Sonic Dream Team (New 3D Game from Hardlight, coming to Apple Arcade December 5)

Adding the Stomp addressed one of my concerns about the gameplay (specifically, that the game has too few air options or ways to launch in the air that it becomes tedious to go from the air to the ground) so that's great.

Still wish they bring back the Bounce in its entirety though.

 

When the game came out i heard people suggesting they add Shadow and Blaze to match the male/female paralleling character setup they had going on, but I guess with shadow being added by himself they aren't bothering with that anymore.

Though during that discussion I was thinking it'd be cool if they added Vector and some new girl counterpart for him, because I like vector and there aren't enough female characters in sonic as is.

 

I'm sure IDW exclusive characters will appear in this game. /s

 

Spoiler

this is what I came up with at the time, but i never finished it and dropped it for a while. She's a giant salamander named Trix who likes to play basketball. Shes as tall as vector and can smack stuff with her tail.

I wanted to give her some mathematical themed name, like how vector is named that because he can dash in a line. I was thinking something involving the arc a basketball travels in, like 'Parabola' or 'Arc' or 'Tan' (like tangent). The best I could come up with was trix as in a directrix.

 

This previous release solidifies this as the best recent Sonic game and it's not even on consoles. This is even over Frontiers. They need to find a way put this on PC or Consoles so more people can experience this. The skills system is basically like Frontiers.

 

I haven't had Dream Team in a minute. But i gotta' say that the only real reason I can see them adding the stomp to the game is that people do not know how to control Sonic midair, not being used to Sonic actually having momentum like he does in the 2D games.

The idea of that is honestly really amusing to me.

From what i have read, it is something you have to unlock, though. Which is kind of weird, as I feel like that defeats the purpose.

 

Hmm... You make a valid point. We are at the point where no momentum Sonic is the norm over momentum Sonic. It's been over 25 years since Dream Team went and finally brought it in 3D. Most of the fans now, probably either favor the Adventure/Boost era physics or have minimal experience with the Classics at all.

 

The game changes on a fundamental level from 2D to 3D. It has nothing to do with not being used to 2D Sonic games. 3D space demands far more precision in landing on things like platforms and grind rails since you're no longer restricted into a 2D plane. This is especially true in Dream Team because it doesn't have any forced 2D sections. Stomp is a good ability to help stick those landings. Personally, I find Bounce Bracelet to be the superior solution.

The lack of a precise landing tool in a fast paced game like Dream Team had an obvious effect on the way they design the levels. Every floating platform is a some giant floating square and all floating rails can be homing attacked into. The game isn't designed with stomp in mind, but it's inclusion is still more than welcomed.

 

i just looked some more into that and what in the peak is going on? If I am seeing correctly, it looks like the stomp doesn't cancel horizontal momentum necessarily. Am I seeing that right?

I think the stomp is superior because it puts you in a position where you can move and jump again to the next platform. That isn't really the case with the bounce bracelet as implemented. Maybe if the bounce gave you more height, and if you had more midair control coming up out of the bounce to be able to manuever over to said platforms..

Or in other words, if it was like the bounce of the Classic's bubble shield. (Everything always comes back to those games, it seems.) Idk.

I don't really subscribe to the mindset you're alluding to. Yeah, platforming in 3D is harder. But it is nowhere near impossible with sufficient camera control or even just a good camera angle when the camera is locked. See Crash Bandicoot. Or the harder levels of the course clear 3D mario's.

It is not even too difficult for Sonic. Do a run through Final Rush if you want to see what I mean, going for the skips, jumping from rail to rail. Or if you want to play a game that actually has classic momentum, play Sonic Robo Blast 2.

It isn't necessarily the case that you have to chicken out and do what Dream Team does in making continent sized platforms. Sonic Robo Peak 2 doesn't, and the game works just fine when you are good enough to be able to control Sonic. And that is in fact one of the reasons the game is so good.

I don't think the addition of an aid like the stomp or bounce is a bad thing. But make it clear that using those crutches isn't the most efficient means of platforming, and encourage actually getting good at the game.

Basically, this was an elaborate way of me saying, "Massive skill issue" but that's the norm for me, so eh.

 

None of the games that you mention are as fast as Dream Team with the exception of Robo Blast 2, which is floaty as hell. Adventure 2 also has excellent air control that hasnt been replicated since.

 

Robo Blast 2 is extremely floaty. But it still has classic momentum. And if we're talking about challenge in 3D platforming, no other 3D sonic game I have played hits the way SRB2 does.

That is actually maintaining the need to manage momentum midair and the challenge that naturally brings with it, while also being manageable.

I will mention that the Adventure games are also pretty darn floaty. Somewhat related, but you cannot build much in the way of downward momentum from falling. You can't really accelerate much midair like you can in the Classics. In fact, the air drag has been turned up a lot. Real momentum does not exist in the Adventure games when it comes to midair control. In fact, I'd say the boost games with the exception of Frontiers comes closer to imitating that aspect. And there are other things that hold me back pretty far from saying the Adventure games have excellent midair control.

It takes a bit more for me than simply being responsive and allowing me to abuse the mechanics to skip massive chunks of level design without much thought.

Believe it or not, if you ask me, the best physics we have gotten in a 3D Sonic game is the very game this thread is about. At least when it comes to the official games.

Dream team has pretty darn good steering, comparable to that of the Adventure games without being as twitchy and still giving a feeling of momentum.

But there is also actual weight to the movement. Almost like it's an actual Sonic game, or something. This is even the case midair, and if the level design actually took advantage of that with platforms not the size of Texas, it could make for platforming segments that are a pretty decent challenge to maintain flow through.

It is the best slope jump physics we have seen in 3D Sonic period. Nothing feels scripted there. And you can just feel and tell that they did not skimp out on putting in all the different ways that jumping off different angles impacts your jump.

Not overly floaty or having excessive air drag.

Like in the Adventure games, Sonic can now once again just run up walls and stuff by his own speed without automation.

It's pretty darn good. I almost want them to have a say in the official games as far as control on the merits of this game alone.

 

Congratulations to Sonic Dream Team for being a finalist for the 2024 App Store Awards! This accomplishment is well deserved.

 

But it will lose to Balatro, if it hasn't already.

 

FYI, Shadow is now in Dream Team.

 

Ugh, they really doubled down on the daily challenges XP grinding. Shadow has a separate unlock branch, and 3000 is needed to unlock him outside of challenges. Chaos control being mapped to hitting boost with no stick tilt feels needlessly awkward on a controller when it could have its own button instead. Chaos shift is neat in theory; it’s a lot like Doom Blast, but the aiming on it feels wonky and overly sensitive.

 

In the trailer they use Chaos Control in extremely stock ways which we’ve praised SXSG for not doing. Is this your king, “Dream Team is the best 3D Sonic” crowd?

 

Still is

I don't even know what you're talking about. Chaos Control slows down time just like in SXSG. Chaos Shift is just the enemy launcher from SXSG, minus the enemy.

 

It'll never be the best 3D Sonic game when you can't buy it.

 

We heard you the first 20 times

 

SEGA Hardlight where's my Rocket League Sideswipe but with Sonic instead you bastards