For full transparency, this alongside any review I post for Gameboy or NES/SNES/Genesis games will be games I likely played on my Analogue Pocket. The game runs like a dream on the Pocket but this will be a review of just Sonic the Hedgehog and not a technical breakdown or anything.
Coming back to this game every year or so is like riding a bike. There are worse ways to spend an hour but I’m really glad it’s over when I’m done.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a formality. A quick warmup for the inevitable Sonic the Hedgehog binge that I – and many others – partake in, typically in annual or biannual installments. An underwhelming first track on the blue blur’s cult classic LP.
I played this game today for fun. Can you believe it?
I got all six emeralds before I even finished Labyrinth Zone. Labyrinth Zone is not as bad as I remember, I think… the boss isn’t good at all, though.
Also, you can actually beat the bosses in like 30 seconds or less. There’s actually two ways to damage Eggman in Star Light Zone. Pretty neat.
Scrap Brain Zone is probably the only time I’ve felt like the Sonic 1 devs genuinely hated players. Just countless BS death traps, bottomless pits, the entire bottom route in Act 2, and all of Act 3 just being Labyrinth Zone Act 4 as one last middle finger.
The overwhelming feeling I get while playing now is that none of this was meant to be for Sonic. There’s almost zero situations where thoughtlessly pushing forward will reward players. It feels like a drag. Basically every level rewards exploration more than quick reflexes, and even then, there’s hardly any room onscreen to predict or react to what’s immediately ahead.
Your best strategy is to take it slow more often than not, which feels super counterintuitive. All this has been said before. I think it bears repeating though, because this is something that even Sonic Superstars gets wrong (I will elaborate on this another time).
Even the rings system – a staple since this game, the very first one! – feels counterintuitive. Why charge forward and be risky if it means getting hit and losing all your rings? I’ve always felt like there needed to be a different approach to this. Some of the later games changed this, but I still feel like we should’ve moved past this all-or-nothing approach to Sonic games a long time ago.
Absolutely none of the game or its conceits takes advantage of Sonic’s speed, except for some light platforming and set pieces. And it’s even worse in some later games!
Some Sonic games feel rewarding on repeat playthroughs. Being able to memorize stage layout and progression can be fun. There’s a lot of value in multiple reruns. I just don’t think this game is interesting or enjoyable enough to warrant that kind of commitment.
I don’t think you should skip Sonic the Hedgehog. It’s worth at least a playthrough or two, but it’s certainly not the best this series has to offer.
Coming back to this game every year or so is like riding a bike. There are worse ways to spend an hour but I’m really glad it’s over when I’m done.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a formality. A quick warmup for the inevitable Sonic the Hedgehog binge that I – and many others – partake in, typically in annual or biannual installments. An underwhelming first track on the blue blur’s cult classic LP.
I played this game today for fun. Can you believe it?
I got all six emeralds before I even finished Labyrinth Zone. Labyrinth Zone is not as bad as I remember, I think… the boss isn’t good at all, though.
Also, you can actually beat the bosses in like 30 seconds or less. There’s actually two ways to damage Eggman in Star Light Zone. Pretty neat.
Scrap Brain Zone is probably the only time I’ve felt like the Sonic 1 devs genuinely hated players. Just countless BS death traps, bottomless pits, the entire bottom route in Act 2, and all of Act 3 just being Labyrinth Zone Act 4 as one last middle finger.
The overwhelming feeling I get while playing now is that none of this was meant to be for Sonic. There’s almost zero situations where thoughtlessly pushing forward will reward players. It feels like a drag. Basically every level rewards exploration more than quick reflexes, and even then, there’s hardly any room onscreen to predict or react to what’s immediately ahead.
Your best strategy is to take it slow more often than not, which feels super counterintuitive. All this has been said before. I think it bears repeating though, because this is something that even Sonic Superstars gets wrong (I will elaborate on this another time).
Even the rings system – a staple since this game, the very first one! – feels counterintuitive. Why charge forward and be risky if it means getting hit and losing all your rings? I’ve always felt like there needed to be a different approach to this. Some of the later games changed this, but I still feel like we should’ve moved past this all-or-nothing approach to Sonic games a long time ago.
Absolutely none of the game or its conceits takes advantage of Sonic’s speed, except for some light platforming and set pieces. And it’s even worse in some later games!
Some Sonic games feel rewarding on repeat playthroughs. Being able to memorize stage layout and progression can be fun. There’s a lot of value in multiple reruns. I just don’t think this game is interesting or enjoyable enough to warrant that kind of commitment.
I don’t think you should skip Sonic the Hedgehog. It’s worth at least a playthrough or two, but it’s certainly not the best this series has to offer.