game, but I think it suits this game best. The lyrics “gotta go fast” just make me think of how Sonic games seem to concentrate more on zooming, so by the time it got the DS, the blue blur really earned that title. Even the name of the game implies nothing but speed: here’s Sonic Rush for the Nintendo DS.

The story begins with the introduction of a new character (not surprising for any Sonic Game): Blaze the Cat. As her name would suggest, Blaze has the ability to control fire. As we play along, we learn that Blaze comes from another dimension, complete with its own version of Eggman (Eggman-Nega) and Chaos Emeralds (called the Sol Emeralds). Turns out the two Eggmans (Eggmen?) have been communicating and decided to work together with the goal to use the emeralds to conquer the two universes. Of course, Sonic and Blaze eventually have to team up and vanquish their enemies.

Sure, the story is a little cliché, but Blaze’s character development saves it from being too boring. Blaze is kind of a female Knuckles; the protector of the Sol Emeralds in her universe. However, when they are stolen, she feels dishonored and is determined to get them back on her own. But once she gets into Sonic’s universe, she meets up with Cream, who shows her nothing but affection. This is unfamiliar to the cat that tends to burn everyone who tries to approach her (“SYMBOLISM!”). As the game progresses, she gets to observe Cream’s kindness towards her and her mother, which is of course in direct contrast to how she reacts to Sonic. The Sonic side of the story is pretty weak, but I don’t mind it all that much; as a whole it’s making good use of a new character.

The game play seems changed up quite a bit from most of the other 2D Sonic games and its mostly due to the game titular technique: the rush attacks. Basically, this allows Sonic or Blaze to run at a boosted speed for a limited amount of time, destroying any obstacle or enemy in the way. Think of it like the spin dash, but can be activated at any time and runs on a meter. This meter can be filled by doing two things; either doing various tricks in the air or on a rail, or destroying enemies. This is probably the one thing that makes it so that this is one of the fastest Sonic games, but that makes it so there are a lot of speed traps, which are annoying.

Now, despite the fact that I like the rush attacks (because of the speed), the boss fights are one of the things that make me not want to play this game. To sum up the boss fights in a word, I’d have to say “bland”. The designs are uninspired and don’t have that Eggman feel to them. The boss areas seem really small and are too easy to figure out. As with anything I say in these reviews, it could just be me, but I just didn’t have fun with these fights.

However, the boss battles aren’t my only complaint. In this game you play as both Sonic and Blaze on two different journeys across the same land. However, that means that the levels are the same for both characters, just in a different order. There is minimal difference between Blaze and Sonic, meaning that you end up playing every level twice. I don’t know who thought that was a good idea, but it just feels lazy and like they’re padding the game.

I think Sonic Rush is a great addition to the Sonic library (especially considering the state he was in when it came out). The pace of the game is fast and fun, the story is decent for a Sonic game, showing good character development, and the soundtrack is of course great (this IS a Sonic game). Also, since this was on the DS, the graphics were rendered in 3D, so they look good, but when you’re playing, the characters sometime move from one screen to the other… don’t know how I feel about that. However, I really need to subtract points for how annoying having to play every level twice was and the boss fights that I hated. Still, I recommend this game for any DS owner or Sonic fan, especially since you can still find it new and cheap. I give Sonic Rush for the Nintendo DS 8.5 levels out 10.