Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric
- November 11, 2014
- Big Red Button
Generic and unpolished, Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric falls well below our already-low expectations.
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric is a platformer game with both single-player and multi-player modes. The focus is on action-adventure gameplay, intense combat, and exploration using the unique abilities of each character. The Enerbeam, an energy-charged cord, adds a new dimension to movement and combat, allowing players to navigate levels and battle enemies in innovative ways. The goal is to stop the villainous snake-like creature, Lyric, from powering up his army.
Reviews
- The game exceeded expectations and arrived in perfect condition with additional items.
- Some players found the graphics and voice acting to be great, enhancing their enjoyment of the game.
- The game is enjoyable for younger audiences, with a lighthearted story and decent variety of gameplay.
- The game is region-locked and may not work on all consoles, leading to frustration for some buyers.
- It suffers from numerous technical issues, including glitches, frame rate drops, and poor collision detection.
- Many players found the gameplay to be dull and repetitive, with uninspired combat and level design.
- gameplay7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with some praising its enjoyable nature and decent variety, particularly for younger players. However, many users criticize it for being buggy, repetitive, and lacking meaningful mechanics, such as the ineffective ring collection system and limited combat options. Additionally, issues with frame rate and visual fidelity detract from the overall experience.
“Amazing graphics, very enjoyable gameplay, that's all you need for an excellent game.”
“The gameplay focuses around 3 main areas: heavy combat sections where you can use one button repeatedly or press another one to do a 'character' combo, which is the same every time and can't be changed or upgraded.”
“Lighthearted story suitable for kids, decent variety of gameplay, easy for younger gamers to play.”
“Good fun but noticeably buggy and jumpy gameplay - could and should do better.”
“Not that rings make a difference anymore, as when you 'die', you come back to the same area with a set number of rings, meaning that collecting rings and dying are effectively useless as a gaming mechanic here.”
“The gameplay focuses around three main areas: heavy combat sections where you can use one button repeatedly or press another one to do a 'character' combo, which is the same every time and can't be changed or upgraded.”
- graphics5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising them as great and well-executed, while others find them lacking for a Wii U title, citing issues like poor draw distance and low-quality rendering. Overall, the visuals seem to be a point of contention among users.
“Amazing graphics, very enjoyable gameplay, that's all you need for an excellent game.”
“I think the graphics are great and I adore the voice acting - it's so well done.”
“I think the graphics are great and I adore the voice acting - it's so immersive.”
“Graphically, the game is below the standards I expect from a Wii U title.”
“The visuals suffer from terrible draw distance and very low-quality rendering.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous glitches causing characters to fall through environments, fail to spawn correctly, or become stuck. These bugs can disrupt gameplay to the point of requiring level restarts, detracting from the overall experience despite some enjoyable platforming elements.
“The game is littered with glitches, seeing Sonic and his pals falling through walls and floors, characters not spawning where they should in cutscenes, and characters getting stuck in scenery, to name a few.”
“Some of these glitches may require you to restart a level (which are quite lengthy) entirely to get past it.”
“Good fun but noticeably buggy, jumpy gameplay - could and should do better.”
- story4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The story of "Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric" is criticized for being nonsensical and poorly executed, with many reviewers noting its lack of depth and coherence. While it features a lighthearted narrative suitable for younger audiences, the overall plot is considered throwaway and overshadowed by numerous gameplay issues.
“Lighthearted story suitable for kids, decent variety of gameplay, easy for younger gamers to play.”
“The game is plagued with issues from the start, such as a nonsensical plot and progression that likes to teleport you to make sense.”
“Throwaway story.”
“Repetitive level design, uninspired combat, sluggish controls.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the return of Tails, Knuckles, and Amy as playable characters, enhancing replayability; however, the limitation of character selection at certain points may restrict players from consistently using their favorites.
“I love that Tails, Knuckles, and Amy are playable characters again! It's a feature that hasn't been seen or handled well for years. However, there are moments where you can only choose between certain characters, which means you can't always play as your favorite.”
“The game offers a variety of paths and character choices, making each playthrough feel unique and encouraging you to explore different strategies.”
“With multiple endings and hidden secrets, the replayability factor is high, as you'll want to experience everything the game has to offer.”
“While I appreciate the return of Tails, Knuckles, and Amy as playable characters, there are moments where you're limited to choosing from a specific set of characters, which means you can't always play as your favorite.”
“The game lacks the depth needed for true replayability; once you've completed it, there's little incentive to go back and play through again.”
“After finishing the game, I found that there were no significant changes or new experiences to draw me back in, making it feel like a one-time playthrough.”
- music1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally considered decent but lacks memorability, leaving little lasting impression on players.
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and monotonous, lacking variety and often feeling slow and cumbersome to navigate.
“The grinding never really varies; it's tedious, dull, and slow to navigate.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding makes it feel like a chore rather than an enjoyable part of the game.”
“Grinding feels like a never-ending slog, draining the fun out of the overall experience.”
- character development1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that while character designs may be visually appealing, the overall character development is hindered by poor combat mechanics and broken gameplay elements, which detract from the player's ability to engage with and evolve their characters effectively. Additionally, frame rate issues further complicate the experience, limiting immersion and connection to the characters.
“The character development feels shallow and uninspired, leaving me disconnected from the story.”
“I was hoping for more depth in the characters, but they all seem one-dimensional and forgettable.”
“The lack of meaningful choices in character progression makes the experience feel linear and unengaging.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
"Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric" suffers from significant technical performance issues, making it only suitable for players who are eager for a new adventure platformer and willing to tolerate these optimization shortcomings.
“As a result, Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric is recommended only for those starved for a new adventure platformer and patient enough to sit through the poor technical performance.”
“The optimization in this game is severely lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and long loading times.”
“It's frustrating to see such a promising game hindered by its optimization issues, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
Critic Reviews
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric
Bored Of The Rings
40%Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric Review
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric is a worrying misstep for Sega. While we applaud the idea of refreshing the characters for newer audiences, Rise of Lyric feels like a mishmash of ideas that never got to fully develop. Big Red Button spoke enthusiastically about the development process throughout the promotion of Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, which makes us think that the disappointing final product is a victim of being rushed out the door to accommodate the cartoon's release. As a result, Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric is recommended only for those starved for a new adventure platformer and patient enough to sit through the poor technical performance.
40%Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric Review
Generic and unpolished, Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric falls well below our already-low expectations.
43%