The master system truly was this odd but wonderful system for me as a child. I was lucky enough to get one at a yard sale in the summer of 2003 when I was 7 years old and at the peak of my sonic obsession. Sadly, the lot we got did not include this game but it did include a lot of other games such as Alex kidd and Ghostbusters.

I didn't get to play this until I unlocked the gamegear version on sonic adventure dx around the same age. At that time, I'm pretty sure I got to the jungle zone and gave up at the boss.

As an adult, I've probably finished this version about a dozen times and still enjoy coming back to it. Design wise, I always liked how the emeralds were found within the levels instead of an awkward special stage that feels more like a tech demo than anything (a recurring theme with the mainline genesis installments imo). I also like its arcade approach to scoring...it's really nice to hear that counter ticking down at the end when you manage to finish the game with all the emeralds and 20+ extra lives remaining.

Would I say it's better than the Genesis game? Not really. It suffers a lot due to the slowdown in Labyrinth zone. So much so that I'm such my everdrive didn't just snap in half. Why they chose to recreate this zone in the first place kind of boggles my mind when marble zone would've been a better candidate considering the difference of pace in this version. Sonic 1 8 bit is far more platforming heavy to be sure, and marble garden would've made more sense but oh well.

As it stands, it's well worth checking out and I'd say it's my favorite master system platformer besides the original Alex Kidd.

This might be the worst game i have ever played. It is genuinely a 0 out of 10 to me. The controls are extremely sluggish, there are a ton of things you cannot see coming due to a limited screen, and the system just is not built for a Sonic game. As such, this feels nothing like a Sonic game at all. You hardly get to go fast, and in fact are more often than not punished for going fast! There is no invincibility cooldown, so more than likely, you will die if you take damage. The bosses are simple on paper, but with the shit physics and controls, along with these bosses giving you no rings to protect yourself with, they become painfully hard. Autoscrollers and upscrollers come into this game as well to make an already miserable experience EVEN WORSE. This is everything a Sonic game should not be. It is a disgrace to call this a Sonic game.

This game is more a traditional platformer than its 16-bit counterpart, however it still brings a feeling of speed to the table unlike many other 8-bit games. The controls are a bit wonky especially when jumping around but for the most part the platforming is understanding of this. The level design is pretty good, the levels are short sweet romps that allow you to rather easily breeze through them, although the weird jump often prevents me from having the balls to try much. Although why they decided adding AUTOSCROLLING levels to a SONIC GAME was a good idea, I will never understand.

The bosses in this game are quite poor, unlike the 16 bit version, these bosses are promoted from an end of level challenge to take away your rings, to a full on level within themselves. So, how do we design around this? As the original boss design was made to be quick and simple if you forfeit your rings or time, but here there is no prior level to build up rings nor time. Well, they decided to keep the boss design the same, but to remove all rings to mandate that you play carefully, masterfully, or die. This change rules out your ability to forfeit your rings to blast through the boss, which some may praise as now the boss is "harder" but it simultaneously makes it so for the most part I'm not even going to try to do anything cool or satisfying, im just going to slowly make sure I cautiously get each hit in as to not die, especially considering wonky hitboxes and jump controls. In theory if you learn the boss you can approach them the same as in any other sonic game, but the immense punishment is to much, and this is not a spectacular solution to the issue they were presented with in the desire to draw out the bosses. Conveniently however most of the bosses are complete pushovers anyway, I assume due to the fact that they were aware how frustrating this new design philosophy would be with a boss that took any amount of brain power, but again while being A solution to the problem created, its not exactly a great one as now the bosses are either annoying (because you die at the touch) or boring (because theyre mind numbingly easy), and even with the mind numbingly easy bosses, they still end up taking awhile, because Im too much of a pussy to actually go full ham on them incase one misinput is gonna kill me and mandate I start this easy and boring boss from the start.

The music is brilliant, I love how we got a wholly unique soundtrack rather than simply a worse version of the 16 bit tracks. The graphics are also stunning for the hardware, dare I say some levels may even stylistically look BETTER than there 8 bit counterparts? Specifically Labyrinth Zone.

The first sonic estalbish staples of the series and manages to be unique compared to its successors, but quite a bit of the game does not age the best.

The game's design is focused around being a traditional platformer, best seen in Marble Zone (the zone is good but is not a traditional sonic level). This dampens the experience as sonic is based around high speeds, but very few moments do you feel the game incentivies this and instead makes you jump across platforms with slippery movement.

For the best experience, play the fanmade mod for the mobile version called Sonic Forever.

So we back in the mine.. YEAA YEAAA OO YEAAAH here go Sonik!! After arduous training, he has decided to start his chilli hot dog addiction 😨 fucked up his life at 12 years old. The game is a huge Sonic reference.... on the gear. Sonic I am not gonna sugarcoat here, u got me fuh'd up in the crib. 10 days in the joint made you a fucking pussy! Aside from small hiccups like going through platform, which you'd be excused for thinking it's a Sonic spin'off tradition, the cultural impact of Sonic GG (i played on Master System, eMuLaTeD obv, but the name is too cold sir 🥶) is that Yuzo Koshiro's company worked on the ports by sheer force of will. Whose force and whose will, I do not know.

Now here's what's gonna happen. You gonna say "I woke up, I found questionable level design, that's all I know". Do I need to state the obvious? I was not here. We goin undercover 🤯🤯 ohno, my credible cover! My ass is expectin today, so I don't take "um we made a mostly straight unilayered path with mischievous enemy placement 🤓" as the answer I'm craving for. It squashes your hope. Losing your entire wealth at the single touch of man? Now that is scary. Can't believe my grandparents are about to pass withour having experienced this. It's stomach-opening as they say. Chat, fill his belly with rings. He shan't starve again. Otherwise, the game's speed is...absolutely whelming. Now, it's like Sonic 1 genezis, so I find the defendant not guilty of this specific charge. Hold your hoes, trial not over.

Mr. Sonic GG, as the judge, jury and executioner, it pains me to admit... your visible world map bussin yo. There's nothing more I love in the morning that sip on my own of milk and cereal with the cereal before the milk before the Sonic before schooool and i have INTENSE diarrhea as I have consumed the boss fights!! A testament to my critical thinking, the constant one-shotting as me in intense bloodlust. The solution usually presents itself after a few tries lead to an unconventional method. Glory be to the CEO of sex, I suppose. World's smallest roller coaster... btw the rollercoaster loop things that Sonic used to be using are not there. So much the Master System can do I guess. But I disgress. I have a firm belief the boss fights are the same as Sonic 1, but it sure doesn't seem like it. The chase scene isn't here for instance, and it was that game's worst offender, after me.

Sonic GG has multiple of these offenders, as you've perhaps gathered at the present. El agua exploracíon takes the cake and shoves it down my throat. One of the slowest they've ever been, some are saying. Ancient truly had a fickle mind about Sonic's essence. Their good work and intentions undermined by so many circumstances. They do have peculiarities, first one being the pinball-like bonus arena. Now, I don't really remember how it triggered, but no matter, we're in this bithc!! Fairly simple stuff. The chaos emeralds... I don't know if there is a Mandela effect or something else at play, but for the life of me I couldn't tell you there were any. Google is my only witness on this. Glad Sonic GG exists, though! All life matters. But maybe not underwater, catch my drift. Hold on I should use this pun for a certain racing game's review..