Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I

GAME: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I
CO-DEVELOPERS: Sonic Team, Dimps
PUBLISHER: SEGA
PLATFORM: WiiWare, Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, iPhone/iTouch
RELEASE DATE: October 7, 2010
GENRE: Platformer

 

 

 

 

Short Review:

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I is a top-notch side-scrolling platformer that takes Sonic back to his glory days, proudly living up to the name of its Genesis-era predecessors.

 

Long Review:

No gaming icon fits the old adage of “what goes up must come down” better than Sonic. After four successful games on the Genesis (Sonic, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, and Sonic & Knuckles, each one arguably better than the last), Sonic attempted to charge into new territory; namely, 3D. At first, it didn’t work well (the only good examples being Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2). After many more failed attempts (Sonic Heroes, Sonic the Hedgehog ‘06, and Sonic Unleashed being the most prevalent), even Sonic’s oldest and most loyal fans finally began to give up on him. Even the Sonic Adventure games and a good Sonic RPG for the DS did nothing to make up for the recent lackluster decade-and-a-half.

 

“Then I’ll get on my knees and pray… we don’t get fooled again!”
-The Who, “Won’t Get Fooled Again”

Enter Project Needlemouse. Project Needlemouse was basically a codename, a teaser for Sonic 4. But since Sonic 4 was revealed so shortly after its codename, one might wonder why it needed a codename in the first place. Anyway, the promise of old-style gameplay and even the title of the game itself piqued the curiosity of many old-school Sonic fans, myself included. However, many people refused to get their hopes up; after all, Sonic Team had tempted us before with the release of Sonic Unleashed, which had promised the same old-school gameplay from the Genesis days (promised, and failed to deliver). Well, fast-forward a few months later, and Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I was released for Wiiware, Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network, and even the iPhone/iPod Touch. So, just how did it stack up to its namesakes, the original Genesis games?

 

…Quite well, surprisingly. I’ll start off with the gameplay.

 

GAMEPLAY

 

Sonic 4 delivers what it looks like; Genesis-style gameplay with new features. Basically, the game play is still simple; run fast, get to the end faster, watch out for enemies. The most prominent new feature is the homing attack, brought in from the Adventure games. When jumping near an enemy, spring, power-up box, etc., a small reticule will appear over the target closest to you. Pressing the jump button again will send you rocketing towards the target, usually destroying it, and giving your jump a little extra height. This addition actually works well; with good reflexes, you can repeatedly use the homing attack on a large number of enemies, usually climbing very high and accessing a shortcut.

 

Aside from the homing attack, gameplay is nearly exactly like the Genesis games. Quick movement with quicker reflexes will see you through safely to the end of each act. All in all, I only have two small complaints about the gameplay. First, momentum. It takes Sonic much more time to build up running speed normally (gaining speed can be quite quick if you start off with a spin dash or homing attack, but there may be times where you don’t want to use them). And in midair, Sonic maintains almost no momentum unless you’re holding the control stick/D-pad in the direction he’s moving. It’s simple to stay in control in midair once you get used to it, but until then, it’s rather frustrating. Second complaint is a lack of Sonic’s lovable two-tailed ally, Miles “Tails” Prower. While most Sonic fans can’t stand the sight of other characters, most will make an exception for Tails (and even Knuckles), especially when Tails is controlled by a second player. The lack of Tails also comes with the lack of a multiplayer mode. But like everything else, there’s a trade-off. This also keeps out all the unwanted characters.

 

Tails: Missing in action? Boooo.

 

Amy: Missing in action? Yay!

Special Stages return as well. Just like in Sonic 1, finishing a level with 50 or more rings will make a large ring appear at the end of the level. Jump into it, and you will start a Special Stage, and hopefully come out with one more of the seven Chaos Emeralds than you had when you went in. Special Stages work similar to the way they did in Sonic 1. Sonic falls through the stage, and you must rotate the stage in order to navigate your way through the walls. Some walls will disappear if you land on them, some will end the Special Stage if you touch them, and some will not open until you collect a certain number of rings. If you manage to reach the end of the Special Stage before time runs out, you can collect one of the seven Chaos Emeralds. Collecting all seven will allow you to- you guessed it- turn into Sonic’s gold-furred form, Super Sonic.

 

Super Sonic returns to his old gameplay mechanics as well. Rather than having a separate gameplay mechanic only available during the final boss battle (which, recently, has been seen quite frequently), Super Sonic is available to use as soon as you gather all seven Chaos Emeralds. Pressing a certain button when you have 50 or more rings will transform you into Super Sonic, and you will remain as him as long as you have rings (losing one every second). Just like in the older games, Super Sonic runs faster, jumps higher (much higher in this game than in the others), and does not take damage from normal enemies. However, there is a trade-off. He is still vulnerable to drowning, falling off cliffs, and being crushed, and due to his increased (often uncontrollable) speed, the latter two are even more likely to happen to Super Sonic than they are to regular Sonic.

 

All in all, the gameplay is excellent, and will leave even the pickiest old-school Sonic fans impressed.

 

PRESENTATION & DESIGN

 

Right off the bat, Sonic 4 manages to feel new and familiar at the same time, due in no small part to the sound and visuals. The sound effects are almost exactly the same as the old ones from the Genesis, and yet they still manage to not seem tacked on or out of place. The visuals go the way of Nintendo’s New Super Mario Bros., rehashing the old sprites with similar 3D models. Altogether, it comes out feeling, as I said, new and familiar at the same time. The music is what fans might expect; simple, cheery music that fits well with the level. For example, the music in the ruins stages has a mystical theme to it, and the music in the Special Stages is calm and relaxing, helping the player to concentrate. Of course, Sonic 4’s music is nothing compared to the musical mastery shown in Sonic Adventure 2, but hey, we weren’t expecting it to be THAT good. Many of the iconic… erm… iconic icons, I guess, from the old Sonic games also appear, from the famous shuttle loop to the not-quite-so-famous vacuum-like tunnels. My only complaint is that the screen seems to be zoomed too far in, often not allowing you enough time to react when moving at high speeds.

 

Aforementioned “shuttle loop”. Favorite exercise wheel for blue hedgehogs and two-tailed foxes everywhere.

 

Level design is based off of levels from previous Sonic games. For example, the first stage is a grassy area akin to Emerald Hill, Angel Island, and pretty much any first level from Sonic’s Genesis games. The second stage is a casino-styled stage, complete with the working slot machines from Sonic 2’s casino stage. While they ARE based off of older levels, Sonic 4’s levels are all different, once again leading to that “new and familiar at the same time” feeling that I mentioned a couple times in the last paragraph. Bosses are also based off of older ones, but carry many new tricks up their sleeves.

 

Splash Hill Zone. Looks oddly familiar, doesn't it?

 

VALUE

 

Sonic has joined the ranks of Gordon Freeman, KOS-MOS, and the cast of Final Fantasy IV in the new craze of episodic gaming; the main principle being shorter games, at lower prices, released more frequently. Sonic 4 Episode I’s $15 price tag is pretty cheap compared to modern games, and you get quite a bit for your money. It consists of 4 stages, each of which have 3 acts and a boss battle. There is also a final boss after stage 4, and 7 Special Stages, making for a grand total of 24 stages for you to run through. It may not seem like much, but you’re encouraged to play through them all in both Score Attack and Time Attack modes, as well as going through each stage as both Sonic and Super Sonic. Special Stages also last a bit longer than you might think. Leaderboards are also fully integrated into the game, measuring both Time & Score Attack modes, and can be filtered by Sonic, Super Sonic, or both. When you take everything in together, you’re getting a lot for the fairly cheap price.

 

THE VERDICT

 

While there’s not much particularly amazing about Sonic 4, it has plenty of great aspects and very few shortcomings. Sonic 4 Episode I gets a well-deserved 8.5 out of 10, and hopefully, Episode II will pull an even better score.

 

FINAL SCORE: 8.5/10