Rated CBAM!: Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 (Review)

Review 97

Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 (WiiWare)

Rated “E” For “Everyone”

Sega returns Sonic to a 2-D plain and has him leaving blue blurs across your screens. Is this truly the thing that all Sonic fans have been clamoring for or is it another strike on the hedgehogs long game legacy?

=====Story=====

After the events of “Sonic & Knuckles,” Sonic travels to unknown lands. The nefarious Dr. Eggman/Robotnik continues to build more diabolical devices to stop Sonic once and for and capture the power of the Chaos Emeralds.

…

Or…watch Sonic run fast through evil robots and save little creatures. There’s not much to the story here.

=====Gameplay=====

Sonic returns to his 16-bit roots after 16 years. Run to the right, run to the left, and jump. Nothing complicated at all with controlling the speedy hedgehog.

He did incorporate a few more tricks from his 3-D ventures in this latest episode. Sonic now has his homing attack to dispose of enemies that can lead him to different areas of the map. The homing attack can also target springs to bounce off of and monitors containing precious rings. He has also adapted the ability to run along sides of walls better than rolling on them, something that might be new to those that never gave the “Sonic Rush” titles a spin.

Special levels to collect Chaos Emeralds are modeled after the special stages in the very first Sonic game. Have at least 50 rings when you reach the end of a level and jump through the large ring to access them. Spin the level around to roll Sonic down the paths to the Chaos Emeralds. You can switch from d-pad controls or try tilting the Wiimote to navigate Sonic in these special stages.

Tons of familiar Sonic gameplay here. Nothing tough to figure out.

=====Difficulty=====

Dr. Eggman’s schemes were never the toughest to topple and that’s no different in this episode. Sonic 4 is on the same level of difficulty as any of its Genesis predecessors and in a way, easier. It won’t take long to take Sonic from the beginning of Episode 1 to the end of it. The toughest part of this digital download would have to be the special stages to collect the Chaos Emeralds. Some are pretty simple to move Sonic through while others will definitely put your skills to the test racing against the clock.

=====Content=====

Since this is a digital game, there’s only so much you can expect from it. 4 zones each with 3 acts, 7 special stages, and a final showdown with Dr. Robuttnik. The acts are vast in scope, but if you’re just a speedster, you can go through most acts in a couple of minutes. Leaderboards will definitely show how fast one can run through a stage. Trying to top the leaderboards will also extend your play with this title.

=====Final Thoughts=====

For those that cried for a classic Sonic title, here it is. It’s not Sonic’s best run, but he’s done worse. There are a few gripes that you may experience. One gripe is the physics. Letting go of any direction will cause Sonic to almost immediately lose any momentum. This can cause problems when platforming during certain levels. Another gripe you may have is Sonic unfurling after a homing attack, which will leave him vulnerable for a split second. It’s not that big a deal, but it can cost you your precious rings. And the game is short. You can download this title and be done with everything a couple hours later.

Some great points about the game include the graphics. The game looks great. The game is very nostalgic in many ways including sound effects, the feel, the look of some stages, and the boss battles with Eggman. The stages are designed with great detail (the torch level was a nice experience). It’s a great return to form. A few kinks can be worked out for the next episode, but those that wanted Sonic to be blast processing like he used to will definitely feel great after running through Episode 1.