Sonic Team's newest Sonic the Hedgehog game is coming to Android and iOS this spring. Dubbed Sonic Runners, the free-to-play mobile game will be a 2D side-scrolling runner with stages that can be played in a minute or two, according to Sonic Team's Takashi Iizuka.
In preview of the game in Famitsu, Sonic Runners is described as a game that can be played with one hand; Sonic moves forward automatically, and players need to tap the touchscreen to make him jump. Sonic Runners will feature some familiar gameplay mechanics, like ring collecting and stages with loops, confrontations with Dr. Robotnik and unlockable playable characters Tails and Knuckles.
Sonic Runners' first teaser trailer doesn't show any footage of Sonic Team's new game. But it does prominently feature Sonic the Hedgehog's 2D side-scrolling adventures over the years, from the Sega Genesis games to Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2, saying that players will run, jump and fly "to reach the peak."
The game's teaser touts a spring 2015 release, but Famitsu says the game will be released in Japan sometime this month. Sonic Runners will be free and supported by premium item purchases, according to Sega's teaser site.
Sonic the Hedgehog has already made a number of appearances on mobile platforms, including Sonic the Hedgehog 4, Sonic Dash, Sonic Jump Fever, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing and re-releases of 16-bit Sega Genesis era games.
