Similar in spirit to its GameCube counterpart, Sonic Battle, this GBA game takes classic Sonic the Hedgehog characters and pits them against one another in combat- and speed-based challenges. Players choose from favorites such as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, or even Shadow -- a total of eight characters are available from the start, with an extra, hidden character to be unlocked through skillful play. Battles are viewed from an isometric perspective and can take place in one of several arena levels, where users can tweak the fighting conditions to their liking. The game's single-player mode allows development of a custom AI partner. Up to four properly equipped Sonic Battle players can compete against one another through a link-cable connection.