It had been nearly sixteen years since the last 2D Sonic platformer when Sega announced this game. People were excited to hear of the Blue Blur's return to 2D, but was it worth the wait? Let's find out!
Graphics: I really like how all the models look in this game, especially Sonic and Eggman. The stages also look very nice, but they seem a little too "cartoony" in my opinion, especially Splash Hill Zone, but you would probably easily look past this.
Sound: I actually kind of enjoy a lot of the music in this game, it kind of reminds me of the Genesis, but also brings something new. I really like Splash Hill Zone and Mad Gear Zone's music. The normal boss theme is kind of catchy and the "Pinch Mode" music is ok, but it gets a little repetitive during E.G.G. Station Zone. The sound effects are a bit off a throwback to the Genesis sound effects, which is fine by me.
Addictiveness: To be honest, even though it is fun, I don't find myself playing this too often, but whenever I do play it again I tend to find speedier ways through the levels.
Story: It's your typical "Classic Sonic" story, so there's not much to say here.
Depth: There are only 4 zones, 5 including the E.G.G. Station/Final Zone, Splash Hill Zone, Casino Street Zone, Lost Labyrinth Zone, and Mad Gear Zone. All of these stages are "semi-throwbacks" they take themes from past Sonic levels and bring in new mechanics to add a bit of originality. The bosses are "semi-throwbacks" as well, mostly stemming from Sonic 1 and 2 bosses. The Special Stages are also throwbacks, to Sonic 1. To enter a Special Stage, you have to collect 50 rings and then jump into the giant ring at the end of the zone. They take the maze aspect of the Sonic 1 special stages, except this time there are seven and you control the maze instead of Sonic. Once you get all seven Chaos Emeralds, you can transform into Super Sonic.
Difficulty: Once you get used to the controls, this game isn't very difficult. The only things that I still find to be irritating are the Mad Gear Zone boss in Pinch mode and the final boss.
Gameplay: I know it's not part of the scoring system, but I feel like this needs to be brought up. The gameplay is somewhat different from the classic titles in the sense that if you let go of the direction you're going, Sonic will stop and lose all momentum and rolling isn't really a great way to gain speed. It is kind of odd going from the classics straight to this, but it shouldn't take you very long to get used to the new physics. Super Sonic actually controls a little better than regular Sonic in my opinion, he can jump higher, go faster, and is completely invincible. Also new to Sonic's arsenal is the Homing attack from the 3D Sonic games, it can also be used when you're not locked on to an enemy to do an air dash and gain a little speed.
Overall I think this is a pretty good Sonic game, certainly not the best, but it is still pretty good. This is definitely a game I would recommend you have in your collection. I give it an 8 out of 10. It had been nearly sixteen years since the last 2D Sonic platformer when Sega announced this game. People were excited to hear of the Blue Blur's return to 2D, but was it worth the wait? Let's find out!
Graphics: I really like how all the models look in this game, especially Sonic and Eggman. The stages also look very nice, but they seem a little too "cartoony" in my opinion, especially Splash Hill Zone, but you would probably easily look past this.
Sound: I actually kind of enjoy a lot of the music in this game, it kind of reminds me of the Genesis, but also brings something new. I really like Splash Hill Zone and Mad Gear Zone's music. The normal boss theme is kind of catchy and the "Pinch Mode" music is ok, but it gets a little repetitive during E.G.G. Station Zone. The sound effects are a bit off a throwback to the Genesis sound effects, which is fine by me.
Addictiveness: To be honest, even though it is fun, I don't find myself playing this too often, but whenever I do play it again I tend to find speedier ways through the levels.
Story: It's your typical "Classic Sonic" story, so there's not much to say here.
Depth: There are only 4 zones, 5 including the E.G.G. Station/Final Zone, Splash Hill Zone, Casino Street Zone, Lost Labyrinth Zone, and Mad Gear Zone. All of these stages are "semi-throwbacks" they take themes from past Sonic levels and bring in new mechanics to add a bit of originality. The bosses are "semi-throwbacks" as well, mostly stemming from Sonic 1 and 2 bosses. The Special Stages are also throwbacks, to Sonic 1. To enter a Special Stage, you have to collect 50 rings and then jump into the giant ring at the end of the zone. They take the maze aspect of the Sonic 1 special stages, except this time there are seven and you control the maze instead of Sonic. Once you get all seven Chaos Emeralds, you can transform into Super Sonic.
Difficulty: Once you get used to the controls, this game isn't very difficult. The only things that I still find to be irritating are the Mad Gear Zone boss in Pinch mode and the final boss.
Gameplay: I know it's not part of the scoring system, but I feel like this needs to be brought up. The gameplay is somewhat different from the classic titles in the sense that if you let go of the direction you're going, Sonic will stop and lose all momentum and rolling isn't really a great way to gain speed. It is kind of odd going from the classics straight to this, but it shouldn't take you very long to get used to the new physics. Super Sonic actually controls a little better than regular Sonic in my opinion, he can jump higher, go faster, and is completely invincible. Also new to Sonic's arsenal is the Homing attack from the 3D Sonic games, it can also be used when you're not locked on to an enemy to do an air dash and gain a little speed.
Overall I think this is a pretty good Sonic game, certainly not the best, but it is still pretty good. This is definitely a game I would recommend you have in your collection. I give it an 8 out of 10. |