Although critics praised the graphics, the game's excessive load times and poorly explained, overly complex minigames were found to be significantly detrimental to the overall experience.

[3][4] The players can choose to play as one of these four characters, or Big the Cat, E-102 Gamma, Super Sonic, and a Chao if unlocked later.

[8][9] Smilebit had previously developed Jet Set Radio (2000) for the Dreamcast which was well regarded for its cel shaded visuals.

[5] Support for online multiplayer through SegaNet was planned, it was ultimately cut so the game could ship ahead of the 2000 holiday season.

[7] Sonic Shuffle was released for the Dreamcast in North America on November 14, 2000,[12] in Japan on December 21,[13] and in Europe on March 9, 2001.

[2][3][9][21][23] They found the minigames to be overly complex, poorly explained, and generally not as enjoyable as those in Nintendo's flagship party series.

[21][23][24] Both GameSpot and Eurogamer felt as though the minigames were an afterthought, only appearing sparingly whereas in Mario Party they were central to the experience.

[3] The long load times when transitioning between the main game board, the minigames, and other scenes was another common complaint.

[21] Greg Orlando of NextGen concluded his review of the game by saying: "In the end, this shuffle is a decent one, and the hand that's dealt from it can hardly be considered a throwaway.

Under the dark shadow of Sonic Adventure 2, this tepid, diluted affair will have difficulty proving itself, even to franchise stalwarts".

[9][f] Official Dreamcast Magazine (UK) and its American counterpart both felt that the game was more fun with human players rather than computer-controlled opponents, and complained about the lack of online support.

[4] Official Dreamcast Magazine (US) felt that with more development time and support from Sonic Team, the game could have been saved.