After 16 years of waiting for a new adventure in the original Sonic series (and putting up with all the dreck in-between – we still haven’t recovered from Sonic Unleashed), Sega’s Hedgehog has finally returned to the ground he was meant to cover. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 may not be the full adventure that we were expecting, but it’s a great sampler for the adventure that’s yet to come, and a reminder that sometimes, in order to be great, you have to stick with what works. The plot really doesn’t matter here. Dr. Robotnik is back, and he’s up to no good as he’s converting Sonic’s forest pals into robots while collecting Chaos Emeralds for his own dastardly deeds. It’s up to Sonic and his super-speedy abilities to save the day. Along with his routine loop-running and ring collecting tricks, Sonic has a new homing bounce attack, enabling him to him enemies with an auto-targeting system when he’s in the air.
Not only is this handy for nailing nearby enemies rather quickly, but he can also hit a string of them to locate an otherwise unreachable area. Gameplay is what truly matters here, and if you’re a fan of Sonic’s previous adventures on the Genesis, you’ll feel right at home with Sonic the Hedgehog 4. The game plays exactly like his old-school adventures, right down to screaming down a hillside in a Sonic roll and grabbing zip lines as you swing across chasms. There are some decent new tricks to the trade, such as swinging on vines and working your way through an underwater labyrinth, but it really works well in the Sonic lexicon overall. It’s good to see Sonic go back to the old-school, rather than rely on a crappy gameplay mechanic to get things done (like changing him into a werewolf – whose idea was that again?). Along with four explorable worlds (divided into three levels each, along with a boss fight), Sonic can also traverse through spinning bonus stages, where he tries to collect all the rings he can while aiming to capture the Chaos Emerald in the center.
These four worlds differ greatly, from the Splash Zone to casino-themed levels to caves filled to the brim with water and other dangers. And they all look fantastic, just like the original Sonic levels. There’s multiple paths to find, along with hidden 1-ups and other goodies. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is a visual stunner. Yes, it’s side-scrolling and not nearly as detailed as Sonic Unleashed, but it looks great on the 2-D front. Sonic’s animations are dazzling, especially when he goes into a full sprint, and the frame rate never slows down for a second. The bonus stages are quite nostalgic too, and will put a smile on your old-school face. If there is a weak department here, it’s with the sound. While the audio effects are good, the music seems like an afterthought, and can’t compare to previous games. It’s fitting for the Sonic universe, but clearly not his best stuff. Some of you might scoff at paying $15 for half a game, but it’s one hell of a half, not to mention a wonderful return for a Hedgehog who’s been looking to retain his running speed back to normal. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is a welcome investment, whether you’re a fan or a newcomer. Snag it and get up to speed.
