“You can’t please everyone” — The new Sonic Dream Team update on Apple Arcade is adding hundreds of challenges and a new zone “to give players more of what they wanted”

(Image credit: SEGA)

Being a 3D platforming Sonic game with unique levels and six playable characters, Sonic Dream Team is one of the Blue Blur’s most ambitious outings on mobile and one of the best Apple Arcade games right now. With its new update, developer Sega Hardlight wants to “give players more of what they wanted.”

Getting to talk to the team in a call, iMore had the chance to see what is coming with the new update and even ask a few questions about the game itself. The team had previously worked on Sonic Dash+, Sonic Racing, Sonic Jump, and even worked on the mobile port for Sonic Forces. Outside of Sonic, the team has also contributed to the development of Valkyria Chronicles 4 on PC, Two Point Hospital, and more.

Sonic Dream Team is one of the better 3D Sonic games of the last decade and the team explained the process behind its design. “We looked at our own runner titles and the mainline console titles and tried to fit a space in between to make it as accessible as possible. To give it a little more depth.” Given it is on Apple Acrade, it had to work on all Apple devices so the team “kept the controls simple, then tried to add depth with the levels themself".

The new Sonic Dream Team update

Though Sega Hardlight was “blown away as a studio by the feelgood vibe” of the reception to Sonic Dream team, it also talked about the areas its latest project was criticized for. Namely, length and difficulty. “You can’t please everyone. I think some people wanted a greater challenge. More characters. You can’t give them enough… more levels as well”. The newest update is an attempt to address this feedback somewhat, giving “players more of what they wanted”.

The new update, Sonic Dream Team’s second update, introduces a brand new zone called ‘sweet dreams’. It is set after the main story and is “a playground for the characters to enjoy. It’s nice, it’s bright, it's colorful. But it’s gonna be quite tricky for players as well”. It has a series of fun contraptions, pulleys, and more, to “fling” characters around. These were originally designed for the main game but the team didn’t have the time to properly implement them. It will include 100s of challenges on new and old tracks and should give players plenty to keep the Blue Blur running towards when it launches on April 18.

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James is a staff writer and general Jack of all trades at iMore. With news, features, reviews, and guides under his belt, he has always liked Apple for its unique branding and distinctive style. Originally buying a Macbook for music and video production, he has since gone on to join the Apple ecosystem with as many devices as he can fit on his person.

With a degree in Law and Media and being a little too young to move onto the next step of his law career, James started writing from his bedroom about games, movies, tech, and anything else he could think of. Within months, this turned into a fully-fledged career as a freelance journalist. Before joining iMore, he was a staff writer at Gfinity and saw himself published at sites like TechRadar, NME, and Eurogamer.

As his extensive portfolio implies, James was predominantly a games journalist before joining iMore and brings with him a unique perspective on Apple itself. When not working, he is trying to catch up with the movies and albums of the year, as well as finally finishing the Yakuza series. If you like Midwest emo music or pretentious indie games that will make you cry, he’ll talk your ear off.