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.
Amazing Games. Many Cheats. Such Wow.
