Sonic Boom: Fire and Ice OST Review

  

Summary

I wasn't too thrilled to move on to the next Boom game. Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal was okay, but Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric was generic and never seemed to end. 

Luckily Fire & Ice clearly heard the complaints. It has a lot more energy, while not completely alien to the "explorer" vibe the Boom verse tried to emulate.

While levels like Seaside Island offer similarities to the previous Boom, different elements give it a unique touch. Some parts of the soundtrack are atmospheric, modern-ish, rock, or even retro. "Hovercraft," for example, seems to combine some Genesis era sounds with 2016. 

Even though there were some hints of what I call "Colors" elements, it was mixed up well enough that it didn't seem overly 2010s or annoying. It was more like an enhancer this time.   

No doubt thanks to the same composer, there are similarities to some levels of the Saturn version of 3D Blast. 

Sunset Town, a scrapped level (/scrapped track) for Sonic the Fighters has also been remixed as Ragana Rock. 

Best Song:  Kodiak Frontier

Runner-Up (s): Kodiak Frontier (all), Seaside Island (all except Map), Paleo Tarpits (all), Gothic Gardens (Spooky Hedge/Gargoyle's Patch, Challenge), Ragana Rock (World Map), Thunder Island (Map), Hovercraft

Relaxed, this chill addition to the series could be a distant cousin of Ice Cap.

Worst Song: Cutthroat Cave Swamp/Treetop Marsh

Runner Up (s): Cutthroat Cave (all except boss), Gothic Gardens (map), Thunder Island (bot Race 1), Main Title, Stinger Victories, Most of the Cutscene Music 

Am I in the Tiny Chao Garden? Cutttroat in general seemed out of place, but this funky bit is an even stranger dive from that. 

 

Final Ranking: C

This is quite a step up from the other Boom titles and will have that "Sonic" appeal that fans missed before. While a gem in the Boom verse, it's more average in the series as a whole.