Sonic Wings Assault, the last game in the Sonic Wings series, stands out for its completely different style of game play. Deviating from the vertically scrolling tradition, players must fly through three-dimensional space in timed missions to attack boss enemies, along with their supporting aircraft. Besides worrying about getting shot down by the enemy, players must also avoid crashing into the ground or buildings. Each player is flanked by three wingmen and reports to the carrier Goliath. Assault features the fewest playable characters out of the entire series, with only four options available in normal play and two hidden, unlockable characters. There is also little plot revealed within the game itself, with no dialogue in between stages.