Sonic The Hedgehog Games With The Best Combat

When most people think of Sonic the Hedgehog, their minds will most likely imagine high-speed platforming rather than intense combat. Sure, Sonic is more than capable of cruising through an area at lightning speed, but there have been times across the series where he’s also been forced to slow down and let his fists do the talking when someone decides to step in his way. Combat has been handled very differently for many of the Sonic games, with some allowing Sonic to simply throw out a few punches and kicks, while others let him create bright and flashy combos with only a few button presses.

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For anyone out there who likes the idea of playing a Sonic title that incorporates a few elements from the hack-n-slash and beat em’ up genres, the good news is that there’s a plentiful selection of entries in the franchise that provide this. In fact, considering how outlandish some of the Sonic spin-offs have been, there are even some games entirely dedicated to combat. Here are the Sonic games that have the best combat for players to enjoy.

7

Sonic Heroes

Power-Type Characters Can Dish Out Tons Of Damage When Their Team Gets Surrounded

Platformer

Racing

Fighting

Action-Adventure

Released

December 30, 2003

ESRB

e

There are a total of four teams that players can choose from when starting up a new playthrough of Sonic Heroes. Each team is made up of three members, one of whom will be the damage dealer, who is capable of obliterating any Eggbots or creatures that confront the gang during their travels. While these characters can punch and kick to melt an enemy’s health bar, they are also able to throw their two comrades like portable cannons to knock over any stubborn opponents who refuse to go down, and they can even partake in a dazzling team attack.

Sonic Heroes also features a few brief battle levels that take place between two of the groups, which are some of the most chaotic sections of the game. Because of how fast the base-speed is for many of the characters, fighting against the likes of Amy or Shadow can feel a bit janky at times, but the combat in Heroes still works well against regular enemies, and it also helps to break up the pacing of the stages to ensure they don’t go by too quickly.

6

Sonic Boom: Rise Of Lyric

Sonic And His Friends Can Use The Brand-New Enerbeam To Spice Up Combat Sections

Action-Adventure

Platformer

Systems

Released

November 11, 2014

ESRB

e

Though the Sonic Boom games aren’t exactly looked back on all that fondly by many fans, one area where they at least do a pretty admirable job is the combat. This primarily applies to Rise of Lyric, where the introduction of the Enerbeam allows players to get a little creative with their attacks. This tool is essentially a whip that can pick up enemies and throw them around the stage, so it’s a ton of fun to use and play around with in the middle of battle.

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Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy all have their own unique combat styles. This adds some nice variety to the combat sections, though their actual move lists are fairly limited. Rise of Lyric puts a heavy emphasis on its fast and fluid combat, and as a result, it’s pretty enjoyable and arguably the best part of the entire experience.

5

Sonic And The Black Knight

This Game Manages To Include Hack-And-Slash Elements While Still Retaining The Series’ High-Speed Gameplay

Platformer

Hack and Slash

Systems

Released

March 3, 2009

ESRB

E For Everyone: Fantasy Violence

In Sonic and the Secret Rings, much of the gameplay involved Sonic running through a linear level as fast as possible while collecting Rings and items along the way. In the sequel, Sonic and the Black Knight, this gameplay formula has remained intact, but since Sonic is now equipped with his trusty new Excalibur blade, the game is also able to throw some light hack-and-slash elements into the mix.

As Sonic ventures through each stage, players will need to attack and block attacks at just the right time in order to avoid losing Rings. The sword itself is controlled with the Wii remote, and though it only has a handful of commands, there’s still a real joy in practicing the timing of the sword swings until, eventually, Sonic is capable of turning robots into scrap mettle in no time at all.

4

Sonic The Fighters

A Fighting Game Spin-Off With A Satisfying Combat System Featuring Plenty Of New And Iconic Characters

Released

June, 1996

ESRB

e

Back in the 1990s, there were two things in the video games industry that had become immensely popular: Sonic the Hedgehog and arcade fighting games. Therefore, it was only a matter of time until the two inevitably merged, resulting in Sonic the Fighters, which, while a little basic for fighting game standards, still has more than enough mechanics for players to experiment with. For example, while each character can punch, kick, and use a barrier for defensive purposes, they can also activate a Hyper Mode, which allows the combatant to throw out a ton of deadly moves in quick succession in order to throw the enemy off balance.

There’s also the Safe Landing mechanic, which allows a character to get back to their feet quickly after a knockdown, giving players the opportunity to go in for a punish right after. These baked-in systems ensure that there’s at least a bit of strategy and skill involved in the matches, so while it might not be as advanced as the likes of Street Fighter or Tekken, the combat in Sonic the Fighters is still a lot of fun to be a part of and very satisfying to get good at.

3

Sonic Unleashed

Players Can Unlock New Moves And Techniques For The Werehog’s Beat ‘Em Up Missions

Released

November 18, 2008

ESRB

e

Sonic Unleashed‘s gameplay is separated into two sections: Day stages and Night stages. While the former allows Sonic to speed his way through a stage at lighting speed, when the sun goes down, and he transforms into a Werehog, the gameplay becomes much slower and more of a traditional beat ’em up. Since the Werehog has giant fists and limbs that can stretch extremely far, it means players can dish out tons of damage from any range when prowling the dark and dreary streets as the Werehog.

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There’s also a nice progression system where players can spend EXP to bolster their strength and speed while also earning more abilities along the way. While these areas do still involve some platforming and puzzles, the fast-paced combat is a ton of fun to jump into, especially since there’s a lot of combo potential thanks to how the enemies juggle and flinch upon being attacked.

2

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

BioWare Carried Over Their RPG Expertise Into The Dark Brotherhood, Which Features A Turn-Based Combat System

Systems

Released

September 30, 2008

ESRB

e

When BioWare was put in charge of developing Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, it was clear they still had their RPG caps screwed on, as the game is packed full of elements that are related to the genre. The biggest example of this is the turn-based combat. Upon approaching an enemy, Sonic and the gang will stop in place, waiting for the player to give them a command on how to attack or defend.

What makes this system such a blast to use is how rewarding yet intense it is. Since players accumulate POW points, which a character can use to execute a special attack, they will need to be considerate of how they use them, since it’s all too easy for a slip-up or miscalculation to end in a Game Over screen. However, there’s also the group attacks, which allow characters to come together to pull off one big devastating blow to the enemy if they’re more durable than usual. Pair all of this with a progression system that lets players upgrade the individual stats of each character, and it’s no wonder why so many fans have come to love The Dark Brotherhood so much for its core gameplay and combat.

1

Sonic Frontiers

Sonic Can Pull Off Plenty Of Flashy Techniques When Taking On The Guardians And Regular Enemies

Released

November 8, 2022

ESRB

E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence

It’s clear that, when designing Sonic’s brand-new combat mechanics for Sonic Frontiers, the team decided to go in a more anime-oriented direction given how over-the-top yet satisfying it is to use. Whether it’s firing off a barrage of homing projectiles, shooting out a flying kick, or even simply pounding the ground to catch an enemy off guard, there’s a plethora of unique ways for Sonic to take out his opponents over the course of a playthrough.

This isn’t even mentioning the epic Guardian battles where Sonic takes on his Super form, allowing him to unlock plenty of other powerful attacks that are an absolute marvel to watch in action thanks to how exaggerated they are. Running around the Starfall Islands is already a ton of fun given how many secrets and collectibles there are to uncover, but Sonic Team also managed to nail the combat, which is the most in-depth and enjoyable it’s ever been in the series.

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