The Sonic storybook games are a guilty pleasure of mine. As a kid with only a Sonic racing game as a reference, I accepted Secret Rings and Black Knight as how Sonic works. That is, until I played Colors.
The Boost games are often criticized for an overreliance on speed and spectacle. In hindsight, this focus resulted in a plethora of short levels or a small collection of large levels. Neither approach is inherently better than the other, but Sonic Colors is the former pushed to the extreme, for better and worse. On the one hand, the stages explore mechanics thoroughly, hide plenty of secrets, and reward you for careful use of the boost and Wisps. The downside is that many stages are too short and insubstantial. The trend I noticed when replaying Colors is that the first act in each world is excellent, and the later acts vary heavily in quality. Some end in two minutes, while others are barely 30 seconds. That is to say nothing about how these acts reuse chunks of stage design and all the bosses being recycled apart from the final battle.
Given these shortcomings, why do I still think the game is good? Because it encompasses everything that makes Sonic special. Speed is earned through mastering the levels instead of holding right or the boost button the whole time and the platforming is not neglected. Colors follows the level design philosophy of Sonic 3 and Knuckles where speed and platforming are segregated throughout stages. Some are not fans of this, but let's face it, it's nearly impossible to platform smoothly in these games while going fast and vice versa. Instead, Colors solves one of the biggest problems the franchise has had since the beginning: the camera. Not only is it consistently reliable, but it actively changes angles and zooms out to give you a better view of what’s happening. Most of the game plays out in 2D, yet the camera never stays in one place for too long. It’s cinematic without being gimmicky, giving each of the game’s creative worlds a ton of charm.
Because of its accessible design, Sonic Colors definitely appeals to casual platforming fans, but series veterans will get a kick out of the optional Red Rings and S-ranks. Unlike the game that would follow, these respect player skill and perseverance by being challenging to acquire. I can’t think of many games nowadays that successfully tow the line between accessibility and depth, but Sonic Colors is one of them. If you’ve never played a Sonic game or platformer before, this is a good starting place.
The Boost games are often criticized for an overreliance on speed and spectacle. In hindsight, this focus resulted in a plethora of short levels or a small collection of large levels. Neither approach is inherently better than the other, but Sonic Colors is the former pushed to the extreme, for better and worse. On the one hand, the stages explore mechanics thoroughly, hide plenty of secrets, and reward you for careful use of the boost and Wisps. The downside is that many stages are too short and insubstantial. The trend I noticed when replaying Colors is that the first act in each world is excellent, and the later acts vary heavily in quality. Some end in two minutes, while others are barely 30 seconds. That is to say nothing about how these acts reuse chunks of stage design and all the bosses being recycled apart from the final battle.
Given these shortcomings, why do I still think the game is good? Because it encompasses everything that makes Sonic special. Speed is earned through mastering the levels instead of holding right or the boost button the whole time and the platforming is not neglected. Colors follows the level design philosophy of Sonic 3 and Knuckles where speed and platforming are segregated throughout stages. Some are not fans of this, but let's face it, it's nearly impossible to platform smoothly in these games while going fast and vice versa. Instead, Colors solves one of the biggest problems the franchise has had since the beginning: the camera. Not only is it consistently reliable, but it actively changes angles and zooms out to give you a better view of what’s happening. Most of the game plays out in 2D, yet the camera never stays in one place for too long. It’s cinematic without being gimmicky, giving each of the game’s creative worlds a ton of charm.
Because of its accessible design, Sonic Colors definitely appeals to casual platforming fans, but series veterans will get a kick out of the optional Red Rings and S-ranks. Unlike the game that would follow, these respect player skill and perseverance by being challenging to acquire. I can’t think of many games nowadays that successfully tow the line between accessibility and depth, but Sonic Colors is one of them. If you’ve never played a Sonic game or platformer before, this is a good starting place.