Sonic CD is everything, but it's also nothing. It feels substantial but it also feels incredibly empty. Not sure how I can put my thoughts into words but I'll at least try:
First off, I personally think Sonic's moveset is near perfect in this game. Think of it as a bicycle's gears for just a moment, OK? In an exploration-based platformer like Sonic CD, you have three ways to jump:
1) A regular running jump, done by gathering momentum over a distance before making the leap. This gives you the most control over your characters actions and a bit more time to anticipate what's ahead so you can plan your next course of action.
2) A Spin Dash jump, where you rev up in place, instantly generating momentum faster than a regular run before jumping immediately as you let go. Covers larger distances than a regular jump, but leaves you with less time to react to the obstacles ahead. Provides security of a spin roll when used on ground.
3) A Super Peel-Out boosted jump, where you use a slightly longer amount of time to rev up in place, before launching off at fast speeds, allowing you to jump farther distances than a regular Spin Dash jump. Still vulnerable to enemies when used on ground unless you roll, which in turn costs you speed in the long term.
See what I mean? Sonic has a versatile moveset where you choose your tools to navigate the towering platforms and mazes of Little Planet, providing you with multiple options on where to go and HOW you want to go. Sonic CD's levels facilitate such exploration, and allows you to wander through the stages freely. The main focus at hand is platforming, and speed is an afterthought, and I like that focus. It's a great contrast to the blistering, sometimes out-of-control speeds of Sonic 2.
So why do the time travel signposts betray this philosophy?
The way time travel works in Sonic CD is you hit a signpost, gather enough speed for a period of time, and once you hit the requirements without having your speed interrupted, you time travel. On paper, this wouldn't be a bad idea, but while the game offers you plenty of areas where you can time travel without worry, it sure as hell does its best to stop you from time travelling as well. And the worst part is, once you lose that signpost, it's essentially used up. In all honesty, I think the idea of time travel could work IF you time travelled immediately after reaching a sign post with sufficient speed instead of what they programmed. It would be a great way to reward the player for using their surroundings to their fullest advantage to build up enough velocity to time travel successfully. And the best thing? Being too slow won't activate the signpost, so you have multiple chances of going through them. :)
The story of Sonic CD is fairly well told: Eggman chains up a planet and fucks up the environment in the past, Sonic discovers the planet, goes back to when Eggman planted the generators and yeets them, saving fangirl Amy in the process, while also beating his new (and IMO the best) rival Metal Sonic in the process. He reaches Metallic Madness, gathering all the time stones (we'll talk about those special stages later), yeets Eggman, day saved. I especially like the idea that all the boss fights take place in the future, either to reward you for taking the time to explore each past region to break the generators, or as a haunting reminder that Eggman's actions have consequences on the ecosystem of the planet, and that you better find those Time Stones to prevent his evildoings from ruining it further. Sadly the time travel signposts also serve to distract the player with an abundance of Future signposts, which ultimately don't really do much but burn up the player's time where they can't achieve anything except gather enough rings for a Special Stage. I'd rather the game keep it simple, play a cutscene after Act 2 to indicate that Sonic time travels to the future, where he sees what his actions have brought upon the zone he'd just navigated.
Speaking of Special Stages, I really like them! They're perhaps my favourite versions of special stages in the Classic Era bar 3D Blast Saturn (we'll get to that in that review). They're really technologically advanced for their time and provide a genuine challenge that isn't frustrating like the halfpipes of Sonic 2 or whatever the fuck Sonic 1 had. My only problem is that unlike Sonic 1 and 2's mobile ports, which have easily accessible level selects akin to S3&K, Sonic CD chooses to lock this useful function behind a Time Attack challenge! And while it does server as something for the truly dedicated to tackle, it is annoying that you have to put in all that extra effort to pick up the 2 Time Stones you left behind. At least I picked up all the generators in my run, I guess.
Finally, Metal Sonic. Need I say more about this character? Sharp, sleek design ahead of its time, clearly based off Sonic yet completely different in personality and motif, and arguably one of the most iconic boss fights in the entire FRANCHISE. The designers truly popped off with the creation of Metal Sonic, and it's a genuine shame he isn't utilised as much in the future, save a few certain examples.
Those are my thoughts on the gameplay in general. and now for level specific stuff, like the graphics, the music and the level design. This is where things get messy.
Palmtree Panic
In terms of graphics, this is the most detailed looking first level we've had so far. The backgrounds are stunning, and the warn colors spill through the screen directly into your eyes. Accompanying it is either kids cheering you on as you embark on this relatively long journey, or a chill Hawaiian-esque piece that relaxes you and eases you into the atmosphere of the game. Palmtree Panic is well designed, but it also feels rather empty by comparison. There's lots of platforms for you to experiment with different gear switches and jumping, but everything starts to grow repetitive after a while, and you end up wanting to leave sooner than you'd want to, just to avoid the same ol' same ol'. Good Future music across both versions are either 'YAY YOU DID IT GREAT JOB' (JP) or 'Haha Donkey Kong music' (US), and that's neat. Boss fight is piss easy.
Collision Chaos
Not a good level of the sorts. The music of the US version is ambient but honestly doesn't fit the level. The JP version is meh. Graphics are OK I guess, but doesn't really stand out in the game overall. The pinball physics are fine enough, but damn do I hate the massive abundance of bumpers and pop-it bubbles. God's sake this is a really annoying level. Fairly standard casino-themed level, it's not as anger-inducing as Spring Yard to me, but it works out. Boss fight is Discount Casino Night.
Tidal Tempest
Everyone praises this level to hell and back, but after playing it for a second time, I don't really see the appeal. This is perhaps the emptiest a Sonic level has felt thus far: the top path isn't difficult or challenging to maintain and are primarily inhabited by these huge dragonflies that don't put up a fight at all. The bottom path, meanwhile, does have a few crushing pillars and tubes to traverse through, but ultimately most of the stage is just littered with springs to send you back up to the empty top path. Labyrinth was annoying. Chemical Plant was thrilling. Aquatic Ruin was challenging.
Tidal Tempest was boring. It looks boring, it plays boring, it feels boring. At least the music is great, Tidal Tempest Present being a standout in particular. Oddly enough, emotionally this was the lowpoint of the entire playthrough for me.
But the next stage certainly picks things up.
Quartz Quadrant
This. Level. Holy shit. The music is phenomenal across both versions. The JP version being this wonderfully composed jazzy orchestral piece that has all the bombastic uplifting feel of 90s SEGA games, while the US version has cool as guitar shreds, and I'm a sucker for hard rock, no less in Sonic games. The visuals are basically a cooler looking Mystic Cave (Present), a mossy, old-fashioned and dangerous cave (Past), and a beautiful, golden coloured city (Future), all accompanied with phenomenal music. Quartz Quadrant JP's G mix also stands out really well among this bunch of music. Remember when I said that speed was an afterthought in Sonic CD? This level effortlessly solves this problem by bring in conveyor belts that either push you along or attempt to drag you back, and that adds an extra element of challenge to your platforming. When you're moving forwards in a conveyor, you actually get a sense of speed that rivals Sonic 2, and even then you're still in control of your movement and can still execute tight platforming without much problem. It's the only level that blends together visuals, music, speed and platforming together into one really amazing stage. The conveyor belt boss fight, while easy, serves as an interesting change of pace and something unique for the player.
Wacky Workbench
Whoops this level. US version is better in terms of soundtrack. This level is the most sensory overload of the levels alongside Collision Chaos. If Tidal Tempest was nothing, then Wacky Workbench was everything. They toss everything at you, including some annoying Badniks, tons of gimmicks, spinning platforms, nitrogen exhaust pumps, and need I mention the bouncy electric floor? This level is interesting because with the electric floor getting in the way, for the first time ever, the BOTTOM route is the only path through this level that requires accurate and precise platforming for you to clear. The high routes are filled with hazards and empty platforms for you to fall back down into the blast zone. That part is all fine, you actually have stuff to explore, at the very least.
What really gets me though, is the generators. Wacky Workbench Act 1, for some reason, literally hides its generator's only entrance in LITERALLY THE ONLY PISTON IN THE ENTIRE GAME THAT DOESN'T CRUSH YOU. How does that even make sense? Why would anyone in the right mind try to get crushed in a piston? At least Wacky Workbench Act 2 had the courtesy of hiding its generator at the beginning of the level, which isn't too big of a hassle to backtrack towards. Surprisingly though, as much as I hate that, this isn't even one of my 2 least favourite zones in the game.
Stardust Speedway
See, this is why speed should be an afterthought, a reward for expert play from the player. Stardust Speedway is a case of a Sonic level that is too fast. You barely have control over Sonic when you're trying to find the generator, and somehow the level even manages to find a way to worm in Sonic 2's biggest problem into it. You're out here feeling good, feeling fast, feeling alive, and then you get fucked by a random slingshot spike that you never saw coming. Speedy sensation gone. Rings lost. Humiliation. There are a lot of automated boost pads that send you rocketing everywhere that hinder your ability to seek out the generators properly. Without said boost pads, Stardust Speedway would've been a really fun level to discover cool secrets in with its fun little 'foreground | background' gimmick. The potential for high speed travelling in this level makes this a speedrunner's wet dream.
Music is pretty good. I thought the JP B remix was solid, I could see it being used more often in future games. Metal Sonic boss fight is legendary, a thrilling challenge that keeps the player actively involved and fighting to save this random girl you don't know, just because it's the right thing to do so hell yes you're gonna do that.
And now, we reach the final zone of the game. I'm gonna be dissecting these levels act by act, because oh boy, do I have words for them.
Metallic Madness Act 1
This level is an interesting one. There is an obvious top path and a bottom path here. The bottom path requires expert navigation and some fundamental platforming to reach the generator. Then, it's off to the top path where you have only ONE POSSIBLE ROUTE to finish the level. And obviously you know they had to bring back the Scrap Brain rotating platforms for this one. One drop from a mistimed jump and you're sent plunging back into the abyss, where you have to... wait. That's right, instead of something like protruding spikes which would be a hassle to avoid again and again, they made it even more of a hassle by placing pistons that can instakill you all in a single pathway. And it's annoying, to say the least. I do not want my failed attempts at slightly unfair platforming to be punished with instant death or WAITING. Because I do not want to wait for pistons to move for fucks sake.
Act 2
Remember how I said Wacky Workbench was gimmicky? Imagine that but multiply it by several million. Act 2 has shrink rays, huge moving crushers, zoot chutes (the generator can be found by following one of those paths), and pistons that send you flying upwards much like the electric floor of Wacky Workbench. It's also most linear level in the entire game with there being only one pathway to clear the level normally. I digress, though, because this is the last level in the game and they have to provide a challenge.
Act 3
THIS IS NOT A CHALLENGE THIS IS BLATANTLY UNFAIR WHY DO I HAVE TO SCRAP BRAIN ZONE OVER A BOTTOMLESS PIT AND WAIT FOR STUPID SPIKE MATS TO FALL SO I CAN LEAP OUT OF ANOTHER PIT AND WHY ARE THOSE STUPID FIREFLIES SO ANNOYING TO HIT
AND WHY, AFTER ALL THAT BULLSHIT, IS THE BOSS FIGHT SO FUCKING EASY?
...cool music though.
----
Sonic CD is the most experimental, open game in the franchise, it's controls are fluent and innovative, its environmental themes shine throughout the entire game, the soundtrack is glorious, the level design is all over the place but a joy to explore and tear apart as a speedrunner, and it also has cool opening and closing animations courtesy of Toei! With amazing vocal tracks to accompany them (Sonic Boom, Toot Toot Sonic Warrior and Cosmic Eternity are all phenomenal tracks that only 90s Sonic could fashion up) How did I go the entire review without even mentioning it once? I have no fucking clue! It does make this game all the better, though!
8/10. It's quite literally everything everywhere all at once, except when they decide to parts of the game with emptiness and pain. Those smaller parts will never take away from how fun the experience was overall, though. Ultimately, this game is phenomenal for its exploration, especially when you can choose your own pace, your own style, and when you're given canvas after canvas of terrain to tear through, the adventurer within you will rise to the occasion.
First off, I personally think Sonic's moveset is near perfect in this game. Think of it as a bicycle's gears for just a moment, OK? In an exploration-based platformer like Sonic CD, you have three ways to jump:
1) A regular running jump, done by gathering momentum over a distance before making the leap. This gives you the most control over your characters actions and a bit more time to anticipate what's ahead so you can plan your next course of action.
2) A Spin Dash jump, where you rev up in place, instantly generating momentum faster than a regular run before jumping immediately as you let go. Covers larger distances than a regular jump, but leaves you with less time to react to the obstacles ahead. Provides security of a spin roll when used on ground.
3) A Super Peel-Out boosted jump, where you use a slightly longer amount of time to rev up in place, before launching off at fast speeds, allowing you to jump farther distances than a regular Spin Dash jump. Still vulnerable to enemies when used on ground unless you roll, which in turn costs you speed in the long term.
See what I mean? Sonic has a versatile moveset where you choose your tools to navigate the towering platforms and mazes of Little Planet, providing you with multiple options on where to go and HOW you want to go. Sonic CD's levels facilitate such exploration, and allows you to wander through the stages freely. The main focus at hand is platforming, and speed is an afterthought, and I like that focus. It's a great contrast to the blistering, sometimes out-of-control speeds of Sonic 2.
So why do the time travel signposts betray this philosophy?
The way time travel works in Sonic CD is you hit a signpost, gather enough speed for a period of time, and once you hit the requirements without having your speed interrupted, you time travel. On paper, this wouldn't be a bad idea, but while the game offers you plenty of areas where you can time travel without worry, it sure as hell does its best to stop you from time travelling as well. And the worst part is, once you lose that signpost, it's essentially used up. In all honesty, I think the idea of time travel could work IF you time travelled immediately after reaching a sign post with sufficient speed instead of what they programmed. It would be a great way to reward the player for using their surroundings to their fullest advantage to build up enough velocity to time travel successfully. And the best thing? Being too slow won't activate the signpost, so you have multiple chances of going through them. :)
The story of Sonic CD is fairly well told: Eggman chains up a planet and fucks up the environment in the past, Sonic discovers the planet, goes back to when Eggman planted the generators and yeets them, saving fangirl Amy in the process, while also beating his new (and IMO the best) rival Metal Sonic in the process. He reaches Metallic Madness, gathering all the time stones (we'll talk about those special stages later), yeets Eggman, day saved. I especially like the idea that all the boss fights take place in the future, either to reward you for taking the time to explore each past region to break the generators, or as a haunting reminder that Eggman's actions have consequences on the ecosystem of the planet, and that you better find those Time Stones to prevent his evildoings from ruining it further. Sadly the time travel signposts also serve to distract the player with an abundance of Future signposts, which ultimately don't really do much but burn up the player's time where they can't achieve anything except gather enough rings for a Special Stage. I'd rather the game keep it simple, play a cutscene after Act 2 to indicate that Sonic time travels to the future, where he sees what his actions have brought upon the zone he'd just navigated.
Speaking of Special Stages, I really like them! They're perhaps my favourite versions of special stages in the Classic Era bar 3D Blast Saturn (we'll get to that in that review). They're really technologically advanced for their time and provide a genuine challenge that isn't frustrating like the halfpipes of Sonic 2 or whatever the fuck Sonic 1 had. My only problem is that unlike Sonic 1 and 2's mobile ports, which have easily accessible level selects akin to S3&K, Sonic CD chooses to lock this useful function behind a Time Attack challenge! And while it does server as something for the truly dedicated to tackle, it is annoying that you have to put in all that extra effort to pick up the 2 Time Stones you left behind. At least I picked up all the generators in my run, I guess.
Finally, Metal Sonic. Need I say more about this character? Sharp, sleek design ahead of its time, clearly based off Sonic yet completely different in personality and motif, and arguably one of the most iconic boss fights in the entire FRANCHISE. The designers truly popped off with the creation of Metal Sonic, and it's a genuine shame he isn't utilised as much in the future, save a few certain examples.
Those are my thoughts on the gameplay in general. and now for level specific stuff, like the graphics, the music and the level design. This is where things get messy.
Palmtree Panic
In terms of graphics, this is the most detailed looking first level we've had so far. The backgrounds are stunning, and the warn colors spill through the screen directly into your eyes. Accompanying it is either kids cheering you on as you embark on this relatively long journey, or a chill Hawaiian-esque piece that relaxes you and eases you into the atmosphere of the game. Palmtree Panic is well designed, but it also feels rather empty by comparison. There's lots of platforms for you to experiment with different gear switches and jumping, but everything starts to grow repetitive after a while, and you end up wanting to leave sooner than you'd want to, just to avoid the same ol' same ol'. Good Future music across both versions are either 'YAY YOU DID IT GREAT JOB' (JP) or 'Haha Donkey Kong music' (US), and that's neat. Boss fight is piss easy.
Collision Chaos
Not a good level of the sorts. The music of the US version is ambient but honestly doesn't fit the level. The JP version is meh. Graphics are OK I guess, but doesn't really stand out in the game overall. The pinball physics are fine enough, but damn do I hate the massive abundance of bumpers and pop-it bubbles. God's sake this is a really annoying level. Fairly standard casino-themed level, it's not as anger-inducing as Spring Yard to me, but it works out. Boss fight is Discount Casino Night.
Tidal Tempest
Everyone praises this level to hell and back, but after playing it for a second time, I don't really see the appeal. This is perhaps the emptiest a Sonic level has felt thus far: the top path isn't difficult or challenging to maintain and are primarily inhabited by these huge dragonflies that don't put up a fight at all. The bottom path, meanwhile, does have a few crushing pillars and tubes to traverse through, but ultimately most of the stage is just littered with springs to send you back up to the empty top path. Labyrinth was annoying. Chemical Plant was thrilling. Aquatic Ruin was challenging.
Tidal Tempest was boring. It looks boring, it plays boring, it feels boring. At least the music is great, Tidal Tempest Present being a standout in particular. Oddly enough, emotionally this was the lowpoint of the entire playthrough for me.
But the next stage certainly picks things up.
Quartz Quadrant
This. Level. Holy shit. The music is phenomenal across both versions. The JP version being this wonderfully composed jazzy orchestral piece that has all the bombastic uplifting feel of 90s SEGA games, while the US version has cool as guitar shreds, and I'm a sucker for hard rock, no less in Sonic games. The visuals are basically a cooler looking Mystic Cave (Present), a mossy, old-fashioned and dangerous cave (Past), and a beautiful, golden coloured city (Future), all accompanied with phenomenal music. Quartz Quadrant JP's G mix also stands out really well among this bunch of music. Remember when I said that speed was an afterthought in Sonic CD? This level effortlessly solves this problem by bring in conveyor belts that either push you along or attempt to drag you back, and that adds an extra element of challenge to your platforming. When you're moving forwards in a conveyor, you actually get a sense of speed that rivals Sonic 2, and even then you're still in control of your movement and can still execute tight platforming without much problem. It's the only level that blends together visuals, music, speed and platforming together into one really amazing stage. The conveyor belt boss fight, while easy, serves as an interesting change of pace and something unique for the player.
Wacky Workbench
Whoops this level. US version is better in terms of soundtrack. This level is the most sensory overload of the levels alongside Collision Chaos. If Tidal Tempest was nothing, then Wacky Workbench was everything. They toss everything at you, including some annoying Badniks, tons of gimmicks, spinning platforms, nitrogen exhaust pumps, and need I mention the bouncy electric floor? This level is interesting because with the electric floor getting in the way, for the first time ever, the BOTTOM route is the only path through this level that requires accurate and precise platforming for you to clear. The high routes are filled with hazards and empty platforms for you to fall back down into the blast zone. That part is all fine, you actually have stuff to explore, at the very least.
What really gets me though, is the generators. Wacky Workbench Act 1, for some reason, literally hides its generator's only entrance in LITERALLY THE ONLY PISTON IN THE ENTIRE GAME THAT DOESN'T CRUSH YOU. How does that even make sense? Why would anyone in the right mind try to get crushed in a piston? At least Wacky Workbench Act 2 had the courtesy of hiding its generator at the beginning of the level, which isn't too big of a hassle to backtrack towards. Surprisingly though, as much as I hate that, this isn't even one of my 2 least favourite zones in the game.
Stardust Speedway
See, this is why speed should be an afterthought, a reward for expert play from the player. Stardust Speedway is a case of a Sonic level that is too fast. You barely have control over Sonic when you're trying to find the generator, and somehow the level even manages to find a way to worm in Sonic 2's biggest problem into it. You're out here feeling good, feeling fast, feeling alive, and then you get fucked by a random slingshot spike that you never saw coming. Speedy sensation gone. Rings lost. Humiliation. There are a lot of automated boost pads that send you rocketing everywhere that hinder your ability to seek out the generators properly. Without said boost pads, Stardust Speedway would've been a really fun level to discover cool secrets in with its fun little 'foreground | background' gimmick. The potential for high speed travelling in this level makes this a speedrunner's wet dream.
Music is pretty good. I thought the JP B remix was solid, I could see it being used more often in future games. Metal Sonic boss fight is legendary, a thrilling challenge that keeps the player actively involved and fighting to save this random girl you don't know, just because it's the right thing to do so hell yes you're gonna do that.
And now, we reach the final zone of the game. I'm gonna be dissecting these levels act by act, because oh boy, do I have words for them.
Metallic Madness Act 1
This level is an interesting one. There is an obvious top path and a bottom path here. The bottom path requires expert navigation and some fundamental platforming to reach the generator. Then, it's off to the top path where you have only ONE POSSIBLE ROUTE to finish the level. And obviously you know they had to bring back the Scrap Brain rotating platforms for this one. One drop from a mistimed jump and you're sent plunging back into the abyss, where you have to... wait. That's right, instead of something like protruding spikes which would be a hassle to avoid again and again, they made it even more of a hassle by placing pistons that can instakill you all in a single pathway. And it's annoying, to say the least. I do not want my failed attempts at slightly unfair platforming to be punished with instant death or WAITING. Because I do not want to wait for pistons to move for fucks sake.
Act 2
Remember how I said Wacky Workbench was gimmicky? Imagine that but multiply it by several million. Act 2 has shrink rays, huge moving crushers, zoot chutes (the generator can be found by following one of those paths), and pistons that send you flying upwards much like the electric floor of Wacky Workbench. It's also most linear level in the entire game with there being only one pathway to clear the level normally. I digress, though, because this is the last level in the game and they have to provide a challenge.
Act 3
THIS IS NOT A CHALLENGE THIS IS BLATANTLY UNFAIR WHY DO I HAVE TO SCRAP BRAIN ZONE OVER A BOTTOMLESS PIT AND WAIT FOR STUPID SPIKE MATS TO FALL SO I CAN LEAP OUT OF ANOTHER PIT AND WHY ARE THOSE STUPID FIREFLIES SO ANNOYING TO HIT
AND WHY, AFTER ALL THAT BULLSHIT, IS THE BOSS FIGHT SO FUCKING EASY?
...cool music though.
----
Sonic CD is the most experimental, open game in the franchise, it's controls are fluent and innovative, its environmental themes shine throughout the entire game, the soundtrack is glorious, the level design is all over the place but a joy to explore and tear apart as a speedrunner, and it also has cool opening and closing animations courtesy of Toei! With amazing vocal tracks to accompany them (Sonic Boom, Toot Toot Sonic Warrior and Cosmic Eternity are all phenomenal tracks that only 90s Sonic could fashion up) How did I go the entire review without even mentioning it once? I have no fucking clue! It does make this game all the better, though!
8/10. It's quite literally everything everywhere all at once, except when they decide to parts of the game with emptiness and pain. Those smaller parts will never take away from how fun the experience was overall, though. Ultimately, this game is phenomenal for its exploration, especially when you can choose your own pace, your own style, and when you're given canvas after canvas of terrain to tear through, the adventurer within you will rise to the occasion.
Reviewed on May 30, 2022