Labyrinth, come in.
You beat the allegations, my boy. The worst Sonic game allegations, that is. I’m not sure how I should feel about the fact that I had a somewhat decent time playing this game. I played it as a kid and must have never made it past the 2nd stage and all I remember is it feeling SLOW and AWFUL and I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON. Which seemed to be the general consensus among players.
Believe it or not, a big motivation to make me finally throw away the money for Sonic Origins Plus was to have another go at these Game Gear games that haunted me on Mega Collection Plus as a kid, as well as the ones that weren’t included there. When I opened up the menu for them, the first thing that caught my eye was the critically acclaimed masterpiece in question, and you know what? It was alright!!! ?? Bit of a stretch maybe. It certainly was not <good> but it was by no means awful neither.
Laughable story premise aside, Sonic is actually kinda fun to control here? I’m not fucking joking. Slow as shit means spin dash encouraged, and you can go real zoomy zoomy, it’s a satisfying challenge to cancel it at the right time. As a speedrun this could be fun as heck I’m tellin’ ya, the most fun I had here were the couple times where I had just grabbed all the keys and had a small amount of time to bolt it towards the goal. I think if the game was built fully around this concept it could have found a real decent identity.
But this is Sonic LABYRINTH, and hence the levels are LABYRINTHs, with doors taking you to all sorts of places, you gotta keep track of where you’re going, kinda fun right? Like a puzzle or a maze?? NO. This actually describes the level design for about 3 of the 12 regular stages, the rest is just random pointless BS. In general it just feels aimless; questionable teleporters, pointless powerups with straight up bad placement, strange enemies that do not look like they should be in a sonic game (truthfully they do kind of fit I just think this one is really funny), and bosses that really could have been much better had someone but a just a little bit more thought into them.
That said it is mostly just aimless, and not frustrating. The only exceptions being one fuck off hidden platform in 3-3, and the general map in 4-3. I mean f*cking look at this. I understand the vision with this final level to be honest, you gave us our Sonic Labyrinth but it’s just jarring without some semblance of a difficulty curve to precede it. You went from somewhat maze-like levels, to aimless bs, to the world’s most complicated stage that feels like a puzzle in itself trying to figure out where to go even when it’s right in front of you. My mate said we should do a drinking game where we play that level without looking at the map and take a drink everytime you go through a door and I admit that sounds like the best worst time and ohohohohhh I am tempted!!
There is the matter of the true ending being a little obtuse but I forgive that because it added a slight layer of replayability with the hint given at the end. That said, it's still hilariously shallow.
The take home today is that I think the game actually has a solid foundation and controls well, it's just mostly ruined by a number of horrible design decisions that scream like the developers did not give any shits whatsoever. Therefore since it's a Sonic game with “good ideas”, it's actually 5 stars and the most underrated game ever and you guys just don't get it you don't see the vision open your mind for once…
Except it doesn’t have many good ideas, it’s just a worse Sonic 3D Blast.
(Maybe more like a prototype, since this came out first, hm!)
You beat the allegations, my boy. The worst Sonic game allegations, that is. I’m not sure how I should feel about the fact that I had a somewhat decent time playing this game. I played it as a kid and must have never made it past the 2nd stage and all I remember is it feeling SLOW and AWFUL and I DON’T KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON. Which seemed to be the general consensus among players.
Believe it or not, a big motivation to make me finally throw away the money for Sonic Origins Plus was to have another go at these Game Gear games that haunted me on Mega Collection Plus as a kid, as well as the ones that weren’t included there. When I opened up the menu for them, the first thing that caught my eye was the critically acclaimed masterpiece in question, and you know what? It was alright!!! ?? Bit of a stretch maybe. It certainly was not <good> but it was by no means awful neither.
Laughable story premise aside, Sonic is actually kinda fun to control here? I’m not fucking joking. Slow as shit means spin dash encouraged, and you can go real zoomy zoomy, it’s a satisfying challenge to cancel it at the right time. As a speedrun this could be fun as heck I’m tellin’ ya, the most fun I had here were the couple times where I had just grabbed all the keys and had a small amount of time to bolt it towards the goal. I think if the game was built fully around this concept it could have found a real decent identity.
But this is Sonic LABYRINTH, and hence the levels are LABYRINTHs, with doors taking you to all sorts of places, you gotta keep track of where you’re going, kinda fun right? Like a puzzle or a maze?? NO. This actually describes the level design for about 3 of the 12 regular stages, the rest is just random pointless BS. In general it just feels aimless; questionable teleporters, pointless powerups with straight up bad placement, strange enemies that do not look like they should be in a sonic game (truthfully they do kind of fit I just think this one is really funny), and bosses that really could have been much better had someone but a just a little bit more thought into them.
That said it is mostly just aimless, and not frustrating. The only exceptions being one fuck off hidden platform in 3-3, and the general map in 4-3. I mean f*cking look at this. I understand the vision with this final level to be honest, you gave us our Sonic Labyrinth but it’s just jarring without some semblance of a difficulty curve to precede it. You went from somewhat maze-like levels, to aimless bs, to the world’s most complicated stage that feels like a puzzle in itself trying to figure out where to go even when it’s right in front of you. My mate said we should do a drinking game where we play that level without looking at the map and take a drink everytime you go through a door and I admit that sounds like the best worst time and ohohohohhh I am tempted!!
There is the matter of the true ending being a little obtuse but I forgive that because it added a slight layer of replayability with the hint given at the end. That said, it's still hilariously shallow.
The take home today is that I think the game actually has a solid foundation and controls well, it's just mostly ruined by a number of horrible design decisions that scream like the developers did not give any shits whatsoever. Therefore since it's a Sonic game with “good ideas”, it's actually 5 stars and the most underrated game ever and you guys just don't get it you don't see the vision open your mind for once…
Except it doesn’t have many good ideas, it’s just a worse Sonic 3D Blast.
(Maybe more like a prototype, since this came out first, hm!)
Motherfucker got his shoes stole.
Besides the two Tails-centric games, Sonic Labyrinth is the only Game Gear Sonic title I haven't played on real hardware. Not that any of them are worth running out and buying off the secondhand market, especially not for the ~40 dollars people are asking to unburden themselves of Sonic Labyrinth. Why would I cough up that kind of money for a cart when I could buy Sonic Origins for the same price and play it with messed up audio balancing instead? C'mon. Get real!
Back in the early-to-mid 90s, Sonic was known for a couple of things: go fast and roll into ball. There's plenty you could do with these elements - like make a proper Sonic the Hedgehog game - but some developers, like Minato Giken, saw a lot of value in the ball rolling mechanic and its potential application in different gameplay styles. For example, maybe you want to make like, Kirby's Dream Course but starring Sonic. That sounds pretty neat, right? Only you're hamstrung to horrible mid-90s handheld hardware, so you have to strip out every interesting element until you're just left with rolling and bouncing around barren environments. Uhh, well crap. That doesn't sound too fun, actually. Try not to feel bad, though. Worst case scenario your studio goes out of business in two years.
Robotnik stole Sonic's shoes and along with them his ability to go fast, so this entire game is spent rolling around at the speed of whatever through profoundly unimaginative courses. To call these "labyrinths" would be a misnomer considering how small in scale and bereft of challenge they are. Even the last few acts - which introduce teleporters - are so simple as to be navigable without any forethought in where you should go or what you should be doing. Collect three keys and reach the goal, that's your objective. I promise you can do this at 6am with a head cold and four hours of sleep, and all you'll be is 25 minutes poorer for the experience.
The two most common complaints levied against this game are that Sonic moves too slow and is uncontrollable when in a roll. This is something I've heard both contemporary with the original release and echoed for nearly three decades since, and I personally just don't see it. Sonic moves slowly because you aren't meant to be running around by design, and spinning around feels pretty stiff. To Labyrinth's credit, I never felt like I lacked control over Sonic. Even a bad spindash can be easily broken out of, and you really have to go out of your way to lose a life. The real issue is that Labyrinth is so lacking in vision as to be a baby sensory Sonic game. Occasionally you'll see a moving platform you can ride, or a pad that halts Sonic's momentum if he travels over it, or a five-pixel wide pinball bumper awkwardly placed in the corner of a single act that doesn't really do anything. Vestigial level gimmicks, we love to see them.
I don't know if Minato Giken's mandate was to just get a cart out to market with "Sonic" on it, but it certainly feels that way. It's so thoughtlessly designed and empty that I questioned if I was mistakenly playing a beta build more than once. But, no, that's just Sonic Labyrinth. Far from the worst entry in the Hedgehog's Game Gear library but not really worth playing even as a curiosity.
Besides the two Tails-centric games, Sonic Labyrinth is the only Game Gear Sonic title I haven't played on real hardware. Not that any of them are worth running out and buying off the secondhand market, especially not for the ~40 dollars people are asking to unburden themselves of Sonic Labyrinth. Why would I cough up that kind of money for a cart when I could buy Sonic Origins for the same price and play it with messed up audio balancing instead? C'mon. Get real!
Back in the early-to-mid 90s, Sonic was known for a couple of things: go fast and roll into ball. There's plenty you could do with these elements - like make a proper Sonic the Hedgehog game - but some developers, like Minato Giken, saw a lot of value in the ball rolling mechanic and its potential application in different gameplay styles. For example, maybe you want to make like, Kirby's Dream Course but starring Sonic. That sounds pretty neat, right? Only you're hamstrung to horrible mid-90s handheld hardware, so you have to strip out every interesting element until you're just left with rolling and bouncing around barren environments. Uhh, well crap. That doesn't sound too fun, actually. Try not to feel bad, though. Worst case scenario your studio goes out of business in two years.
Robotnik stole Sonic's shoes and along with them his ability to go fast, so this entire game is spent rolling around at the speed of whatever through profoundly unimaginative courses. To call these "labyrinths" would be a misnomer considering how small in scale and bereft of challenge they are. Even the last few acts - which introduce teleporters - are so simple as to be navigable without any forethought in where you should go or what you should be doing. Collect three keys and reach the goal, that's your objective. I promise you can do this at 6am with a head cold and four hours of sleep, and all you'll be is 25 minutes poorer for the experience.
The two most common complaints levied against this game are that Sonic moves too slow and is uncontrollable when in a roll. This is something I've heard both contemporary with the original release and echoed for nearly three decades since, and I personally just don't see it. Sonic moves slowly because you aren't meant to be running around by design, and spinning around feels pretty stiff. To Labyrinth's credit, I never felt like I lacked control over Sonic. Even a bad spindash can be easily broken out of, and you really have to go out of your way to lose a life. The real issue is that Labyrinth is so lacking in vision as to be a baby sensory Sonic game. Occasionally you'll see a moving platform you can ride, or a pad that halts Sonic's momentum if he travels over it, or a five-pixel wide pinball bumper awkwardly placed in the corner of a single act that doesn't really do anything. Vestigial level gimmicks, we love to see them.
I don't know if Minato Giken's mandate was to just get a cart out to market with "Sonic" on it, but it certainly feels that way. It's so thoughtlessly designed and empty that I questioned if I was mistakenly playing a beta build more than once. But, no, that's just Sonic Labyrinth. Far from the worst entry in the Hedgehog's Game Gear library but not really worth playing even as a curiosity.
People act like this game is an affront to God when the reality is that it is just a so-so puzzle game that only lasts around 30 minutes and may even give you a seizure if you ask nicely. So many worse games than this.
Other than two instances of the annoyance the game is actually pretty fun and one the best on the Game Gear despite it's reputation.
Number of times Sonic Team have broken the Geneva Convention: at least one
this is just not fun, not even a little. Even the more bearable levels are no fun, just something you can complete. I know Sonic isn't purely about speed but a purposely slow sonic game is just a bad idea. The more complex levels are hellish. Just don't play this one.
3/10
3/10
Fun fact, this is Sonic's lowest rated game of all time. This is the "worst" one.
Spoiler alert: It's inoffensive. I enjoyed it.
Spoiler alert: It's inoffensive. I enjoyed it.
This will forever be my least favorite Sonic game ever and nobody can force me to change that stance. It astounds me that there are some that find this game fun to play. It is so slow and obnoxious to do anything and feels like a lower quality version of Sonic 3D Blast (a game that does this formula actually well.)
better than forces.
To be positive first, this game has surprisingly nice visuals for what it is, and a solid enough soundtrack. It does a surprisingly good job pulling off isometric 3D, and I'd argue that it's a better companion to the Genesis' 'Sonic 3D Blast' than the tie in 'Sonic Blast'. Obviously, this game is really slow, and trying to correct for that with the spindash maneuver makes you unruly to control in most circumstances. There's really just no purpose behind this game. The level design is fine, mostly too easy, the bosses are fine, it runs fine (although the jittering while moving can be a little rough), overall it's just fine. A very mediocre, fine game, with a short runtime.
"We took away Sonic's speed aka the one thing that's supposed to make him unique."
What could possibly go wrong?
Looks at average rating
Oh...
What could possibly go wrong?
Looks at average rating
Oh...
Не то что бы это игра плоха, она просто средняя, играть в неё не скучно и проходится за короткий срок времени, поэтому и надоесть не успеет.
Si me dijeran de cómo se vería el infierno, inmediatamente me imagino los laberintos de este juego asqueroso...
I think I liked this one a little better than Sonic 3D Blast? The slow running speed along with the fact that you're not able to jump honestly work better for the isometric perspective, not to mention how nice it is that the things you need to collect don't wander off on their own. Probably its biggest sin is the confusing way the doors work; if you go through one and try to go back, you might not end up where you expect. Otherwise, it's just kinda disposable.
Da fuq?
Veredito: Muito estranho, mas é bom, só não precisava ser Sonic.
Imagine Sonic 3D Blast. Agora imagine Sonic 3D Blast sem sessões de plataforma, sem a sensação de velocidade, e com foco em puzzles de explorar a sala, a la Zelda. Este jogo é literalmente isso.
Você não tem pulo, só spindash. Você não corre, só anda e dá spindash. Cada fase tem só um objetivo: encontrar 3 chaves e depois achar a saída dentro do limite de tempo. E rolam umas fases bônus pelo caminho. O limite é sempre bem curto mas as fases são bem rápidas (de 30 segundos a 3 minutos por fase) então isso nunca vira um problema. É um sistema bem arcade, próprio para um portátil sem sistema de salvar: você tem que ser rápido na busca pelas chaves e ter um bom senso de direção. Tem até um extra no final pra quem zerar de perfect.
Os puzzles e labirintos são decentes, os inimigos e chefes são bons o bastante. Com exceção das últimas 2 ou 3 fases, que são obtusas pra caralho e que cada chave tá escondida atrás de 5 bullshits diferentes, a priori este era pra ser um jogo sólido.
O único problema mesmo é... cara, por que isso é um jogo do Sonic? Não é só a jogabilidade. Mas toda a parte visual, sonora, o enredo, os chefes, nada aqui lembra Sonic. Eu não acho ruim os spinoffs da franquia serem experimentais, não ligo mesmo. A lentidão de Tails Adventure e as mecânicas de Sonic Spinball não me incomodaram em nada. Mas esses jogos ainda pareciam spinoffs de Sonic, por mais defeitos que tivessem eles ainda davam a sensação de fazerem parte desta franquia.
Sonic Labyrinth só dá a sensação de um jogo bacaninha que poderia ser qualquer coisa, mas enfiaram Sonic pra ver se vendia mais. E esse, pelo menos pra mim, foi o grande calcanhar-de-Aquiles dele.
Imagine Sonic 3D Blast. Agora imagine Sonic 3D Blast sem sessões de plataforma, sem a sensação de velocidade, e com foco em puzzles de explorar a sala, a la Zelda. Este jogo é literalmente isso.
Você não tem pulo, só spindash. Você não corre, só anda e dá spindash. Cada fase tem só um objetivo: encontrar 3 chaves e depois achar a saída dentro do limite de tempo. E rolam umas fases bônus pelo caminho. O limite é sempre bem curto mas as fases são bem rápidas (de 30 segundos a 3 minutos por fase) então isso nunca vira um problema. É um sistema bem arcade, próprio para um portátil sem sistema de salvar: você tem que ser rápido na busca pelas chaves e ter um bom senso de direção. Tem até um extra no final pra quem zerar de perfect.
Os puzzles e labirintos são decentes, os inimigos e chefes são bons o bastante. Com exceção das últimas 2 ou 3 fases, que são obtusas pra caralho e que cada chave tá escondida atrás de 5 bullshits diferentes, a priori este era pra ser um jogo sólido.
O único problema mesmo é... cara, por que isso é um jogo do Sonic? Não é só a jogabilidade. Mas toda a parte visual, sonora, o enredo, os chefes, nada aqui lembra Sonic. Eu não acho ruim os spinoffs da franquia serem experimentais, não ligo mesmo. A lentidão de Tails Adventure e as mecânicas de Sonic Spinball não me incomodaram em nada. Mas esses jogos ainda pareciam spinoffs de Sonic, por mais defeitos que tivessem eles ainda davam a sensação de fazerem parte desta franquia.
Sonic Labyrinth só dá a sensação de um jogo bacaninha que poderia ser qualquer coisa, mas enfiaram Sonic pra ver se vendia mais. E esse, pelo menos pra mim, foi o grande calcanhar-de-Aquiles dele.
Could definitely be worse, honestly. It's not really worth the time but it gets a lot of ridicule primarily due to the dumbass premise. Eggman swaps Sonic's shoes while he's asleep and now he's slow? Alright, man. He's not even really that slow because he still has the spin dash and bounces around all over the place.
Now he's confined to a mediocre, but not terrible, isometric puzzle platformer. It's not that labyrinthine honestly until the last couple of levels, otherwise it's actually pretty straightforward. Not very long at all either. The worst aspect is probably not even gameplay related, I want to say it's the absurd flashing when you pick up a few specific items, like the speed shoes or invincibility. It doesn't really bother me, but I have to wonder why this was so prevalent in the 90s. Surely forerunners such as Sega and Nintendo knew of epilepsy risks by that point. It's more likely they didn't give a shit, actually.
Now he's confined to a mediocre, but not terrible, isometric puzzle platformer. It's not that labyrinthine honestly until the last couple of levels, otherwise it's actually pretty straightforward. Not very long at all either. The worst aspect is probably not even gameplay related, I want to say it's the absurd flashing when you pick up a few specific items, like the speed shoes or invincibility. It doesn't really bother me, but I have to wonder why this was so prevalent in the 90s. Surely forerunners such as Sega and Nintendo knew of epilepsy risks by that point. It's more likely they didn't give a shit, actually.
I cute off my pensi
... Not THAT bad?
Just pretty damn slow. That's really the biggest problem with the game, you HAVE to use the spindash to move around, otherwise you're not going anywhere anytime soon. If you could walk at a normal pace, this would be a fun little way to pass the time when you're waiting at the doctor's or something. (It's REALLY funny that there's a lore reason for the slow movement, though.)
"Oh but it's so easy to get lost!" ... It's a labyrinth bro
Just pretty damn slow. That's really the biggest problem with the game, you HAVE to use the spindash to move around, otherwise you're not going anywhere anytime soon. If you could walk at a normal pace, this would be a fun little way to pass the time when you're waiting at the doctor's or something. (It's REALLY funny that there's a lore reason for the slow movement, though.)
"Oh but it's so easy to get lost!" ... It's a labyrinth bro
Much to my shock, it is actually not the most unplayable offering of Sonic platforming ever made, maaaybe excluding a contender for one of the worst final levels in the franchise. That said, it’s just sorta dull with little to no challenge and I often questioned if this even needed to be a Sonic game in the first place while playing, because really, the only Sonic-ish traits to be found here are in the presentation: You got the blue hamster himself, Dr Robotnik, rings, a boppin’ soundtrack, and that’s pretty much it.
"Não, mas veja bem, o Eggman trocou os sapatos do Sonic por sapatos pesados que não deixam ele correr e pá..."
Carai o mano conseguiu chegar perto do arqui-inimigo dele sem ser notado, e tudo que faz é aplicar uma trollage?? E que ainda por cima resultou num dos piores jogos da franquia?? Realmente ele não tem coração
Carai o mano conseguiu chegar perto do arqui-inimigo dele sem ser notado, e tudo que faz é aplicar uma trollage?? E que ainda por cima resultou num dos piores jogos da franquia?? Realmente ele não tem coração
it's not the worst thing i've played in my life thank god
1 star because the plot is fucking hilarious
A bad game to me is one that's poorly designed, and never really meets its intention. Never once did this game make me feel cheated, or felt like it was poorly designed. The game just felt overall boring. I couldn't even finish it because of how boring it was. I thought it was fair to drop this mid-review, as the game has nothing else to offer. It's honestly just the same gameplay with different key placement and boss gimmicks.
The levels are all vomit-colored, with a nice topping of seizure inducing hues. The music is awful; it all sounds the same! I wouldn't be surprised if it were used in a torture chamber somewhere.
By all means, this game isn't good at all. It's just a cheaply made puzzle game with "WHAT IF SONIC WAS SLOW" used as a marketing tool. The gameplay feels comparable to that of Sonic 3D Blast, except way worse. It's like Sonic 3D Blast in beta.
All and all, 1.5/5. This game doesn't suck, it just isn't fun to play.
The levels are all vomit-colored, with a nice topping of seizure inducing hues. The music is awful; it all sounds the same! I wouldn't be surprised if it were used in a torture chamber somewhere.
By all means, this game isn't good at all. It's just a cheaply made puzzle game with "WHAT IF SONIC WAS SLOW" used as a marketing tool. The gameplay feels comparable to that of Sonic 3D Blast, except way worse. It's like Sonic 3D Blast in beta.
All and all, 1.5/5. This game doesn't suck, it just isn't fun to play.
Played this game as a kid on Mega Collection, and... I didn't get it at all. Came back to it as an adult and yknow what? There's something here. I think most people look at this game, say "Sonic slow lmao" and leave it at that. But the core gameplay is fairly enjoyable I'd argue. The only times it gets unfun are the later levels where the levels are so big and so samey looking that you can't form a mental map of these places to navigate them properly. Still, for most of the game, not half bad.
Slow, clunky and tedious. Sonic Labyrinth spends most of it's time being boring with occasional breaks of being confusing or frustrating instead. Sonic is slow and miserable to control when you're not spindashing and when you are he's so wild and bouncy that the only close-to-sensible way to move around it to tap the spindash followed by the brakes over and over again to get where you're going, leaving you vulnerable to clipping an enemy and tossing your keys everywhere. The levels are same-y looking mazes, the key mechanic uninspired, and the whole game just generally not very fun. I went to the bonus stage and should have had the sixth emerald but it gave me the bad ending anyway, fuck you too Sonic Labyrinth.
Beaten on the GG2SMS patch (yes, with all that junk on screen)
My family's moved house two days ago on march 15th 2024, and amidst the memories I had in that other home, fights between my family and all that, I remember waking up early as a kid to go boot up Sonic Gems Collection on the PS2. I even remember trying to beat Sonic Triple Trouble in that collection, the game in which the character I have as a pfp originated from (this pic goes hard, feel free to screenshot) before going to an english exam in the morning and not being able to beat Tidal Tempest Act 2.
And yeah, among all those Game Gear titles there were two that didn't caught my attention so much as a kid, Tails' Skypatrol, which as an adult feels like an unrelated game with weird characters with the character slapped on it; and this one, which sadly feels like a special stage stretched to a whole game, bizarre just for the sake of being bizarre (oh, and with some epilepsy inducing special effects), but damn if I didn't enjoy most other things in that collection as a kid.
With the house no longer of our property, even with the posibilty of being destroyed, at least I hope this review and some videos I recorded in there keep the memories alive.
My family's moved house two days ago on march 15th 2024, and amidst the memories I had in that other home, fights between my family and all that, I remember waking up early as a kid to go boot up Sonic Gems Collection on the PS2. I even remember trying to beat Sonic Triple Trouble in that collection, the game in which the character I have as a pfp originated from (this pic goes hard, feel free to screenshot) before going to an english exam in the morning and not being able to beat Tidal Tempest Act 2.
And yeah, among all those Game Gear titles there were two that didn't caught my attention so much as a kid, Tails' Skypatrol, which as an adult feels like an unrelated game with weird characters with the character slapped on it; and this one, which sadly feels like a special stage stretched to a whole game, bizarre just for the sake of being bizarre (oh, and with some epilepsy inducing special effects), but damn if I didn't enjoy most other things in that collection as a kid.
With the house no longer of our property, even with the posibilty of being destroyed, at least I hope this review and some videos I recorded in there keep the memories alive.
Nope
слов нет блять, просто идите нахуй
Sonic be wearing them slow shoes in this one.