The latest Sonic mobile game isn’t made by SEGA as the Japanese company licensed one of the most well-known gaming IPs to Gameloft, with the Vivendi-owned developer now launching Sonic Runners Adventure for Android and iOS devices. The game appears to be a re-release of Sonic Runners, a free-to-play mobile game pulled from the Google Play Store in July. Despite Gameloft’s lengthy history of freemium titles, the company did the opposite of its usual M.O. with Sonic Runners, having had its New Delhi division redesign it into a premium title with a one-time price that’s paid upfront. For $2.99, Sonic Runners Adventure promises to be a superior version of the original game and deliver the very same fast-paced gameplay that’s been the hallmark of the Sonic the Hedgehog series for 26 years now while still packaging it into a straightforward business model that veteran players who remember the microtransaction-free days of the gaming industry are likely to appreciate.
While Gameloft already turned several of its premium releases into free-to-play titles over time, that scenario isn’t likely to happen with Sonic Runners Adventure, with this game’s in-app purchases being thoroughly replaced with more traditional gaming progression systems. Coupled with the low-entry fee and the promise of no ads, the game may appeal to long-lasting fans of SEGA and its most iconic character. In regards to mechanics, Sonic Runners Adventures is still a relatively simple auto-runner, albeit one that provides players with several heroes to choose from (once they’re unlocked), all of whom have different moves that allow them to reach specific areas of certain levels that are inaccessible to others. Building on that idea is non-linear level design with numerous secrets left for players to discover, all of which allow Sonic Runners Adventure to stand out from most other auto-runners on the market.
The game ships with the same hardware and software requirements attached to the original Sonic Runners, i.e. it should run on the vast majority of contemporary Android smartphones and tablets. Refer to the Google Play Store banner below to download Sonic Runners Adventure or check out the trailer and screenshots beneath it to see how the game looks and performs in practice.
