Sega has finally, officially revealed Sonic Rumble, a new 32-player party game that sees Sonic and chums compete in Fall Guys-style obstacle courses.
The announcement came via the official Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter that describes Sonic Rumble as “a speedy, 32-person mobile royale set in a cheery toy world created by Dr. Eggman”, which as evil plans go, seems like one of the nicer things Robotnik has ever done.
A trailer for Sega’s latest mobile offering starring the Blue Blur opens with Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow and Amy in model toy form, before springing to life in a dash across a 3D environment reminiscent of Green Hill Zone, complete with checkboard cliffs, chunky palm trees, and spinning flowers. The new trailer supersedes the previously leaked footage of the game previously known as Sonic Toys Party.
Gameplay bears a distinct similarity with Epic Games Fall Guys, with swathes of characters all jostling for position as they race through colourful levels inspired by Sonic’s previous outings. The trailer shows a range of playable characters from the Sonic franchise including Team Chaotix’ Espio the Chameleon, Charmy Bee, and Vector the Crocodile in addition to Silver, Metal Sonic, and everybody’s favourite feline fisherman, Big the Cat.
Sonic Rumble will feature “PvP madness, customisable characters, and epic battles” according to the newly created Sonic Rumble channel on Twitter. The trailer confirms that, unlike Fall Guys, Sonic Rumble will feature enemies throughout its obstacle courses, with several familiar foes making an appearance throughout the 45-second-long teaser.
Sonic Rumble is currently scheduled for a Winter release, although an exact release date has not been disclosed.
Beta Badniks
In addition to the official reveal, Sega has also sounded the call for players in the United States to sign up to become Closed Beta Testers. While the Closed Beta Test is for US players only, Sega has confirmed that Sonic Rumble will launch in more countries upon release.
Those looking to take part can sign up via the Sonic Rumble website, with the deadline for new registrations set for 11:59 pm PDT on Sunday the 19th of May 2024. The Closed Beta Test will run from the 24th of May to the 26th of May with gameplay sessions separated into various time slots “in order to assess multiplayer gameplay”.
Other stipulations require Apple users to have an iPhone 11 or later device and use the TestFlight app, while Android players will need to register using a Gmail address.
From analysing the trailer, it’s clear that Sonic Rumble’s development still has a way to go, with a choppy framerate that betrays Sonic’s iconic speed and fluidity. Fingers crossed Sega can use the Closed Beta Test to iron out Sonic Rumble’s technical flaws before its release later this year.
