Make it fast and accessible. Those were Gameloft’s intentions when it was given the honour of making a new Sonic game.
So it’s pleasing to see this prolific developer pull it off with such style; Runners Adventure is a side-scrolling platform game just like the ones that made Sega’s mascot so famous back in the nineties, reworked and streamlined to suit iPhone and iPad.
Players of a certain vintage will delight at being plonked down in the familiar surroundings of the Green Hill Zone, accompanied by that oh-so hummable theme tune. Sonic runs along by himself – your task is to jump at the right time to avoid hazards and collect as many rings as possible, but there are springs and loops and increasingly outlandish ways you can ping Sonic about the place as you progress.
It’s not all ‘90s homage, of course. Eight other characters from more recent games join Sonic, including Tails, Shadow and Knuckles. They each have their own abilities, too, so those that can fly can reach different areas of the stage, and characters with brute strength can smash through scenery and enemies.
This opens up multiple paths to explore with different characters, adding more reasons to return to courses you’ve already conquered.
Runners Adventure has both modern quick-fire platforming and a welcome dash of nostalgia for those old enough to remember Sonic Twosday (look it up, kids). It’s a heady mix, and one well worth checking out.