When it comes down to high profile Sonic the Hedgehog video games the 2000’s decade has full of hits and misses. It felt like the most popular Sonic the Hedgehog video games came out during the first half of the 2000’s decade with the likes of Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes along with the 2D Sonic Advance series for Game Boy Advance. During the second half of the 2000’s it seems like the quality of Sonic the Hedgehog games had declined because they were not as intriguing as some of the older installments that Sega had produced in the 90’s or towards the start of the 00’s decade. We had games like Sonic the Hedgehog from 2006 which critics and gaming publications blasted for being boring along with having a convoluted storyline. There were also titles such as Sonic Unleashed which critics initially blasted because of how absurd the storyline was with Sonic becoming a werehog. During the second half of the 2000’s decade it felt like Sonic the Hedgehog series had lost its identity with each game having different gimmicks in order to appeal to a more casual audience. While the story for Sonic Unleashed and Sonic 2006 were considerably poor some would go on record and argue that the plot for Sonic and Secret of the Rings was actually pretty decent. Sonic and Secret the Rings was published by Sega and released as a Wii exclusive back in 2007 and it felt uniquely different from any other 3D Sonic title that preceded it.

The story for Sonic and Secret the Rings revolved around the blue hedgehog doing everything he could to stop the actions of a malevolent spirit known as Erazor Jinn who was the main antagonist of the game. Erazor Jinn was a storybook villain who used his dark magic to make himself powerful where he could eventually escape the book and bring destruction to the real world. Sonic along with the help of Shahra the Genie of the Ring venture through the Arabian Nights storybook in order to prevent Erazor Jinn from wreaking havoc while completing various missions throughout the game. Sonic and Secret the Rings was a game that had its ups and downs and probably would have looked better on the PS3/Xbox 360. The graphics for Sonic and Secret the Rings looked like something you would see on the PS2 which detracted from its overall quality. It should also be noted that the missions such as the Special Challenges, Go for the Goal, Beat the Clock and Rampage felt a bit repetitive. The Special Challenges consisted of tutorial gameplay and each mission in some ways detracted from the overall focus and seriousness of the story regarding Sonic and Secret the Rings. However, one of the strong points about Sonic and Secret the Rings included its storybook presentation along with the level designs which are criminally underrated. The storytelling aspect of the game felt somewhat similar to that of Soul Calibur V from 2012 in the sense where it felt rushed due to lack of 3D cutscenes. The final boss battle against Erazor Jinn felt underwhelming compared to other bosses in previous installments within the Sonic series mainly because it was lacking in difficulty. Sonic and the Secret Rings was something that probably that would have been better off as an animated film because the story felt like something you would see in a Disney movie.