A perfect tasting menu of Sonic.
Genuinely stunning considering that, on paper, none of Sonic Pocket Adventure's quirks should be conducive to a good Sonic experience. Being made in conjunction with SNK to be purpose-built for the Neo Geo Pocket, there's a greater understanding of the hardware on display here than in the Game Gear titles or the Sonic Advance series. There, speed becomes a burden. Here, speed comes naturally just as in the mainline titles. There, the screen is cramped. Here, despite the square display, you don't feel the need to cautiously inch forward out of fear for what lies ahead. Not once across my two playthroughs did I feel like I got hit because of something outside my control.
Stages are all derivative of previous titles (primarily Sonic 2) but they've been scaled down or reworked to accommodate the handheld experience. Despite this, levels still contain alternate paths and an incentive to explore (especially if you're going for puzzle pieces). Not only are levels themselves transplanted, so too is the vast majority of the soundtrack. Rather than take, say, Casino Night Zone's music from Sonic 2 for Pocket Adventure's Cosmic Casino Zone, the tracks are taken from Sonic 3 & Knuckles'Doilus Bonus Stages. Those tracks are then de-made for the Neo Geo Pocket's sound capabilities. In effect, the soundtrack is an official remix of Sonic 3 & Knuckles by SNK's Maitaro.
Nothing on offer here overstays its welcome with shorter levels that work for quick sessions, and a stage select that means putting the game away won't hamper progress. Unlike other 2D Sonic titles, here I actually wanted to do the Time Trials to see how fast I could tear through the stages. Clocking in at about an hour and a half per full playthrough, you get a delightful morsel of your typical Sonic zones without ever thinking how desperately you want out ofChemical Secret Plant. There's even a little Sky Chase! You get to fight Knuckles and Mecha Sonic! Eggman is seen in his classic and Adventure outfits! Hot damn!!!
Genuinely stunning considering that, on paper, none of Sonic Pocket Adventure's quirks should be conducive to a good Sonic experience. Being made in conjunction with SNK to be purpose-built for the Neo Geo Pocket, there's a greater understanding of the hardware on display here than in the Game Gear titles or the Sonic Advance series. There, speed becomes a burden. Here, speed comes naturally just as in the mainline titles. There, the screen is cramped. Here, despite the square display, you don't feel the need to cautiously inch forward out of fear for what lies ahead. Not once across my two playthroughs did I feel like I got hit because of something outside my control.
Stages are all derivative of previous titles (primarily Sonic 2) but they've been scaled down or reworked to accommodate the handheld experience. Despite this, levels still contain alternate paths and an incentive to explore (especially if you're going for puzzle pieces). Not only are levels themselves transplanted, so too is the vast majority of the soundtrack. Rather than take, say, Casino Night Zone's music from Sonic 2 for Pocket Adventure's Cosmic Casino Zone, the tracks are taken from Sonic 3 & Knuckles'
Nothing on offer here overstays its welcome with shorter levels that work for quick sessions, and a stage select that means putting the game away won't hamper progress. Unlike other 2D Sonic titles, here I actually wanted to do the Time Trials to see how fast I could tear through the stages. Clocking in at about an hour and a half per full playthrough, you get a delightful morsel of your typical Sonic zones without ever thinking how desperately you want out of