Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric was one of a couple of exclusive Sonic games that Sega did for Nintendo during the Wii and Wii U era. This one here Sega actually had a lot of faith in as it was a new direction for the character that also included a handheld game, a ton of toys, and a TV series that in all honesty is the best thing to come from this incarnation of the series. This is a game that often features on “worst game” lists, but to be honest it is not quite as bad as people say…. It sure as hell is not great, but it does have its moments.

Not My Sonic!!!

Much has been said about the character designs of the characters in Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, well specifically Knuckles who has gone all Hulk on us. To be honest, I do think that the character models look all that bad. Yes, Knuckles looks quite different as he is so much larger, but to be fair, I liked that they tried to change things up a tad and give the characters a bit more of a different look.

Never Trust A Snake

The plot of the game is not terrible either. The story of Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric sees Sonic and his pals accidentally freeing this giant evil snake called Lyric who wants to take over the world with a robot army. Lyric, of course, teams up with Dr. Eggman and Sonic, and the game need to stop them. It is not horrible, but I think had they put more of the humor from the show here, it would have been a lot better. The Sonic Book animated series is actually a lot of fun and I think the game is lacking the clever wit that the show has.

The Not So Awesome Foursome

In Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, you get to control Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy and you will have to use all four characters abilities to get through the various levels. Sonic can run fast, Amy can smash things with her hammer, Knuckles can dig and climb and Tails can fly. Each of the characters has a couple of abilities that you will have to use during the game. I like this idea and I think that there is a decent amount of variety. You have to take part in platforming stages, there are puzzles, lots of combat, and even boss battles too.

A Bit More Time In The Oven

I really do think that deep inside Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric there is a decent 3D action game here. The problem is the game is glitchy as hell. I remember the first time I played through it, I got a couple of hours in and thought “why are so many people bashing this game?”. Then the glitches started, specifically in this section where you had to float on water, to say it put me over the edge is a massive understatement. You can actually beat the game in a speed run fashion by exploiting some of the glitches it has. I have fallen through the floor, had cut scenes crash, came across enemies that will not die, and more. It just feels like a game that was not finished, but Sega decided to throw it out anyway.

Pros:

• I liked the character designs
• They at least tried with the story
• You can play as four characters
• You can play this with a buddy

Cons:

• There are tons of glitches and bugs in this game
• I feel that the story is lacking the humor of the TV show

Enjoy a new spin on a classic series with Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, which sees the blue hedgehog return for another quest to hunt down crystals. This spin-off acts as a prequel to the animated cartoon, providing extra backstory and lore for existing fans. In this adventure, Sonic and three of his friends try to prevent the ancient rattlesnake Lyric from conquering the world, using their special powers to defeat foes and save the day. Full of fast-paced platforming, exciting action, and open-ended levels to explore, Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric does its best to provide a satisfying spin-off.

Main Game Features

• Four playable characters
• A mix of platforming, exploration, and combat
• Two player co-op and unlockable mini-games

Story

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric kicks off with Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy chasing Doctor Eggman into a mysterious temple, where they encounter an even more terrifying foe. Awakening him from a century-long slumber, the team meets Lyric, a foul rattlesnake and the last of the godlike Ancients. Unfortunately, Lyric wants to take over the world with his army of evil robots, and seeks the mythical Chaos Crystals to complete his plan. To get the job done, Lyric even teams up with Eggman, creating a fearful duo of villains. With the world under threat yet again, Sonic and his friends look to claim the Chaos Crystals and defeat Lyric along the way.

In concept, Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric is good, as it offers a new tale featuring beloved heroes, but the execution is disappointing. While it's fun to see cool characters like Shadow and Metal Sonic, Lyric isn't that interesting as a villain, and Eggman is more of the same. The voice-acting is also extremely repetitive and dull, with lame attempts at humor that don't work. Some of the ideas are interesting, like the use of time travel, but they fail to come together. Cutscenes are also low quality, making it hard to get invested in the story at the start.

Gameplay

The story might not be the best, but at least Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric tries to offer some gameplay variety. Keeping in the spirit of the original Sonic the Hedgehog games, Rise of Lyric offers fast platforming, but that's not all. Like Sonic Adventure, there's a larger emphasis on exploring levels, solving simple puzzles, and fighting enemies. You can play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, or Amy, with plenty of opportunities to switch characters. Each character has a different set of abilities and game feel, such as Sonic's focus on speed, Knuckle's climbing capabilities, and more. Sometimes, multiple characters are needed to solve puzzles or to collect secrets, so you'll want to experiment with all of them.

For multiplayer sessions, Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric supports cooperative play in the main story, along with a collection of mini-games. The mini-games are a standout, and are playable with up to four players, offering some fun distractions. While the mini-games are fun, the overall story mode for Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric feels rushed and unsatisfying. Instead of feeling exciting, most of the combat and puzzles are incredibly easy or boring. Even the speedy platforming segments aren't very fun, due to the bad frame rate and weird camera. There are some good ideas in Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, but it doesn't do any of them justice.

Conclusion

Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric tries to inject variety and adventure into the franchise, but it fails. Although the core gameplay is okay, the world lacks life, the graphics and audio are bad, and there's no challenge.

Pros

• Each character feels unique
• Fun multiplayer mini-games
• Smooth animations

Cons

• Annoying characters and dialogue
• Gameplay becomes boring after a while
• Poor technical performance