Sonic Dream Team: Everything We Know

Sega has done it again, and we couldn't be happier. Slightly over a year after their major success with the release of Sonic Frontiers, the team recently announced their work in progress, Sonic Dream Team. The sequel's release will be exclusive to Apple Arcade.

A 3D-action platform game, Sonic Dream Team features Sonic the Hedgehog as the main playable character. He will team up alongside five other playable characters. The iconic Sonic the Hedgehog revives nostalgic memories of classics like Sonic and Knuckles and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. From the trailer and following Sega's reputation, fans are speculating another great hit.

While waiting for the 5th December 2023 release, here's everything we know about Sonic Dream Team.

5. What Is Sonic Dream Team?

Sonic Dream Team takes Sonic the Hedgehog and his team on a mission to defeat the antagonist, Dr. Eggman. To defeat Dr. Eggman, the player should carefully strategize every dash, climb, and fly move for utmost accuracy. As with its predecessors, the squad will possess an array of battle techniques.

Based on the available information and the recently released trailer, Sonic Dream Team will focus more on linear gameplay levels with a few open-world explorations. The game will also incorporate traditional elements that have previously recorded success in Sonic games. At the same time, the incoming sequel will introduce new concepts into the game. This may be Sega’s response to what critics termed “an unexpected departure” from Sonic’s classic style in Sonic Frontiers.

4. The Story

Dr. Eggman discovers The Reverie, an ancient relic that can also be used to manifest dreams into the real world. Following his unending desire to take over the world, Dr. Eggman sees The Reverie as his best weapon.  While Dr. Eggman wreaks havoc upon the world, leaving pain and suffering in his wake, it's up to Sonic the Hedgehog to stop him.

In Sonic Dream Team, players take on any playable character with Sonic the Hedgehog as default. However, Sonic has to rescue his friends before facing off against Dr. Eggman. Sonic has his work cut out for him from the very start.

As the game begins, Dr. Eggman finds a way to activate The Reverie, which starts manifesting his twisted dreams in the real world. To Sonic and his friends, the effects of The Reverie are not what they're used to. Dr. Eggman's dreams are as bizarre as they can get, and for Sonic and his friends, it only means more trouble.

As Sonic rescues his friends, they start inching closer toward Dr. Eggman, the evil doctor, who, in his desperation and pure malice, dreams of even worse fates for Sonic and the crew. At this point, the squad has to deal with reality-defying events.

Ultimately, Sonic or some other playable character has to fight Dr. Eggman for control of The Reverie. If you defeat Dr. Eggman, you'll have control over The Reverie. Since the trailer didn't reveal these details, players are left to speculate. Who knows? It could beam you back to the original Sonic the Hedgehog for nostalgia's sake or turn you into Voldemort.

3. Gameplay

Fans of the game are speculating that Sonic Dream Team will feature both single-player and multiplayer options. The game has all the shiny, colorful appeal of its predecessors in the Sonic series. Sonic and his friends go through the usual running, jumping, collecting items, and avoiding obstacles. However, in Sonic Dream Team, players have to fight off an evil overlord, Dr. Eggman, and his evil machinations.

Sega deviates a bit with the design of Sonic Dream Team. In place of lush Green Hill are four unique dream worlds in which the game's twelve levels are based. Players take on Sonic by default since he's the main playable character. However, they can choose from the other five characters, including Cream, Tails, Amy, Rouge, and Knuckles. Each playable character has unique playstyle and abilities.

Additionally, the game might inherit a less open-world exploration from its prequels. Instead, it will have more emphasis on its 3D action platforms. This shouldn't be overly concerning, though, since the game still retains most of Sonic's classic features.

2. Development

In the lead-up to Sega's announcement on 1st November, there was already some talk of a major Sonic release. This was mostly fueled by a teaser from Sega's official Twitter account. While there hasn't been any word on the developers working on Sonic Dream Team, we can only speculate that SegaHARDlight is behind its development.

SegaHARDlight is a group of experienced developers who have worked on nearly all previous games in the Sonic series. But it's not just that. SegaHARDlight developers are passionate about the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Not only do they have a deep understanding of the game and franchise, but they're also dedicated to maintaining and raising quality standards that fans have always loved.

Since Sonic Dream Team will be exclusive to Apple, there's the possibility SegaHARDlight is working with engineers from Apple, but this hasn't been confirmed yet. Looking at it from a software development point of view, there’s a possibility of the involvement of Apple engineers translating to an even better user experience.

Sega has always stayed true to its mission of making life colorful by constantly creating and captivating audiences through entertainment. If anything, its recent announcement affirms Sega isn't about to relinquish its commitment to its mission.

1. Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Sonic Dream Team will be released on 5th December, later this year, exclusively to Apple Arcade. There hasn't been an indication of a subsequent release for other devices yet. This may change, but it’s highly unlikely.

Sonic Dream Team will be domiciled on Apple Arcade, which at the moment charges a $6.99 per month subscription. New Apple users will also enjoy a three-month free trial. The Apple Arcade platform also offers the option to share the subscription with up to five people.

So, what's your take? Will you pick up a copy of Sonic Dream Team when it releases on Apple Arcade? Let us know your thoughts on our socials here.