Sonic BOOM
Image: SEGA

Sonic Boom was one of the most ambitious projects Sega has ever undertaken with Sonic the Hedgehog. It was a full-throttle attempt at creating a brand-new sub-franchise for the blue blur, complete with new world, radically different character designs, and an accompanying animated series.

Nintendo fans certainly had a lot to be excited about; the games would be Nintendo exclusives!

But what was supposed to be a third pillar for the franchise crumbled to dust quicker than anyone could have anticipated. After a meagre three games, Sonic Boom was unceremoniously abandoned, leaving a black mark on the series and a legacy as one of Sonic’s biggest missteps.

Believe it or not, 10 years have passed since Sonic Boom first hit store shelves. Has time been kind to the short-lived series? Are any aspects of the franchise worth revisiting today? Let’s look back at the good, bad, and ugly of Sonic Boom.

Trouble keeps you running faster

The concept behind Sonic Boom wasn’t terribly different than what we’ve seen elsewhere from the blue hedgehog.

Sonic was still the snarky speedster he’d always been, zipping around the world and thwarting Dr. Eggman’s plans for world domination. Series mainstays Tails, Knuckles, and Amy were there too, though the personalities of the latter two were slightly tweaked from their game counterparts—for better or worse.

Amy’s annoyingly overbearing crush on Sonic was greatly reduced, making for a far more levelheaded character who typically acted as the voice of reason for the group. Knuckles undoubtedly underwent the biggest changes, both physically and mentally. His naivety and gullibility, traits that had become more and more pronounced for comedic effect over the years, shifted into full-blown stupidity. He was also given the most drastic redesign, with a new beefed-up body to match his more meatheaded personality.

Rounding out the team was Sticks, an eccentric, boomerang-wielding jungle badger who acts as the wild card of the group—brash, outspoken, and maybe a bit off her nut.

Sonic Boom marked the first time Sega sought to create a branch of the franchise specifically for Western audiences, so much so that there was initially no intention to bring it to Japan at all (until they changed their minds). With Western sensibilities in mind, it only made sense for Western developers to tackle the new games. Who better, then, 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 had worked on the Crash Bandicoot, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, and 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 Uncharted, Rise of Lyric was given a much stronger emphasis on exploration and combat, allowing the characters’ individual personalities to shine more, with high-speed sections thrown in for good measure. Shattered Crystal placed a similar emphasis on exploration in a 2D sidescrolling space, which gave it a slightly more traditional feel than its 3D counterpart.

The Ugly, the Bad & the Good

Sonic Boom
Tape fear — Image: SEGA

So why did Sonic Boom stumble right out of the gate?

The lion’s share of fans’ vitriol can be placed on Rise of Lyric. The Wii U game suffered from an incredibly rocky development cycle. It was planned for release on the latest consoles, but due to the aforementioned exclusivity deal with Nintendo, was shuffled over to Wii U. Unfortunately, Nintendo’s console was incompatible with the game’s engine, so significant changes needed to be made so that the game could even run properly on the system. The final result, while certainly playable, was a mishmash of hastily retooled 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 sluggish pace and bland gameplay. Ultimately, both games were colossal bombs, becoming the worst-selling titles in the franchise’s history.

But hey, that’s enough of the ugly and the bad. Sonic Boom had its good moments too, some of which still stand the test of time today.

Running alongside the games was an animated series that opted for a more comedic approach to Sonic’s adventures, showcasing various slice-of-life stories with action sprinkled in.

Unlike the first two games, which are rarely, if ever, looked back on with fondness (or without), the Sonic Boom animated series is still regularly quoted and discussed today. Don’t believe us? Search YouTube for “Sonic Boom” and see just how many compilations of the show’s funny moments exist with well over a million views. The show even got a well-deserved complete series SteelBook release in 2022.

Sonic BOOM Fire & Ice
A Sonic of Fire & Ice — Image: SEGA

Despite the abysmal reception of the games, however, Sega wasn’t ready to abandon the franchise quite yet. Instead, it looked at what worked and what didn’t. With the 3DS title being the better received of the two, it was decided to use that as a basis for a follow-up, Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, in 2016. Sanzaru Games tweaked the gameplay formula, cutting back the exploration aspects and giving this third game a much stronger emphasis on speed and platforming.

It wasn’t enough. Even with a surprisingly high-quality sophomore effort and a delightful TV show, Sonic Boom was quickly swept under the rug by Sega. The bold experiment was deemed a failure, casting a dark cloud over the franchise that would take years to dissipate.

Not unlike the Sonic series as a whole, the quality of the Sonic Boom series fluctuated wildly from one product to the next. Rise of Lyric was a near unredeemable mess. Shattered Crystal was a mediocre slog, but had potential. Fire and Ice realised that potential with a much truer Sonic experience worth playing. And the TV show was just plain fun, quality entertainment.

One can’t help but wonder if Boom would have eventually found its footing had Sega given it more time to grow and learn from its missteps, especially with the franchise’s most recent well-received course corrections. But no sense dwelling on what could have been.

If you’ll excuse us, we suddenly feel the urge to binge-watch some “Sonic Boom funniest moments” cartoon compilations on YouTube. They’ll be just as funny another 10 years from now.