Speed, agility, and precision were the keys to making the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise one of gaming’s earliest touchstones, but somewhere along the line Sega lost sight of what makes the series work. Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric has a laundry list of problems, and not just problems inherent to the modern Sonic franchise, but failings of basic design.
Rise of Lyric is crafted as a prequel to the brand new Sonic Boom cartoon, and it attempts to serve as an introduction to the Sonic universe for a brand new generation of fans. Sarcastic spiky blue hedgehog Sonic is joined by his pals–bullheaded Knuckles, geeky Tails, and spunky Amy–on a mission to stop the technocratic lizard Lyric from wiping out all organic life on their planet as the villainous but inept Dr. Eg…