Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I - Review

The Sonic the Hedgehog series has endured a tumultuous beingness. Sonic debuted as a mascot grapheme for the Sega Genesis and starred in several classic platformers for that console and the Sega CD. After basically shelving Sonic during the 32-bit Sega Saturn era, Sega finally decided to bring him back in a launch title for the Sega Dreamcast. Sonic Chance received a warm reception, and yet it was the beginning of a dark time for Sonic.

You see, Take a chance was the first fully 3D Sonic platformer and it introduced a host of issues that would simply grow worse in follow-upwards titles: poor standoff detection, largely on-rails game play (during the bodily Sonic levels anyway), pointless boondocks sections and side quests, terrible music, general glitchiness, numerous abrasive furry pals for Sonic, and equally abrasive voice work and storytelling. Each 3D Sonic sequel became progressively more heinous, culminating in 2006's Sonic the Hedgehog, which remains the worst game I've e'er played in my life.

Despite numerous missteps, Sonic'due south popularity never fully disappeared. His fan base of operations split into 2 camps though: one consists of furries and children who basically just don't know any better. The other camp remembers Sonic'due south glory days and pleads for a render to the character's roots. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I was made only for them.

Going back in fourth dimension

Sonic iv is a conscious effort by Sega to please fans of the 16-flake Sonic games. The gameplay is fixed firmly in the 2d realm. Gone are the annoying side characters (fifty-fifty Tails) and excesses of the newer games. Instead, the fourth Sonic game is heavily patterned after the very first Genesis title, right down to the rotating bonus levels. A few elements from Sonic two (the spin dash, a Casino zone) and 3 (spirals, vine swinging) show up besides. It's not entirely onetime-schoolhouse though, as modern graphics, saving between levels, and other conveniences keep the game in-line with contemporary gamers' expectations.

Fighting the power

Sonic's goal is once again to rescue hoards of innocent animals that the evil Eggman (AKA Dr. Robotnik) has imprisoned within enemy robots. These mechanical foes can be defeated by spin-dashing (rolling up into a brawl and taking off forth the ground) or jumping into them. The new (to second) homing attack, in which Sonic flies straight at enemies and other targets, works bully besides.

A touch from a baddie means instant death unless Sonic possesses at least one ring. Littered throughout each level, rings protect Sonic from harm and give him an extra life for every 100 collected. When the bluish hedgehog takes a striking, his rings scatter before disappearing moments later, giving the actor a brief chance to collect a few and render safely to the fight.

In the zone(south)

Sonic 4 consists of four distinct zones with three acts and a boss zone each, plus seven special stages and a final boss zone. Let'south look at the principal zones:

• Splash Hill Zone: The new version of classic beginning level Dark-green Hill zone is probably the fastest, most fun area of the game. Lots of loops and corkscrews keep Sonic on his toes. Act 2 bogs downwardly a flake due to Sonic being forced to swing from vines in order to progress.
• Casino Street Zone: Sonic'due south casino levels always stand out from other platformers with their flashy neon graphics and pinball-esque elements. That's by and large true here, just Act two of the phone version is goose egg but an abrasive pinball level. Players just accept to use pinball flippers to shoot Sonic into the same slot machine over and over until they reach 100,000 points. It's a short, pointless diversion from the standard Sonic game play.
• Lost Labyrinth Zone: This temple zone contains numerous prepare pieces, including giant stone balls for Sonic to ride, a mine cart, and the dreaded underwater level. Human activity two on smartphones takes place entirely in a mine cart, which the actor steers by rotating the level itself ala the special stages. It'south surprisingly fun and easy.
  Human activity three's water level (in which Sonic needs to find pockets of air to avoid drowning) wouldn't be and then bad except for an sick-conceived puzzle at the stop. Sonic gets thrust (in ball form) into a room filled with water. The just way to avoid drowning is to tilt the room itself long enough for a plug to pop out, releasing Sonic and the water. Unfortunately, tilting the room for likewise long will ship Sonic into some spikes, so you accept to move it dorsum and forth a bit. It'south unintuitive and kills the flow of the stage.
• Mad Gear Zone: The traditional mechanical death trap zone. These acts are dense with aggressive enemies similar robotic crabs and mantises. Sonic will frequently need to climb over gears or make them spin past running on them in order to progress. Each Zone in Sonic four has 1 lame act, and here that'southward Act 3: Impending Doom. A wall of death chases Sonic throughout the level, threatening to instantly squish him. That blazon of death is always irritating, so building a whole level around information technology was not a smart idea.

Boss battles

Newer Sonic games often pit Sonic against actual monsters and other giant threats, only the bosses in Sonic iv follow the first game's approach: each 1 is a different fight against Dr. Eggman and his contraptions. They're based off of specific past encounters, though new attacks freshen things up a scrap. For instance, in the first fight Eggman floats effectually the screen, swinging a giant ball from a pendulum. Hey, I remember that from the Green Hill Zone in Sonic 1! Just now, Eggman can spin in identify after taking a few hits, making the brawl much harder to dodge.

The new boss fights are mostly fun but only mildly challenging, except for the Lost Labyrinth Zone and E.G.G. Station Zone bosses. In the Lost Labyrinth, Eggman attacks by making pillars come up out of the wall in various patterns. Motility slowly or end up in the wrong place and Sonic gets squished, killing him instantly. How irksome.

Every bit for the East.G.G.Station Zone, the game's last zone consists of five different Eggman encounters. The first four boss fights are recycled, though they're shorter and easier the 2nd time around. The pillars in Eggman's third grade still kill Sonic instantly, and then that part's ever a headache to me. Eggman'due south 5th and terminal form finds him piloting the giant Eggman robot from Sonic 2. The fight wouldn't be so bad but the robot takes a whopping 25 or so hits to defeat, and its attacks go much harder to dodge at the halfway point. Add in an annoying siren sound that plays throughout most of the fight, and it becomes a long, frustrating affair.

Bonus circular!

To achieve the Special Stages in Sonic 4, gamers demand to reach the terminate of an human activity with 50 or more than rings and then leap through the giant ring before the level ends. Each of the vii Special Stages is a maze with a Chaos Emerald at the end. Instead of directly controlling Sonic (who is curled up into a ball), players rotate the maze to steer the blue mistiness around. The timer constantly ticks downwardly every bit you lot try to reach the emerald without bumping into an exit and ending the stage.

Complete all 7 stages by collecting their Chaos Emeralds and Sonic gains the ability to transform into Super Sonic whenever he has 50+ rings. Super Sonic moves and jumps faster and is nigh-invincible, and then collecting the emeralds is worth the endeavour. But remember to ready the Special Phase controls to swipe instead of the default tilt to brand them easier.

A panel game in your pocket

Developed simultaneously for consoles and smart phones, the Windows Telephone version of Sonic four is remarkably shut to the Xbox 360 game. The graphics (polygonal characters and generally 2D backgrounds) are mostly identical except for the decreased resolution that comes with a smartphone screen. It as well sounds the same, for better or worse. Sonic iv's soundtrack consists of tunes that were rejected from Sonic & Knuckles. They sound appropriately retro, but the composition can't agree a candle to actual archetype Sonic music; Sega even left out the iconic invincibility music.

More impressively, nearly all of the console version's content founds its way into the mobile game. All only 2 of the original stages made the cut. The replacement of console Casino Zone Act 2 (my favorite stage) with a cursory and undercooked pinball level hurts a bit. The other phone-exclusive level, Lost Labyrinth Zone Act 2, is a much better addition.

Controls

Nosotros can't compare Sonic 4's big screen and mobile versions without touching on the controls. Specifically, the Windows Phone game uses a virtual pollex stick and button to replicate the panel controls. Touch controls tin never exist exactly as good for a platformer as physical controls, but that doesn't hateful they can't exist adept at all. Sonic four'due south controls actually work really well due to the simplicity of the game itself. Since at that place's only 1 stick and one action button, your thumbs shouldn't get lost like they would in say, Asteroids Deluxe. Tilt controls are also an choice, if you like dying, that is.

Achievements

Sonic 4 includes all of the Xbox 360 version'southward Achievements, plus a few new ones. The new Centurion Achievement requires players to beat Mad Gear Zone with 120+ rings, which basically amounts to clearing the stage without getting hit. The returning Achievement Contender is earned by completing every level for a second time in Time Attack fashion. Time Attack is a scrap harder because you have to start each level from the beginning rather than midpoints if you die.

There is too one dreadfully tough Achievement: Untouchable. Information technology's awarded for beating all five of the terminal dominate's forms without taking a hit – a Herculean effort. Thankfully it's a chip easier on Windows Phone than Xbox 360 considering you can lock the screen if you brand a mistake and restart from whatsoever boss form you were on. Even and so, simply hardcore players will want to go for that one.

Overall Impression

Sonic four may not exist for everybody. Some critics seem determined to hate the game based on small shortcomings like its physics, which aren't quite perfect – oh noes! Occasionally bad stage design, the frustrating final dominate battle, and mediocre soundtrack are far more valid complaints. Simply none of that ruined the game for me. Sonic 4'due south bold, colorful graphics, excellent sense of speed, and numerous classical touches all help get in a worthy successor to Sonic three.

Quality doesn't always come cheap. Sonic 4 on Windows Phone is kind of expensive at $6.99 (merely like the iPhone version), only when you consider that it's got almost everything the console game has at less than half the price, it doesn't seem so bad. I'k just thrilled to finally play another practiced Sonic game. Sega nonetheless hasn't announced whatever details or a release date for Episode Two, but hopefully it comes to Windows Phone also.

• Sonic the Hedgehog iv: Episode I - Windows Phone 7 an viii - 105 MB - $4.99 - Store Link

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/sonic-hedgehog-4-episode-i-review

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