Video Game Review: Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice - Not With A Bang But A Wimper

Developer Sanzaru Games
Publisher Sega
Distributor Nintendo Distributor South Africa
Where we got our copy Nintendo Distributor South Africa
Genre Platformer
Game modes Single Player
Reviewed on Nintendo 3DS

BiPolarBear

Published November 1, 2016

No.

Okay, so that’s a little harsh, but I guess at this point people are just hoping for better. Sonic is a beloved character and, let’s be real, he deserves a little bit of a break at the moment. It’s not that Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice is an inherently bad game, but rather that it’s just far too mediocre to be worthwhile. While it may have Sonic in the title, Fire & Ice does not feel like a Sonic game at all.

Let’s get this out of the way quickly as I feel it’s not that big a point of contention, this game is incredibly bland. I have nothing against the Sonic Boom aesthetic as I feel it has always been a justifiable redesign for the modern times, it’s just that the game itself is just not visually exciting.

The one thing about Sonic games is that they have always been visually interesting. There has always been something nice to look at, whether it has been the bright colours of Casino Zone or a runaway truck chasing after you. Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice suffers from having levels that are easily forgettable and visually unappealing. The only thing I would be able to tell you about specific levels was that they had one predominant colour which, if that’s all one can recall, is not very exciting.

On top of just not looking all that appealing, Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice doesn’t even sound all that great either. This doesn’t mean it’s inherently bad, it does hang on to the classic Sonic sound effects, but it does nothing to stand out either. This is an incredibly subjective point, but if my ears could have gotten a little bit of pleasure it might have made the game a little less of a slog than it already was.

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Even if the game isn’t presented all well, surely there must be something in the gameplay to save it? Surely the game handles well enough with enough excitement to keep the player entertained? The short answer is not. The long answer is unfortunately not. It’s not even the Sonic title that’s weighing down on Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, the game is just genuinely not a good platformer.

I think we’ve been able to have a lot of fun with platformers in recent years, even if their prevalence has fallen off quite a bit. We haven’t exactly been starved of decent platformers which means that Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice doesn’t even get to catch a break in its mediocrity. The game is unfortunately in a place where it just needed to be better. It’s an unsatisfying romp through some uninteresting levels that leaves the player wishing there was something more to enjoy. I wanted to have fun with Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, but fun was just not something I had.

While Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice is fortunately not as broken as the previous instalment of the Sonic Boom series, it doesn’t make for a very enjoyable game. This game gives players no reason to ever really care about it and it doesn’t ever do anything to justify spending your time with it. It’s not that the game is terribly bland, but rather it’s just too bland to care for. I wish it were possible to have nicer things to say about Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, but alas, the game just doesn’t do anything noteworthy. If the only praise that you can give a game is that it wasn’t the buggy mess that you expected it to be, it’s quite obvious that it’s not a very good game.

What did we do to deserve this? What did the human race collectively do to deserve a childhood hero be butchered in such a way? Well, I guess we do deserve everything bad that happens to us, but could we not just spare Sonic for once? It's been a long time since we saw an amazing Sonic game, but could Fire & Ice be the one to bring Sonic Boom into the realm of decency? All these questions have a pretty simple answer, but it's probably not what people were hoping for... No. Okay, so that's a little harsh, but I guess at this point people are just hoping for better. Sonic is a beloved character and, let's be real, he deserves a little bit of a break at the moment. It's not that Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice is an inherently bad game, but rather that it's just far too mediocre to be worthwhile. While it may have Sonic in the title, Fire & Ice does not feel like a Sonic game at all. Let's get this out of the way quickly as I feel it's not that big a point of contention, this game is incredibly bland. I have nothing against the Sonic Boom aesthetic as I feel it has always been a justifiable redesign for the modern times, it's just that the game itself is just not visually exciting. The one thing about Sonic games is that they have always been visually interesting. There has always been something nice to look at, whether it has been the bright colours of Casino Zone or a runaway truck chasing after you. Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice suffers from having levels that are easily forgettable and visually unappealing. The only thing I would be able to tell you about specific levels was that they had one predominant colour which, if that's all one can recall, is not very exciting. On top of just not looking all that appealing, Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice doesn't even sound all that great either. This doesn't mean it's inherently bad, it does hang on to the classic Sonic sound effects, but it does nothing to stand out either. This is an incredibly subjective point, but if my ears could have gotten a little bit of pleasure it might have made the game a little less of a slog than it already was. Even if the game isn't presented all well, surely there must be something in the gameplay to save it? Surely the game handles well enough with enough excitement to keep the player entertained? The short answer is not. The long answer is unfortunately not. It's not even the Sonic title that's weighing down on Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice, the game is just genuinely not a good platformer. I think we've been able to have a lot of fun with platformers in recent years, even if their prevalence has fallen off quite a bit. We haven't exactly been starved of decent platformers…

Video Game Review: Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice – Not With A Bang But A Wimper

2016-11-01

BiPolarBear

A Total Meltdown

Total - 4

40 4

Total

While a sound game, Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice is just not very enjoyable and is far from what Sonic fans might have hoped for. There's a lot to Fire & Ice but none of it grabs you or feels in any way fun. If you were desperately looking forward to this you may find yourself enjoying this but there is little to no reason to actually pick this up.

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BiPolarBear

Gaming Author at Geek Node

The best person to offer the worst opinion. Paul's interests include adding 100 hour JRPGs to his backlog and dark walks through dungeons. You'll probably find him rambling on about old man Nintendo or that crazy newfangled eSports thingy.