Sonic and the Secret Rings
Encyclopedia
is a video game developed by Sonic Team
and published by Sega
as part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It was released exclusively for the Wii
on February 20, 2007 in North America; March 2 in Europe; and March 15 in Japan. It is the first Sonic game for the console, released in place of an aborted attempt to port Sonic the Hedgehog. Secret Rings is a three-dimensional
platform
and action game
whose plot follows the series' main character, Sonic the Hedgehog
, on a quest to stop an evil genie named the Erazor Djinn. In addition to the basic platforming gameplay of previous Sonic titles, Secret Rings uses a system of experience point
s and levels, as well as special moves that are unlocked via leveling up.
Producer Yojiro Ogawa conceived the game to tap into the Wii Remote
's capabilities. He chose the theme of Arabian Nights, using many elements of the stories in the game's setting, characters, and Middle Eastern
-influenced music. Sega changed the title of the game several times, settling on Sonic and the Secret Rings to tie in the theme of Arabian Nights. Upon release, Secret Rings was generally well-received, contrasted with its predecessors as "definitely on the mend". Reviewers praised its visuals but criticized its controls and inconsistent difficulty. It sold 83,000 copies in its first month and continued to chart throughout the year. Sega released a sequel in March 2009, Sonic and the Black Knight
; the two form what is known as the Storybook series.
Sonic and the Secret Rings is a three-dimensional
platform
and action game
featuring an on-rails style of movement. Sonic the Hedgehog
, the series' main character, is the game's only player character
. He is controlled exclusively with the Wii Remote
, which is held horizontally like a traditional gamepad
. Players adjust his forward movement by tilting the controller. He runs along a predesignated path; players jump and brake using corresponding face buttons. Thrusting the Wii Remote forwards allows Sonic to perform a homing attack, a mid-air move that targets and damages enemies in his path.
Like in other games in the series, Sonic collects rings scattered throughout levels; contact with certain obstacles and enemies scatters them away, and Sonic dies if he touches an enemy without any rings. Unlike previous titles, Secret Rings does not feature a life counter or game over
screen, but instead Sonic reappears at the last visited checkpoint after dying. The game contains 100 missions (including boss battles) over the course of eight levels. New missions, cutscene
s, and sometimes new levels are unlocked by completing missions. Successful missions earn Sonic experience point
s, which advance him levels.
Sonic has 104 special moves called "skills" that are unlocked upon leveling up or reaching certain points in the story. The player can distribute these skills to four "Skill Rings", which the player selects before starting a mission. Skills can provide Sonic with improved movement, offensive, and defensive capabilities, as well as special attacks. Skills are generally used by depleting the "Soul Gauge", which is slowly filled by collecting pearls scattered throughout the levels.
Secret Rings features three game modes: "Adventure", "Party", and "Special Book". The story is played in the Adventure mode. The Party mode features multiplayer gameplay for up to four players simultaneously, in which players spar in a turn-based tournament of motion control-based minigame
s. The "Special Book" mode displays the game's 225 unlockable bonuses, won by completing levels quickly and collecting "Fire Souls"—small fiery objects scattered throughout the levels. These bonuses are development documentaries, interviews, concept art, in-game cutscenes, and game music.
who aspires to erase the entirety of the Arabian Nights book. He was once the Genie of the Lamp from the story of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, who was punished for misdeeds and imprisoned in his lamp
until he granted the wishes of one thousand people. Erazor did so, gaining a renewed hatred of humanity
and deciding to take over the world. Several Sonic series characters appear in the form of figures from Arabian Nights, such as Miles "Tails" Prower
as Ali Baba
, Knuckles the Echidna
as Sinbad the Sailor
, and Dr. Eggman as Shahryār. Though Sonic recognizes them as old acquaintances, they do not recognize him, and Shahra insists that Sonic's perception is mistaken.
Sonic obtains the World Rings, and Erazor convinces Shahra to give them to him. To keep them out of Erazor's hands, Sonic wishes for Shahra to do what she truly thinks is right, and she collapses on the ground. Erazor attempts to sacrifice Sonic to open the gateway between worlds. In a move of altruistic suicide, Shahra interrupts the attack, saving Sonic but asking for his forgiveness and dying in his arms. Without Sonic as the proper offering, Erazor mutates into the monster Alf Layla wa-Layla. Sonic absorbs three of the World Rings and transforms into Darkspine Sonic, a darker, more violent version of Super Sonic, granting him the power to defeat Alf Layla wa-Layla. During the battle, Sonic appears to defeat Erazor, who subsequently boasts that he is immortal. Sonic then reveals that he possesses Erazor's lamp. Sonic then wishes for Erazor to bring Shahra back to life, restore the book to its original state, and be trapped in his lamp for all eternity. Erazor refuses to do so, but is helpless against the power of his lamp. After granting the third wish, Erazor pleads for Shahra to stop Sonic and save him, but she refuses, leaving him to be sucked into his lamp. Shahra bursts into tears, and Sonic wishes for a mountain of handkerchiefs to help her through her crying. Sonic then disposes of the lamp in a pit of lava in a previously explored level. Sonic runs through the book until he finds a way home. Shahra states that his story will be forever remembered in the pages of the Arabian Nights, and the credits roll. An image of the story of "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" in the book then changes to "Sonic and the Secret Rings".
Sonic and the Secret Rings was developed by Sonic Team
(led by Yuji Naka
) and published by Sega
. Sega originally planned to release a port of the 2006 Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3
game Sonic the Hedgehog as the first Sonic game for the Wii
. Citing lengthy development times for a port, Sega switched plans and conceived of a Sonic game that would use the capabilities of the Wii Remote
. Producer Yojiro Ogawa, who had previously worked on Sonic Adventure
, "already had this basic idea (of Sonic constantly moving forward) in [his] mind", and immediately imagined its compatibility with the Wii.
He later decided that this could be done by using the Arabian Nights—a compilation of Middle-Eastern fables—as the game's setting. This inspired the use of Sonic characters as figures from Arabian Nights. Sega removed "some of the extraneous elements" of recent Sonic games to "get ... back to basics". Storyboard director Zachary G. Brown stated that, "This game could put Sonic the Hedgehog
in a whole new light. He could reach the top of the charts once more." The game's art and setting were heavily influenced by the games Shadow of the Colossus
, Prince of Persia
, and God of War
. Its cutscenes consistently feature hand-painted, static imagery resembling classic art through paint on parchment
. On a technical level, Secret Rings uses the PhysX
engine. Sega improved the game's camera system to address criticisms of prior Sonic games.
On January 19, 2006, IGN
staff writer Matt Casamassina
revealed that "sources close to Sega" had informed IGN of an upcoming Revolution-exclusive Sonic game, which was two months in development. Sega officially announced Sonic Wild Fire at Electronic Entertainment Expo 2006, then as Hyper Sonic at a Nintendo press conference and again as Sonic Wild Fire in its trailers. Sega changed the title to Sonic and the Secret of the Rings, then slightly modified it to Sonic and the Secret Rings in August 2006. Sega preferred Wild Fire over Secret Rings, but the latter better fit the game's story and Arabian Nights. The game received a rating of E from the ESRB, 7+ from PEGI
, and A from CERO
.
of Wave Master
; Steve Conte
and Runblebee performed the vocal tracks. The music maintains the guitar-based rock
style of previous Sonic titles, adding elements of traditional Middle Eastern music
to complement the game's theme and aesthetic. Sega released a video game soundtrack album, , on March 15, 2007. The main theme and album title track of Secret Rings is "Seven Rings in Hand".
and 71% from Game Rankings
. Secret Rings charted well; it was the eleventh best-selling game of February 2007 worldwide, and third for the Wii. It proved the best-selling Wii game and fifth among all platforms in the United Kingdom. In North America, it was thirteenth overall, and fourth for the Wii, with 83,000 copies. In June, July, and August 2007, the game was the fourth, third, and seventh best-selling game for the Wii, respectively.
Critics felt Secret Rings was a general improvement over recent Sonic games, whose popularity and critical reception had declined. Electronic Gaming Monthly
stated that it "does a decent job at stopping the bleeding caused by the recent 360/PS3/PSP
Sonics", and 1UP.com
's Shane Bettenhausen wrote that the Sonic series was "definitely on the mend" after suffering progressively-worse games after the release of Sonic Adventure
. GameSpy
's Patrick Joynt agreed, writing that Sonic had been "reanimated to a lurching existence". IGN
's Matt Casamassina, Nintendo Power
s Chris Shepperd, and GameSpot
's Greg Mueller named Secret Rings the best 3D Sonic game, but criticized 3D Sonic games in general. Eurogamer
's Rob Fahey praised the game for employing Sonic as the only playable character.
The game's level design received mixed reviews. Joynt preferred fast levels and felt that the ones requiring players to "move carefully" detracted from the experience. Bettenhausen praised the visual appeal of Secret Rings and compared it to that of Resident Evil 4
, a game which critics acclaimed for its visuals. Casamassina agreed that the "Sonic Team has done a lot with [the seven levels]", and praised the varying missions and levels' aesthetic contrast. However, he criticized the placement of obstacles. Fahey denounced levels' "avoidable blind spots and leaps of faith", and found the number of stages and their re-use over multiple missions "a little bit disconcerting". He conceded that it added to the game's replay value, comparing the levels to tracks in racing game
s.
Control and camera movement concerned reviewers. Bettenhausen called the controls "a tad reckless at first – Sonic's momentum takes some getting used to, and trying to go in reverse is a pain – but become more natural and fluid as you get acclimated to the fast-paced, twitchy action." Casamassina and Mueller offered similar opinions, while Shepperd criticized the game's low camera angle and arbitrary targeting system. Bettenhausen dismissed the game's multiplayer mode as a failed adaptation of the Mario Party series. Fahey concurred, adding that a multiplayer racing mode would have been preferable to "lame" minigames. Casamassina compared the games to those in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
: "only a handful of them really stand out and some are downright pointless, but overall gamers will probably be happy that they were included." Shepperd agreed, but decried the necessity to "play the story mode extensively to unlock some of the party mode's best features."
game Super Smash Bros. Brawl
, Nintendo
used "Seven Rings in Hand" and other Sonic series music as backing for the "Green Hill Zone" stage. Sonic Team and Sega later created Sonic and the Black Knight
, a sequel to Secret Rings released on March 3, 2009. The two form the Storybook series; Secret Rings is based on Arabian Nights, and Black Knight casts Sonic into the world of King Arthur
. On March 18, Secret Rings and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
were compiled in a Wii release titled Sega Fun Pack: Sonic and the Secret Rings & Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz.
Sonic Team
is a Japanese computer and video game developer established in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan in 1990, originally known as Sega AM8. The Japan-based division is also known as G.E. Department Global Entertainment. The studio has collaborated with several in-house Japanese studios as well as other American-based...
and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
as part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It was released exclusively for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
on February 20, 2007 in North America; March 2 in Europe; and March 15 in Japan. It is the first Sonic game for the console, released in place of an aborted attempt to port Sonic the Hedgehog. Secret Rings is a three-dimensional
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
platform
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
and action game
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
whose plot follows the series' main character, Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog (character)
, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...
, on a quest to stop an evil genie named the Erazor Djinn. In addition to the basic platforming gameplay of previous Sonic titles, Secret Rings uses a system of experience point
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
s and levels, as well as special moves that are unlocked via leveling up.
Producer Yojiro Ogawa conceived the game to tap into the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
's capabilities. He chose the theme of Arabian Nights, using many elements of the stories in the game's setting, characters, and Middle Eastern
Middle Eastern music
The music of Western Asia and North Africa spans across a vast region, from Morocco to Afghanistan, and its influences can be felt even further afield. Middle Eastern music influenced the music of India, as well as Central Asia, Spain, Southern Italy, the Caucasus and the Balkans, as in chalga...
-influenced music. Sega changed the title of the game several times, settling on Sonic and the Secret Rings to tie in the theme of Arabian Nights. Upon release, Secret Rings was generally well-received, contrasted with its predecessors as "definitely on the mend". Reviewers praised its visuals but criticized its controls and inconsistent difficulty. It sold 83,000 copies in its first month and continued to chart throughout the year. Sega released a sequel in March 2009, Sonic and the Black Knight
Sonic and the Black Knight
is a title within the Sonic the Hedgehog series, released exclusively on Wii as the second entry in the Sonic Storybook series, following on from Sonic and the Secret Rings. The game is directed by Tetsu Katano, who was the lead programmer of the Sonic Adventure titles and Sonic Heroes...
; the two form what is known as the Storybook series.
Gameplay
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
platform
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
and action game
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
featuring an on-rails style of movement. Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog (character)
, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...
, the series' main character, is the game's only player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
. He is controlled exclusively with the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
, which is held horizontally like a traditional gamepad
Gamepad
A gamepad , is a type of game controller held in two hands, where the digits are used to provide input. Gamepads generally feature a set of action buttons handled with the right thumb and a direction controller handled with the left...
. Players adjust his forward movement by tilting the controller. He runs along a predesignated path; players jump and brake using corresponding face buttons. Thrusting the Wii Remote forwards allows Sonic to perform a homing attack, a mid-air move that targets and damages enemies in his path.
Like in other games in the series, Sonic collects rings scattered throughout levels; contact with certain obstacles and enemies scatters them away, and Sonic dies if he touches an enemy without any rings. Unlike previous titles, Secret Rings does not feature a life counter or game over
Game over
Game Over is a message in video games which signals that the game has ended, often due to a negative outcome - although the phrase sometimes follows the end credits after successful completion of a game...
screen, but instead Sonic reappears at the last visited checkpoint after dying. The game contains 100 missions (including boss battles) over the course of eight levels. New missions, cutscene
Cutscene
A cutscene is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no or only limited control, breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduces enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues...
s, and sometimes new levels are unlocked by completing missions. Successful missions earn Sonic experience point
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
s, which advance him levels.
Sonic has 104 special moves called "skills" that are unlocked upon leveling up or reaching certain points in the story. The player can distribute these skills to four "Skill Rings", which the player selects before starting a mission. Skills can provide Sonic with improved movement, offensive, and defensive capabilities, as well as special attacks. Skills are generally used by depleting the "Soul Gauge", which is slowly filled by collecting pearls scattered throughout the levels.
Secret Rings features three game modes: "Adventure", "Party", and "Special Book". The story is played in the Adventure mode. The Party mode features multiplayer gameplay for up to four players simultaneously, in which players spar in a turn-based tournament of motion control-based minigame
Minigame
A minigame is a short video game often contained within another video game. A minigame is always smaller or more simplistic than the game in which it is contained. Minigames are sometimes also offered separately for free to promote the main game...
s. The "Special Book" mode displays the game's 225 unlockable bonuses, won by completing levels quickly and collecting "Fire Souls"—small fiery objects scattered throughout the levels. These bonuses are development documentaries, interviews, concept art, in-game cutscenes, and game music.
Characters
Sonic is the game's protagonist, and his sidekick throughout the game is Shahra, "Genie of the Ring". Their enemy is Erazor Djinn, a genieGenie
Jinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings that occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah. Religious sources say barely anything about them; however, the Qur'an mentions that...
who aspires to erase the entirety of the Arabian Nights book. He was once the Genie of the Lamp from the story of Aladdin and the Magic Lamp, who was punished for misdeeds and imprisoned in his lamp
Oil lamp
An oil lamp is an object used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of oil lamps began thousands of years ago and is continued to this day....
until he granted the wishes of one thousand people. Erazor did so, gaining a renewed hatred of humanity
Misanthropy
Misanthropy is generalized dislike, distrust, disgust, contempt or hatred of the human species or human nature. A misanthrope, or misanthropist is someone who holds such views or feelings...
and deciding to take over the world. Several Sonic series characters appear in the form of figures from Arabian Nights, such as Miles "Tails" Prower
Miles "Tails" Prower
, better known by his nickname , is a character, as well as the main deuteragonist in the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games, comics, animated series and film released by Sega....
as Ali Baba
Ali Baba
Ali Baba is a fictional character from medieval Arabic literature. He is described in the adventure tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves...
, Knuckles the Echidna
Knuckles the Echidna
Knuckles the Echidna is a video game character of the Sonic the Hedgehog game series, including spin-off games and comics. His first appearance was in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, released in 1994 to introduce a new rival for Sonic. He was presented as an antagonist who was tricked by Dr. Eggman into...
as Sinbad the Sailor
Sinbad the Sailor
Sinbad the Sailor is a fictional sailor from Basrah, living during the Abbasid Caliphate – the hero of a story-cycle of Middle Eastern origin...
, and Dr. Eggman as Shahryār. Though Sonic recognizes them as old acquaintances, they do not recognize him, and Shahra insists that Sonic's perception is mistaken.
Story
After reading the Arabian Nights, Sonic falls asleep, only to be awoken by Shahra. She explains that Erazor is erasing the pages of the Arabian Nights and asks Sonic to help her, to which he agrees. He dons a ring that makes him Shahra's master and grants him the ability to ask for any wishes within her power; he then enters the book. Sonic and Shahra encounter Erazor inside; he tells them of his intent to search for seven artifacts called the World Rings, which Shahra claims do not exist. Erazor shoots an arrow of fire at Shahra, but Sonic takes it for her. Erazor opportunistically tells Sonic that he will remove the arrow if Sonic gathers the World Rings for him. If Sonic does not do so before the flame goes out, his "life is forfeit". Sonic and Shahra embark on a quest to retrieve the World Rings. Over the course of this quest, they learn that whoever collects the rings must be sacrificed to create a link between the Arabian Nights world and the real world. Elsewhere in the quest, Shahra gives Sonic Erazor's lamp to use as a last resort.Sonic obtains the World Rings, and Erazor convinces Shahra to give them to him. To keep them out of Erazor's hands, Sonic wishes for Shahra to do what she truly thinks is right, and she collapses on the ground. Erazor attempts to sacrifice Sonic to open the gateway between worlds. In a move of altruistic suicide, Shahra interrupts the attack, saving Sonic but asking for his forgiveness and dying in his arms. Without Sonic as the proper offering, Erazor mutates into the monster Alf Layla wa-Layla. Sonic absorbs three of the World Rings and transforms into Darkspine Sonic, a darker, more violent version of Super Sonic, granting him the power to defeat Alf Layla wa-Layla. During the battle, Sonic appears to defeat Erazor, who subsequently boasts that he is immortal. Sonic then reveals that he possesses Erazor's lamp. Sonic then wishes for Erazor to bring Shahra back to life, restore the book to its original state, and be trapped in his lamp for all eternity. Erazor refuses to do so, but is helpless against the power of his lamp. After granting the third wish, Erazor pleads for Shahra to stop Sonic and save him, but she refuses, leaving him to be sucked into his lamp. Shahra bursts into tears, and Sonic wishes for a mountain of handkerchiefs to help her through her crying. Sonic then disposes of the lamp in a pit of lava in a previously explored level. Sonic runs through the book until he finds a way home. Shahra states that his story will be forever remembered in the pages of the Arabian Nights, and the credits roll. An image of the story of "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" in the book then changes to "Sonic and the Secret Rings".
Development
Sonic Team
is a Japanese computer and video game developer established in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan in 1990, originally known as Sega AM8. The Japan-based division is also known as G.E. Department Global Entertainment. The studio has collaborated with several in-house Japanese studios as well as other American-based...
(led by Yuji Naka
Yuji Naka
, is a video game designer and programmer, best known as the former head of Sonic Team, a group of Sega programmers/designers, where he was the lead programmer of the original Sonic the Hedgehog....
) and published by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
. Sega originally planned to release a port of the 2006 Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
game Sonic the Hedgehog as the first Sonic game for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
. Citing lengthy development times for a port, Sega switched plans and conceived of a Sonic game that would use the capabilities of the Wii Remote
Wii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
. Producer Yojiro Ogawa, who had previously worked on Sonic Adventure
Sonic Adventure
is a 1999 platform video game developed by Sonic Team and released on December 23, 1998, in Japan by Sega for the Dreamcast. One of its development titles was Sonic RPG...
, "already had this basic idea (of Sonic constantly moving forward) in [his] mind", and immediately imagined its compatibility with the Wii.
He later decided that this could be done by using the Arabian Nights—a compilation of Middle-Eastern fables—as the game's setting. This inspired the use of Sonic characters as figures from Arabian Nights. Sega removed "some of the extraneous elements" of recent Sonic games to "get ... back to basics". Storyboard director Zachary G. Brown stated that, "This game could put Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog (character)
, trademarked Sonic The Hedgehog, is a video game character and the main protagonist of the Sonic video game series released by Sega, as well as in numerous spin-off comics, cartoons, and a feature film. The first game was released on June 23, 1991, to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's...
in a whole new light. He could reach the top of the charts once more." The game's art and setting were heavily influenced by the games Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus, released in Japan as , is an action-adventure game published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game was released in North America and Japan in October 2005 and PAL territories in February 2006...
, Prince of Persia
Prince of Persia
Prince of Persia is a platform game, originally developed by Jordan Mechner and released in 1989 for the Apple II, that represented a great leap forward in the quality of animation seen in video games....
, and God of War
God of War (video game)
God of War is an action adventure video game for the PlayStation 2 first released by Sony Computer Entertainment's Santa Monica division in March 2005...
. Its cutscenes consistently feature hand-painted, static imagery resembling classic art through paint on parchment
Parchment
Parchment is a thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin, often split. Its most common use was as a material for writing on, for documents, notes, or the pages of a book, codex or manuscript. It is distinct from leather in that parchment is limed but not tanned; therefore, it is very...
. On a technical level, Secret Rings uses the PhysX
PhysX
PhysX is a proprietary realtime physics engine middleware SDK developed by Ageia with the purchase of ETH Zurich spin-off NovodeX in 2004...
engine. Sega improved the game's camera system to address criticisms of prior Sonic games.
On January 19, 2006, IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
staff writer Matt Casamassina
Matt Casamassina
Matt Casamassina is a video game journalist who worked for IGN until April 23, 2010. In his time at the site, he was the author of many reviews and previews of Nintendo games. He resides in Los Angeles, California, is married and has two daughters, Zoe and Fiona Jade, and a son named Rocco Archer...
revealed that "sources close to Sega" had informed IGN of an upcoming Revolution-exclusive Sonic game, which was two months in development. Sega officially announced Sonic Wild Fire at Electronic Entertainment Expo 2006, then as Hyper Sonic at a Nintendo press conference and again as Sonic Wild Fire in its trailers. Sega changed the title to Sonic and the Secret of the Rings, then slightly modified it to Sonic and the Secret Rings in August 2006. Sega preferred Wild Fire over Secret Rings, but the latter better fit the game's story and Arabian Nights. The game received a rating of E from the ESRB, 7+ from PEGI
Pan European Game Information
Pan European Game Information is a European video game content rating system established to help European parents make informed decisions on buying computer games with logos on games boxes. It was developed by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe and came into use in April 2003; it...
, and A from CERO
Computer Entertainment Rating Organization
The is a Japanese entertainment rating organization based in Tokyo. rating video game content in console games with levels of rating that informs the customer of the nature of the product and for what age group it is suitable...
.
Music
The music of Sonic and the Secret Rings was composed by Kenichi Tokoi, Fumie Kumatani, Seirou Okamoto and Hideaki KobayashiHideaki Kobayashi
Hideaki Kobayashi is a game music composer for Sega. He is perhaps best known for his music for the massively multiplayer online title Phantasy Star Online.-Works:*Phantasy Star Online — Sound Creator...
of Wave Master
Wave Master
Wave Master Inc. is a research and development team for Sega, focusing on the soundtracks for various games...
; Steve Conte
Steve Conte
Steve Conte is an American singer and rock musician and lead singer of the band The Contes, along with his brother John Conte, both formerly members of the band Crown Jewels. He is perhaps more popularly known for his collaborations with composer Yoko Kanno, as well as being former lead guitarist...
and Runblebee performed the vocal tracks. The music maintains the guitar-based rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
style of previous Sonic titles, adding elements of traditional Middle Eastern music
Middle Eastern music
The music of Western Asia and North Africa spans across a vast region, from Morocco to Afghanistan, and its influences can be felt even further afield. Middle Eastern music influenced the music of India, as well as Central Asia, Spain, Southern Italy, the Caucasus and the Balkans, as in chalga...
to complement the game's theme and aesthetic. Sega released a video game soundtrack album, , on March 15, 2007. The main theme and album title track of Secret Rings is "Seven Rings in Hand".
Reception
Sonic and the Secret Rings debuted on February 20, 2007 in North America, on March 2 in Europe, and on March 15 in Japan. Reviews were somewhat positive; the game achieved a 69% score from MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and 71% from Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
. Secret Rings charted well; it was the eleventh best-selling game of February 2007 worldwide, and third for the Wii. It proved the best-selling Wii game and fifth among all platforms in the United Kingdom. In North America, it was thirteenth overall, and fourth for the Wii, with 83,000 copies. In June, July, and August 2007, the game was the fourth, third, and seventh best-selling game for the Wii, respectively.
Critics felt Secret Rings was a general improvement over recent Sonic games, whose popularity and critical reception had declined. Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
stated that it "does a decent job at stopping the bleeding caused by the recent 360/PS3/PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
Sonics", and 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
's Shane Bettenhausen wrote that the Sonic series was "definitely on the mend" after suffering progressively-worse games after the release of Sonic Adventure
Sonic Adventure
is a 1999 platform video game developed by Sonic Team and released on December 23, 1998, in Japan by Sega for the Dreamcast. One of its development titles was Sonic RPG...
. GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
's Patrick Joynt agreed, writing that Sonic had been "reanimated to a lurching existence". IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Matt Casamassina, Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
s Chris Shepperd, and GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's Greg Mueller named Secret Rings the best 3D Sonic game, but criticized 3D Sonic games in general. Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
's Rob Fahey praised the game for employing Sonic as the only playable character.
The game's level design received mixed reviews. Joynt preferred fast levels and felt that the ones requiring players to "move carefully" detracted from the experience. Bettenhausen praised the visual appeal of Secret Rings and compared it to that of Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by multiple publishers, including Capcom, Ubisoft, Nintendo Australia, Red Ant Enterprises and THQ Asia Pacific...
, a game which critics acclaimed for its visuals. Casamassina agreed that the "Sonic Team has done a lot with [the seven levels]", and praised the varying missions and levels' aesthetic contrast. However, he criticized the placement of obstacles. Fahey denounced levels' "avoidable blind spots and leaps of faith", and found the number of stages and their re-use over multiple missions "a little bit disconcerting". He conceded that it added to the game's replay value, comparing the levels to tracks in racing game
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...
s.
Control and camera movement concerned reviewers. Bettenhausen called the controls "a tad reckless at first – Sonic's momentum takes some getting used to, and trying to go in reverse is a pain – but become more natural and fluid as you get acclimated to the fast-paced, twitchy action." Casamassina and Mueller offered similar opinions, while Shepperd criticized the game's low camera angle and arbitrary targeting system. Bettenhausen dismissed the game's multiplayer mode as a failed adaptation of the Mario Party series. Fahey concurred, adding that a multiplayer racing mode would have been preferable to "lame" minigames. Casamassina compared the games to those in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is an entry in the Super Monkey Ball series, following Super Monkey Ball Adventure. It is a Wii exclusive and was released as a launch title for the system on November 14, 2006 in North America.-Story:...
: "only a handful of them really stand out and some are downright pointless, but overall gamers will probably be happy that they were included." Shepperd agreed, but decried the necessity to "play the story mode extensively to unlock some of the party mode's best features."
Legacy
To mark Sonic's introduction in the 2008 WiiWii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
game Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
, Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
used "Seven Rings in Hand" and other Sonic series music as backing for the "Green Hill Zone" stage. Sonic Team and Sega later created Sonic and the Black Knight
Sonic and the Black Knight
is a title within the Sonic the Hedgehog series, released exclusively on Wii as the second entry in the Sonic Storybook series, following on from Sonic and the Secret Rings. The game is directed by Tetsu Katano, who was the lead programmer of the Sonic Adventure titles and Sonic Heroes...
, a sequel to Secret Rings released on March 3, 2009. The two form the Storybook series; Secret Rings is based on Arabian Nights, and Black Knight casts Sonic into the world of King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
. On March 18, Secret Rings and Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is an entry in the Super Monkey Ball series, following Super Monkey Ball Adventure. It is a Wii exclusive and was released as a launch title for the system on November 14, 2006 in North America.-Story:...
were compiled in a Wii release titled Sega Fun Pack: Sonic and the Secret Rings & Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz.
See also
- Other video game appearances of One Thousand and One Nights
- Sonic ColorsSonic Colorsis a 2010 platforming game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It was first announced on May 26, 2010, in a press release by Sega for Italy, and it included a teaser trailer...