Sega announced Monday plans to release Sonic Dash, a mobile game of the “endless runner” variety, for iOS platforms (iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad, to be precise). Dash, developed by Hardlight Studio, is a follow-up to the mobile platformer Sonic Jump, which hit iOS in October and Android in December. The announcement comes as no surprise, as the UK-based, Sega-owned developer spilled the beans on Twitter at the tail-end of February.
Dash will be an “endless runner” – meaning, basically, that players will control Sega’s Blue Blur as he rushes through an endless level, navigating increasingly dangerous obstacles as he gains more and more speed, the game only ending upon his death (in other words, seemingly a perfect fit for Sonic). The genre arguably came into prominence with 2011’s Temple Run, the popularity of which spawned any number of similarly-styled titles – Jetpack Joyride, BIT.TRIP RUNNER (and its sequel) and even a sequel to the original Temple Run, to name a few.
No release date or pricing information has yet been made available – All Games Beta reports only that the game will be available on the iOS App Store “soon” – although Jump currently sits at .99 USD on iOS, which may give some indication of where Dash might land, pricewise. Jump also featured two game modes – Story Mode, which featured defined, finite levels, and Arade Mode, which featured ongoing stages in the “endless runner” (in this case, “jumper” vein). There’s no word yet on whether Dash might offer similar options, though a Story Mode of some kind might allow for a more traditional Sonic experience.
Any of you iOS users out there excited to hear the news? How’d you like Sonic Jump? Are you sick of the endless runner genre entirely? Let us know in the comments!