Play at sonic speed with Sonic Dash and Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom [Game of the Week]

Sonic and his friends are on another mission to defeat his nemesis, Dr. Eggman, though this time the experience is played on mobile devices.

Created back in 1991, Sonic the Hedgehog made his first appearance on the Sega Genesis, and now that the company solely develops and publishes games, you can find Sonic on all consoles, especially Nintendo’s systems. This means that while playing Sonic on a mobile device isn’t particularly new, it’s still an enjoyable experience.

Sonic Dash and Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom are both laid out in the same way but have several different mechanics that make each game enjoyable in its own right. Firstly, both games feature the same formula as Subway Surfers, developed by Kiloo; there are three lanes and the player is required to evade obstacles and collect rings. The farther the character runs, the more challenging the game becomes.

Sonic Dash features the little blue hedgehog that many of us know and love, while Sonic Dash 2 includes the version of Sonic from the franchise’s newest show, Sonic Boom. The Sonic Boom hedgehog has undergone a serious makeover, making Sonic taller, leaner and clad with a bandana. The other Sonic characters also feature similar design changes, making characters such as Knuckles the Echidna very muscular.

Sega also brings back Dr. Eggman’s creations in the form of classic robotic crabs and wasps that players can evade by going into another lane, jumping over them — the crabs, not the wasp — or dashing through them. However, destroying enemies is one of the places where this game differs.

Sonic Dash includes the Sonic homing mechanic that has become a staple in the series over the past decade, while Sonic Boom offers something a little different. In Boom, Sonic can’t use a homing attack, though Knuckles, Sonic’s red echidna friend, can use a ground smash attack that destroys enemies around him.

Sonic Dash and Sonic Boom both offer satisfying, nostalgia-filled experiences. Sonic Dash features boss encounters where the character gets attacked by Dr. Eggman, and also includes the Sonic’s spring that allows him to bound into the sky, while Sonic Boom offers rail grinding, first introduced in Sonic Adventures 2.

Both of these Sonic titles also feature other playable characters that aren’t Sonic. Boom features familiar characters such as Tails, Amy and Shadow. Dash offers more of a collection of characters such as Silver, Rouge, Espio and classic Sonic, though in both games unlocking some characters requires in game currency or actual money.

Furthermore, both titles offer a random, unneeded mechanic that doesn’t add to the game in any way. In Dash, while jumping after a spring there’s a swipe mechanic that allows Sonic to do tricks, though the swipes are slowed and usually follow the same pattern. In Boom, there’s a mechanic that has the player moving their phone side to side while the character is in the air.

Though neither Sonic game offers an in-depth experience, I could still waste hours playing them. Personally, I prefer Boom because aesthetically the game’s environment is impressive and enemies are more appealing (it’s also easier obtain more characters). However, both games are enjoyable and excellent time killers.

Sonic Dash can be found in the the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store for free, while Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom is available in the Google Play Store and iOS App Store for free as well.