It’s time to start factoring in a newer style of gameplay when publishers and developers call their upcoming games endless runners. We aren’t just ripping off "Canabalt" anymore. ‘Sonic Dash’ released on iOS today for $1.99, and is unabashedly a cash-in on the recent, explosively popular "Temple Run" games.
Sonic jumps, dashes and spins through a (somewhat) 3D environment, attempting to avoid obstacles and collect coins while running down a glorified hallway.
So if you were torn about that sort-of reskinning/movie tie-in, "Temple Run: OZ," but really if you need your "Temple Run" fix, you may want to look in the prolific blue hedgehog’s direction. For what it’s worth, Sonic’s environments look livelier than anything "Temple Run" studio Imangi Studios ever put out.
"Sonic Dash" is developed by Hardlight Studios. Hardlight put out last year’s "Sonic Jump," which happily played with the "Doodle Jump" formula.
A lengthy trailer, seen below, popped up this morning showcasing pretty much the entire game. Multiple playable characters from the Sonic universe – Sonic, Tails, Amy and Knuckles – are available, as are plenty of power-ups and other opportunities to use the in-game currency.
And how do we get in-game currency kids? We get it by using real-world currency of course. Or, if you can handle what will likely be an extremely slow dribble of in-game currency gained through actually gameplay, all you’ll ever need is that two dollar asking price.
