When the Nintendo DS was revealed at E3 2004, SEGA showed a Sonic the Hedgehog-based tech-demo for the system. This tech-demo showed off a Dreamcast-esque Sonic running at high speeds, and the player controlled this speed by swiping back and forth on the touch-screen. In a slightly surprising move, Sonic Rush was revealed at E3 2005. While some may be disappointed to hear the original idea was scrapped, it seems Sonic Rush shaping up to surpass the early tech-demo in every way.

Sonic Rush will, in fact, be a side-scrolling adventure like the classic Sonic the Hedgehog games for SEGA’s early 1990’s platforms. There certainly will be a lot of emphasis placed on speed, level exploration, and secret finding akin to the early entries in the series, but this edition will do one thing differently...

The dual-screened setup of the Nintendo DS allows for the action to be spread across both screens, meaning you’ll be able to see more of the stage at one time. Using both screens as one display has several advantages. One such example should seem reasonable to veterans of the series. In previous games, if Sonic was running down a hill at top speed it was impossible to see what was in front of him, sometimes resulting in some cheap deaths. With this feature, Sonic will be moved to the top screen (since he’s normally on the lower one) so that you can see what’s coming on the bottom screen.

My heavily-hyphenated introduction points out that the original concept was in 3D. While Sonic Rush will be a side-scrolling adventure, it’s important to note that both 2D and 3D elements combine to form this title. The character models for example, are in full 3D. There will also be 3D segments in the gameplay as well. While only one 3D boss battle was shown at E3, it’s likely that all of them will be done in the third dimension, adding a level of diversity to the classic side-scrolling provided.

Long time fans of the series won’t be surprised to hear about the introduction of a new playable character either. Sonic Rush introduces Blaze the Cat. Her unique powers are unknown at the moment, but SEGA says she’ll have her own unique levels that cater to her abilities.

SEGA also says that the game will feature some touch-screen mini-games, but hasn’t specified if there will be more touch-screen based action or not. Regardless, the game seems to be on track to at least equal the quality of the Sonic Advance titles, if not surpass them. Sonic Rush comes out this Fall.