Sonny
- July 23, 2020
- Krinn
- 8h median play time
Sonny is a popular RPG-battle game, available on web browsers, Android, and iOS. The game features excellent mechanics, exceptional visuals, and masterful music, making for a fantastic story. However, players should be prepared for lots of grinding, occasional bugs, and ads that may disturb the gameplay experience. Overall, Sonny offers a hilarious and immersive gameplay experience.
Web Browser
Reviews
- The game brings back nostalgia for fans of the original Sonny games.
- The graphics and art style have been updated, providing a fresh look.
- The story is engaging and offers a new perspective on the original narrative.
- There are too many intrusive ads, making the gameplay experience frustrating.
- The game lacks attack animations and visible equipment on characters, which diminishes immersion.
- The AI for allies is often unhelpful, leading to frustrating combat situations.
- monetization405 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 1 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn significant criticism for its excessive and intrusive ad placements, with many players reporting unskippable ads after nearly every battle, leading to frustration and a diminished gameplay experience. Users express a strong desire for an option to pay for an ad-free version, as the current model forces them to watch ads even when opting out of bonus rewards. Overall, the overwhelming presence of ads has overshadowed the game's nostalgic appeal and enjoyment, making it feel more like a vehicle for advertisements than a standalone game.
“It was free, it had no ads, and the creator was actually trying.”
“I'd gladly be willing to support the developer by paying for no ads.”
“This game has great gameplay with no in-app purchases to be seen.”
“You spend more time watching unskippable ads than actually playing the game.”
“The game is amazing, but the advertising is extremely annoying, please add a possibility to pay and remove ads.”
“Forced ads after every encounter and (skippable) ads even after trying to exit battle.”
- story260 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The story of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the revamped narrative and character depth, while others feel it strays too far from the original games, resulting in a less compelling experience. Many users noted improvements in storytelling clarity and emotional engagement, but also expressed disappointment over the lack of animations and character customization that were present in earlier versions. Overall, while the new story offers interesting elements, it has not universally satisfied fans of the original series.
“The story is interesting and unique, the combat can become quite puzzling and the visuals as well as the music is very atmospheric.”
“Amazing story, characters, combat, visuals and OST are top notch.”
“The challenges met throughout the story, including the rollercoaster of emotions that comes from the story, really define how much fun this game was.”
“The story is mostly just lazy and boring, and the characters themselves feel lifeless.”
“Awful reboot of Sonny 1, destroying the whole story.”
“The story is pretty bare-bones.”
- gameplay181 mentions
- 35 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its grindy nature and lack of depth compared to the original games. While some appreciate the nostalgic elements and new mechanics, others criticize the simplistic combat, intrusive ads, and absence of character customization options. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a step down from previous installments, with a need for improvements in animations, balance, and player agency.
“The gameplay is fun, and the story is solid.”
“Great gameplay, great art, just a lot here for a free mobile game.”
“The gameplay features original game concepts that were used during the original Sonny, so getting to play it and be reinvigorated in it brings full nostalgia.”
“The gameplay is unnecessarily grindy, and despite the good variety in abilities and an excellent ability system, the lack of player-chosen stat upgrades really makes it impossible to play in different styles.”
“What a shame, no animations, no visible gear, full of ads, gameplay is bland and so much more boring than the first games.”
“Unfortunately, this remake suffers from a few glaring issues within the gameplay - enemy and ally AI is too smart and too dumb respectively, with no options to change any behaviors.”
- graphics174 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the updated visuals and art style, which are considered a significant improvement over the original flash games. However, there is widespread disappointment regarding the lack of animations and the absence of character customization based on equipped items, which detracts from the overall experience. While some players enjoy the polished look, they feel that the game has lost the charm and dynamic elements that made the original titles memorable.
“The graphics are pleasing to the eyes, controls are simple, yet not boring and the story has been interesting since the second I started playing.”
“I love the new anime-esque art style you guys went with.”
“The graphics look a little nicer, but that's about it.”
“Zero effort into the animations and graphics.”
“The visuals are updated, but there is zero animation, a downgrade from the last two games.”
“The graphics are horrible; they should have used the old graphics.”
- music63 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread praise for its quality and nostalgic value, with many players appreciating the remastered tracks and atmospheric compositions. While some feel it doesn't fully capture the essence of the original games, the soundtrack is often described as enjoyable and a highlight of the experience. Overall, the music stands out as a strong aspect, even amidst critiques of other game elements.
“The soundtrack is really kicking though, and just makes me wanna go play Sonny 1.”
“The music is a good throwback for nostalgia and people who played the original Sonny will recognize parts of the music.”
“The music brings back good memories of the original Sonny games, the voice acting is good but lacking due to very few voiced lines.”
“The only thing that's even remotely worth the title of Sonny is the music, and even that doesn't hold up.”
“Music uses instruments that don't complement each other.”
“The classes are insanely boring, the soundtrack is cheap, the voice acting is cheap.”
- grinding41 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight that the game suffers from excessive and tedious grinding, particularly in later stages, which detracts from the overall enjoyment and balance of gameplay. Players express frustration over the unbalanced difficulty, the inefficiency of leveling up, and the reliance on ads during repetitive battles. Many feel that the grinding is not rewarding and hampers the ability to explore different play styles, making progress feel more like a chore than an engaging experience.
“The gameplay is unnecessarily grindy, and despite the good variety in abilities and an excellent ability system, the lack of player-chosen stat upgrades really makes it impossible to play in different styles.”
“It's unbelievably grindy even from the offset.”
“The game is tedious and near unbeatable without massive grinding/exploits.”
- stability23 mentions
- 4 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 96 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with numerous users reporting frequent glitches, particularly related to the revive feature after watching ads, which often leads to freezing and forced exits. Many players experience game-breaking bugs that disrupt gameplay, including freezing on the title screen and during battles, making the game feel unplayable at times. Overall, while the game has nostalgic value, its current state is marred by significant stability issues that detract from the experience.
“Every time I die and watch the ad to revive my team, the game glitches, and I'm stuck at the battle screen, with no team or stats visible, and the only option available is to exit.”
“However, the revive feature doesn't work: the game makes you watch the ad, then freezes every time, forcing you to exit.”
“Incredibly buggy and just awful; it kills the nostalgia and is not at all fun trying to work around the glitches.”
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever and engaging dialogue, particularly in the interactions between characters like Sonny and Veradux, which blend comedy with serious moments. While the writing remains intelligent and funny, some players feel that the charm of earlier entries in the series has diminished, particularly in terms of animation and overall humor. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with a compelling story and challenging gameplay, making it a recommended experience for fans of the genre.
“Incredible, intelligent, and humorous writing.”
“The game itself is funny and serious in the dialogue, and the story is explored as you progress from fairly complex turn-based fights.”
“Good game with funny characters and intriguing plot.”
- replayability10 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players praise its high replay value and engaging mechanics, others criticize the limited skill tree and lack of content after completing the story. Despite these drawbacks, many still find it enjoyable enough to warrant multiple playthroughs.
“Replay value 15 out of 10 any day!”
“Excellent RPG with good skill trees and decent replayability.”
“Great game, tons of replayability.”
“You're stuck with one tiny skill tree for three full zones every playthrough, so replayability is worse.”
“However, its lack of replayability once you beat the story is a bit of a downside.”
“Lacks replayability and some achievements are plain annoying.”
- optimization6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players experiencing significant performance issues, including random slowdowns and frequent crashes, particularly on certain devices. While the 2D graphics run well on most phones, there are calls for improvements, especially for the Android version, to ensure a smoother gameplay experience. Overall, players are urging developers to address these optimization concerns to enhance performance.
“Props for switching the game into a mobile app, but please make sure the program runs smoothly.”
“Performance-wise, it runs very well, which I only expect from a 2D game on my not-so-shabby phone.”
“However, the game does suffer from another issue and that is optimization. On the same phone that I was able to play the 3D remake of Final Fantasy 3, this game runs very poorly, having random slowdowns when absolutely nothing was happening.”
“Just please, fix the issue with optimization.”
“Needs to be optimized for Droid version 2.2.4; crashes often when trying to initiate battle.”
- character development5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is noted for its impressive artwork and detailed character designs, which enhance the visual experience. However, some reviewers feel that the character development lacks depth compared to the original games, citing a more immersive tone and engaging combat in those versions. Overall, while the aesthetics are praised, the static nature of character animations detracts from the overall impact.
“The character design has become really well, and I like seeing the details on them.”
“Also, the character designs are so good.”
“Great artwork, palette of finely detailed frames per second, and even cutscenes and character development!”
“While it may look a bit nicer at first glance, the lack of animation and the static character designs quickly erase that illusion.”
- atmosphere3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a unique and interesting story, complemented by atmospheric visuals and music, though some users feel that the cutscenes lack the apocalyptic tone found in the web version. Additionally, the combat's puzzling nature and the characters' frozen poses during attacks contribute to a distinct ambiance.
“The story is interesting and unique; the combat can become quite puzzling, and the visuals as well as the music create a very atmospheric experience.”
“The dark atmosphere is immersive, and the characters appear frozen in their poses when attacking enemies.”
“The dark atmosphere is replaced, and the characters look frozen in their poses when attacking enemies.”
“The game lacks any sense of immersion, making it feel more like a chore than an adventure.”
“The environments feel lifeless and uninspired, failing to draw me into the game's world.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game evokes strong feelings, with some players expressing frustration and sadness, particularly regarding its perceived shortcomings as a sequel. While it may serve as a decent introduction for new players, long-time fans find it disappointing and emotionally lacking compared to expectations.
“In conclusion, it's a decent RPG for new players, but a slightly disappointing, if not heartbreaking, shadow of what a Sonny sequel could have been for fans.”
