...
...Que?
Eu não faço a mínima ideia do que tava na cabeça da SEGA fazendo esse jogo mas pqp não era algo bom.
Primeiro que o 4 no título é uma mentira, isso é só sonic 1 2 e nem isso é um título bom pra ele por que só tem 4 FASES nesse jogo (e uma delas é metropolis de sonic 2?????? Wtf???????????), fases essas que level design deixa a desejar e ost que pqpKKKKKKKKKKKK uma merda.
Jogar isso foi a definição da palavra ruim, tá óbvio que a sega não sabia que direção queria ir nesse jogo, se era uma reimaginação do 1, um jogo novo, reimaginação do 1 e 2??????? E essa falta de direção fez um jogo MERDA com músicas BOSTA com level design MERDA e NENHUMA diversão envolvida.
Eu ainda vou jogar o episódio 2, espero que com essa sequência já mude bastante coisa dessa bostinha aqui pq precisa mudar, e MUITO.
(Prefiro jogar essa duologia a sonic advance 3)

“Bro this game is terrible you retard why is it a 7 and not a 1 like it obviously deserves?” Actually give it a chance because it’s not that bad I don’t care if it looks ugly or sounds like trash as long as the gameplay is solid then I couldn’t care less about those things
“But it controls shitty and the level design is bad you gotta spam the homing attack over and over again” the controls are fine sure they take a bit of time to get used to but they’re doable whatever about the physics like sa1 and rush have messed up physics and yet people still like those games and level design doesn’t force you to use the homing attack all the time look up speed runs for proof and you’ll see what I mean it’s more skill based than you think
Some flaws that bring to mind are the level gimmicks and which some are fine (vines, torches, and rotating gears) but others aren’t that don’t have much going on (boulder, pinball and mine cart ride) and admittedly the homing attack is a dumb addition even though it’s not too much of a problem it’s still just as unsatisfactory as it’s always been

Sonic 4 is a sequel that takes away much more than it adds. This was a game advertised as something worth the 16 year gap between this and Sonic 3 where in reality, it was a mobile game that was given a bigger budget and labelled as “Sonic 4” just to push units.

Sonic 4 isn’t really much like a classic sonic game outside of being a 2D side scroller. Sonic is the only playable character and his controls don’t feel much like the Genesis games at all. Rolling doesn’t pick up speed at all, it’s better to just run as this will allow you to get along just fine. There is a Spindash and it’s great for instant speed, as well as for Spindash jumping which is really fun in this game. Sonic also has the homing attack here. Not really sure why and for the most part all it’s used for attacking basic chains of enemies.

Overall though Sonic 4 isn’t a game that was built for the old control scheme. For this game I think the control is mostly fine, especially as they like to take control away anyway with the amount of dash pads plastered everywhere.

There’s only 4 zones, and all of them are almost entirely ripped from Sonic 1 and 2 when it comes to aesthetics. However level design is totally different and there are some gimmicks I like, such as the vine swinging in Splash Hill or the Roller Ball stage in Lost Labyrinth. In fact there isn’t really a stage I hate in Sonic 4 Ep1, while nothing mind blowing, it does work, and it’s okay.

Bosses aren’t much to talk about, fairly basic fights, though I enjoy the pinch modes and the return of the death egg robot as this was his first comeback.

I don’t mind how the game looks, Sonic does look a little like a plastic toy but overall I do like the visuals, the soundtrack though is pretty weak. Could be worse but most is forgettable.

Special stages being back as an end of level affair is abit dissapointing, and it’s a take on the Sonic 1 special stage, expect here you rotate the maze not Sonic. They’re okay, and you can even retry if you’re able to pause the game before failing.

And hey if you collect all the chaos emeralds you unlock Super Sonic for any stage, for the first time since Sonic 3! Absolutely awesome at the time and I’m glad it’s something that has mostly stuck around. He’s a lot of fun here, totally overpowered but a lot of fun.

Sonic 4 Ep1 isn’t a bad game by any means, it’s just really unremarkable considering what it’s following up on

- Game looks ugly as hell
- Level design is boring and forgettable
- Sonic controls like ass
- Level themes are all ripped straight from Genesis Sonic games
- Boss fights are 1:1 to their original counterparts with one additional attack that shakes up nothing
- Soundtrack grates my ears

"Sonic 06 is the worst Sonic game", "No its Boom", "No its Secret Rings ", "No its Forces", "No its *insert hated Sonic game".
Yeah, this fanbase has trouble choosing the worst game of it.
But lemme propose this.
This one is the worst Sonic game.
And hell, it is the WORST game I've ever played.
I can say at least Mario Tennis Open looks pleasant enough.
I can say at least Paper Mario Sticker Star has great OST and looks visually pleasing.
I can even fucking Mega Man X6 and X7 have good OST, or other things, as minimal as they are.
In this case.
Nothing.
Absolutamente nada para salvar.
This fucking game has nothing going for it.
It looks completely putrid, like its not even "oh its old so that's why", even N64 and PS1 games look way better than this, and they're on less powerful hardware.
The level design is so boring or frustrating and unmemorable as well, I don't remember the levels, just being bored or frustrated.
Bosses.
Lol.
Lmao.
There's no dialogue, and animations are so dry and lifeless.
The advertisement was proud of just Sonic and Eggman being there, BUT MAYBE IF THEY WERE CHARACTERS IT COULD'VE WORKED.
And the fucking music.
Sonic's biggest saving grace even on bad games.
Its forgettable and annoying.
Not even the music can be salvaged.
At the point I played this game, I had played every 3D Sonic except for 06 (or well, project 06) and Shadow The Hedgehog.
And even after playing all the other 2D games, even 4 episode 2, this is easily the worst game I've ever played and its no contest.
This is the only game with nothing to salvage, nothing to latch onto.
Just.
Nothing.
All it is is frustration and also boring.
It is a constant assault of bad emotions when its not meant for them.
Don't even bother with this assbitchery.
This game is worthless, and a complete waste of time.

(written on April 28th, 2024) Ugh... I just do NOT like this game. While I think the first half is just boring and inoffensive, the 2nd half is so infuriating to me with the amount of bullshit such as the torch puzzle in Labyrinth, the bottomless pits at times and the classic Dimps level design trope of "you'll only go fast when we want you to." Combined with Sonic not being fun to control due to missing basic properties such as not being able to properly roll down slopes, no proper momentum and Sonic weirdly being able to stop on a dime at times, you have a game that's not really fun to play and one of the worst Sonic games IMO. The bland visuals and soundtrack also don't help anything. 3.5/10, don't play if you value your sanity. I felt like the only reason I was somewhat sane playing was that at the same time I was watching ATLA (ofc the good one) on another monitor.

This is the worst game in the series.

I'm not even gonna pretend like if I have some extensive prelude as to my experience with it or whatever. I've played it before, it sucked just as much then as it does now. But Sonic 4 Episode 1 for me sucks in a very special way compared to any other Sonic game, because it embodies literally every single thing that I don't want this franchise to be.

Bland visuals that are plasticky and lifeless, zero attempt to have any sort of story or deeper narrative theme via cutscenes or in-game storytelling other than "Eggman bad. Go stop him", horrendous controls that fundamentally fail at replicating the physics of the Genesis games and even on their own merits are completely trash, level design that is either automated up the ass or tediously boring, gimmicks shoved into every stage that make the whole game feel unfocused and take away from the gameplay rather than working alongside it, models without any sort of life that move like puppets on a stage (with ugly fullbright filters on top of them on the PC version, as if to add insult to injury), a horrible soundtrack in which the only good track is one from a past game and every other song is an ear bleeding mess of synths and Sonic 1/2 drums, a pandering towards nostalgia that feels shoved into your face and completely misses what made any of those things meaningful to begin with, replacing them instead with husks of themselves, and perhaps most importantly of all, a consistent, inescapable lack of care from part of the developers.

I mean, why would they care? They made this as a quick little mobile game before Sega rebranded it as the sequel to one of the greatest 2D platformers of the 90's just so that it would sell more. As long as the game ran fine and there weren't that many bugs and Sonic's stupid friends weren't anywhere to be seen, who cared if the game was a complete betrayal of what came before? Who cares if this would forever be the official sequel to that beloved legacy of classics by name and name alone? Who cares if the game is nowhere near the level of quality that it should be? As long as it's not Sonic '06, just ship it out and let 'em have it.

I wish I could be mad towards this game, I wish I had some sort of visceral hatred towards it that made me pour foam out the mouth in pure autistic rage whenever I saw it, but the truth is that when playing Sonic 4 Episode 1, I feel nothing. Genuinely nothing. During this playthrough I had to talk to myself just to not fall asleep in sheer boredom, because there was nothing to be enthralled by. It's just going through the motions because Sonic, getting the Chaos Emeralds because Sonic, and fighting some robot at the end, because Sonic. It almost feels like if it's saying: "That's all this series should be, that's all it'll ever be allowed to be for the general public, and that's all that is worth praising about it forever and ever. Now shut up and take another Green Hill rehash".

I know this game is way past the point of getting truly mad at, I mean for fucks sake it's old enough to use social media now, and obviously looking at the series now, it's clear that Sonic Team is if nothing else making an attempt to be better and to try with their projects again, but to me? This right here will forever remain as rock bottom. The ultimate testament to when Sega and Sonic Team put no effort into what they make, slap Sonic on the cover and call it a day.

Just go play Triple Trouble 16-Bit instead, and leave this in the dumpster where it's firmly set it's throne.

I was wondering if I should log this here. Played a handful of acts and my general reaction to it was something in the lines of:
- looks ugly
- plays very sluggish
- screen feels too small, even on PC
- soundtrack tries to be Mega Drive, but it doesn't try doing something interesting with the sound chip
Honestly? Just play the crappy Speedy Gonzales Romhack for the SNES that was titled "Sonic The Hedgehog 4". It's as sluggish as this, but at least the "SONIC SONI-" sound makes me giggle.