Having finished all the 3D Sonic games up to Sonic Frontiers, I figured I should tackle the old 2D Sonic games. I'd always heard of the vast superiority of the classics, so I figured I'd finally take the time to finish some of them.

The original Sonic the Hedgehog sets the stage with a simple and elegant control scheme. Sonic runs by default and can jump into a ball form. While he runs, he can curl into a ball that gains momentum quickly when rolling down a hill, but at the cost of losing more momentum rolling up one. The controls only use one button and it works effectively for the most part.

2D Sonic never seemed to provide that high speed dopamine that the 3D titles would always center the character around. Instead, classic Sonic has a greater focus on the physics of the character and figuring out when switch between running and turning into a ball. Along with that, I was always frustrated with having to play these slower paced levels such as Labryinth Zone or Marble Zone. And they're still a problem to this day.

The bosses in this first title are just simple iterations of Eggman. I much prefer how simple they are in comparison to the bosses in the Advance games. They never really got on my nerves, though the worst of the set would have to be the one in Labyrinth zone just because they expect the player to avoid all these hazards without taking that many hits, while also having an underwater transition between. It's a tedious experience that made a tedious area all the more tedious.

Overall though, the original Sonic the Hedgehog isn't too bad, but it has some questionable design that plays against its strengths. Hopefully the sequels are better...

The first Sonic game while being groundbreaking at the time just doesn't really hold up as well as some other 2D platformers of the era. Level design is just very mixed overall, with some highs (For an example Green Hill and Star Light are overall really good zones) but lows that absolutely kill the game's pacing and enjoyment (For an example, Marble and Labyrinth zones are infamous for their strange difficulty spikes and poor design). The game itself if you can get past some of the road bumps of zone designs is relatively short, but tbf its expected of the first game. Gameplay itself is really just any regular Sonic gameplay, but is really interesting to play without a spindash. If you're in a mood to play a "classic" sonic game, definitely play CD or Sonic 2 over this, but the original is still definitely worth checking out

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)

Played on Nintendo Switch (Replay, Sonic Origins Plus)

Sonic 1 is an all around classic game, and after revisiting this after so many years, it’s still so easy to see why this took off so well in the 90s. The visually appealing sprite work, the addictive fast paced platforming, and the instantly iconic soundtrack.

Yea, it’s not perfect. And each of the 2D mainline entries that would follow would do things much better, but I don’t think that takes away for what this game managed to accomplish what no other platformer was doing at the time. Green Hill, Sping Yard, & Star Light are all great zones that showcase Sonic 1’s strengths the best. Marble, Labyrinth, & Scrap Brain, show this game’s weaknesses the worst though. Slowing down the pace is one thing, but also making levels with annoying mechanics and shoddy design is where I draw the line. Green Hill is just iconic for being the first level, it’s also still the best zone in the game.

Aside from the weird design decisions with half the zones and the special stages, Sonic 1 is still great. Lowkey I think you could chalk up some of Sonic 1’s flaws to “skill issues”, but it’s nowhere near a terrible game. A great start for an iconic franchise.

O jogo é médio. A arte é incrível, a trilha sonora é uma coisa fantástica, os níveis são espetaculares (apesar de repetitivos dentro de uma mesma zona).

A inércia do Sonic às vezes é sofrível demais. Se você não for suficientemente hardcore (e eu certamente não sou!), o jogo pode ficar desestimulante bem cedo. O lance de ter o "TRY AGAIN" no final (se você não pega todas as esmeraldas) também não me agrada. Mas enfim, é um clássico. Os jogos posteriores melhoram esses pontos... Pelo menos quero acreditar nisso!

The first Sonic the Hedgehog game is much simpler in terms of graphics and presentation than I remembered it to be, because of later titles false memories. Visuals are simple and straightforward, especially in places like Marble Zone which have the look of a decent but budget Amiga/AtariST euro platformer.

This game yet doesn't have many of the special moves or features the series is famous for, but it is still pretty neat and solid to play a platformer game, if a bit janky in places.

While this game already kind of shows the limits of Genesis hardware (later titles will compensate it much better, by art and features and clever programming) it was a decent hardware showcase to compete against back then still relevant 8-bit systems.

There is nothing wrong with the gameplay, but the quality of the levels is all over the place. You have Green Hill Zone, which is a great first level. Then there is Marble Zone, which is miserable as it is so tedious to just wait and wait for things to move. Spring Yard Zone is okay, then there is Labyrinth Zone, which is even worse than Marble Zone as you constantly have to wait for air bubbles while doing slow platforming in slow motion. Star Light Zone is amazing as it is a nice break from Labyrinth Zone, and Scrap Brain Zone is just okay for the first two acts, then Act 3 is just Labyrinth Zone Act 4. Luckily, you can skip most of Scrap Brain Act 3. Yeah, the quality just alternates between good and bad. The best way to play this game is to just play through Green Hill Zone then stop. Don't put yourself through Marble Zone.

After my little stint with the adventure games I thought I'd keep the sonic train rolling and seeing how the Sonic Origins collection is currently on sale I thought why not go through the classics. I haven't played them in years and I sure as hell haven't logged them so let's do it.

Yes this is the Origins version but I played on classic mode so it's close enough lol.


All I can say is it's still definitely Sonic 1. You gotta admire it for what it is and everything or started and it's honestly still a pretty fun time for most of it. But it is also like an hour long, maybe a bit longer if you're going for all the emeralds.

I never find myself yearning to come back to this unless I'm playing through all the classics. It's much more going back to experience the past and where it all started out of curiosity than it is something I would pick to play when I'm bored.

Green Hill of course is a classic and hasn't been oversaturated yet.

Marble Zone is pretty forgettable tbh and maybe my least favourite zone.

Although Labyrinth Zone activates my inner fight or flight response, the vibes in the stage or on point though. I know this is like 40 years too late by Hedgehogs can swim Yuji Naka you dumbass.

Starlight Zone is a great time all around with peak vibes.

And Scrap Brain is fun until act 3 when it just becomes a Labyrinth reskin.


The boss fights are all still piss easy, including death egg robot although I'm just enjoying them now while I can before they start adding bullshit to them.