Sonic Dash for Android

An endless running game, Sonic Dash offers an entertaining gaming experience you will definitely enjoy if you're a Sonic fan. But because of its limited environments, obtrusive video ads, and costly in-app purchases, it may tire you before long.

Pros

Intuitive, responsive controls: Rather than relying on tilting like most running games, Sonic Dash uses swiping: left or right to switch between lanes, down to slide and defeat enemies, and up to jump over obstacles, all of which are responsive and, because of their straightforwardness, easy to grasp. The only other command is a tap to unleash Sonic's unstoppable homing attack.

Stimulating gameplay: Whether you're a casual or hardcore gamer, this title's gameplay is easy to grasp yet challenging.

Beautiful game design: More than good looks, this game has charm. Sonic, himself, looks authentic, as do the tracks, obstacles, minions, and arch-enemies he encounters along the way.

Cons

Repetitive: Although enjoyable, the never-ending running experience lacks the sense of accomplishment of level-based games. This sensation is further aggravated by the lack of environments: only two are available. The missions, accomplishments, Google+, and Facebook integration for leaderboards, and power-ups keep the game fresh only up to a point.

Annoying in-app purchases: To unlock other playable characters like Knuckles, Tails, Amy, or Shadow, remove the fullscreen video ads that appear whenever you fail to complete a race, or buy upgrades, you need to spend rings, stars, or money. Collecting enough rings or stars to unlock interesting items takes a lot of time.

Banking requirement: The rings you collect as you run aren't actually saved in your account unless you reach certain checkpoints in the game. If you crash before you reach a checkpoint, you can lose scores of collected rings.

Bottom Line

In spite of its ads, heavy in-app purchase system, and repetitiveness, Sonic Dash proves to be an enjoyable game, thanks largely to the responsive controls and overall engaging gameplay. Whether or not you're a Sonic fan, if you like mobile gaming you should try this title.