Track: Seven Rings in Hand Game: Sonic and the Secret Rings Publisher(s): Sega Composer(s): Kenichi Tokoi Character: Sonic the Hedgehog “I wish for a mountain of handkerchiefs. Now, just let yourself cry. As much as you need to. You'll have plenty of handkerchiefs to help you through it.” - Sonic
Sonic and the Secret Rings is a 2007 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Wii. A spin-off of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, it is the first title in the franchise for the system, and follows Sonic the Hedgehog's quest to stop an evil genie named Erazor Djinn. In addition to the basic platforming gameplay of previous Sonic titles, Secret Rings uses a system of experience points and levels, as well as special moves that are unlocked by means of progression. The title was released in place of an aborted attempt to port the 2006 game Sonic the Hedgehog to the Wii. Producer, writer, and director Yojiro Ogawa conceived Secret Rings to tap into the Wii Remote's capabilities. He chose the theme of Arabian Nights, using many elements of the stories in the game's setting, characters, and Middle Eastern-influenced music. Sega changed the title of the game several times, originally being announced as Sonic Wild Fire, before settling on Sonic and the Secret Rings to tie in the theme of Arabian Nights. Upon release, Secret Rings received mixed reviews. Reviewers praised its visual style and considered the game as a whole to be an improvement from prior entries, but were critical of its controls, which some claimed took time to get used to, and its inconsistent difficulty. Sega released a sequel in 2009, Sonic and the Black Knight; the two form what is known as the Sonic Storybook series. Sonic and the Secret Rings was de-listed from retailers in 2010, following Sega's decision to remove all Sonic titles with sub-average Metacritic scores in order to increase the value of the brand.
