[played on original Mega Drive hardware as Johnny]

Despite being a Sonic fan for well over a decade at this point, I’ve barely touched the ROM hacking scene for the classic games. It’s not like I’ve got no experience at all, but hacks that create an entirely new experience out of an old game’s foundation don’t typically appeal to me much; definitely a case of personal preference, though.

Anyways, Sonic & Johnny first caught my attention when I saw it in the 2022 Sonic Hacking Contest, and it might’ve taken me over a year to finally play through it all, but now that I have, I’m gonna say some things about it!


I might as well start off by talking about the guy whose name is in the title: Johnny! This robotic rival from Sonic Rush Adventure is one of the two playable characters here, alongside the titular blue blur. In terms of gameplay, Sonic’s about the same as he is in Sonic 2, but Johnny’s very interesting; he’s unable to curl up into a ball, but is able to destroy enemies, walls and item monitors by simply running into them. And instead of a Spin-Dash, he gets a high jump when you hold down and press the jump button, allowing you to activate a massive leap that can even be triggered whilst running! All this makes Johnny feel incredibly unique, and a whole lot of fun to try and use effectively! He adds a ton of variety to the typical Classic Sonic gameplay, and sticks to the single-button design philosophy very well!

One thing fanmade Sonic games and hacks tend to struggle with is the level design, but fortunately, it’s very solid here! Platforming and speed is mixed quite well, and there’s plenty of alternate paths with secrets to find if you’re willing to slow down. But don’t slow down too much, since the first two acts of most zones have a time limit, meaning you’ve only got a few minutes to get to the end! The times are pretty lenient for the most part (at least in the updated version), but it does add a nice bit of pressure and emphasizes the whole rivalry Sonic and Johnny have here, as you can see your rival zoom off at the start of the stage and reach the goal post a few seconds after you do.

The presentation was also pretty lovely! A lot of the music seems to be remixed from other games (I heard a lot of Virtua Racing and Treasure tunes, as well as one from Persona 4), but they all fit their environments well and sound fantastic. I also really enjoyed the visuals; Johnny’s custom sprites were brilliant and all the zones looked great, having plenty of detail and distinctions from one another.


I’ve got no real complaints or nitpicks, so I suppose that’s it! Sonic & Johnny was a really solid time, and I’m glad I finally got around to it! It’s definitely got me interested in checking out more hacks for the classic games, and considering just how many there are, it’s not like I’ll be running out of options anytime soon!

Besides, just having any extra Classic Sonic to play is always a good thing.