Sonic 4: Episode 1 definitely feels like a Sonic game. There are rings, TV boxes, dancing sunflowers, and Sonic jumps, spins and runs through all of the trademarks loops and twists with ease. The basic plot is there too- Dr Ivo 'EGGMAN' Robotnik has kidnapped all of Sonic's buddies and revamped his past creations in another attempt to beat the happy blue critter. It's the standard fare, but sadly there are some odd differences and minor issues which can cause some aggravation.
For starters, Sonic no longer continues to move by himself after rolling off ledges, jumping in a direction or bouncing off certain panels such as the ones present in the games casino-themed zone. This is certainly irritating from the offset, as it just doesn't make sense. The result is that the player frequently slows or stops altogether which affects the flow of the game. After a few hours of play it gradually becomes normality, whereby you learn to keep your fingers firmly pressed on the direction for which you're heading. It still feels unconventional though, because this also means that instead of simply pressing 'down' to roll, you're forced to press down/right on certain occasions when you may not realise you need to, losing precious seconds in those critical moments.
Despite this unusual design choice, Sonic still actually controls fairly well overall, and his basic moves are intact.
The spin dash- whereby Sonic curls up into a ball and charges himself for a quick launch- is still a blast, and is still (if less of) an essential for when you come to a halt next to a vertical slope. This time around it's been simplified, because you no longer need to charge it up more than twice, and instead of being affected by the contours of the ground as much, it instead only loses power slightly depending on what sort of surface you're on. You also can't stop yourself by pressing the opposite direction- Instead, Sonic is required to jump, which is another oddity.
Sonic has also been provided with the ability to lock on to nearby enemies when jumping and pressing jump again with a move aptly named the 'home-attack'. Taken from Sonics' 3D outings, this move was never required in the previous 2D outings, and it's mainly used here as a way of reaching high areas. It's essential due to the design of the game, but it doesn't detract from the simplicity of the classics, purely because you don't need it to destroy most enemies. On the occasions that you do need this move, it's usually only because Sonic does not stay in a ball after launching off ramps, leaving him open to damage from any enemies. Generally, the home attack has its uses, and the trick to getting the best scores and times is to manipulate it to your advantage.
Lastly, Sonic has been given a jump dash, which is activated in the same way as the home-attack when not locked on to enemies. This move gives Sonic a little boost in the direction he is facing and can be used to gain full speed very quickly. Sonic accelerates slower walking than in previous entries, so this move helps balance that out. It can also be used effectively to bounce off enemies at speed, creating a quick impact, and usually, a nice chain of points from well placed enemies.
The zones Sonic 4 provides are the standard themed levels you expect. There's a tropical-themed zone (Splash Hill), a casino-themed zone (Casino Street), an underground cave-themed zone (Lost Labyrinth), and a factory-themed zone (Mad Gear). Each Act of every Zone has its own gimmick, which gives the levels some individuality. Whilst they're pretty much the same as what you'd come to expect from Sonic, there are some instances where unnecessary objects have been placed. Often, you'll run into a booster pad too many, and you'll wonder why Sonic could not have just run by himself unaided.
The boosters generally do nothing for game play whatsoever, because Sonic is able to make the leap, ramp or loop all by himself. They only serve to curl Sonic up into a ball for a few seconds, and although they're mostly redundant, there are rare instances where boost pads are placed in positions near to enemies, forcing Sonic to spin through them at speed, which is quite cool. Although the levels don't often serve up anything new, they feel and play like Sonic should in 2D, and offer a cosy reintroduction for players to the classic series.
The special stages are also fun to play. Though similar in style to the original game they differ in the way that instead of controlling Sonic, players now control the maze he's stuck in. This makes for some challenging play, without diverging from the classic formula. Unfortunately, whilst Sonic 4; Ep 1 is generally the standard Sonic affair, the game play suffers due to some easily rectifiable issues.
Firstly, Sonic can stop anywhere on a 90 degree slope by holding down the direction he's facing, which combats gravity when falling down vertical walls and on to the curvature which links the wall and the floor. This is particularly silly, as this can be easily exploited, resulting in a Sonic which can stand on vertical walls in places like these and loops. This also affects the game play now and then, because you can fly from an angle onto a slope, and Sonic will not fall or move either way, he'll stand there, giving you the ability to even spin dash up walls where it's not usually physically possible, shaving off a large amount of time and making you feel cheap. It's completely amateurish, and there are other easily noticeable issues which could have been fixed too, like the way that breakable cliffs reappear even when they are in view of the player, or the fact that Sonic actually hits boxes even though he's a few pixels away from them.
Possibly the most obvious 'oversight' relates to how Sonic keeps the shield he has even once he's become Super Sonic, and there are other examples too- Sonic 4: Episode 1 is full of blatant errors, and whilst they don't affect the game play directly, they certainly make you wonder whether you're playing the sequel to the critically acclaimed Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
Lastly, Sonic 4: Ep 1 is far too easy, even for an episodic game. From completing the very first act of the very first zone, the entire game and every single level are unlocked on the in-game map, save for the bosses and the special stages. Why this was included is anyone's guess, it doesn't make the game any easier, and it just breaks up the flow of the game.
Sonic 4 quashes almost any feel of achievement or skill that players might experience because of this. You can just skip from one level you can't beat at that moment, right to another you can- that is, if you even need to, because the levels are all incredibly easy, which further confuses the very reason that this feature may have been included at all. I racked up over 50 lives in a quick play through, and the player can easily score a life at the end of the round even if they died and didn't get what many might class as a respectable time or score.
Although there are some killer moments (the bosses of the later levels, the wall crushing segments, the final boss and a few of the Chaos Emerald levels) the game still presents the player with far too many chances, meaning that all of the lives lost on the more difficult sections count for nothing. I had to create a new save file and purposely kill myself just to see what the game over screen looked like (it's the same one as Sonic & Knuckles).
SEGA have added some neat little touches however; Sonic 4 has a feature whereby pressing (A) at the end of an act skips the map screen, taking you through the game stage by stage, as if you were playing the classic titles. This counteracts the unlocking of the entire game, as well as the map screen, so players who just want to play normally can. Unfortunately, the players score is never kept from act to act, or zone to zone, so trying to finish the complete game with a high score- arcade style- is impossible.
The graphics are nice and colourful, and the music is again catchy and enjoyable to listen to. Created by the very same musician who helped mould Sonic 3 & Knuckle's soundtrack, many tracks are instantly familiar. The Wii's soundtrack differs from the others in that it uses Midi files instead of recordings- occasionally, this will mean that it varies in the instruments used in the other versions, which isn't a bad thing, as more often than not, these changes make this version's music sound closer to what the Megadrive would have been able to put out.
Whilst the music is great, at some points I felt as though they could have extended some tracks a few notes, and found myself humming to tunes which didn't go any further and simply looped. Nonetheless, the music is instantly recognizable as , though the boss theme is arguably better in the other versions, as it's instruments are much more menacing and faithful to the 2D classics there.
Sonic 4; Ep 1 is as long as Sonic 3. Roughly, the game takes from an hour and a half to two hours to complete with all the Chaos Emeralds, not taking into consideration that you may not get them all in a straight play through. Although Sonic is the only playable character, there's still lots to do. There are hidden paths to find, some nice special endings, and a not-so-secret surprise once you obtain all of the Chaos Emeralds. A Time Attack mode with online leader boards is also a brilliant addition. There's a very competitive side to Sonic 4; Ep 1, and I found myself playing through and enjoying the same levels for hours, trying to get my best score, and trying to beat my own, as well as others times. I even managed to get in the top ten before I was ousted by someone with an almost impossible time. Ouch.
Sonic The Hedgehog's classic 2D games on the SEGA Megadrive are some of the most well remembered, most critically acclaimed games of all time. They have stood the test of time and are still played by millions of people today. The last classic 2D Sonic game- Sonic and Knuckles- was released in 1994, and since then, much has changed with the Sonic series, often making the games more complex and less accessible than the original entries. Sonic The Hedgehog 4; Episode 1 is a Sonic game created to provide those who enjoyed the first main four with more of what Sonic used to be- a simple, yet challenging platform game.
Yet in many ways, SEGA has not given real thought into what 'simple' means in this context. As a result, certain elements of Sonic 4; Ep 1 have been simplified beyond the usual for even the classic games, and oftentimes this presents a lack of care and a feeling of hastiness to the player. Sega have added some welcome new additions, such as the map screen and longer boss battles, but at the same time have lost other trademark designs which made classic Sonic the complete package, such as the demo after the title screen, and the sound test. Some decisions leave the player wondering why some choices were ever considered in the first place- the way the game unlocks itself being one of the major concerns. The physics are also a little off on occasions when SEGA should have perfected them, especially after almost twenty years.
When all is said and done, Sonic The Hedgehog 4; Episode 1 is a competent title, with lots of replay-ability and tonnes to see and do, yet it sometimes comes across as cheap and lazy. For around £10, it's much less than the £30- £40 that a single game usually is- it's just unfortunate that it carries the title it does, because it sets itself up for something which follows perfection, but just misses and just gives us a good game. They called it 'classic Sonic' in marketing material, but Episode I has too many new features which clearly didn't need to be added, and should have been saved for a different game.
Next time, eh?