Sonic Dream Team

Sonic Dream Team is a 2023 platformer game developed by Hardlight and published by Sega as part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The game follows Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose, Rouge and Cream traversing across Reverie Haven which is corrupted by Doctor Eggman—using a mysterious device protected by a guardian named Ariem—to stop him. As of one of the six characters, the player will collect Dream Orbs by completing a series of missions across multiple stages. Every character, each with their own unique abilities, can be unlocked to the player after collecting enough Dream Orbs. The multi-character aspect of the game marks a return to similar gameplay first in Sonic Adventure (1998) and Sonic Heroes (2003).

Dream Team's dream world was created as a result of shaping the game's narrative around bringing back Cream, wanting it to feel like a natural reason why she would be put in harms way. The game itself was shaped around the idea of being in an exhilarating state of flow, with levels being designed to emulate rollercoasters and half pipes. The game was developed in under 2 years and is the first 3D Sonic game on mobile. Hardlight had previously worked on other Sonic mobile titles such as Sonic Jump (2012), Sonic Dash (2013) and Sonic Forces: Speed Battle (2017).

Sonic Dream Team released on iOS, iPadOS, macOS and tvOS under the Apple Arcade subscription service on December 5, 2023, and received a generally positive reception for its gameplay and visuals, although it received criticism for its story and short length. The game is expected to receive several content updates, with the first one released on February 14, 2024.

Gameplay
Sonic Dream Team is a 3D platformer which follows Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends through various levels taking place inside of Doctor Eggman's dreams. The game features six playable characters; Sonic, Amy Rose, Tails, Cream the Rabbit, Knuckles the Echidna and Rouge the Bat. In addition to performing homing attacks and boost dashes, Sonic and Amy can Light Dash through rows of rings, Tails and Cream can fly for short periods of time, and Knuckles and Rouge can glide and climb up walls. Players can switch between available characters in order to use their abilities to reach areas of each level others can't. The game features 4 worlds that are each broken down into 3 open-ended levels. In order to progress through the story, the player must collect the Dream Orbs scattered throughout the level. Some levels also have additional missions that require specific characters to beat. Additional items can unlock bonus content. The game features both touch screen controls and controller support.

Plot
Doctor Eggman discovers an ancient relic called the Reverie, an object with dream-controlling powers that allow its user to manipulate their dreams into reality. Eggman, wanting to use this power for his own gain, steals the Reverie and kidnaps Cream the Rabbit and Chao pet Cheese to access the relic's power. Eggman activates the Reverie upon which its guardian seals Eggman inside his dreams before he can do any harm to reality. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose and Rouge arrive at the scene to try and rescue Cream and Cheese, to which the guardian also sends everyone to sleep and as a result enter Eggman's dream. Upon awakening in the dream world, known as Reverie Haven, Sonic meets the Guardian of the Reverie and Dreamweaver, Ariem. Ariem asks Sonic to collect Dream Orbs for her so that she can restore Sonic's friends and reclaim Reverie Haven from the dreamscapes Eggman has constructed.

Development
According to Creative Director Dan Rossati, the intention of the gameplay was to "make a game that allowed players to get into an exhilarating flow state", comparing playing the game to, "skate parks and bobsled runs with rounded corners" that is designed to maintain the player's flow as they run through each of the zones.

The announcement trailer was released on November 1, 2023, with the music composed by Tee Lopes. A subsequent trailer with the game's opening animation was released on November 22, 2023, with animation by Powerhouse Animation. It was released for Apple Arcade subscribers on December 5, 2023, on iOS, macOS and tvOS.

Sega confirmed that Dream Team would be getting three major updates in a similar vein to Sonic Frontiers (2022), with the first one released on February 14, 2024, adding a time trial and overhauling the boss fights.

Reception
According to the review aggregate website Metacritic, Sonic Dream Team received "generally favorable reviews" based on 9 reviews.

AppTrigger said it is the game that "3D Sonic fans have been waiting for a long time". Several reviewers praised its aesthetics, engaging goals and game feel, while also calling the story "bland" and the game very short.