Sonic Month: Sonic The Hegdehog 4 Episode 1 (WiiWare/Steam)

One example of a 2D moment in Sonic Colors.

The Sonic franchise never entirely let go of its 2D roots. Several 3D Sonic titles have areas where the perspective shifts to a 2.5D perspective – AKA, a side-scrolling 2D platformer with 3D graphics and backgrounds, sometimes appearing in the middle of a level that has 3D perspective and gameplay everywhere else. I recall many moments from Sonic Colors that were made that way. It would also be incorrect to claim that there weren’t new, pure 2D Sonic games released between 1994 and 2010, as many 2D titles were released for handheld consoles during that gap. As an example, we had Sonic Advance 1, 2 and 3 for the Game Boy Advance. However, due to the leaps in technology in the late 1990s and the early 2000s, the franchise focused on full 3D titles for its big releases on home consoles.

In October 2010, we saw the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 on all current home consoles. It would be released to other platforms later, such as on Steam on January 19th, 2012. Fun fact: I bought the game on the Wii Shop Channel’s WiiWare section way back, at the price of 1500 Wii Points. That’s about 15 dollars. Though Episode I is sold for roughly 10$ on Steam, I got both it and Episode II as part of a bundle on Humble Bundle, which included several other Sonic games (Sonic CD was part of the same bundle). Since I own two versions on different platforms, I decided to try both versions for this review.

It's a small world, but big enough for a Mach 1 Hedgehog
to run around freely in.

Official material around the game discuss a fairly basic story for this one: After Sonic’s last adventure involving Knuckles and the Master Emerald, Eggman has been defeated (or so we assume). Sonic discovers a new set of territories and sets out to explore them. However, his old archnemesis is back, with new and improved variations on several of his previous badniks and machines. Once again, the hero’s duty calls for Sonic to protect these lands from the malevolent Doctor! I swear, that Robotnik is like a cockroach, there's nothing that keeps him down for good.

In the game itself, there isn’t much of that. Once the game starts, we’re in Splash Hill Zone, Act 1. After this level is completed, you unlock all three levels in four Zones: Splash Hill, Casino Street, Lost Labyrinth and Mad Gear. Each Zone also has a boss, accessible only after completing all three levels of that Zone. Simple enough. I’m surprised the game is non-linear like this. Want to try Mad Gear right away? You can. That’s nice. Completing all four Zones unlocks a fifth, consisting of a single level.

He came in with a wrecking ball!

This game takes a lot of cues from the classic 2D Sonic games. Most badniks are taken from the earliest adventures, though there’s few of them. As mentioned previously, the machines Eggman operates in the boss stages are also taken from the early adventures, though each one has a handful of new tricks. One could say that there isn’t much new to be found here, and I can see the point. I don’t really mind, because as I said before, I haven’t played any classic Sonic games (outside of Sonic CD, of course). I feel more invested in seeing how these elements, picked among those older titles, are put together in this one.

The levels are available in Score Mode and Time Attack Mode. They’re self-explanatory; try getting the biggest score in the former, reach the end as quickly as possible in the latter. Note that the level scores are self-contained, i.e. you don’t have a total, growing score for your entire playthrough; instead, you get a score for your performance in each level. An extra life awaits each time you collect 100 Rings in a level, or get a total of more than 10,000 points at the end of a level.

It's so easy to collect rings in this game!
I wished collecting money in real life was as effortless.

Almost got it!

Crossing a level’s finish signpost with more than 50 rings once again makes a large Warp Ring appear at the end, which allows Sonic to enter a Special Stage. In that stage, Sonic is in ball form, moving around an area that you spin around him, with gravity taking Sonic through the course. If you’ve ever played Super Monkey Ball, it’s roughly the same concept, but in 2D. Control the map so Sonic will grab rings, which opens the path to go further, and get him to the end of the course, which will grant him access to… ta-da-dah! A Chaos Emerald! Huh, I was wondering when those were going to show up this month. It’s not as simple as it seems, as most of the Special Stages have areas with goal balls, which end the level right there if Sonic hits them. Sonic is able to jump during these levels, but it doesn’t seem to do much, as gravity does the work. Completing the first Special Stage unlocks a new “Zone” on the map, containing all 7 Special Stages – however, you can only access the Special Stages you’ve found so far.

By the way, what's up with the trippy backgrounds in those stages?
"I knew I shouldn't have tried Mario's mushrooms!"

No No No No No NO NO NONONONO FU-!

There’s a timer to Special Stages, with the possibility of adding seconds to the timer by grabbing Time Bonus balls. Most stages start at 1 minute 30 seconds, but some of them start with only 30 seconds – and in those, obviously, gathering Time Bonus balls is vital to getting to the end of the course.

And of course, finding and finishing all 7 Special Stages and collecting all Chaos Emeralds grants access to the Super Sonic form, activated by use of a button. It’s available in all regular stages, but not in boss stages, since it requires collecting 50 rings to be activated. It better be worth it - the Special stages start off easy, but the last ones are a pain.

Ever wanted to see Sonic walk on a ball? Now you can.
I dunno why you would, buuut it exists.

2/10 Too Much Eggman

As for the regular stages themselves, I quickly noticed that many of them relied on one gimmick. The stages of Splash Hill are pretty normal, though Level 3 includes ziplines that Sonic can ride. Casino Street plays up the casino aspect with a slot machine in Level 1. Level 2 has several cards, face-down, that Sonic flips when he runs by them – the cards show rings or lives, and gathering three of a kind grants the reward. It’s extremely easy to rack up extra lives in this level. Level 3 has cannons that blast Sonic around. Lost Labyrinth’s first level has giant rocky spheres falling down or spinning onto train tracks. Level 2 is set in complete darkness, with Sonic carrying a torch to find his way and light fixtures on the wall, blow up explosives, and solve puzzles. That level, in particular, feels like a very ill fit for a Sonic game due to the focus on puzzles. Level 3 is the ever-present water level. And so on. You can expect gimmicks throughout Mad Gear Zone as well.

"I'm gonna get you, Eggman, and your deadly
platforms won't save you!"

This is how a hedgehog dies. Not by a blast, but by a
skip of a giant robot.

Upon completion of the four main Zones, Eggman flies off into space, and Sonic follows him holding on to a rocket. The final level takes place on the E.G.G. Station, and it’s basically a gauntlet against the four bosses so far, plus a final boss, the Death Egg Robot. That one was so tough, it took me most of my extra lives before I could defeat it. I’m thankful that the game was so far pretty generous with extra lives. (On Steam, there’s even an achievement for having 99 lives or more!)

With Eggman defeated, the animals return to the world. But what’s that? Eggman might not be gone… And indeed, once again, you get the true ending by collecting all seven Chaos Emeralds. Get to it! What’s the reward for success? Oh, nothing much… aside from the reveal that Metal Sonic will be in Episode 2. Roughly 10 seconds of new content for more than an hour cursing at the Special Stages. Time well spent! /s

Okay, so I activate this one... this one... No?
AAAAAAAAAARGH!

One of the most annoying moments in the entire goddamn game is located in the level "World of Darkness". The level's gimmick is that Sonic is carrying a torchlight, which allows him to light fixtures on the wall, which often activates platforms, or set bombs to explode. First off, since most of the level is set in complete darkness, Sonic can't run his way through, or else he keeps hitting walls. Second, one area of the level is a puzzle where Sonic has to light three torches, in perfect timing, so as to let him through to the end of the level. Remember that you still have the 10-minute time limit on the level, this puzzle is almost at the end of a long level, and if it takes you too long to figure out the answer, have fun respawning from the nearest checkpoint. I'm not saying Sonic and puzzles can't fit together, I'm saying that in this game, that puzzle is especially poorly-placed.

And of course, there's always at least one water level
in there. "Phew! I can breathe again!"

On a side-note, I wrote this review while I played both versions roughly in the same time period – I’d squeeze in an hour or two on the Wii when the living room TV was available, an hour or two on the Steam version whenever I could. The first, and oddest difference I could notice between the two versions: The Steam one has a single save file, while the WiiWare one allows you to have up to six profiles. Apparently, the WiiWare version is the only version of Sonic 4 Ep 1 that allows this. I haven’t found any reason for this, either.

Finally, as I mentioned earlier, the game’s levels can be played in Score Mode and Time Attack Mode. The game encourages players to try both and attempt to best their own previous records, as versions keep track of all players’ performances for all levels.

The Mad Gear Zone: Proof that in the Sonic universe, it doesn't matter
how far away you go, there's gonna be a big mean factory over there too.

Super-Sonic: When you've gotten really good at the
game, and want to rush through it in an Easy Mode.

Well, that seems to cover everything. It’s weird how every time I bring up Sonic 4 Episode 1, I seem to get all sorts of negative comments about it. I get it – it’s far from the best Sonic game I played, it has several flaws, but I don’t get the borderline knee-jerk reaction it gets. I think part of it is due to the very long wait between 2D entries in the series as the Sonic franchise veered into 3D, and also that it’s meant to be a sequel to these classic titles that fans have enjoyed for years now. It had big shoes to fill, and didn’t quite cut it. I’m under the impression that this game is a lot worse to people who’ve played most, if not all, of the Sonic 2D titles, and who have a larger frame of comparison for this one, whereas it’s only my second 2D Sonic title so I’m missing a few details.

While I personally didn’t mind, the use of Sonic’s modern look rubbed some people the wrong way. There’s also a few details here and there regarding physics. Something about Sonic being “floaty”, among other things. There's the overabundance of speed boosts, which falls in line with Sonic’s game of speed, but which may have also felt a bit too much. There were some complaints about the implementation of homing attacks as well, though I thought it was fine… barring a few moments in which the cursor would go back and forth between two potential targets.

Ah yes, the ever-present "advancing wall of doom"
type of level. Always (not) a pleasure.

Another issue with the game is its rather short length – three levels and a boss per Zone, for 4 main Zones – so 16 levels, plus a final level in the E.G.G. Station, plus the seven Special Stages. Merely finishing the game isn’t that long. Completing it by gathering the seven Chaos Emeralds is a fair bit longer, but still on the short side. I guess it’s understandable as this is only Episode 1 of two games – but still, for the price, I felt it didn’t have much to offer. I’ve been told that Episode 2 has a lot more content to it, but I’ll see that when I get to it. The 1500 Wii Points I paid for the WiiWare version, though? Fifteen bucks? After playing through it, I think it’s too much. The 10$ price tag for the Steam version is more reasonable. (Besides, the Wii Shop Channel is dead anyway, so who cares that I overspent years ago, right?)

If you check most of the images in this review, you
might notice the number on the bottom left.
That's "impossible to get a Game Over" territory.

Last but not least, I thought the game was just right when it came to difficulty – early levels simple, later levels trickier, last levels really tough. Due to the focus on collecting rings (and, for completionists, getting the Chaos Emeralds), it becomes incredibly easy to gather extra lives. One casino level, in particular, allows the player to rack up easily a dozen lives each time, with a bit of luck. And like any game in which gathering lives is too easy, eventually the extra lives stop having any sort of meaning. Replaying levels is encouraged, whether it’s to gather the Emeralds or beat your previous scores. Having so many lives doesn’t make the later levels easier (the final boss is so tough, I must have wasted 50 lives total trying to beat it on both versions), but it takes away any kind of worry you might have about getting a Game Over.

Is it a good game? It’s decent. People who have experience with all the classic games of the franchise will be disappointed, and people who expected a longer game will also be left hopingfor more (good thing Episode 2 has been released since). I enjoyed my own playthrough just fine, but at the same time I don’t think I’ll come back to it. It’s good, but not great – and I feel like I’d be even more critical of it, if this weren’t only the second 2D Sonic game I’ve ever played.

Next week: We’re taking a detour into the racing genre. Get ready to see a lot of hoverboards. Some birds, too. I’ll be talking about Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity.