Sonic Dash FAQ

Sonic Dash FAQ
                                                            
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Sonic Dash FAQ

Written by InstantTrain

///TABLE OF CONTENTS///
	1. 	OVERVIEW
	2. 	CONTROLS
	3. 	ITEMS
	4. 	BADNIKS
	5. 	BOSSES
	6. 	LEVELS
	7. 	SCORING/LEVELING
	8. 	MISSIONS
	9. 	EVERYTHING ELSE
	10. 	CONCLUSION

--- 1. OVERVIEW ---

	Sonic Dash is an endless-runner game, where the player runs, jumps, and
    slides through a series of stages divided into levels. Gameplay is
    punctuated by occasional setpieces and boss battles. It is
    free-to-play, but does offer a hefty amount of optional in-game
    purchases.

--- 2. CONTROLS ---

	Jump: Swipe up to jump. It's fairly responsive, and there's not as much
    airtime as recent Sonic games. Note that there's no airborne enemies in
    Sonic Dash, and therefore the jump is used almost exclusively to
    leap over obstacles.

	Spin: Swipe down to spin into a ball. This is your primary way to attack
    enemies and slide under low-hanging obstacles. Note that spins can be
    chained together into one longer spin that lasts for several
    seconds by quickly swiping down repeatedly. The hint screens call this a
    "Spin Boost" but as far as I can tell, this actually slightly slows
    Sonic down.

	Sidestep: Swipe left or right to change lanes.

	Homing Attack: when in the air, tap the green reticule to bounce towards
    and off the targeted event. Note that this is only used when targeting
    Choppers and the end of boss battles, so for all intents and purposes,
    it's basically a scripted event.

	Dash: Tap the Dash Meter when filled to dash: you'll speed up, become
    invincible, magnetize nearby rings, double your current score multiplier,
    and automatically traverse pits. Try to smash obstacles as you go -
    you get a point bonus when you do. Note that the Dash isn't the most
    responsive command in the world, so give yourself a bit of space, as
    it'll start about a second 	after you tap it.

	Jump Slam: This isn't an official name for it, but it's what I'll be
    referring to it as in this guide. Jump and immediately Spin (so swipe
    up then down) to cut your forward momentum and spin on the ground.
    This is actually NECESSARY in certain sections to avoid jumping into
    certain patterns of obstacles, as Sonic's normal jump arc is rather wide
    and unsuitable for tight platforming.

--- 3. ITEMS ---

	Rings: Scattered throughout the level in streaks of 3-10, Rings give you
    points for collecting, and also save you from death when hit. As usual
    in Sonic games, you need at least ONE ring to survive a collision with
    an enemy. They also fill your Dash Meter when collected.

	Magnet: This attracts Rings towards you for a limited amount of time.

	Shield: This guarantees survival with a collision with one enemy or
    obstacle.

	Red Star Ring: These can be used to skip missions, purchase items, and
    act as all-around ingame currency. You'll also get a few when leveling
    up.

	Headstart: Tap this item at the very beginning of a run to get an
    automatic Dash right out of the gate. This item also comes in a Super
    Headstart variant, which lasts slightly longer (both last approximately
    one level).

	Revive: Brings Sonic back from the dead. You can earn a free one by
    watching an ad video, or buying one with Red Star Rings.

	Spring: Touch this at the end of a level to Bank your rings (save them
    for in-menu purchases), play a small swiping minigame for a few rings,
    and move to the next section. Note the signs on each spring showing
    where it leads.

	Obstacles: Jump over, Spin under, or Dash through these. Among the wide
    variety are stacks of crates, cliff faces, totem poles, fences, spike
    traps, and many more. They all oneshot you, so be alert. Don't be
    afraid to Jump Slam in dense sections to prevent slamming facefirst
    into a fence.

--- 4. BADNIKS (do we still call them that?) ---

	Crabmeat: Stationary. With good timing, you can jump on these guys.
    Spin or avoid them.

	Caterkiller: Same as Crabmeat, only they have spikes on their heads.
    Don't try to jump on top.

	Chopper: Homing Attack these guys to cross pits.

--- 5. BOSSES ---

	NOTE: Rings do not spawn during boss battles! You must either win rings
    during the level transition minigame, or grab a few right as you enter
    the level. As said by Isai: Don't get hit.

	Dr. Eggman: Eggman's fight has two stages. The first is firing missiles
    out of the two middle launchers on either side of his Egg Cruiser. He
    only fires one at a time, so just jump or 	sidestep them. Note that
    he will gradually get closer as he keeps firing. The second stage is
    front-facing, as he fires X Barriers, one or two at a time. Same thing,
    jump or sidestep. Then hit the spring and Homing Attack him three times.

	Zazz: Essentially the same fight, only he's riding a moon and firing
    stars? (I never played Sonic Lost World). Exact same attack patterns
    and angles.

--- 6. LEVELS ---

	Levels in Sonic Dash are basically the same, with the main variety being
    the diversity of setpieces and density of level objects. Early stages
    tend to feature wide, sloping terrain with few 	pits and long stretches
    of rings, while later levels tend to be much more dense, with obstacles
    and pits taking up 1 or two lanes simultaneously, and fences, spikes,
    and pits being placed almost right on top of each other. As far
    as I can tell, the levels are modeled after a mix of the following
    Sonic locations:

		Green Hill Zone (Sonic the Hedgehog)
		Windy Hill Zone (Sonic Lost World)
		Palmtree Panic (Sonic CD)
		Seaside Hill (Sonic Heroes)
		Sunset Hill Zone (Sonic Advance)

--- 7. SCORING/LEVELING ---

	The game keeps track of your high score. It's used for social media
    sharing, multiplayer competition, or good ol' fashioned bragging rights.

	You can use Boosters to access different bonuses for certain bits of
    gameplay, but they only provide score bonuses, so there's no obligation
    to buy any if you're out.

	Complete Missions to level up - you'll get a few Red Star Rings and
    boost your score multiplier for your trouble. Note that the multiplier
    bonus ends at Level 20, but you can keep leveling up for Red Star Rings.

--- 8. MISSIONS ---

	Missions are actually pretty fun in this game. They range from killing
    a certain amount of Badniks, to running certain lengths in one life, to
    playing creatively, such as going 3000 meters without jumping. They're
    reasonably fair most of the time, but don't be afraid to fork over a
    few Red Star Rings to skip a mission here or there - you still get the
    XP for completing it anyways.

--- 9. EVERYTHING ELSE ---

	Upgrades: Spend Rings to buy character upgrades. I recommend Dash
    and Dash Duration as soon as possible.

	Daily Challenge: Touch the puzzle pieces to get an item.

	Daily Spin: Spin the wheel to win characters or items. One free
    spin per day.

	Character Challenge: Grab an absurd amount of tokens (it was 300 for
    Blaze the Cat and 600 for Shadow the Edgelord) to win a character.
    3 tickets to play at a time, one ticket per half hour. Note that
    when you switch characters, your upgrades you spent on that character
    are removed until you switch back, and they also have no
    differentiating abilities, so why would you ever change from Sonic?

	Store: Buy in-game items, phone wallpapers, and characters.

	Multiplayer: Extremely glitchy and appears to use a different server
    client. Forgettable.

--- 10. CONCLUSION ---

	This was a fun writeup. Thanks to Sega for a solid mobile game, and
    thanks to GAMEFAQs for hosting this FAQ. I've used this site for
    many years and wanted to give back a little.

Version 1.0 - Uploaded initial version.
Version 1.1 - Fixed a few minor changes to spacing and disclaimer.

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