This game by all means should've been a slam dunk. Fresh crisp soundtrack? Check. A whole mini planet to explore? It has it. It has a frickin' Terminator Sonic in it. But the gameplay just is NOT there. Having to deal with getting the Time Stones and the time travelling shenanigans for each Zone to get the actual ending makes this one rigged against you unless you fancy having a guide glued to your eyes at all times. The Zones themselves are also just unusually easy to get lost in, too. Easily the weakest Sonic platformer on the Genesis, sadly.
what if they made a sonic game where all the levels suck and its not fun
like, the level design is really bad a lot of the time. there's a large emphasis on verticality and exploration that really does not lend itself to sonic's genesis moveset. but:
1. the remaster adds tails, who in hindsight seems like the character the game was designed around. it's much easier and more fun to explore the levels with him.
2. and also, the art and music give off absolutely radioactive levels of swag. this game has two soundtracks and both of them are all timers
i simply can't bring myself to not like it. it's too cool.
1. the remaster adds tails, who in hindsight seems like the character the game was designed around. it's much easier and more fun to explore the levels with him.
2. and also, the art and music give off absolutely radioactive levels of swag. this game has two soundtracks and both of them are all timers
i simply can't bring myself to not like it. it's too cool.
music carries it
Originally released for the Mega CD and PC, for the first decade of it's existence Sonic CD had an air of mystery about it. It was considered something of a 'lost' Sonic game because so few fans had played it. I first got the chance to boot up the game when Sonic Gems Collection released in 2005.
Artistically, Sonic CD blew me away when I played it for the first time. It has, arguably, the best soundtrack in Sonic's illustrious history (the Japanese variant specifically, though the American soundtrack is also excellent) and beautifully realised levels that bring back the weird, slightly abstract visual design of the first game. The levels all look and sound great and that's all the more impressive considering Sonic CD's central time travel gimmick. You can visit a Past, Present, Good Future and Bad Future version of every level and it's truly wonderful to see each level's evolution (or devolution).
To get the game's best ending you're encouraged to travel to the past in each act of each zone, find a Robotnik device and destroy it. Doing so creates a 'good future' for the zone while failing to do so creates a 'bad future'. On paper, it's a pretty cool concept that adds an extra layer of agency to Sonic and the player but the time travel conceit completely changes how Sonic CD's levels are designed for the worse. The levels are all more maze-like and sprawling than previous instalments. They're built this way to encourage you to explore and find the devices but it doesn't make for a particularly fun experience. The central issue with this is that if you're playing casually and ignoring the exploration aspect of the game, the levels feel somewhat short and underwhelming. But even if you invest the time to scour each level for the Robotnik doohickeys, the level design is kind of frustrating and confusing. Wacky Workbench is probably the best example of what I mean. It's a slog and has no memorable set pieces or routes, it's just a spiderweb of obstacles and is a pain to get through.
Over time I have grown to appreciate the direction the game takes classic Sonic gameplay but I still feel the attempt to innovate here was somewhat botched. I enjoy playing Sonic CD casually but I've never taken the time to 100% the game. For me it's the weakest of the classic Sonic quadrilogy.
Artistically, Sonic CD blew me away when I played it for the first time. It has, arguably, the best soundtrack in Sonic's illustrious history (the Japanese variant specifically, though the American soundtrack is also excellent) and beautifully realised levels that bring back the weird, slightly abstract visual design of the first game. The levels all look and sound great and that's all the more impressive considering Sonic CD's central time travel gimmick. You can visit a Past, Present, Good Future and Bad Future version of every level and it's truly wonderful to see each level's evolution (or devolution).
To get the game's best ending you're encouraged to travel to the past in each act of each zone, find a Robotnik device and destroy it. Doing so creates a 'good future' for the zone while failing to do so creates a 'bad future'. On paper, it's a pretty cool concept that adds an extra layer of agency to Sonic and the player but the time travel conceit completely changes how Sonic CD's levels are designed for the worse. The levels are all more maze-like and sprawling than previous instalments. They're built this way to encourage you to explore and find the devices but it doesn't make for a particularly fun experience. The central issue with this is that if you're playing casually and ignoring the exploration aspect of the game, the levels feel somewhat short and underwhelming. But even if you invest the time to scour each level for the Robotnik doohickeys, the level design is kind of frustrating and confusing. Wacky Workbench is probably the best example of what I mean. It's a slog and has no memorable set pieces or routes, it's just a spiderweb of obstacles and is a pain to get through.
Over time I have grown to appreciate the direction the game takes classic Sonic gameplay but I still feel the attempt to innovate here was somewhat botched. I enjoy playing Sonic CD casually but I've never taken the time to 100% the game. For me it's the weakest of the classic Sonic quadrilogy.
O jogo que é mais conhecido pelo seu eterno debate entre a soundtrack da versão USA e JP (e confia, tirando a música do boss americano, a versão japonesa dá uma surra kk).
Por ter toda essa coisa de um aparato extra como o Sega CD para dar um UP de processamento, a evolução gráfica é notável, e as fases tem uma sensação de profundidade beeeem maior. Porém, achei que junto com isso, os cenários são um tanto confusos, com elementos demais na tela.
A mecânica do PAST/FUTURE é totalmente descartável, não acrescenta nada na gameplay e nem é lá muito charmosa. Mas eles precisavam justificar o grandioso MEGA BLAST PROCESSING do SEGA CD né?
No geral, um jogo competente, mas discordo de quem tenta alça-lo a prateleira de "hidden gem" hj em dia.
Por ter toda essa coisa de um aparato extra como o Sega CD para dar um UP de processamento, a evolução gráfica é notável, e as fases tem uma sensação de profundidade beeeem maior. Porém, achei que junto com isso, os cenários são um tanto confusos, com elementos demais na tela.
A mecânica do PAST/FUTURE é totalmente descartável, não acrescenta nada na gameplay e nem é lá muito charmosa. Mas eles precisavam justificar o grandioso MEGA BLAST PROCESSING do SEGA CD né?
No geral, um jogo competente, mas discordo de quem tenta alça-lo a prateleira de "hidden gem" hj em dia.
Metal Sonic intro goes hard
I never liked the stage layouts but I can see why some of my friends have this as their favorite Sonic game for (mostly) non-gameplay reasons