EDIT: thanks so much for all the support everyone, means a lot. after a LOT of thinking, i've decided that i'll still be writing reviews, just shorter, as to not exhaust myself. thanks again.

anyone who knows me knows that i love all the classic sonic games. they’re my comfort games and i’ve been playing them for probably a decade by now. a friend of mine recommended me to play this one again today so i decided to revisit it. this isn’t an unbiased review that’s trying to see if this game “still holds up” or “is as good as i thought it was when i was a kid.” far from it. i love this game lol. my rating is my general critique mixed with my biases and nostalgia i have towards it. sonic 1 is a game that i can pop in anytime and get enjoyment out of it.

green hill is my goat. marble is tolerable. spring yard is cool. labyrinth is ass. star light is awesome. scrap brain is mid. that’s it. that’s the whole review.

console wars, genesis vs super nintendo, america, who gives a fuck. you’ve heard it all before and it doesn’t impact the game’s quality very much at all. sonic defined a generation partly because of sega’s great marketing and shit or whatever, but if the game was no good then it wouldn’t have lasted. sonic 1 is a good game, always was. it didn’t age, it didn’t change. it’s sonic T. hedgehog on the Sega. for years little kids everywhere rushed to their shiny wrapped boxes under that prickly tree to find the Sega they wanted bundled with the sonic edgehog they wanted too. kids aren’t stupid, they knew sonic was our goat. it’s a great time with some dull moments that don’t hinder the overall package all that much. does it suffer from first game syndrome? certainly, but this only further proves that what was laid down here was great enough to allow the construction of the fantastic sequels…
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i’m burnt out man, what do i write next. critical analysis my ass, it’s 10:41 PM on a weekday and i should be sleeping, but guess what? i’m not. sonic the hedgehog sega genesis baby, it does wild shit. to get real for a second i genuinely wrote like a page of some critiques and shit i have with this game. scrapped. i’ve been slowly feeling like my reviews have been becoming really forced and this was it. this was the one that made me genuinely angry. i want to write more reviews but it is really hard. shits becoming stale for me and i feel like there’s nothing i can do. i’m trying to break away from this boxed up structure i see some of my reviews share. the same words and phrases again and again. Backloggd.com. maybe it’s time for me to play a video game and not write a review about it. maybe i should play games and genuinely let them penetrate my soul and allow me to soak in their great, mid, or even terrible juices without having the need to pull out iOS Notes to jot down thoughts or justify how i feel to a seemingly invisible opposing party. maybe it’s time to say goodbye to backloggd.com, just for a little while. to those who follow me and like my stuff i’ll always be thankful to you guys. it means a lot to me that my little ramblings and shit about video games actually interest people. never in my life did i think i’d gain a following on this site. to everyone who reads this mess of a review, thanks.

Sonic the Hedgehog is a platform video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis home video game console. The first game in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, it was released in North America in June 1991 and in PAL regions and Japan the following month.

No, I didn’t proofread this, nor do I intend to.

SONIC the HEDGEHOG. One of the GREATEST and MOST ATTRACTIVE characters ever thought up. He can run at sound speed, take out enemies in a FLASH, and BEST OF ALL, he's BLUE colored and knows how to handle the FEMALES. SPEAKING of females, the Sonic universe might be classified as HOT CHICK HEAVEN, cause there's such a mess of very BEAUTIFUL and TOUGH women, that it'll make you love the franchise EVEN MORE. And since VALENTINES DAY is around the corner, I've been inspired to make a TOP TEN list of the most BEAUTIFUL female Sonic characters. Grab yourself a SNACK and a glass of ORANGE JUICE, and TRY not to reach through the screen because HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Sonic 1! The start of a legend! Every plumber shrieks in fear as the blue hedgehog appears to steal the hearts of millions!

As rough as the needlemouse's own quills, I got a bit of a new respect for the debut of one of the biggest influences on my childhood after racing some friends in it. Green Hill Zone is forever iconic, Marble Zone has a banger riff that I'd love to play on guitar despite it's constant need of looking upwards, Spring Yard is forever catchy regardless of it's mysterious boxes that could kill you instantly on-sneeze, Starlight is a relaxing breather, and Scrap Brain is an exhilarating trip into the hellish landscape of a world dominated by earth-destroying humans.

What's that? Labyrinth Zone? What about it?

"I love the slow plodding tedium of Labyrinth Zone." ~ Guy in prison with tax evasion Yoshi

I still don't like it as much as the Master System version, but it's a better starting point than some let on! By the way, did you know that the Japanese version was released later with some added minor effects and a whole added ring to Labyrinth Zone? That's the one I used for the race! Ignore that it was also apparently made ever so slightly easier too... heh heh. Fiendishly clever Vee....

insultingly bad barring two zones

the issue isn't that sonic is slow - he is fucking immobile. most of the obstacles aren't even platforming challenges but rather just waiting for blockades to move. proof that marketing is everything when your audience is dumb kids

thankfully the sequels introduced speed to the series... what a novel concept

Ah Sonic The Hedgehog, it's a series that needs no introduction, or does it? Its a series that while incredibly, and i mean incredibly flawed holds a near and dear place in my heart and in spite the series glaring flaws i keep coming back to it, so in prepartion of Sonic's new Open Zone foray into next generation consoles let's take run down memory lane to Sonic's Origins, oh yeah i was originally planning on this to be my 50th review but i felt my other reviews of the games i was doing wasn't really going anywhere so fuck it, we're doing it now, so, order a Chili Dog, Scrape your Knuckles and grab some tails as we dive into the world of Sonic The Hedgehog

It's no secret that Sega is a very flawed company, more than most, the master system was a big ol flop due to the mascot (Alex Kid) just not gelling well with people and so Sonic The Hedgehog was born! Except not really, you see the tean wanted to make a Protagonist that was both really fast, appealed to a newer generation while still respecting that more Mickey Mouse kinda design philosophy, many character designs were created that would be later brought back into the series, such as Teddy Roosevelt in PJs being the main base of Dr Robotnik, Feels the Rabbit and an unnamed armadilo protype designs for Sonic possibly being the main base for Cream the Rabbit and Mighty the Armadilo, A Band that included a Crocdile which became Vector with the Band concept being reused for Sonic Underground and lastly, Sonic's human girlfriend, Madonna who may have been reused as concept for 06 (?). Whatever it is to me its so incredibly fascinating that these early concepts all came back one way or another and these concepts in general just being a thing, but whatever the point is Sega had many ideas for what the next mascot here, that a competition was held to see which design was best fit, After a close bout between Feels the rabbit and Sonic the hedgehog, Sonic obviously won. Sonic was the perfect thing Sega was looking for, someone with attuide, an edge, his speed all of that could act as suffient rival to Mario, in second place was Teddy Roosevelt in PJs who manifested into the iconic villain we know today, Dr Robotnik in American or Dr Eggman in Japan which was later adopted to his nickname worldwide. The man who created Sonic's design, Naoto Oshima worked closely along with Phatasy Star dev Yuji Naka (who had a concept for a fast character from speedrunning Super Mario Bros 1) to fully develop Sonic 1 along with a small team of devs, despite how much i made fun of him in the Balan Review and his wild ass ramblings on the Toxic Bird App, i can't deny he had a big handing into making Sonic 1 into the game it is today, that being said one of the biggest factors that really made Sonic 1 so iconic was it's marketing push, being a pack in title for the Genesis it was bound to do well but i don't think they realised how well Sonic 1 would do, that attuide and design along with that bright green background must of caught so many childrens eyes back then, course for the parents it was the price but probably seeing that design must have memorizing to say the least, of course for some reason Sega felt the need to very slightly and i mean slightly redesign Sonic for the American regions, having an disney artist, Greg Martin comprise the art for all American Sonic Media, including the basis for all 3 sonic cartoons. I love this art even though it kinda sucks, like the Japan stuff still looks cool but the American art just envokes a great sense of nostalgia and warmth to me unlike the Japan art despite me not being born at the time, might be bias due to AOSTH being my favourite series of all time? (Even though it really sucks) Sure maybe it's that but i always feel the Japanese design doesn't evoke that same edge as well as the American design while still keeping that cutesy Mickey Mouse design, again both look great just i personally prefer Greg Martin's take. But anyway, the length preamble aside Sonic 1 was a critical and commercial sucess but does it hold up today? Look no 2000s edgecore Youtuber broad statments, yeah Sonic 1 is pretty good while the cracka do show at points i can't deny that i just had some unadulterated fun with this game.

Getting to the game itself, it tells a simple story of nature vs industrialization or what it means to have power, does one use it for the greater good? Or nefarious deeds (or whatever the fuck the American Sonic Bible was), it follows a free spirted teenager named Sonic The Hedgehog, originating from Christmas Island but left due to his love for Adventure, as he battles for the first time the evil Dr Robotnik as the race through South Island to find all 6 Chaos Emeralds, Sonic has the incredible power of going extremely and cartoonishly fast, using his powers for good while Robotnik is incredibly smart with an IQ of 300 but decides to use his power for evil and destruction by capturing the inhabitants of the Island and turning them into robots, only amplfied by his want for the Chaos Emeralds. Again a simple story but it's effective with a strong but simple ending, depsite there being no game reward with getting all the emeralds, i still do because i like the ending, Sonic doesn't get any grand power but only has flowers blooming around, fully affirming that Robotniks gone for good (for now).

Gameplay wise, Sonic 1 is a simple 2D Platformer, you collect Rings as health or as extra lives which act as a 2 hit mechanism, one hit you lose all of them and then the next hit you're dead unless you collect more rings, it's a unique formula that works in the game favour as it can act as risk reward system, damage boost when hit to go as fast as possible or collect enough rings so you can be as safe as possible. Enemies or "Badniks" take one hit but there's a good amount of variety and strategy to them about the way you approach them, Sonic 1 also has a few power ups that spruce up the Gameplay such as a Shield which acts as an additonally with no extra ring costs, speed shoes which increase Sonic's acceleration and speed and finally, the invincibility which makes Sonic invulnerable for a short period. It feels like everything in Sonic 1 personifies more than anything, a sense of flow, while speed is important having this sense of flow or kinetic energy feela good to pull off, though playing this game without the Spin Dash added in later ports (which gives you a big burst of speed) and lack of speed cap does feel clunky at that since it feels so made with it in mind.

Of course, having a flow wouldn't be any good if the Zones were fun and, uh they kinda are? Easily the most contentious atturbute to Sonic 1 is it's levels with 3 acts, most people would say play Green Hill then skip to Sonic 2 but i don't know i had a lot lf fun with most of these stages:

-Green Hill is just amazing, keeps the flow and speed going while also providing multiple routes
-Marble Zone is good! It's not as good as Green Hill but i find it's design while slower to be fun, Act 3 can be pretty frustating though, especially at the end when you can lose all your progress with one misjump at the end
-Spring Yard Zone is a bit of a mixed bag though still fun overall, it keeps the speed and the flow of Green Hill intact, and using momentum to roll around the stage is pretty fun but the slower sections with spikes and the moving blocks do get a bit tedious at times
-Labyrinth Zone... Yeah no can't really defend this one it sucks balls, it's way too slow, hate how they discarded the suba mask (An item that would have helped in underwater) for the bubbles, while it keeps the anxiety and pace going, adding that risk reward setting of getting bubbles to stay safe or rush ahead, the water physics being way too slow dampers this zone, especially in later acts
-Starlight Zone is alright, a cool city area with some annoying fans and walking bombs but sorta forgettable, it's probably the most well designed stage since Green Hill but feels pretty forgettable all things considered
-Scrap Brain Zone is easily the worst zone in the game, hellish and unfair enemy placements, straight up cat mario esuqe traps and level design plus Labyrinth Zone Act 4! Wow game i really wanted more of Labyrinth Zone

So depsite 2 stinkers, i still think Sonic 1's Zones are fun though they aren't the biggest issues with the game, the bosses are either way to easy with simple patterns to read (Green Hill, Marble Zone, Spring Yard and the Final Boss) or are unfeasibly unfair like Labyrinth Zone with it's chase sequence or Starlight Zone with those seesaws. I also feel the Special Stages aren't very fun getting to them is pretty easy though there did needed to be a chance to get them in Act 3 and Scrap Brain but visually they look great and weird but gameplay wise they rely to much on luck/RNG to be considered fun. But depsite my issues i still i had a lot fun with the moment to moment Gameplay, most other zones, it sorta feels like some zones were easily better designed than others while some were just straight up unfair.

But putting aside the issues that the biggest plus with Sonic 1 is the presentation, it's absolutely steller, they collaborated with the band Dreams come true to deliver a great and unforgettable soundtrack, environments look colourful and brimming with life, Green Hill has cemented it's name in history because of it's great music and unique albeit overused visuals, Sonic 1 unlike most Sonic games, feels like you're going on a seriouziled adventure as you see the world naturally turn more artificial, from the lush plains of Grewn Hill to the sacred ruins of Marble Zone, to the Las Vegas esque omnious city of Spring Yard Zone to the other sacres ruins of Labyrinth Zone (in my opinion they should put it after Marble Zone but okay) to the city ruled by night in Starlight Zone then to finally, Robotniks domain that is completely artificial and mechanized named Scrap Brain Zone. It shows the Genesis strengths as a 16-bit console in terms of music and graphical fediality that still somewhat holds up today.

Overall, i kinda feel Sonic 1 gets a lot of uneeded flac, there’s some issues sure but i feel like the Classic era more than anything had such a clear identity and personality of what it wanted to be, while Sonic 1 is certainly more subdued and diled back than it's sequels, its still a game that gets better and better as a i replay it and has aged very well and i urge you should play it since in my opinion, it definitely gets better as you replay it (though play any version with Spin Dash, Super Sonic Multiple playable characters and Elemental Shields), while it hasn't aged like fine wine or like bad milk, sorta like the crisps you've had for 2 years, doesn't have the greastest taste and might give you a bit of a stomach ache but it tastes good nonetheless, plus the other brands that the crisps have made have infinitly improved on them in every way.

The only media property to become more of an obsession for me as a child than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was Sonic the Hedgehog. I still vividly remember the first time I saw Sonic. It was at a kiosk in a mall where Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was being advertised before release. My father, who had previously gifted me his Game Boy and a copy of Tetris to shut me the hell up on a long car ride, was visiting my mom and I and just so happened to bring his Sega Genesis. He rented Sonic the Hedgehog for me that night, and I was so glued to the TV he figured hey, might as well give him that Sega too.

In many ways, my father fucked me up for life. He's to blame for all of this!

As a wee child I had a pretty tough time with Sonic the Hedgehog, especially over its two sequels which were just a hell of a lot more accessible. It didn't stop me from trying of course, and after countless rentals on my mom's dime I finally did manage to claw my way to at least Labyrinth Zone, but coming back to it older and more seasoned I found a lot to appreciate about Sonic the Hedgehog's less forgiving, slower-paced, platform focused approach.

Sonic has always felt great to me. The weight he has to his jumps, the momentum he builds while rolling down a hill, even the feedback you get from bouncing on monitors and enemies comes together beautifully. I've also played these games so much that it's perhaps second nature to me now, blinding me to any shortcomings these original games have as raw muscle memory compensates for any wonkiness. That being said, Sonic the Hedgehog still provides some modicum of challenge whereas its sequels are pretty much played on autopilot for me now. Maybe this is also why Labyrinth Zone is my favorite level in the entire game (or maybe it's just those damn banjos...)

There's also just a ton of aesthetic touches that I love about this game, some of which didn't even make it to the US market. I'm talking of course about the Japanese packaging and the way Sonic's branding was handled over there in the early 90s. Bright geometric shapes, squiggly lines, inspirational quotes about living for today or whatever. When you thumb through the japanese manual there's definitely a level of quality and consideration there that you didn't really find in a lot of other Sega games at the time. Presentation was of course a big deal for Sonic, though, as Sega was banking everything on the character becoming the face of the company, and for that to work they had to ensure the game itself was met with a very high adoption rate. They really went all out and it shows.

The in-game presentation is just as good. Sprites still have some of that early Genesis pastel look to them, but is overall much more colorful than a lot of other Sega games of that period. I've always liked that the adventure takes place over the course of a day as represented by the sky gradually inching closer to night. Likewise, having Sonic start the game in an entirely naturalized setting and journeying to more industrialized locations as he makes his way to Robotnik's factories gives the level progression a sense of cohesion that is only matched later by Sonic 3. Tying it all together is a wonderful soundtrack by Dreams Come True bassist Masato Nakamura, who referenced not only his band's own music but a few other tracks that... Well, are maybe a little litigious. Sonic the Hedgehog owes a lot of its vibe to the Japanese music scene of the late 80's/early 90s, and having a key member of a well known band helming the soundtrack gives it that extra layer of authenticity.

So what don't I like about this game? My review has been glowing so far, but this isn't a perfect 5/5. I think it really boils down to two main complaints: the three act structure and the Robotnik boss fights. Some levels start to drag by the time the third act starts, Marble Zone being an egregious offender and so early in the game definitely doesn't help. The Robotnik fights are all very one-note too. Oh here's Robotnik is a fireball, here he is with a spike, here he is with a spike ball. The final boss is pure tedium as you stand around waiting for Robotnik to show himself just long enough to get one hit in, maybe, if you're lucky. Labyrinth's boss is a pure platforming challenging that doesn't even task you with fighting him directly, and while I do think that it is the most engaging fight of the game (all thanks to the pure tension of tricky jumps and a rising water level), it also feels the most bullshitty.

Nostalgia can be an affliction that prevents us from seeing parts of our past for how they truly were, but there's also a comfort there that's not entirely worth discrediting. I need only dust off my Genesis and stick in my cart to be taken back to my old bedroom, warm rays of light cutting through my blinds, cross-legged on the floor and ready to die a million times in Marble Zone Act 3. Sonic the Hedgehog certainly goes beyond pure nostalgia for me, but for a game to be able to take me to that kind of place, well, how can I not love it?

Back in the 80's and early 90's, Nintendo DOMINATED the video game scene with the NES, Game Boy, and the soon-to-be-released SNES. All of the most popular and iconic games of the time were being released on their systems, and it seemed as if nothing could even compare to them. However, it was then that a challenger came on the scene, and that challenger was Sega, with their new console, the Sega Genesis, and with this new console came a new mascot. A mascot that would define an entire generation of gamers, for better, or for worse, and that mascot would come to be known as Sonic the Hedgehog.

Say what you will about what Sonic has become, but back in the day, he was the face of the Genesis, and the first competition that Mario and Nintendo have ever had, all thanks to the game that started it all. And thankfully, after over 30 years, the original game still holds up to this day. Yes, it does have its problems, and it has aged in comparison to future installments, but this is a pretty great starting point for the series.

The story is very simple and fun, the graphics are very bright, colorful, and appealing, the music is iconic and incredible to this day, with Green Hill Zone being a great example of this, the control and movement is incredibly fast, fun and responsive, and the gameplay is simple fast-paced 2D platforming that is still wonderful, even for how simple this entry executes it.

The game is your average stage-to-stage affair, where you run through, defeat enemies and bosses, and grab rings, with the enemies and bosses themselves being very easy to take out, even if they can be bland, and some of the bosses can be pretty annoying in how they try to differentiate how you take them out, such as in Labyrinth Zone. Aside from what you would expect though, this game also gives replay value for the player in terms of the Chaos Emeralds.

If you grab 50+ rings and enter a giant ring at the end of the level, you can go through the drug trip known as a special stage in order to collect a Chaos Emerald, and when you collect all six of them, you are then granted a different ending at the end, which doesn't change much, but it is a little nicer. In terms of the special stages themselves, they are... fine. They can be fun to travel through, but I will admit, it does get disorienting and kinda annoying in some certain cases, and with all the different obstacles in there that can sometimes throw you out of the level entirely, you could be at them for a while.

In terms of complaints I would have about this game, I would say that the main gimmick of the game, that being speed, isn't exactly executed all too well. For example, you start out in Green Hill Zone, a set of levels where you can run through at the speed of sound, coupled with well-timed platforming, but then you enter Marble Zone, where you are immediately grinded to a halt, having to push numerous objects and pull off slow platforming. Sure, I don't mind this all too much, but it is noticeable when looking back. Not to mention, some of the levels themselves, like Labyrinth Zone, can fuck right off for all I care.

In addition, this game suffers quite a bit from first-game-syndrome, where again, the levels aren't always the best, and not to mention, with signature elements of Sonic missing, like the spin dash and Tails, it does feel rather weird to go back to. That being said, it is still a great game to this day, but it has aged, and can be seen more as a blueprint for where this series is taken in the future.

Overall, this is still a great way to start out what would become Sega's flagship franchise, and an icon for many all around the world, no matter how... weird the series would get.

Game #60

Apesar dos problemas da época é surpreendentemente bom. As fases do jogo são muito originais e bem feitas em sua funcionalidade, apresentando uma série de desafios muito diferentes e próprios pra cada uma delas. Acho que o principal problema do jogo é a câmera que muitas vezes te enganar por não seguir direito o personagem ou ficar toda bugada se você ir super rápido. Mas é perdoável pra época que o jogo saiu. Simplesmente uma das melhores trilhas sonoras que já vi em um jogo, Sonic the Hedgehog sem dúvidas expandiu os conceitos de jogos de plataforma 2D.

I don't get Sonic games.

Like, I get that there used to be this element of "whoa look how fast this Blast Processing is!", but even in the 90s, I never got any enjoyment out of running to the right as fast as possible while a handful of superficial, pointless loops try to make the experience look cool.

Style over substance.

The Genesis Sonic games are very comfy for me— they’re some of the first games I ever played and loved as a kid.

Sonic 1 is still pretty good! The aesthetic is perfect, of course, and the overall feel of the game is superb. Sega would improve on the formula with later entries, so it’s hard not to judge this one against those, but it’s certainly got some classic stages and boss fights.

I hate the water sections, though, and I resent whenever the game punishes you for going fast (in the later levels, you can take numerous dives off of cliffs directly after being given a straightaway or loop on which to pick up speed—why??).

Maybe my standards were affected by experiencing the original Sonic the Hedgehog on only an iPhone touch screen for many years, but my playthrough on the PS2’s Mega Collection Plus version was pretty enjoyable.

It’s an exceptionally simple platformer, even by 1991 design, but Sonic 1 has moments in every level that really capture a sense of speed from loop-de-loops, bumpers, and springs. During the times that you’re really moving fast, taking damage isn’t actually a huge penalty because you always have a few seconds to regain some of your health after a hit. Holding onto enough rings to enter the special stages at the end of a stage requires a lot of planning and can fall into trial-and-error territory. However, the whole game also has a great soundtrack and level aesthetics, which helps out the slower-paced Marble Zone and Labyrinth Zone a lot. With how short and easy the game (if you’re not focused on getting all the Master Emeralds), it’s an essential experience for those interested in video game history.

I think that Sonic makes much more sense as an armadillo though.

Sonic the hedgehog is a game that was truly ahead of its time. The music in sonic 1 is so iconic, whenever you hear it you know what game it's from. The same can be said for the sound effects, whether it's collecting rings, finishing a level, or almost drowning. Each sound is truly iconic and special in its own way.

Another thing about sonic 1 that's amazing is the level design. The levels are full of spaces to explore and different routes to take. It really does baffle me how on Sega's first try they managed to get everything so right.

Veredito: É um clássico e é por um bom motivo.

Fiquei muito confuso quando vi que vários fãs de Sonic acham este jogo superestimado. "Vai ver envelheceu mal" pensei. Não jogava há eras, então talvez meu carinho por ele fosse pura nostalgia? Afinal, Sonic 1 foi um dos jogos mais importantes da minha infância.

Mas não. Depois de rezerar (pela caralhocentésima vez, mas pela 1ª em muitos anos) percebo que eu tava certo. Sonic 1 continua até hoje um plataforma EXTREMAMENTE SÓLIDO, o que até assusta um pouco considerando que foi o 1º do gênero e que várias das pessoas envolvidas eram inexperientes. Curto, direto, rejogável e divertido para um cacete.

Green Hill Zone já foi discutida até o talo, mas é uma pena que as outras fases não recebam o mesmo carinho da comunidade. Marble Zone é boa sim e tem excelentes seções de plataforma, Star Light e Spring Yard são uma delícia, as fases de esmeralda são fodonas e todos os chefes são bem projetados. A direção visual e sonora são incríveis, e pqp a trilha sonora é perfeita. O único defeito mesmo é o pico de dificuldade injusta nas últimas fases: vá tomar no cu, Scrap Brain.

Quanto a mim, foi muito bom ver que eu não esqueci nenhum segredo. As passagens secretas, os pequenos bugs que podem ser explorados, os melhores caminhos. Até descobri alguns novos!

When I was growing up we didn't have much money. By the time I got a Sega Megadrive (replacing my ZX Spectrum) Sonic 2 was already out and the original game was a free pack in title with most consoles. For a long time Sonic the Hedgehog was the only game I had for the platform so inevitably, I played it a lot. It plays more like a proper platformer than later titles which focus more on the speedier sections that are only present here in small bursts. Having played it so much I appreciate a lot of the design that went into each stage. However I can also understand that people only trying it now and possibly after playing other games in the series may have a more negative impression of it.

There are seven zones to play through which are broken into different acts, the final act of each zone has a boss:

Green Hill Zone - The most famous Sonic zone? A lot of Sonic games had essentially a clone version of this as it's first zone going forward. It's a fun starter zone that's fairly easy and has a few faster moments with loops to run round that became an iconic part of the series.

Marble Zone - I think this is where peoples expectations of what they think this game will be as opposed to what it is. It's slower levels with moving platforms, lava pits and spike traps really put people off. I hated this zone myself at the time as a wee lad but having played it so much I have a new found respect for it's slower pace and more cautious gameplay.

Spring Yard Zone - This I'm less keen on. It's similar to Marble Zone in that it's a slower paced level with some precise movement and jumps needed but it's where the lack of the spin dash introduced in Sonic 2 highlights it's flaws in some sections when you lose momentum.

Labyrinth Zone - So, I must be the only person on earth that likes this zone. It really stands out with slower floating underwater sections in which you need to get air from bubbles that release as you travel. I appreciate the different mechanics here that break up the rest of the game.

Star Light Zone - This is a bit of a mix of Green Hill Zone's loops and faster sections but mixed with Marble Zone's difficulty with some loops leading straight to bombs or instant death pits. It easily has the best music in the game though.

Scrap Brain Zone - This is the only zone I actively don't like. It's just constant pit traps, flames, disappearing platforms etc. It isn't a fun zone to play no matter what path you take.

Final Zone - This is basically just the Final boss and Scrap Brain boss mixed. I actually like this fight quite a lot. More than the final boss of later games interestingly. It is hard but weirdly less frustrating. The bosses in the game are pretty good generally with a nice mix, Labyrinth Zone's is more of a platform challenge to once again be a bit different etc.

There are also special zones to get Chaos Emeralds which I don't really enjoy. That said I've played them enough it wasn't too much of a challenge to get all six on this playthrough. You play a top down spinning section you have to guide Sonic without hitting dead end exits. It's more annoying than skill based and simply knowing where to go.

Overall I honestly do like this game but it is the worst of the original trilogy easily. The lack of a spin dash introduced in the sequel, the meh special stage zones and Scrap Brain Zone generally do bring it down. That said I appreciate the more platform based gameplay, great visual design, animations and fantastic music. If you haven't played this I do recommend giving it a try just temper your expectations. It's a genuinely good game and sets the formula going forward that Sonic 2 and 3 actively improve on but it's still a fun game in it's own right. It's also available on almost everything now if you don't own the original hardware.

+ Great visual design for the time.
+ Love the music, especially Star Light Zone.
+ Labyrinth Zone. (Yes, I said it)

- Losing momentum without the spin dash at times is annoying.
- Scrap Brain Zone is just no fun.
- Special stages aren't very fun either.

Sonic as a pure platformer supported by a meticulous roll and physics system with genuinely punishing and challenging level design was a treat to go back to with friends on a VC race. It's easy to get pissed when Green Hill sets up the expectation of a speed game, but I think as soon as you disengage that train of thought, the rest of the game really opens up. Timing your movements, making razor-sharp air adjustments, rolling as offensive and defensive tools - this is the shit that conquered the American market and installed multiple new vectors to the platformer genre. I don't entertain the usual overhype of Sonic being this momentum-based speedrun juggernaut, but those moments of rhythmic pinballing are total magic. Absolutely stellar, rewarding, empowering experience, and maybe even a bit better than Sonic 2 in some spots.

But there's Labyrinth zone so, who can say one way or another.

Sonic 1 deserves more respect

Honest to god this is the best Classic game (next to Mania of course). I would usually put Sonic 1 lower than the other Classic games prior but after a while I replayed this game and started messing around with it some more and honestly nowadays I actually prefer it to Sonic 2, 3, and ESPECIALLY CD and Chaotix, though those two aren't particularly a high bar if you ask me.

I think the simplicity in Sonic 1's design philosophy lends better to the game as a whole, there's no wishy wooshy automated speed sections or segmented level design that plagued Sonic 3 for instance. It's just fun to mess around and build speed no matter where you are in the level, and most of the "slow sections" that I hear people complain endlessly about can actually be skipped with clever play, whether it's the two lava rides in Marble zone, the spiked platforms and slopes in Spring Yard zone, heck you can even get past the entirety of Labyrinth zone without stopping to grab a single air bubble (though that zone is still a bit of a chore regardless). There still is some forced waiting sections don't get me wrong, Spring Yard still has plenty of elevators and Marble has that forced lava boat ride at the final act, but for the most part I definitely think this is by far the best classic game to actually use "le momentum rolling physics" well. It's just fun to experiment in a variety of scenarios, on top of having the better classic bosses that the series has had. They still aren't amazing but for the first attempt at creating bosses for the franchise I think they're well handled. The emeralds only get you a "good ending" instead of a super form so I don't think they're worth going after but if you do the special stages are what I would also put over 2's halfpipe or 3's godawful blue spheres any day of the week. As a whole, again, Sonic 1 is more "simple" compared to the other Classic games, but that's honestly why I prefer it in the end.

In the year of 1991, company Sega created the Sonic the Hedgehog series, to compete with Nintendo's mascot at the time Mario and provide more sales for the Genesis console. The game turned out to be a booming success in places like the US and sparked the Nintendo vs SEGA war. The battle between the blue haired speedster and the Italian plumber carried on for nearly a decade, until the unfortunately SEGA stopped producing consoles and focused on making half baked titled practically holding the hedgehog hostage (but thats for another day). However most Sonic fans reminisce on the golden era of Sonic and the classic titles that made him a worthy opponent in the 90's.

I've always been the Mario man. I grew up with the DS and Wii and although playing a lot of Dreamcast and Genesis games I only touched upon Generations. After finally playing the original titles, I have to say with dissapointment the first game did not age well. Or at least, my perception on the hedgehog as a whole.

I was quite surprised to find out that the Sonic games arent always about going fast. The first game actually takes it quite slow by having lots of enemies and placed structures in the way to make you slam into walls or take more time collecting treasures and rings. This was quite.. shocking to me? One minute ill be going super fast going around cool loops and the other time all my speed will be halted down because I have to do a parlour segment. I'm Marble Zone for example, there's a part where you have to stand on a moving block as it will traverse slowly across a pool of lava. This is just boring? You shouldn't have these constant patterns of halting all my speed and progress across stupid parkour and cramped tiny spaces. People can feel differently here, but Sonic' movement does not compliment this type of gamestyle, as sometimes I feel too slippery and fast for my own good.

Lets talk about, in my opinion, the worst level design of the game. Labyrinth Zone consists of these tight cramped spaces with the exception of small moving platforms in a circuit that Sonic has to stand on and move across. The worst part is easily that 80% of this zone takes place entirely underwater. Sonic moves slower and his jumps are a bit floatier, and he will also drown if he spends too much time in the water. You've probably heard this from many other reviews, but this is not fun to play as well. And if you suck like me you'll constantly be bumping into things meaning you have to sluggishly scram to pick them all up again. I just don't understand that a game that was advertised as this speedup go fast as this cool hedgehog focuses on tight platformery levels, although it is classed as such.

However I did genuinely like some levels such as Star Light Zone and Green Hill. The pixel art and soundtrack will always be ahead of it's time and ages fairly well (seriously all OST in this game is a bop you can't take that away).

The boss fights are ok. Some like the Labrynth one are extrenely frustrating but very rhymetic and simple, which I thinks help. I dont wanna spoil the last boss but I wish it did something different as it was extremely underwhelming.

Theres nothing else to really say about the game. For the time the first Sonic title was great however outdated level design has soured the experience. However, I have heard that later titles (most importantly 3) improves on this so hopefully the game is just suffering from first game syndrome. The race of the two gaming titans continue.

"Sonic the Hedgehog. More action, More speed , Sega Genesis, it's a whole lot more for less."

SOnic. Sonic the hedgehog., Sonic goes really fast, except when he doesn't. Why not? They didn't want him to. Sometimes. *drowns*

Sonic is in hell for most of the game. The story tells exactly how Sonic the Hdeghog went deeper and deeper into purgatory. He never gets out, but he manages to kill(?) demons.

If I was tasked as a 7 year old to beat this game I would kill Sonic the Hedgehog myself.

Fear not, for I have seen beyond the dreaded Marble Zone at long last and it's... alright. There's a certain charm that comes with the original game. Not having a spin-dash feels really strange and cumbersome, and for a game that was advertised on the notion of having to go fast, you honestly rarely get a chance to, especially with the amount of tight platforming you have to do in the later zones (and frankly, Marble Zone is a patience tester that is almost inexcusable).

In the year 2022 of our Lord, I cannot say that this game holds up very well, especially when I have been spoiled by modern Sonic mechanics. Though, if you think of this less as a game focused on speed but rather as a traditional platformer with "speed-focused" physics, you might come to appreciate it better. I'm just glad they had the decency to at least include a level select cheat code, because having to repeat zones again and again would be a miserable experience. Heck, continues are tough to come by unless you're good enough to consistently get high scores in acts or unlock the bonus stages and do well enough in them. But if so, would you even really need the surplus of continues in the first place?

Haters really aught to take Spring Yard's advice and learn to COPE with the fact they cannot enjoy a classic like this B-)

...Nah but for real, thanks to the recent android decompilation, it's nice to finally beat this game after years of 'just not getting it' and quitting in the middle of the second zone. Having that small safety net of saved progress does a lot for playing a game of this vintage for the first time, and now that I know the lay of the land I'm interested in trying it out 'the original way' sometime.

Otherwise? Not much to say that hasn't already been said many times before. The big open stages with ramps and loops really fun; the ones between them tend not no be (Labyrinth Zone is by far the worst set of the lot); Graphics and Music are a timeless aesthetic; Sonic himself is very charming and cool. Well worth the hassle it is to set up!

I feel like an outlier when I say I really love this game. Compared to all of the other classic games, I find myself revisiting this one the most and enjoying each playthrough I have of it. I never grew up with this game, and I only beat it during my time in middle school. I still love replaying and beating this game in one sitting to this day. There's not a lot to this game, but there's a lot to love. It's a stellar and unique art direction, paired with the amazing music from Masato Nakamura. It all adds to the unique style Sonic was exuding back in the 90s. I have the Special Stage music from this game as my ringtone because I love it that much.

A lot of people tend to have this misconception that Sonic has and always will have the gameplay mentality of "going fast" and critique this game based on that misconception. I think that Sonic, from a design standpoint, has always encouraged players to properly learn the level design throughout the game and earn the satisfaction of beating a level quickly through skill and memorization. I feel like people give too much hate to Marble Zone and Labyrinth Zone because they refuse to engage with the level design and just want to hold right the whole time, like they can do in Green Hill. People forget that Sonic has always had level design that rewards exploration, and there are routes and gameplay tricks you can use to skip entire sections of levels. Scrap Brain Zone Act 3 has a shortcut that cuts the time from 2 minutes to 20 seconds. I don't think there's anything wrong with slowly but surely making your way through a level. At maximum, levels can take about 2 and a half minutes to complete with plenty of mistakes, and people overblow how long these levels actually are. I'm not going to act like the game is perfect; some of the enemy placement and level design in Labyrinth Zone and Starlight Zone are pretty annoying, and Scrap Brain can get tiring. It's got first-game syndrome, sure, but it isn't terrible. It can be pretty frustrating on first playthroughs, but I feel like that's everyone's first experience playing a Sonic game. It's a rite of passage at this point. 

In retrospect, this game can seem pretty terrible, but I have my own fun with it. I wish people shared the same sentiment. Special stages are bad, though I won't deny it; I've just gotten used to them over time.

+coming back to this game now with more awareness of sega's history and development style makes me appreciate how sophisticatd the physics engine in this game is, and how much this was meant to be seen as an evolution of platforming game mechanics. sega has frequently used easy to learn yet hard to master momentum-based mechanics in their games (see daytona usa or jet set radio), and this is a prime example of those. where mario excelled at having tight, responsive controls, sonic tested the player's ability to understand weight and dynamics at high speeds
+I think systems like the rings giving players health pickups littered everywhere and the multiple pathways softening the blow of falling from an obstacle both greatly temper the difficulty and make the game much more approachable than its contemporaries
+gaining speed feels extremely rewarding in this game, often allowing you to skip otherwise dificult parts and roll through badniks all in a row
+the bosses are simplistic but feel more clever and more polished than the average platformer boss encounter from around this time (tho the labyrinth zone boss sucks lol)
+big fan of the faux flat-shaded polygon vibe that permeates the environment design in this game. it helps make the environments pop and lends a forward-thinking feeling to the game, marking its place as an essential 16-bit game
+of course I have to bring up the music, literally some of the best fm synth tunes ever. I had never played past spring yard zone before now yet felt like I knew every song by heart

-it's well known, but the design I gushed about above only applies to about half the game. marble and labyrinth zone are both tedious and slow as they're missing multiple pathways through the level having been replaced with obstacles that restrict player movement
-three acts per zone is too long, especially since the individual acts lack unique characteristics. thankfully this would be rectified in the sequels
-the absence of a spin dash is pretty noticable, and I found pressing down to roll at high speeds to be relatively unresponsive. there aren't even all that many points to fully take advantage of the mechanic anyway
-special stages are sort of an eh, it feels bad to give them that much shit considering how much more annoying the sonic 2 special stages are. they feel like a bit of a crapshoot, and having to save 50 rings until the end of the stage is pretty rough
-really lacking in setpieces compared to the later entries; I'll attribute this and some of the aforementioned issues to a lack of time. it seems like they spent most of the development working on the engine itself with the overlying game coming at the end
-green hill has a lot of famous graphical effects, most notably its lovely parallax scrolling, but many of the other levels are much flatter in comparison. star light zone has some spiffy parallax as well but on a much less interesting background with a foreground tileset that feels unfinished

I have a lot of respect for this game in retrospect, but it's hard to ignore how the heights of this game are brief and sandwiched by a lot of tepid design that brings it down. however, this has left me excited to play the later titles and reevaluate them as well, as I had very mixed experiences with these as a child playing them on gamecube. at the time I had not been introduced to emulators, which have made replaying these much more approachable with a better pad and infinite lives. ultimately, I would recommend at least playing through green hill zone to understand this game's success with translating arcade gameplay to home consoles, and then perhaps attempt the rest if you're feeling up to it.