In addition to the basic platforming gameplay of previous Sonic titles, Secret Rings uses a system of experience points and levels, as well as special moves that are unlocked by means of progression.

Producer, writer, and director Yojiro Ogawa conceived Secret Rings to tap into the Wii Remote's capabilities.

He chose the theme of Arabian Nights, using many elements of the stories in the game's setting, characters, and Middle Eastern-influenced music.

Reviewers praised its visual style and considered the game as a whole to be an improvement from prior entries, but were critical of its controls, which some claimed took time to get used to, and its inconsistent difficulty.

Sonic and the Secret Rings is a three-dimensional platform and action game featuring an on-rails style of movement.

[2] Thrusting the Wii Remote forwards allows Sonic to perform a homing attack, a mid-air move that targets and damages enemies in his path.

Unlike previous titles, Secret Rings does not feature a life counter or game over screen, but instead Sonic reappears at the last visited checkpoint after dying, although the player will have to restart a mission if they fail a specified objective.

Several Sonic series characters appear in the form of figures from Arabian Nights, such as Miles "Tails" Prower as Ali Baba, Knuckles the Echidna as Sinbad the Sailor, and Dr. Eggman as Shahryār.

[10] He dons a ring that makes him Shahra's master and grants him the ability to ask for any wishes within her power; he then enters the book.

To try and keep them out of Erazor's hands, Sonic wishes for Shahra to do what she truly thinks is right, and she collapses on the ground as her mind cracks due to her conflicting emotions.

[16] After granting the third wish, Erazor pleads for Shahra to stop Sonic and save him, but she refuses, leaving him to be sucked into his lamp.

Shahra states that his story will be forever remembered in the pages of the Arabian Nights, and the title image of "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" in the book then changes to "Sonic and the Secret Rings".

[11] Citing lengthy development times for a port, Sega switched plans and conceived of a Sonic game that would use the capabilities of the Wii Remote.

Sega preferred Wild Fire over Secret Rings, but the latter better fit the game's story and Arabian Nights.

[9] The music of Sonic and the Secret Rings was composed by Kenichi Tokoi, Fumie Kumatani, Seirou Okamoto and Hideaki Kobayashi of Wave Master.

According to Empire, which gave the game 3/5 stars, Secret Rings "reclaims the bewildering blend of platforming and racing that made the series famous" while "fixing the erratic stop-start gameplay that marred recent editions" and showcasing "the best graphics the Wii has to offer this side of Zelda."

However, "the occasionally sluggish controls and spasmodic in-game camera mean Sonic's Wii debut is far from perfect.

[33] IGN's Matt Casamassina, Nintendo Power's Chris Shepperd, and GameSpot's Greg Mueller named Secret Rings the best 3D Sonic game, but criticized the 3D titles in general.

[34] Fahey denounced levels' "avoidable blind spots and leaps of faith", and found the number of stages and their re-use over multiple missions "a little bit disconcerting".

Bettenhausen called the controls "a tad reckless at first – Sonic's momentum takes some getting used to, and trying to go in reverse is a pain – but become more natural and fluid as you get acclimated to the fast-paced, twitchy action.

"[29] Casamassina and Mueller offered similar opinions,[8][34] while Shepperd criticized the game's low camera angle and arbitrary targeting system.

[22] Casamassina compared the games to those in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz: "only a handful of them really stand out and some are downright pointless, but overall gamers will probably be happy that they were included.

[50] The two form the Storybook series; Secret Rings is based on Arabian Nights, and Black Knight casts Sonic into the world of King Arthur.