Hey guys, Tyranit here with a review of the original Sonic the Hedgehog. This game was created to go against Mario and Nintendo in a rivalry that defined the 90's, and a rivalry that Sega had the lead in at one point, but that is another story for another day. Sonic is fast, fluid, and really defines the 90's attitude that we all came to know and love. Anyway, onto the review.
Graphics - 7
The graphics of Sonic 1 were awesome for back then, as Sega had a leading 16-bit console, the Genesis, before Nintendo had the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The colors were vibrant, and still looking appealing today. The sprite of Sonic is animated well as he runs through loops and jumps on badniks. The only bad graphical problem I have seen are the seizure inducing special stage with all of the flashing lights and colors in the background.
Sound - 9
The music and sound effects of Sonic 1 are timeless, such as the notable Green Hill Zone being recognizable all over the world, and the ring collecting sound effect that you sometimes even hear at a gas station when they open the cash register (at least where I live they do that). Marble Zone's music is decent, but the level is bland, making it not as memorable. Spring Yard Zone had a good track that became to the precursor to the other Casino type levels in the Sonic universe. Labyrinth Zone is my least favorite track, but that is probably because I had to listen to it over and over again as I died from drowning in that irritating level. Star Light Zone, on the other hand, is one of my favorite tracks in the game, as it feels like I am getting back into the groove after good runs of Green Hill and Spring Yard. Scrap Brain is surprisingly bland to me for a final zone, but the actual Final Zone, being just a boss fight against Robotnik, is one of my favorite Final Boss themes ever. The boss fight music is the worst of the classic series to me, but is still good nonetheless.
Addictiveness - 8
Sonic 1 is pretty darn addictive, as it is a short game to kill time, but also fun to do time trials of your favorite levels to see how fast you can get through them, as I can get through Green Hill Act 1 in 28 Seconds. I love also using the level select code to get to Star Light Zone to have some fun going through the split pathways.
Depth - 5
Sonic 1 was pretty big back in 1991 with 19 decently sized levels, but pales in comparison of sequels like Sonic 2, or 3 & Knuckles. The 6 Special Stages give an extra point in this category, but are all short and easily beatable by the midpoint of the game.
Story - 3
Classic Sonic games never focused on story, that is Modern Sonic's job, but it had a decent story for games up to 1991 *SPOILERS* (If you can count a 25 year old game "Spoilers" anymore). Dr. Robotnik kidnaps animals, turns them into robots called "badniks", steals the 6 Chaos Emeralds, and tries to take over the world to create a theme park named Robotnik Land. Most of the light hearted games have this type of story, with a few twists and turns, but the core remains the same.
Difficulty - 6
LABYRINTH ZONE, HOW I HATE YOU!! I would give this a 4 if Labyrinth Zone didn't exist, as Sonic 1 feels like a leisurely stroll in the park, picking up to a jog, instantly going to the difficult sprint in Labyrinth Zone, slowing down to a moderate run by Final Zone.
Overall - 7
Overall, I give Sonic the Hedgehog a 7 out of 10 because the game play and sound are great, and I cut Sonic 1 some slack for being a retro game in terms of story and depth. I love this game, but not as much as later game like Sonic 2, CD, and 3 and Knuckles. Anyway, this has been my review of Sonic 1, hope you enjoyed reading! Hey guys, Tyranit here with a review of the original Sonic the Hedgehog. This game was created to go against Mario and Nintendo in a rivalry that defined the 90's, and a rivalry that Sega had the lead in at one point, but that is another story for another day. Sonic is fast, fluid, and really defines the 90's attitude that we all came to know and love. Anyway, onto the review.
Graphics - 7
The graphics of Sonic 1 were awesome for back then, as Sega had a leading 16-bit console, the Genesis, before Nintendo had the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The colors were vibrant, and still looking appealing today. The sprite of Sonic is animated well as he runs through loops and jumps on badniks. The only bad graphical problem I have seen are the seizure inducing special stage with all of the flashing lights and colors in the background.
Sound - 9
The music and sound effects of Sonic 1 are timeless, such as the notable Green Hill Zone being recognizable all over the world, and the ring collecting sound effect that you sometimes even hear at a gas station when they open the cash register (at least where I live they do that). Marble Zone's music is decent, but the level is bland, making it not as memorable. Spring Yard Zone had a good track that became to the precursor to the other Casino type levels in the Sonic universe. Labyrinth Zone is my least favorite track, but that is probably because I had to listen to it over and over again as I died from drowning in that irritating level. Star Light Zone, on the other hand, is one of my favorite tracks in the game, as it feels like I am getting back into the groove after good runs of Green Hill and Spring Yard. Scrap Brain is surprisingly bland to me for a final zone, but the actual Final Zone, being just a boss fight against Robotnik, is one of my favorite Final Boss themes ever. The boss fight music is the worst of the classic series to me, but is still good nonetheless.
Addictiveness - 8
Sonic 1 is pretty darn addictive, as it is a short game to kill time, but also fun to do time trials of your favorite levels to see how fast you can get through them, as I can get through Green Hill Act 1 in 28 Seconds. I love also using the level select code to get to Star Light Zone to have some fun going through the split pathways.
Depth - 5
Sonic 1 was pretty big back in 1991 with 19 decently sized levels, but pales in comparison of sequels like Sonic 2, or 3 & Knuckles. The 6 Special Stages give an extra point in this category, but are all short and easily beatable by the midpoint of the game.
Story - 3
Classic Sonic games never focused on story, that is Modern Sonic's job, but it had a decent story for games up to 1991 *SPOILERS* (If you can count a 25 year old game "Spoilers" anymore). Dr. Robotnik kidnaps animals, turns them into robots called "badniks", steals the 6 Chaos Emeralds, and tries to take over the world to create a theme park named Robotnik Land. Most of the light hearted games have this type of story, with a few twists and turns, but the core remains the same.
Difficulty - 6
LABYRINTH ZONE, HOW I HATE YOU!! I would give this a 4 if Labyrinth Zone didn't exist, as Sonic 1 feels like a leisurely stroll in the park, picking up to a jog, instantly going to the difficult sprint in Labyrinth Zone, slowing down to a moderate run by Final Zone.
Overall - 7
Overall, I give Sonic the Hedgehog a 7 out of 10 because the game play and sound are great, and I cut Sonic 1 some slack for being a retro game in terms of story and depth. I love this game, but not as much as later game like Sonic 2, CD, and 3 and Knuckles. Anyway, this has been my review of Sonic 1, hope you enjoyed reading! |
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