Sonic Colours

Sonic Colors for Nintendo DS is a 2010 side-scrolling platform game developed by Dimps and published by SEGA. Released as Sonic Colours in PAL territories, it arrived alongside a Wii game of the same name but is a separately designed handheld adventure. Sonic and Tails investigate Dr. Eggman's enormous amusement park in orbit, where Eggman has captured the colorful alien Wisps to exploit their energy. The Nintendo DS version turns that premise into a fast, dual-screen Sonic quest built around running, jumping, rolling, and using newly found Color Powers.

The story follows Sonic through Eggman's Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park, a chain of planet-sized attractions filled with rides, hazards, robots, and routes to explore. Sonic races through themed areas such as Tropical Resort, Sweet Mountain, Starlight Carnival, Aquarium Park, Asteroid Coaster, and Terminal Velocity while trying to free the Wisps and shut down Eggman's operation. Tails supports the investigation, and familiar characters including Amy, Knuckles, Shadow, and Rouge appear through optional missions. The DS game also expands the finale beyond the shared central premise, giving its version a distinct closing challenge.

Play is presented chiefly as a 2D platformer in the style of the Sonic Rush games. The two Nintendo DS screens provide a tall playfield, allowing Sonic to speed between levels of the scenery as he follows slopes, springs, rails, moving platforms, and alternate paths. Players use the directional controls and buttons to move, jump, spin, and attack; a homing attack helps Sonic chain hits on nearby enemies. Rings act as protection from danger, while checkpoints, hazards, and bottomless drops keep the emphasis on quick reactions as well as momentum.

The Wisps give Sonic Colors Nintendo DS much of its variety. Rescuing these aliens unlocks Color Powers that temporarily transform Sonic or grant unusual movement options. Cyan Laser sends him ricocheting along a chosen route and through conductive paths, Yellow Drill lets him burrow through suitable ground and water, and Orange Rocket launches him skyward. The DS edition has its own selection as well: Red Burst can propel Sonic through the air and activate certain park devices, while Violet Void lets him float and draw in nearby objects. These powers open shortcuts, hidden items, and areas that reward revisiting earlier acts after new abilities become available.

Progression combines main acts and bosses with collectibles and optional content. Red Star Rings are hidden around the stages, and gathering them unlocks entries in Eggman's Sonic Simulator. This separate two-player mode supports local Nintendo DS wireless competition, with players racing through its courses as Sonic-styled robots or Mii characters. The game also includes touch-screen special stages and character missions, giving players reasons to look beyond a straightforward trip to the goal. Completing key challenges can lead to the Chaos Emeralds and the ability to use Super Sonic under the required conditions.

As a Nintendo DS release, Sonic Colors is best understood as a companion rather than a portable copy of the Wii title. Its side-on level design, dual-screen presentation, exclusive Color Powers, special stages, missions, competitive multiplayer, and final battle make it its own version of Sonic's Wisp-filled adventure. It also belongs to the long run of Dimps-developed handheld Sonic games, drawing on the brisk platforming approach associated with Sonic Rush while introducing the Wisps, a concept that continued to appear elsewhere in the Sonic series.