Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric

 Wii U
  • Publisher: Sega
  • Release Date: Nov 11, 2014
User Score
3.6

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 712 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 175 out of 712
  2. Mixed: 71 out of 712
  3. Negative: 466 out of 712
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  1. kashop
    Nov 11, 2014
    5
    In general I don't write reviews (because i'm not native English speaker) but the ranking here in metacritics is a complete lie.The game is good and don't deserve the hate.

    -The playability is good, -The character are different, the platforming and puzzle are fun, the fighting is a little monotonous at the beginning, but with the weapons and upgrades at the end are going better.The    In general I don't write reviews (because i'm not native English speaker) but the ranking here in metacritics is a complete lie.The game is good and don't deserve the hate.

    -The playability is good,
    -The character are different,
    the platforming and puzzle are fun,
    the fighting is a little monotonous at the beginning, but with the weapons and upgrades at the end are going better.The boss figthing are special and different.
    The graphics are good, in the speed areas are very fast and smooth.
    The story is very interesting but in another hand the humor is bad in general.
    .
    In sumary the game is good, is especially entertainment in the co - op mode. One player can play in the wiiu pad and the another in the tv, advancing for different areas and meeting later or going together. (this game is very original in different ways).

    the concerns:
    low rate in co -op (its not too much but it is.
    I believe is short, I have the 60% of the game in around 4 hours..    … Expand
  2. TheQuietGamer
    Nov 14, 2014
    5
    Another dud of a Sonic game. It's no secret that Sonic has been in some very bad games over the years. However given the fact that his most recent titles Colors, Generations, and Lost World have been good, you'll be forgiven for thinking this one was also going to be. Especially considering a new developer was at the helm, and there was some experimentation with the modern Sonic formula.Another dud of a Sonic game. It's no secret that Sonic has been in some very bad games over the years. However given the fact that his most recent titles Colors, Generations, and Lost World have been good, you'll be forgiven for thinking this one was also going to be. Especially considering a new developer was at the helm, and there was some experimentation with the modern Sonic formula. Sadly it all stumbles.

    For one thing the game is painfully simplistic. Combat is mindless button-mashing, platforming is almost non-existant, and death means nothing. The new features like an open world and side-quests show promise, but they are brought down by the games lackluster gameplay and a plethora of technical issues. Finding a hidden path that leads to treasure or a new collectible can be exciting at first, until you realize that collecting them leads to nothing. Same with the side-quests. The rewards you get for completing them are worthless and not worth going out of your way to acquire.

    Exploring the world would be a lot more fun if there weren't so many glitches in the game. The shear amount you'll face is unbelievable, especially for a game in 2014. I fell through the environment, had cutscenes where I couldn't hear any dialog but could clearly see characters talking, and suffered frame rate issues and screen tearing. The latter two are especially surprising considering this game isn't exactly a graphical powerhouse.

    The story and cutscenes are atrocious. The plot is convoluted as expected with most Sonic games, and I honestly don't remember much about it even though I just beat it. It tries way too hard to be funny, but the problem is that the writing just isn't smart enough to do that. There are a few amusing one-liners, but at most all you'll get is a smirk or a mild chuckle. The majority of them are just irritating, which is a shame given that the premiere episode of the show it ties into was absolutely hilarious.

    So "Rise of Lyric" isn't a good game, but that's not to say it's unplayable. In fact it can be a mindlessly entertaining experience at times. The co-op is also surprisingly great. Both players will always have something to do thank to the fact that certain paths can only be accessed by one character. However despite that I still don't think the game is worth playing.

    It's a mediocre experience. One that feels rushed and unfinished thanks to the number a bugs and glitches it has. The gameplay feels so geared towards children that you can tell it's all just way too dumbed down. It's not necessarily awful, and I can see the more forgiving gaming crowd finding some fun here, but overall the highest compliment I can give it is that it isn't the worst Sonic game out there. That's pretty sad. Especially given the promise it shows at times. Pass on this one Sonic fans.    … Expand
  3. Kinaibhlan
    Nov 15, 2014
    5
    The game had the potential to be great but failed due to glitches and bugs and some are dubbing the game as Sonic 14. Is it THAT bad? Well yes and no, the glitches and framerate drops are a huge problem but there are good parts. I find the old Jak and Daxter sound effects nostalgic and the platforming really fun but everything else is not that good. The game is not worth $60, just wait forThe game had the potential to be great but failed due to glitches and bugs and some are dubbing the game as Sonic 14. Is it THAT bad? Well yes and no, the glitches and framerate drops are a huge problem but there are good parts. I find the old Jak and Daxter sound effects nostalgic and the platforming really fun but everything else is not that good. The game is not worth $60, just wait for it to be in the bargain bin or a low price used at Amazon.… Expand
  4. SrOctopus
    Jan 19, 2015
    6
    This is obviously not the best sonic game ever. But it isn't as bad as everyone describes it. The gameplay it's still enjoyable but I have to agree with people in something. The game itself its a bug.
  5. Loxnaka
    Nov 6, 2015
    7
    after patch this game can be a bunch of fun and is no where near as bad as sonic 06 and I like the open world in a sonic game. as I say that's AFTER patch still though.
  6. Undeadbobop
    Nov 15, 2014
    7
    It is up there with crash bandicoot & spyro, a good old style Naughtydog game, people just need to open their eyes and look at it not as sonic games pasts.
    Disregaurd the 10's and 4 & bellows they are made by people who never played the damn game and basically just troll scoring for the most part, most of the negative reviews are by sony ponies and xbots getting mad cause its not on    It is up there with crash bandicoot & spyro, a good old style Naughtydog game, people just need to open their eyes and look at it not as sonic games pasts.
    Disregaurd the 10's and 4 & bellows they are made by people who never played the damn game and basically just troll scoring for the most part, most of the negative reviews are by sony ponies and xbots getting mad cause its not on playstation, xbox, or vita. Most of the 10s are made by people who don't actually have a review explaining their rating and opinions of this game.

    Gameplay:

    The gameplay isn't like the standard sonic game were you just run fast with high flying action of player NOT the hell in controll, instead in this game it is a action platformer with exploration elements, with a combat system of 2 different types of attacks. A standard attack every characters is different, and a special attack. The special attacks for some characters seem really useless like knuckles break dance attack range is too small to actually hit anything without getting hit yourself. While sonics special attack actually is more of a combo move where there is 2 varients with feed back that feels like you are doing a lot more damage, thus more rewarding to do.

    It is a more action adventure game that will leave you exploring but disappointed there are not enough secrets which causes you to search and look deeper for secrets instead of instant gradification like in other sonic games. It does treat you like you are dumb giving you tutorials and walks you through but only after the fact that you needed to know what it is you are suppose to do. Then at other times it nags you to do something you done a million times, and this is in the very beginning of the game.

    About half way through they stfu, and you can actually play the game and have some fun, there are some puzzles that it actually does the right thing and doesn't tell you jack **** which can leave some people confused because they thought game was going to play them and not them play game.

    But for gamer's it should be fun, unless they are whiny entitled dinguses.
    Voice acting: terrible... oh you want more to know on it well the voice... sonic + voice acting = always bad especially when you treat the gamer like they are **** stupid. Voice acting for the purpose of story mmmk, voice acting to tell me what each character is doing without telling me what they are doing BBBBADDDD...

    Multiplayer:
    this is a very 2 player co-op centered game but apparently there is a 4 player challenge mode I havn't gotten around to it.

    Level design:

    It is amazing you can clearly tell it is reminised of both spyro and crash bandicoot, many people were complaining saying the 2d sections are just trying to be like sonic generations and crap like that but they have 3d to 2d to 3d with levels designed exactly like crash bandicoot at parts and other parts were they were layed out exactly like spyros.

    The bad:
    Worst part of the game: Requires 3ds version of the game to unlock larger "wallets" which means more coins because you can only collect 100 coins and that is it. Coins are treated as health in this game so that is obviously a very flawed thing with this game which is why I am rating it so low unlike most of the whiny bastards on here without a actual legiment complaint about the actual game.

    The best:
    It reminds me a lot of the older crash bandicoot games mixed in with spyro with some racket and clank elements added on to it. The gameplay is solid while the story is bbbbbaddd, mostly due to the some of the voice acting and how many cut scenes are there in the beginning, some of the new characters are decent. The gameplay is solid but it really isn't the standard sonic game which doesn't make it a bad game

    PS:: look at all those angry reviewers mad that they didn't get their review copies copy pasting things here in this user section, all of them mad because they didn't get gift baskets either, I say **** them those corrupt bastards.    … Expand
  7. Flutterflybear
    Nov 17, 2014
    5
    This game sucks it has lots of glitches, the characters don't stop talking, I mean it's alright sometimes it can be fun, but it still should've been made better!:(
  8. BROstoise
    Jun 12, 2015
    7
    I'm going to get crucified for saying this: I liked Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric.
    I did not fail to acknowledge that this game is EXTREMELY unpolished. It has tons of glitches and framerate issues.
    However, someone once compared a game review to a food review. Every review can be different since everyone has a different experience with the product. My experience was mostly positive. None of    I'm going to get crucified for saying this: I liked Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric.
    I did not fail to acknowledge that this game is EXTREMELY unpolished. It has tons of glitches and framerate issues.
    However, someone once compared a game review to a food review. Every review can be different since everyone has a different experience with the product. My experience was mostly positive. None of the glitches detracted from my gameplay experience (unlike in Sonic '06, where you have to reset the game if you mess up the Silver fight, or when you get stuck on a wall as Knuckles). The framerate drops never happened to me at times where it was vital to have a quick reaction.
    This game was easily the funnies Sonic game on the market. While a lot of the jokes fall flat, a few of them actually made me laugh out loud. Regardless, this game is marketed towards 6-12 year-olds. It makes sense for someone of my age to not think all the jokes were funny.
    The story was average. Evil guy wants to destroy all organic life forms and the heroes stop him. Nothing special, like in Sonic Adventure 2 or Unleashed, but nothing horrible and confusing like in Sonic '06. The time travel segment makes a lot of sense and is very thought provoking... at least to me.
    People say this game is worse than Sonic '06, but it's really not. While the combat got repetitive near the end for me (I played though the first half of the game twice, so this wouldn't happen to me if I hadn't), it's nowhere near the repetitiveness of Sonic '06, where most characters only have 1 useful attack. The loading screens are also nowhere near as long, and like I said, the story is better and there are less troublesome glitches (at least in my playthough).

    The difficulty curve evolved quite nicely throughout the game. Thoughout the game, enemies and platforming gradually got harder. The game itself is very easy, however. There are no game overs and you rarely run out of rings because 1) you don't lose a lot when you get hit and 2) the game gives you way more rings than you'll ever need. Honestly, I'm glad this game was easy. If it wasn't, it would be frustrating.

    While the story mode is on the short side, there are tons of collectibles and multiplayer modes. I didn't find the multiplayer minigames to be all that fun, but others have. Unless you get all the 20 chests and 15 crowns on your first go though a level, you will not want to go back. There are 8 levels, and all of them are very lengthy. The combat got too repetitive by the time I beat the game that I felt as if getting all the collectibles wasn't worth my time.

    The graphics are stylized. Cell-Shades. Sometimes, the style doesn't look good. How visually impressive the game looks depends on the lighting. Some areas make the game look like it was actually made in 2014. Other times, the game can look like it was made with Roblox...

    In the end, I really can't recommend this game to anyone, since you most likely won't have as good of a time as I did with it.    … Expand
  9. Robinson2511
    Dec 8, 2014
    6
    This game is, interesting! When I first saw it, I wasn't sure whether to be concerned or excited, when I played it, I found that I should've been, neither. The game is, fun, to an extent, it's not world shattering, in fact, it's very reminicent of Sonic the Hedgehog 2006, consistant slowdown, slow characters, unintersting combat, and many glitches, but underneath, it's quite solid. TheThis game is, interesting! When I first saw it, I wasn't sure whether to be concerned or excited, when I played it, I found that I should've been, neither. The game is, fun, to an extent, it's not world shattering, in fact, it's very reminicent of Sonic the Hedgehog 2006, consistant slowdown, slow characters, unintersting combat, and many glitches, but underneath, it's quite solid. The level design is very strong, and works very well with the slower characters, the puzzles are very simple but they are fun, and the separate gameplay styles add depth while not straining the formula to it's limits. The biggest problem is the pacing, every 5 minutes you'll come across a combat section where you'll spend the next what feels like 10 minutes beating up robots. There's also the mach-speed sections, which are that by name only, the most baffling thing to me, is that you can stop during these sections, the same with the running on water moments, and sections where you control the water-thingy, are so awkward and stiff.
    So overall, Rise of Lyric, is a very average game, it's not as bad as many people say, but I can see why they compare it to Sonic 06, but yeah, it's not too bad, just ignore the awful puns.    … Expand
  10. JN1306
    Nov 25, 2014
    6
    Yeah, it was very disappointing...but honestly 3,8 is way too harsh. Keep in mind this was a brand new team worked on this game and I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and hpe they do better in the future. The game had sine enjoyable stages, I liked the new character designs and the music isnt half bad
  11. Operationgamer
    Sep 30, 2016
    7
    Overall, this game is a decent game with some room for improvement. There are things like glitches and framerate issues that need to be worked out, and the graphics aren't that great, but it was fun in the end.
  12. sdc
    Apr 4, 2015
    7
    People really need to take a step back. Sure, it has no polish, but it still worked fine. And it did mroe than that. The story was funny and light, and the first half of it is just how I want my Sonic. The controls are beautiful, so I found it nice, and the level designs were very simple, but fun. It's an average game, but still a good one.
  13. youlouz
    Jan 19, 2015
    5
    This game is fun in all, but it is lame compared to the other sonic games. This game you should think twice before buying it.

    PROS
    -Nice Graphics
    -good story

    CONS
    -Sonic is slow
    -long levels
    -boring gameplay
  14. TrueIcee
    Dec 20, 2014
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric is a good idea for a game starring the blue blur on paper, that just goes horribly wrong. I'm just going to start with the game's major flaws. The game isn't one that runs well. When you have the game run the way it's supposed to, it's 30 FPS. But the frame-rate isn't consistent and pops all over the place. I'm not mentioning the various bugs and glitches here, because I didn't run into any, but I know they exist. The game isn't exactly going to be winning any awards in the graphics department either. The game looks bad, I've seen worse, but I know the Wii U is capable of much better than that. Pop-in is EVERYWHERE. Not to mention when Co-op comes into play, the lighting engine completely turns itself off. Basically no shadows are seen.

    The combat is incredibly basic. There are 2 attack buttons. A normal attack button, and a special button. And while that could have worked, when there's no way to upgrade combat to earn more combos, the game feels tedious and a button masher. Doesn't help much that whenever you're not hydro-dashing, the game's speed is slow. Made even worse by the huge hub worlds, especially Bygone Island.

    Speaking of the upgrade system, I don't have a problem about the collectibles (mainly because this game is ridiculously easy), but the upgrades do next to nothing besides the health upgrade, but you need Shattered Crystal (the 3DS Version) to do so. So you'd need $90 to make the game even easier.

    Doesn't mean I didn't find anything positive to say about the game, however. The story may not be the best thing ever (in fact, this story has the most plot holes I've ever seen, and doesn't even try to explain this new world, despite it being a PREQUEL), but I can praise the character interactions. And I like the game's main villain, Lyric. His motive is an actual reason to be a villain, which is more than I can say for villains like Lost World's Deadly Six. And while the soundtrack is mostly forgettable, there are 1 or 2 songs I actually like.

    Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, is an average game, buried under a lot of glaring problems. While it may not be all that great, I've definitely seen worse.    … Expand
  15. TheSandi
    Oct 15, 2015
    7
    Great game, 0/-10. No, ok. This is a bad game, but not sooooooooo bad. Dont be posers, please. Is not the baddest game on the franquise, the baddest game in Sonic history is Sonic 06'.
  16. DarkerSonic06
    Jul 12, 2018
    7
    What I wanted was a Open World 3D Sonic game. Instead we became a Sonic Version of The Legend Zelda. With the easiest if I can even call it"Dungeons" . But I like the Design and Combat Gameplay. For me its Sonic Unleashed Werehog levels or Sonic Battle 3D.
  17. Nove123
    Jun 2, 2019
    7
    Sonic has survived many metamorphoses to this day with us. Big Red Button decided to create a Boom universe. It is accepted in this fan base to criticize all coordination changes, and this game is no exception. But is she as bad as they say about her? Well, let's start with the fact that the game was developed on the Cryengine engine, this explains why there are so many problems in theSonic has survived many metamorphoses to this day with us. Big Red Button decided to create a Boom universe. It is accepted in this fan base to criticize all coordination changes, and this game is no exception. But is she as bad as they say about her? Well, let's start with the fact that the game was developed on the Cryengine engine, this explains why there are so many problems in the game. Firstly, the game is poorly optimized because of what sagging of the picture happens, characters sometimes get stuck in textures. Secondly, the graphics are also not the highest level, character design, enemies, npc looks a bit soapy. But what can I say the game itself looks like soap. Thirdly, a sad slasher, and a poorly implemented system of interaction between the main characters. Enemies do not create a challenge, except for a battle with Metal Sonic. But considering all these disadvantages, the game does not deserve to be bad, as we see that the authors tried, tried to create a truly new Sonic. Though many people complain about the plot, but take a look at the age rating, and now think is it really bad? The authors tried to fix technical problems by releasing a global patch. They made a kind of pumping system and interaction between the characters, which we have not seen since the Sonic Heroes game. They even made a nice 2D platformer and the same slasher, which we have not seen since the days of Sonic Unleashed either. unlike the same Sonic Forces, the developers of Big Red Button, not the Sonic Team, tried, they didn’t care about this game anyway. They tried to fix technical problems, tried to add those things that were not in Sonic, well, or those that were forgotten by the Sonic Team. And after all this, to say that the game turned out bad, not well, this gentlemen is simply absurd. I understand that the rescue of the drowning, the work of the drowning. But it seems to me that with this game, as with Sonic 2006 and Sonic Unleashed, they acted cruelly.… Expand
  18. DreamerTG
    Feb 18, 2015
    7
    I understand the game, is by no means, a polished or great game. But it was a fun one. I liked the story and overall plot of the game, the voice acting and script that was ingenious, I loved the control and level design, certain areas looked great and overall animation is wonderful, I love the music, this is one of the most underrated games out there. It is not perfect or even great. ButI understand the game, is by no means, a polished or great game. But it was a fun one. I liked the story and overall plot of the game, the voice acting and script that was ingenious, I loved the control and level design, certain areas looked great and overall animation is wonderful, I love the music, this is one of the most underrated games out there. It is not perfect or even great. But it's a solidly enjoyable experience.… Expand
  19. GoldAbsolution
    Mar 22, 2015
    5
    You know, there's so many neat things going for this game. I really, REALLY wanted to like this; to sneer at all of the die-hard fans who moan at the slightest change of design in a Sonic game, and the Sonic Boom show is great! But really, it just shows that it was thrusted out without quality assurance. Rather tragic, really.
  20. BillClinton
    May 10, 2015
    5
    Game is bad. Who cares. Just a children's TV show tie in game. Do you know that there are grown men complaining about this game, Sonic's arms, and the voice actors? In a children's tv show tie in game about a fictional blue hedgehog. Some people just need to learn to grow up.
  21. PotionPixel
    Aug 8, 2015
    6
    The game is not a traditional Sonic game for sure. It shows that developers are still willing to take risks, and enclose themselves in their comfort zone. The game in fact is fun for casual gaming. But for die-hard Sonic fans, it is like a kick in the groin. They completely reworked the characters' personality to fit better in the game, when they should have done the opposite. That's theThe game is not a traditional Sonic game for sure. It shows that developers are still willing to take risks, and enclose themselves in their comfort zone. The game in fact is fun for casual gaming. But for die-hard Sonic fans, it is like a kick in the groin. They completely reworked the characters' personality to fit better in the game, when they should have done the opposite. That's the biggest flaw in the entire game. Also considering the fact that the game is a minefield of bugs. That shows some laziness.… Expand
  22. SkullBallCorp
    Jan 9, 2016
    6
    Not a true sonic game. Not all that bad either.

    I don't doubt that on release this game was a buggy mess but for someone who picked it up after the uk release it seemed mostly fixed. I have had very few glitches or problems and the game is fun enough. It doesn't do much for me as a big Sonic fan but as a platformer fan it does the job. Low expectations helped it out I think. Worth a    Not a true sonic game. Not all that bad either.

    I don't doubt that on release this game was a buggy mess but for someone who picked it up after the uk release it seemed mostly fixed. I have had very few glitches or problems and the game is fun enough. It doesn't do much for me as a big Sonic fan but as a platformer fan it does the job.
    Low expectations helped it out I think. Worth a try if you can find it cheap.    … Expand
  23. BlueSpeed
    Jan 21, 2016
    6
    This game is mediocre.... Well after playing this game i think the combat is ok but the frame rate is just eww,the music is forgettable but i think it got to much hate,the stories are average.I rate this game 6/10.
  24. BrandonNel2307
    Dec 21, 2015
    6
    Not a bad, nor terrible game, but it's lacking the fast classic Sonic action that everybody loves. It has OK graphics, visuals, and gameplay for a WIIU title, and is overall not bad. Don't listen to the people giving this game a 0 or 1/10. If you're a die hard Sonic fan, why not give this one a shot?
  25. Brandonnel2308
    Aug 8, 2018
    5
    Just simply an average platformer. There isn't much more to say about this game other than it's probably not worth your time unless your craving for a slower sonic game.
  26. Untitled94
    Oct 30, 2016
    6
    This was an underwhelming Sonic game, but it's still far from being the worst. While yes, this game has glitches and not so good graphics; they're not as bad as a lot of people say. The glitches are mostly only there if you try to find them. I have only run into 2, maybe 3 glitches throughout trying to play the game normally, which is a problem, but it wasn't horrible. The graphics are notThis was an underwhelming Sonic game, but it's still far from being the worst. While yes, this game has glitches and not so good graphics; they're not as bad as a lot of people say. The glitches are mostly only there if you try to find them. I have only run into 2, maybe 3 glitches throughout trying to play the game normally, which is a problem, but it wasn't horrible. The graphics are not very good for 2014 standards, but THEY ARE NOT PS2 ERA GRAPHICS! They are more early Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 graphics, which is still not that good in 2014, but it looks better than any PS2 game (in terms of graphics). The writing isn't as good or funny as the show, I did still get a few laughs out of it. One thing I kind of do have to agree on with a lot of people is how the characters never seem to shut up that much. It does get annoying. Overall, there are much better games out there, but there's a whole lot more that are much worse. Considering Big Red Button had to change to the Wii U, something Sonic Boom Rise of Lyric was not really meant for when they started developing it in such a short amount of time, it's still OK for what it is. As I said, it's underwhelming, but still fun.… Expand
  27. Toalbooth
    Jan 16, 2017
    6
    When I first purchased Sonic Boom, my expectations were low due to feedback I heard, but I didn't jump the bandwagon and just assume it was already going to be awful, after the glaring 1GB patch update, you're looking at a better game.
    Yes I had fun playing Sonic Boom Rise of Lyric, even before the update, the music is passable, the game play isn't as bad as you think; the speed section    When I first purchased Sonic Boom, my expectations were low due to feedback I heard, but I didn't jump the bandwagon and just assume it was already going to be awful, after the glaring 1GB patch update, you're looking at a better game.
    Yes I had fun playing Sonic Boom Rise of Lyric, even before the update, the music is passable, the game play isn't as bad as you think; the speed section frame rate doesn't help, but with exploring and walking around the rather nicely designed environments, I got to enjoy it.
    In terms of visuals, the Boom designs of the main Sonic characters really do fit very nicely in this universe, along with the designs themselves really showing off the characters personalities, Knuckles especially (Though the lack of intelligence is a cringe moment), the lighting really reminds me well of how it was done in Sonic Unleashed and the voice acting is very good from the 2009 group, in fact I'd say this is the best they've done so far.
    I do recommend this game, however I wouldn't recommend buying it full price from Amazon, I say if you see it in a Second Hand shop for about £20 or less, then get it, at least you're not being ripped off    … Expand
  28. Daedalusfalls
    Dec 15, 2018
    6
    I love Sonic games. Even the ones that get bad reviews, I tend to still have fun playing. With this being said, this game does have some problems. The big one is the framerate. When you enter high speed sections, the graphics tend to get choppy, which can unfortunately have an effect on the gameplay. It's not unplayable, but it is a major problem. Other than the framerate, some of theI love Sonic games. Even the ones that get bad reviews, I tend to still have fun playing. With this being said, this game does have some problems. The big one is the framerate. When you enter high speed sections, the graphics tend to get choppy, which can unfortunately have an effect on the gameplay. It's not unplayable, but it is a major problem. Other than the framerate, some of the levels can drag on a bit, as you run around hitting buttons to move forward. I had fun playing this game, but it's far from perfect. I enjoyed the combat, and the story interactions are entertaining. If you are a Sonic fan like I am, then you might enjoy this game, but if you aren't you will probably want to give it a pass. If you are looking for a Wii U Sonic game, I highly recommend Sonic Lost World. It's a more traditional 3D Sonic game, and it runs smoothly without graphical hiccups.… Expand
  29. Boubert
    Mar 9, 2020
    6
    Honestly, this is not the worst Sonic game. Stop saying « It’s the worst video game » !! The game is pretty bad, yes, but not so much. The 1gb update is pretty good: Bug patch, little graphics update, an arrow show you the way so you’re not lost in the level.
    But yes... the camera is pretty awful and pretty bad graphics for a Wii U. But the game tried to make a other type of Sonic game,    Honestly, this is not the worst Sonic game. Stop saying « It’s the worst video game » !! The game is pretty bad, yes, but not so much. The 1gb update is pretty good: Bug patch, little graphics update, an arrow show you the way so you’re not lost in the level.
    But yes... the camera is pretty awful and pretty bad graphics for a Wii U. But the game tried to make a other type of Sonic game, you can really explore the levels.    … Expand
  30. matheusfox
    Jul 6, 2023
    7
    I really liked this game, the problem is: bugs. There are bugs anywhere. I don't think this game is a Sonic game, because there is no Sonic speed, there is no good music and there is no Super Sonic in the final battle; but, it's a good platform game. I liked the characters, Knuckles is super funny, the story is ok, the level design is ok, but I think could be better on Amy Rose levels...I really liked this game, the problem is: bugs. There are bugs anywhere. I don't think this game is a Sonic game, because there is no Sonic speed, there is no good music and there is no Super Sonic in the final battle; but, it's a good platform game. I liked the characters, Knuckles is super funny, the story is ok, the level design is ok, but I think could be better on Amy Rose levels... but I think the problem are the bugs. I was thinking to give 6/10 score, but, I made fun with this game, and a game should be fun, so... 7 is my final score.… Expand
  31. Rezapoc
    Apr 9, 2021
    5
    It's not a complete dumpster fire like Sonic 06 in that the core gameplay works and that the cut scenes - like the Sonic Boom TV show - are actually quite well directed and acted. It's sort've a Saturday morning cartoon of a game, it's just like S06 its unfinished.
  32. Neurud
    Jul 29, 2021
    6
    This game is not so bad, actually. We have new character designs from the world of Sonic, gameplay in the style of an action adventure from the 2000s. There are enough shortcomings, but they are not so critical. The action game is monotonous, but not terrible - it lacks interesting combos and the ability to overcome opponents in different fighting styles. The music here serves purely as aThis game is not so bad, actually. We have new character designs from the world of Sonic, gameplay in the style of an action adventure from the 2000s. There are enough shortcomings, but they are not so critical. The action game is monotonous, but not terrible - it lacks interesting combos and the ability to overcome opponents in different fighting styles. The music here serves purely as a background, unfortunately it is not remembered. The plot is cliched with the appropriate villain for this (Eggman is also present here, but he is in a minor role). There is an open world where there is not enough map interface and a large number of NPCs to create the illusion of a living world like in Sonic Adventure, only some characters with sidequests. There is a pumping that almost does not affect the passage of the game.

    I pass it on the emulator and I really like it, I see the unrealized potential of the project (and judging by the history of its development, the publisher himself ruined the entire original idea of the project and in a hurry forced to redo it - you can find this story on the Internet).

    Therefore, I put 6/10. Not so bad, but not so good.    … Expand
  33. VegeST
    Jan 8, 2022
    6
    Can call me whatever you want, I think this Sonic Boom game is not bad. Like a platformer this one is pretty normal, combat is feeling good, the story is the best from Sonic Boom srories. For me the biggest problem of this game - diversity, not even bugs, 'cause I didn't fiound them that much.

Awards & Rankings

45
#45 Best Wii U Game of 2014
3
#3 Most Discussed Wii U Game of 2014
3
#3 Most Shared Wii U Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
32

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 28 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 28
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 28
  3. Negative: 24 out of 28
  1. Games Master UK
    Jan 31, 2015
    29
    Possibly the worst blotch on Sonic's record. [Feb 2015, p.73]
  2. Multiplayer.it
    Jan 15, 2015
    40
    Simply put, Sonic Boom is one of the worst Sonic games in recent memory: the concept is bland, the design is awful and the execution is incredibly poor.
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  3. XGN
    Dec 23, 2014
    30
    Sonic Boom Rise of Lyric is a real disappointment for Sonic fans. There is basically nothing positive to say about this game. Sonic deserves much better.
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