There is nary a Sega or Sonic fan that did not have eyes on Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. Some of the fanbase rejoiced at a new console 2D Sonic, while the ones who have been burned by the blue blur’s lackluster 3D outings met it with skepticism, burned by broken “returning to Sonic’s roots” promises before (not to mention shilling out $15 for a four-stage downloadable title). But it is here, and rest easy, because it is Sonic’s best console outing in over a decade.
As promised, it is a straight-up 2D Sonic offering harkening back to the Genesis days, although it is more akin to HD offering New Super Mario Bros. rather than the old-school Mega Man 9. The stages share that same old-design-HD-facelift with 3D models as NSMB did with its Super Mario Bros. 3 source material, and are similar to some of the most familiar levels in the first two Sonic games, right down to the original enemies. Splash Hill, Casino Street, Lost Labyrinth, and Mad Gear, while not going to blow any minds visually, are still nice-looking levels for a downloadable title, and features enough homages to the originals to stir up the nostalgic warm-n-fuzzies fans were hoping for, from the water slides in Lost Labyrinth to the machines pumping away in Mad Gear’s background, a la Metropolis from Sonic 2.
Sonic himself controls a little different than before. This may freak out diehards weaned on the old physics model (myself included when first starting out), but after time, it becomes second nature. Not bad, just different. It is more beneficial to run upright rather than rolling into a ball for speed (the game compensates by not often having enemies waiting in your path, like the old titles), and the Homing Attack from the Adventure series is nicely used here (by hitting the jump button in mid-air). It’s most often used to attack floating enemies to cross from one ledge to a far-away landing spot (the game also locks-on the enemies, so no messy misses like the 3D affairs), and even more helpful is the horizontal mid-air dash when not locked on an enemy. This will help you close ledges and gaps that would be more difficult to get to without it, and also helps you get back to top speed quickly. With a little hands-on time, you’ll be able to use this ability to whiz around the levels expertly, and shave off times to post on the online leaderboards, which is a simple yet addictive new feature for Sonic veterans, who will want to see how they stack up against their peers of the world. And let me tell you, when a few seconds means 20 or 50 spots up the ladder, it makes you want to go back and see if you can do just a little bit better, and try to perfect the stages. It adds a nice bit of replay value.
For those worrying about the level design, fear not, because the levels are well-crafted for the most part (more on that in a second). The levels offer a nice balance of speed and more methodical platforming, striking a style similar to Sonic 3, which makes sense consider the lead level designer from that game is in the same role for this project. Also, Sonic Team and Dimps wisely heard the fan criticism of the minecart mechanic from Lost Labyrinth shown in the trailer, and now it’s simply a brief, automated ride, like in the Game Gear version of Sonic 2. And while some fans initially balked at $15 for four stages, most of the Acts themselves are actually quite long, especially on the first playthrough while figuring out the best path through the level. It took me around an hour and a half on a straight playthrough (without retrying acts or Special Stages), which is about as long as it took most to get through the original games on their first go-round.
Speaking of Special Stages, they too are back in the fashion of the original game, in which you guide Sonic through a psychedelic, ever-rotating maze to grab an Emerald without touching an exit. There are two changes to adapt to; one of which is that you’re now under a time limit to finish and the stages are designed with this in mind, as you now must also grab time-extension orbs along the way to keep yourself alive (and boost your leaderboard time). The other is that unlike the original game, you are tilting the maze itself, and not controlling Sonic, which can be a bit disorienting at first for a Sonic vet, but once again, will come with a little practice.
The biggest misstep in Sonic 4 are the disappointing bosses. The unique bosses are a part of Sonic’s flavor, observing Eggman’s attack pattern and waiting for the time to strike. Here, Sonic Team played up the nostalgia too much, as almost every boss (including the final one) are taken from the originals, just with a new varied attack. This is a shame, as it not only takes out the discovery of how to beat a new boss, but also because the one truly new boss in Lost Labyrinth is well-done, a nice test of reflex and twitch skills. Another flaw is a holdover from Dimps’ Sonic Advance series, in that some Acts come with trial-and-error sections over bottomless pits, so expect to die at these points several times before figuring out the right way to go about it. The soundtrack is also a tad disappointing; Sega talked up music that sounded close to the originals, but Jun Senoue uses the same synthesizer-heavy beats as he has in the 3D games, and some of them turn up to be unmemorable. The last issue is once again length; this is a game that will not take more than a couple of hours to complete everything, and all you have left is trying to climb the leaderboards, which admittedly, is pretty fun as a self-motivating task, but may not be everyone’s cup of tea. And while it was nice to see Sonic Team and Dimps invoke our childhood memories, it would be nice to see some new, creative levels in Episode 2.
Nonetheless, Sega, Sonic Team, and Dimps for the most part delivered on their promise, a solid, 2D classic Sonic, not mucked up in annoying side characters, laughable stories, or terrible cameras that haunt the 3D offerings. It is a testament to how well the foundation of the Sonic sidescroller still holds up as a foundation for an entertaining platformer, and it will be interesting to see what chances the developers will take next time with the following episode.
Score: 8/10
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