Sonic Boom – Fire & Ice

Sonic Boom – Fire & Ice is an action-adventure platform game developed by Sanzaru Games and published by Sega for the Nintendo 3DS. It is part of the Sonic Boom spin-off franchise of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, along with the games Rise of Lyric and Shattered Crystal and a television series. Originally planned for a release in late 2015, Fire & Ice was released in North America and Europe in September 2016, and in Australia the following month. While the game received mixed reviews, it was seen as an improvement over Rise of Lyric and Shattered Crystal.

Discovering an element known as Ragnium, Doctor Eggman begins harnessing it for himself, using it to create robots that can allegedly outrun Sonic and his friends while also damaging the environment in the process. Meanwhile, D-Fekt, a rejected robot Eggman created to search for Ragnium, starts using his magnetic powers to try to become more powerful. Sonic and his friends attempt to stop Eggman and D-Fekt and restore balance to the environment.

Like the previous 3DS entry, Shattered Crystal, Fire & Ice is a side-scrolling platform game in which Sonic and his companions fight their way through various stages. In addition to Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Sticks, Amy returned from Rise of Lyric as a playable character. Like the previous game, players are able to switch between characters at will in order to use their unique abilities such as Sonic’s speed, Tails’ flight, Knuckles’ strength, Sticks’ boomerang, and Amy’s hammer.

A new addition to Fire & Ice is the addition of Fire and Ice elements, which apply both to the level environments and character abilities. For example, Sonic can infuse himself with Fire to break ice blocks or surround himself with Ice in order to freeze water, alternating between the two at will. The game also features various special stages, bonus minigames, challenge rooms, and local multiplayer modes.