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?
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?