Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (ソニックトゥーン アイランドアドベンチャー Sonikku Tūn: Airando Adobenchā?, lit. "Sonic Toon: Island Adventure"[6]) is a 2D side-scrolling action/adventure game, produced and developed by Sanzaru Games, and released exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo eShop in late 2014. The game plays as the handheld counterpart of Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and is the second title of the Sonic Boom continuity. Both this and the Wii U game serve as prequels to the animated television series. Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal specifically centers around events and lore of the Sonic Boom continuity with exclusive environments and characters.
Plot[]
Comic prequel[]
- Writer: Ian Flynn[7][8]
- Pencils: Evan Stanley[7][8]
- Inks: Rick Bryant[8]
- Colors: Matt Herms[8]
- Editors: Paul Kaminski, Vincent Lovallo[8]
Synopsis[]
The story starts thousands of years ago as Lyric the Last Ancient and his robot army are attacking an old temple. Inside, Lyric proclaims himself unstoppable to his fellow group of Ancients. However, Lyric then sees the Ancients break apart the object of which he sought: the Lost Crystal of Power that could grant him omnipotence. Lyric is furious, but the Ancients turn the Crystal Shards on him and use them to imprison him. However, the Ancients know that they only managed to slow Lyric down and that he will be free one day, so they decide to scatter the crystal fragments.
In the present day, Lyric is searching for the crystal fragments with his robots, believing he will have what is rightfully his, when Shadow appears and asks him if he needs an army for that. Lyric wonders if he objects, but Shadow insists "Justice must be had by any means necessary." Lyric likes Shadow's style and decides to make him his servant, but Shadow refuses to serve anyone. However, Lyric sneaks a Mind Control Device onto Shadow and takes control of him.
Team Sonic coming to Sticks' rescue..
Days later, Sticks is running from a rockslide in a ravine where Sonic and Knuckles come to her rescue. While Knuckles holds the boulders back, Tails and Amy get Sonic and the secured Sticks to safety with the Enerbeam. Sticks explains to the gang that she was in the ravine getting info from the rocks and claims an underground army will destroy them all. Ignoring Sticks, Amy goes back to her research at an ancient temple and takes Knuckles with her. After a long trip, they reach the temple where Amy has Knuckles stand guard outside as he annoyed her on the whole trip by asking when they were there. In the ruins, Amy is reading the carved symbols when Lyric appears and attacks her, declaring she will help him in his conquest. However, Amy summons her hammer and starts fighting Lyric.
Main game[]
The game begins immediately after its in-game comic strip prequel, where Amy is in the middle of a fight with Lyric the Last Ancient who wants the info she has on finding the Lost Crystal of Power. After dealing a blow that stuns him for a bit, Amy contacts Sonic to tell him of her findings, only to be knocked off guard by Lyric, getting disarmed in the process. Despite her protests, Lyric manages to plant a Mind Control Device on Amy's head, knocking her unconscious as he introduces himself to an outraged Sonic. After destroying Amy's AVA with his tail, Lyric makes his getaway.
Team Sonic and Shadow meet Lyric through a hologram.
After getting through Seaside Beach, Sonic meets up with Tails, explaining the situation and asking for his help in tracking down Amy. Tails eagerly agrees and reveals his newly-developed form of technology that can allow the viewing of destroyed files. Sonic is glad at this fact, but then wonders how Sticks will react when she learns of Amy's capture. After finding their new friend Sticks the Badger, the duo tell her their current predicament, with Sticks nonchalantly running off to find Amy as they give chase. After a race, Sonic urges Sticks to join the team as teamwork is the only way they can win. Meanwhile, Tails manages to decipher some of Amy's research logs, which prompts them to head for the Scrapyard, where Knuckles last was. The group finds Knuckles without much trouble and the echidna is eager to help, claiming that they should get a move on. With the full team assembled, the group heads for Shadow Canyons, where they notice Shadow the Hedgehog standing off in the distance, only to run off. Wondering what he is up to, the group follows him, and after a race, he comes back to his senses and everyone realizes that he's been possessed by Lyric this entire time via a Mind Control Device similar to the one used on Amy. After being taunted by a hologram of Lyric that comes from the broken device, Shadow skates off in hot rage, with the others agreeing to follow him into the Ancient Ruins.
After passing through Ancient City, the group discovers that a large robot facility is hidden beneath the ruins, and is responsible for all of Lyric's robots. They decide to shut it down, but are ambushed by Metal Sonic while down there. Sonic races him, but loses and Tails shortly manages to track his movements and find that he is headed for the Volcanic Crater. Once there, the team finds themselves lost, but decides not to give up. After deciphering another of Amy's logs, they discover that a hangar of ancient planes is hidden in the volcano and decide to search for it. After finding it, the group heads off, and manages to escape the volcano, though Tails has some trouble steering the plane and ends up crash-landing on the Cloud Sanctuary, much to an airsick Knuckles' relief. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Amy has regained consciousness and is adamantly refusing to translate the ancient language for Lyric despite his orders, all the while claiming that Sonic and co. will come for her.
After Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Sticks, and the freed Amy finally arrive on Lyric's airship, they being to flaunt the power of teamwork in front of the dastardly snake, only for Lyric to get an idea and trap everyone but Sonic in the same glass ball that Amy had been imprisoned in previously. Sonic gives chase, and after fighting Lyric, he frees everyone. Their rejoicing is cut short however, as Lyric regains consciousness and prepares a giant robot to finish the group off. Shortly later, Shadow intervenes and dismantles the mech, rendering it useless and kicking Lyric out the bomb-doors of his own ship (which Sonic had opened just as this happened). The team rejoices again, as Sticks gives a slightly incorrect speech about teamwork. The adventure over, Shadow walks off, claiming to be a loner and superior to Sonic. Sonic is dismayed over the fact that Shadow does not want to join them, as he thinks that he would make great addition to "Team Sonic". Sonic and Knuckles then get into a brief argument over what the team's name should be as the group begins the long journey back home.
Gameplay[]
Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal is a 2.5D side-scrolling adventure platformer that combines speed and exploration. Unlike Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, which is more focused on 3D platforming and beat-em-up, Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal places a bigger emphasis on platforming and puzzles. The game contains four playable characters: Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, and newcomer Sticks the Badger, who are gradually unlocked after completing certain levels; Sonic is available from the start, Tails is unlocked after completing Seaside Beach; Sticks is unlocked after completing Seaside Race; and Knuckles is unlocked after clearing Scrapyard. The player can switch between these characters at anytime using 
. All four of the playable characters have access to the same basic moveset, which includes the jump and Double Jump, Ground Pound, Homing Attack, Enerbeam and Sprint.
However, each character also has their own unique character skills that can be used to traverse the terrains and overcome obstacles; Sonic has the Air Dash which he can use to destroy dash blocks and enemies, and can perform the Spin Dash; Tails can glide in midair (often with the aid of Air Vents), use the Bombs that deals one hit worth of damage, and enter pipes with his Sea Fox RC vehicle by pressing 
at these pipes to enter a mini-game where he explores undersea caverns littered with mines and rock barricades that can be destroyed with the torpedoes and find collectibles within a time limit, lest he will be returned to the entry point; Knuckles can use the Punch in any of the four directions to take out even the toughest enemies in one hit and temporarily dig through underground sections by using burrow at red mounts, although he will be returned to entry point if his time limit runs out or he takes damage while digging; and Sticks can use her Guided Boomerang to temporarily steer her Boomerang remotely, allowing her to reach and destroy Boomerang Switches that keep spiked barriers in place, grab items, and attack enemies.
A new element in Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal are the Enerbeam, a type of energy tether that allows the player to use Enerbeam Swings for crossing chasms as and firing Slingshots for traversal. Additionally, the Enerbeam can be used to remove the shields from enemies which protect them from getting destroyed.
Sonic in a Worm Tunnel.
The levels in Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal are divided into areas that can hold up to four types of levels. The first are the adventure levels which take up the bulk of the game and include the normal gameplay sections. They are large, mostly non-linear 2.5D stages where the player controls all four characters. In these levels, the player's primary goal is to reach the goal. The adventure levels are as well divided into two parts, the foreground and background, that run parallel to each other, which can be traveled between with the Slingshot. Depending on the adventure level, Slingshots either aid with the player's progression down the main path or lead to optional routes that loop back to the main route. Scattered around the stages are also Rings, which protect players when they take damage. When taking damage, the player will lose all their Rings and be returned to an earlier point in the level, although they can recover some of their dropped Rings before they disappear. Taking damage without any Rings makes the player respawn from the last Checkpoint they passed in the adventure level or from the beginning of the adventure level if they have not passed any Checkpoints.
During an adventure level the lower screen on the Nintendo 3DS can also switch between different screens. These include a character-select screen where the player can tap on the portraits of the playable characters to switch to them, a Level Stats screen that shows the obtained collectibles and the time and Ring records of previous playthroughs of the adventure level in question, and an Adventure Map screen that shows the adventure levels in a Metroidvania-esque map format that highlights things like collectibles (with the proper upgrades active), Checkpoints, Slingshots, and the level's goal, as well as showing the percentage of the Adventure Map that has been explored.
The second type of levels are the boss battles. Most of these fights are all about beating the opponent to the finish line, except for the final fight where the player actually fights the boss. The only playable character available for each of these bosses is Sonic. The third type of levels are the Worm Tunnels, where the player runs down an obstacle course with Rings on it at full speed with Sonic; making even one mistake here will result in the player failing the level. The fourth and final type of levels are locations on the World Map that the player can enter to view and/or access extra features. These includes Sonic's Shack where one can hear soundtracks and view cinematics as they become available or read the game's comic prequel, Tails' Workshop where the player can unlock and activate/disable unlocked upgrades obtained from collectibles, Sticks' Burrow where the player can assemble the Lost Crystal of Power, Knuckles' Hangout where one can particulate in a daily mini-game to unlock collectibles, Q-N-C's Toy Shops where the player trade collectibles, and Amy's House which contains a special reward for completing the game.
Sonic in Tails' Workshop.
The game contains a variety of collectibles, including Sonic Badges, Blueprints, Crystal Shards, and Tokens, some of which unlock special content for Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric via connectivity between the two games.[9] Game progression revolves around moving along the World Maps, as well as the collection of Sonic Badges to access new levels. Each adventure level awards three Sonic Badges and two Tokens, while the other levels only award one Sonic Badge and two Tokens. Sonic Badges can be earned by completing an adventure level, finding all the Blueprints in an adventure level, or locating all the Crystal Shards in an adventure level. The Blueprints, in particular, are divided into six pieces and are hidden in capsules marked with a blue square containing a white gear. Once the player has collected all six Blueprints in an adventure level, they can reassemble them in Tails' Workshop to unlock various useful upgrades in gameplay. A total of eight Blueprints can be unlocked in the game.
Crystal Shards, on the other hand, are purple crystals in capsules that are sometimes hidden well in an adventure level and require some careful exploration to be found. There are a total of forty shards to collect, which can be deposited in Sticks' Burrow to complete the Lost Crystal of Power. Finally, there are the Tokens, which can be obtained by clearing a level with the appropriate number of Rings on hand for a given level, or by completing it in a given time. The player can also earn an extra Token every 24th hour by completing the "Knuckles' Workout" mini-game in Knuckles' Hangout. Alternatively, the player can earn Tokens by connecting with other players via StreetPass. A special purple Token is also awarded for rebuilding the Lost Crystal of Power. The Tokens themselves can be taken to Q-N-C's Toy Shops to unlock toys, which are collectible figurines of various characters, items, and even jokes that appear in the game.
Controls[]
| Button formation | Movement | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonic | Tails | Sticks | Knuckles | |
 left/right
|
Walk/Run | |||
|
Jump | |||
| x2
|
Double Jump | |||
|
Sprint | |||
| in midair
|
Homing Attack | |||
|
Enerbeam | |||
| down +
|
Ground Pound | |||
| down +
|
Spin Dash | N/A | ||
| +
|
Air Dash | |||
|
|
N/A | Bomb | Guided Boomerang | Punch |
| Hold + > release
|
Hover | N/A | N/A | |
| Hold +
|
N/A | Guided Boomerang | ||
| + + hold
|
N/A | Burrow | ||
Objects[]
Items[]
|
|
|
Gimmicks and obstacles[]
|
|
Characters[]
Playable characters[]
Non-playable characters[]
- Amy Rose
- Dr. Eggman
- Lyric the Last Ancient (first appearance)
- Metal Sonic[10] (first appearance)
- Q-N-C[11] (first appearance)
- Shadow the Hedgehog (first appearance)
Enemies[]
|
Areas[]
Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal is divided into six island areas. Each area consists of one or two adventure levels, one Q-N-C's Toy Shops, one Worm Tunnels. In addition, extra locations with special features and four boss battles are divided irregularly between them. Each area has a World Map where the player can access said areas' levels and locations. Travel between them is done through the Slingshot on each World Map. Some levels must be unlocked after collecting the appropriate amount of Sonic Badges. The areas and their locations include:
Bosses[]
The boss fight with Lyric.
Development[]
On 17 May 2013, Sega announced a worldwide agreement with Nintendo for the next three games in Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series to be developed exclusively for Nintendo devices.[12] This included Sonic Lost World and Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.[13] On 6 February 2014, Sega announced Sonic Boom as the official title for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, a general name encompassing both Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal and the Wii U game Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric.[1]
The game was developed as part of a new Sonic Boom franchise, which also included Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, a television series,[1] a comic series by Archie Comics, and a toyline by Tomy.[14][15] The concepts for the video games were developed after those for the TV series.[16] The franchise was designed for Western audiences,[16] and the two games serve as prequels to the television series. Sega announced that the game would feature Sonic's traditional speed alongside a new exploratory game mechanic called "Enerbeam". Sega of America's marketing director Marchello Churchill explained that the new franchise was not designed to "replace modern Sonic".[1] The Western developer's CEO explained that Sonic Boom's Sonic is "very different... ...both in tone and art direction".[1] Sega outsourced both games to Western developers in order to increase the game's appeal in Western markets, culminating in a separate westernized Sonic sub-series.[16] They remain a separate continuity from the main series, and were originally not intended to be released in Japan,[17] although a Japanese release was later announced under the name Sonic Toon (ソニックトゥーン Sonikku Tūn?).[18] Despite most elements of the games being new, their music was composed by Richard Jacques, who had also scored previous Sonic games, including Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic R, and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.[19]
San Francisco-based game studio Sanzaru Games developed Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal under supervision by Sonic Team[1] and long-time Sonic game designer Takashi Iizuka.[16] As well as possessing different gameplay styles and stories, the two games were designed with different aesthetics, particularly in their environments and enemies.[1]
Cast and Voice Direction[]
Jack Fletcher was the voice director for the English dub, Keiichiro Miyoshi was the voice director for the Japanese dub, Antoine Nouel was voice director for the French dub, Alice Bongiorni was the voice director for the Italian dub, Michael Hülsmann was the voice director for the German dub, and Guillermo Reinlein was the voice director for the Spanish dub.
Reception[]
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| Metacritic | 47%[20] |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| Destructoid | 2.5/10[21] |
| Eurogamer | 4/10[22] |
| GamesRadar |    [23]
|
| IGN | 4/10[24] |
| Nintendo World Report | 5/10[25] |
| Slant Magazine | [19]
|
Unlike with previous games, Sega did not provide reviewers with advance copies of either Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal or Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric; they could only begin reviewing once the game was on sale.[26] Like Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal was critically panned, but had slightly more positive reviews than Rise of Lyric's. The game received "generally unfavorable" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[20]
Chris Carter of Destructoid was very critical of the game, feeling that while Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric had "some redeeming qualities," the same could not be said for Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal. He criticized numerous aspects of the game such as the "sluggish pace," "terrible dialogue" and mostly the repetitive gameplay. He concluded the review by stating "Rather than let you actually play, Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal is content to make you wait, wait, and wait some more before you get to the decent (but flawed) platforming. The design is maddening, especially when coupled with the poor dialog compliments of the new Boom universe."[21]
Scott Thompson of IGN found the gameplay linear and "simplistic" whilst also criticizing the slow pace of the gameplay calling it "monotonous." They also found the story "poorly written" and found the humor to be "painfully unfunny." They concluded their review by stating that the game was "a mess of gameplay styles that never feel comfortable with each other" and deemed it as "a slog that never finds its footing."[24] Becky Cunningham of GamesRadar was more forgiving of the game, opining that the game "offers some fun platforming and treasure hunting moments, but its tedious mazes and poor story ultimately make it a drag."[23]
On 11 May 2015, Sega announced that Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal had sold 620,000 copies in total across both platforms,[27] placing them as the lowest-selling major Sonic launches in the history of the franchise.[28]
Trivia[]
- This is the first handheld Sonic game to be handled by a development team other than Dimps since the Sega Game Gear games.
- This is also the first handheld Sonic game since Sonic Rivals 2 in most of the world or Sonic Rush Adventure in Japan to feature playable characters other than Sonic himself in a platformer.
- Amy's toy figurine in the game modifies a quote from "Romeo and Juliet". The quote is "Amy, dear Amy, o wherefore art thou Amy?".
- Sonic's Autobiography from Q-N-C's Toy Shop appears in various episodes in the Sonic Boom television series.
- Sticks' Biography from Q-N-C's Toy Shop appears in the Sonic Boom television series' "My Fair Sticksy" in a scene where Sticks shows to her friends a calendar that is her biography.
- Along with the Wii U version, this game was once called Sonic Synergy.
- Unlike Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, Amy is the only character in this game who is not playable.
Videos[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Lien, Tracey (6 February 2014). Sonic Boom gives Sega's series a new look, two new developers. Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 6 February 2014. Retrieved on 6 February 2014.
- ↑ ソニックトゥーン アイランドアドベンチャー (Japanese). Nintendo (JP).
- ↑ Kellie (24 June 2014). Pack Fronts and North American Release Dates for Sonic Boom Games. SEGA Blog. Sega. Archived from the original on 27 July 2014. Retrieved on 24 June 2014.
- ↑ {{Cite web|title=Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal|url=https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/sonic-boom-shattered-crystal-3ds/%7Cpublisher=Nintendo (US)
- ↑ Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal. Nintendo (UK).
- ↑ SEGA Game Lineup At TGS Published, Sonic Toon Subtitles Announced. TSSZ News (12 September 2014). Archived from the original on 24 March 2016.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Schedeen, Jesse (3 September 2014). Archie's Sonic the Hedgehog Comics to Feature Sega Tie-ins. Retrieved on 6 September 2014.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Stanley, Evan (4 September 2014). Sonic Boom Promo Comic. Tumblr. Retrieved on 6 September 2014.
- ↑ Kellie (2 June 2014). Sonic Boom Games at E3 2014. Sega. Archived from the original on 4 June 2014. Retrieved on 8 June 2014.
- ↑ Luty, Dave (11 June 2014). METAL SONIC IS IN SONIC BOOM!. Sonic Stadium.
- ↑ Kellie (23 July 2014). Meet Characters in the Sonic Boom Universe. Sega. Archived from the original on 25 March 2015. Retrieved on 24 July 2014.
- ↑ SEGA and Nintendo Enter Exclusive Partnership for Sonic the Hedgehog. Sega of America. The Wall Street Journal (17 May 2013). Retrieved on 13 February 2014.
- ↑ Yin-Poole, Wesley (17 May 2013). Sega Nintendo alliance announced for three Sonic exclusives on Wii U and 3DS. Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 7 February 2014. Retrieved on 7 February 2014.
- ↑ McWhertor, Michael (6 February 2014). Sonic Boom gets an animated TV series, toy line from Tomy in 2014. Vox Media. Retrieved on 10 October 2014.
- ↑ Sega reveals Sonic Boom: A new Wii U game, TV show and toy range. Computer and Video Games (2 June 2014).
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Corriea, Alexa Ray (6 February 2014). Why Sega handed Sonic over to Western studios and gave him a scarf. Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 6 February 2014. Retrieved on 6 February 2014.
- ↑ Phillips, Tom (7 February 2014). Sega announces Sonic Boom for 3DS and Wii U. Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 7 February 2014. Retrieved on 7 February 2014.
- ↑ Sega | Sonic Toon. Sega. Retrieved on 10 August 2014.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Pressgrove, Jed (13 November 2014). Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal - Game Review - Slant Magazine. Slant Magazine.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (3DS). Metacritic. Retrieved on 19 November 2014.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Review: Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal. Destructoid.
- ↑ Alexandre, Vítor (29 December 2014). Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal: Regresso às plataformas 2D (Portuguese). Eurogamer. Retrieved on 15 June 2015.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Cunningham, Becky (17 November 2014). Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal Review. GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 18 November 2014. Retrieved on 14 April 2022.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Thompson, Scott (13 November 2014). Running on Fumes. IGN. Retrieved on 13 November 2014.
- ↑ Koopman, Daan (7 December 2014). Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal Review. Nintendo World Report. Retrieved on 15 June 2015.
- ↑ Stapleton, Dan (11 November 2014). Where Are IGN's Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric and Shattered Crystal Reviews?. IGN. Retrieved on 13 November 2014.
- ↑ Appendix of Consolidated Financial Statements Year Ended March 31, 2015. SEGA SAMMY HOLDINGS (11 May 2015). Retrieved on 9 June 2015.
- ↑ Phillips, Tom (12 February 2015). Sonic Boom games shifted just 490,000 copies. Eurogamer. Retrieved on 15 February 2015.
External links[]
- Official website (Japanese)
- Official website (English)