Well, hi everyone. So, today, I will be making another sonic game review. Oddly enough, this Sonic 1 hack didn't really get my attention that much, however, when I tried it out, it is pretty good compared to the other Sonic hacks that got my attention at first while I was in the RGR. Anyways, let's go ahead and start on this review!

Intro: Anything Good or Interesting About this Sonic 1 hack?

To be honest here, there isn't really anything that interesting about this Sonic 1 hack since it doesn't leave me wondering about something like other sonic hacks, however, this Sonic hack itself is a pretty good hack to play, here and there. Well, to basically explain what this Sonic 1 hack is, as you can guess, it simply replaces the original Sonic the Hedgehog with Metal Sonic, one of Sonic's metallic foes, as the playable character and..... hero? Well, not really sure if he is supposed to be a "hero" in this game, but not a big deal to be concerned with. I guess I can say that playing as Metal Sonic in old Sonic games for the Sega genesis is pretty cool. Though, I am not really much of a person here who loves to play as Metal Sonic, strangely in this Sonic hack and some other Sonic hacks with Metal Sonic as the character to play as, I actually kind of enjoy it. Well, I don't enjoy it as much as my other favorite Sonic hacks out there but it is still fairly enjoyable compared to other Sonic hacks. Also, one more thing to say is that, pretty much, all other zones in this Sonic 1 sprite hack is pretty much unchanged and it is original. Though, there are a few gameplay changes and a few graphic changes, here and there. Anyways, let's go ahead and start jumping in more to reviewing this game! 

Gameplay: 9

Well, let's go ahead and start off with talking about the significant parts and things about Sonic games and hacks. Of course, the gameplay is what is most significant for Sonic games, at least in my opinion. So, the gameplay for this Sonic 1 sprite hack is actually quite similar to the original Sonic the Hedgehog 1 in lots of ways, however, there are a few things to talk about for the changed stuff in this Sonic 1 hack. To explain it even further, there are 3 different types of modes to select in the title screen that basically have the changes for the gameplay or specifically, the special moves. Those 3 different types of modes to play in are, "Original", "Spindash", and "Hyperdrive". Well, to be honest here, just by reading the name of those modes, they are pretty much self-explanatory. Though, the "HyperDrive" mode may or may not be very self-explanatory to you, depending on if you have played metal sonic hyperdrive before or not. Anyways, let's go on with explaining all 3 different gameplay modes in this Sonic 1 hack:

Original mode:

Yep. You can pretty much guess this one but to explain it a bit, when you were to select "original" in the title screen, the game will start and you'll notice that you're playing as Metal Sonic, however, if you were to go ahead and play, you will notice nothing really special. There is no special moves like the homing attack and not even the spin dash. Nothing but jumping and running, which is basically like the original Sonic the Hedgehog 1, so, thats how it is supposed to be like. Also, as for the physics, I do not see any noticeable changes for the physics. When Metal Sonic tries to run, he will run at a constant somewhat normal and fast speed, even if Metal Sonic runs down a hill, no matter how steep the hill is, he will still go down in the same speed, unless you were to press down while running and make Metal Sonic roll down the hill. So, you can pretty much see that the "Original" mode is indeed, "Original" just like Sonic the Hedgehog 1, though, it is pretty cool to always have that "Original" or "Classic" choice in games. The game would feel a bit more "Complete" if it were to have the choice to play it at it's good old original.  

Spindash mode:

Yea, that is also pretty self-explanatory and obvious, really. In this mode, it simple enables you to do the spin dash move. As all of you probably already know, you can do the spin dash move by simply pressing and holding the down key and tapping jump button to charge up your speed, then let go and you'll blast off. Other than that, there are no other changes from the original Sonic the hedgehog 1 and the physics appears to be the same like the original. I'll have to say that it is pretty cool to include this mode since there are some speed-runners out there who always love to speed-run their favorite Sonic games with the spin dash move or simply use it for fun. 

HyperDrive mode:

Now, for this one, some of you can probably guess what this mode is, if you have played Metal Sonic hyperdrive before. If you haven't, then you may not know what this mode is unless you try it out. Well, I hate to burst your bubbles, but there isn't really that much changes from the original in this mode either, however, don't take that wrong, there is still some nice tweaks in the gameplay. To basically explain it, the physics seemed somewhat altered a bit. Normally, in the original physics, you can't run that fast and you don't move faster downhill, however, in this mode, you can actually run faster and move even faster down hill or in even steeper areas, without having to roll down. To be honest, I like this type of changes in the physics, it just makes even more sense. I mean, in real life, if you run down a steep hill, you will move a bit faster than running on a flat surface, right? This mode actually does that. It makes the physics a bit more realistic and enjoyable, especially since you can run faster like how Sonic games are supposed to work. Also, don't get me wrong, I do also like the original physics, but I just like this modified physics better. Also, another difference is the spin dash. Even though Spindash mode also has the spin dash, the hyperdrive mode has the Sonic CD style of a spin dash instead of the Sonic 2 or 3 style spin dash. As for spin dash mode, it has the sonic 2/3 style. Also, one more awesome move I must mention, is of course, the homing attack which is in this mode. It is really awesome, simply press the jump button while you are in mid-air and you will dash through the air. If you hit a monitor or a badnik, Metal Sonic will actually do sort of a small jump and pause in midair, which will give you a short moment to actually do the homing attack once more. However, one thing is that the homing attack doesn't really seem very "homing". What I mean is that Metal Sonic actually doesn't automatically go right into a nearby badnik or monitor, he just simply dashs through the air, left or right depending on what direction Metal Sonic is facing, however, the direction isn't really that controllable either, but, it's still a cool move overall. 

Graphics: 8

Alright, now, let's start off with talking about the modified things in the graphics for this Sonic 1 hack. So, as you guys probably already know, all the original Sonic sprites were replaced with metal Sonic sprites. To be honest, I really don't know where the Metal Sonic sprites came from, whether it came from other Sonic hacks or if it was freshly made for this hack, but it's best not to say something false. Anyways, the metal Sonic sprites in-game are fairly well done. I guess it matches how the real metal Sonic looks like and it seems to be of somewhat high quality. Now, as for the title screen, Metal Sonic in the title screen is.... Ehhh, not that bad, I guess, but not as impressive as I thought it can be. I have seen other Sonic 1 sprite hacks with even better title screens and animations. This one is not even animated since Metal Sonic just randomly pops up in the title screen, still. Though, he does look like himself, but, I think there is some lost potential in making Metal Sonic look even more epic in the title screen. Other than that, all else is pretty much the same like original. To describe the original zones' appearance in graphics, they are mostly bright, clear, fitting, eye catching, and decent quality for a Sega genesis. It definitely looks like something that a gamer would want to see for graphics. It is not fuzzy, plain, dreadful, color-less... etc. Thats about it for the graphics.

Sound: 9

Well, there aren't really any sound changes, no changes at all for sound actually. It is exactly like the original, but, if you want me to describe it.... I'll try. So, to describe the sound effects (Like collecting rings, jumping... etc), it is quick, very fitting for this game, and decent quality. It is definitely not a horrible sound that would disgust retro gamers, it is more of a sound that you would actually want to hear. Like, if you were to collect rings, you would definitely want to hear that sound effect of collecting rings. It is very catchy and fitting. It also makes you feel like as if you are really more inside the game. Now, as for background music, it is of decent quality, very catchy and beautiful, and definitely fitting to the appearances of the zones. Like, if you were to look at green hill zone, it is visually bright, happy, pleasant... etc. And at the sametime, the background music is also very bright, happy and pleasant which really matches it very well. all other zones are pretty much like this. To sum that up, it is of decent quality sounds that retro gamers would want to hear. 

Addictiveness: 7

Alright, so, I wouldn't really say that this is one of the most addictive Sonic games and hacks out there. Though, it is a bit addictive in someways. Now, I guess I'll go ahead and explain it. So, basically, one of the main reasons I find this game somewhat addicting is because of the different choices in gameplay. I sometimes just want to try the original gameplay mode for a while, then I just want to switch and try out hyperdrive mode. To be real honest here, I find hyperdrive mode to be the most fun and most addictive mode to play compared to the other modes due to the faster, more realistic, and more fun physics, and of course, the homing attack. In fact, I actually find the homing attack or air-dash move to be the most addictive part of this game. Everytime I try to speed-run through some of the zones, I use the homing attach mode quite A LOT throughout the zones everytime I jump. It just helps in giving you a pretty nice boost in the air and it is so fun to mess around with as you run through the zones! I can seriously say that out of 10 jumps I make in a zone in hyperdrive mode, I use the homing attack 8 out of those 10 jumps. Well, I don't know about you but thats how the game is a bit addictive, but, it's not that addictive compared to other sonic hacks, but, still decent. 

Story: 6

Yea. You guys already know. Same old and simple story, but somewhat odd and interesting. To basically say the story in this Sonic game: "Dr. Eggman, the dictator, has evil plans! Will, uhhh.... Metal Sonic? Be able to stop him? Wha?" Yea, that is why I say that the story is somewhat odd and a little interesting, why would Metal Sonic be the one to try to stop Dr. Eggman? Makes no sense at all. Almost as confusing as the motobug in Sonic 1 hack. But still, the story itself is simple and overused throughout old Sonic games. Though, this is an insignificant thing about sonic games. 

Depth: 8

Well, I'll have to say this, this game does offer some nice things. To basically explain it, as I have said before, there are 3 different types of gameplay modes. An option to play as the original Sonic game, an option to enable the spin dash move, and an option to enable some nice tweaks in physics, homing attack, and spin dash. (Hyperdrive mode). I honestly don't remember seeing much Sonic hacks out there where they would offer such different options for more of different experiences in gameplay, all in one simple sprite hack. Normally, most Sonic hacks out there would simply have no options and just instantly start the game with only one type of gameplay experience. This is something that only this Sonic hack and a few others would offer. Other than that, nothing really that special other than playing as Metal Sonic in all original zones of Sonic 1. 

Difficulty: 7

Ehh.... It mostly depends on the zone. In nearly all Sonic games, it is just a bit random in difficulty, depending on what zone you are playing, like green hill zone is a piece of cake and labyrinth zone is very challenging. Though, depending on what gameplay mode you play, you can have a very few advantages in certain areas in zones. Like in hyperdrive mode, the homing attack or air dash can really help in some cases making things a bit easier for you. 

OVERALL: 9

Thats it for my review guys! I hope you enjoyed reading it! Any comments, feedback... etc will be appreciated. Have a nice day on vizzed.

Great review I really enjoyed reading it I am a big fan of the sonic games and never played this hack so thank you for your review