On the downside, the game does go by in a hurry, there's little complexity to the showdowns with Eggman and some trial and error will force you to give up lives at a rapid clip. That said, it's nowhere near as good as the stuff in the first three Sonic games from back in the day.
Each zone has a collection of happy beats that, like other elements, will remind you of the hours spent with the Genesis many moons ago. First, Sonic doesn't talk, which is definitely a good thing, and second, the music perfectly fits the game. On that note, the same goes for the audio. Sega did excellent work bringing each stage to life, making them unique without tarnishing Sonic's legacy. Visually, the game stands apart from its predecessors with sharp and colorful graphics that look phenomenal in high definition. Sure, you could blow through the game in one sitting, but you'd miss out on tons of cool stuff, including a bonus stage inspired by the ones from the previous Sonic titles. Finding all of the hidden rings and covering every nook and cranny, however, will take considerably longer to achieve. Later, you'll do a little gambling in the pinball/playing card hybrid, Casino Street, and wander through a more industrial section called the Mad Gear Zone no relation to the gang from Final Fight.įor the most part, these levels are fairly easy to get through if all you want to do is reach the exit. Here, Sonic must hop into a mine cart, light the way with a torch and balance atop a huge metal ball. Then we have Lost Labyrinth, a zone that takes place in ancient ruins.
The tropical themed Splash Hill Zone, for example, rekindles fond memories of Green Hill Zone from the original Sonic, except you'll get to use zip lines and wander through a sunset themed stage.
Then we have the levels, which are a delightful mix of retro Sonic goodness with modern day flavor. While not a staple in previous 2-D Sonic games, it works wonders in this new effort, as you can jump from robot to robot to avoid spikes, or zero in on a vine. For starters, you'll need to use the homing attack from Sonic Adventure to get around. Not only was this a smart decision, but the developers absolutely nailed it. Eggman's robots and other hazards along the way. Instead of overcomplicating the controls or shoehorning some insignificant gimmick into the game, Sega returned the hero to his 2-D roots, where the primary challenge is to reach the goal in the fastest time possible while avoiding Dr. Sonic 4 succeeds for a plethora of reasons, starting with simplicity. It's a bit short, but with so many secret areas and new locations to explore, you'll enjoy this one for weeks to come. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is a wonderful platformer that pays homage to the blue blur's glory days, back when it was all about speeding through loops, launching the popular mascot off jump pads and grabbing as many gold rings as possible. After more than a decade of mediocre console games, Sonic the Hedgehog is back in a brand new and 2-D adventure reminiscent of the classic Genesis titles we know and love.