Sonic the Hedgehog 4 feels bad, looks bad, sounds bad too (uh-huh, that's right).

About the only positive thing Episode 1 did was trigger a mass discussion about Sonic's physicality in the Genesis games, and this deeper analysis of what made them feel so good to play is (I believe) part of what made Sonic Mania so marketable years later. It also resulted in the phrase "momentum based gameplay" getting played out to the point of derision. I've seen people make the argument in the years since Episode 1's release that a 2D Sonic game doesn't need to replicate the physics of the Genesis era, and they're not wrong even if I think it should be part and parcel with a game billing itself as the fourth entry in that specific series. However, Sonic 4's physics are so bad that the lack of momentum directly interferes with the level design and platforming. Muscle memory makes me release my thumb from the d-pad, but Sonic drops like a rock into a pit of spikes. That feels bad no matter what the game is called.

Like, yes, the expectation is there and Sonic 4 is certainly worse for it, but even if you called it by another name, it just isn't good. The reuse of old level themes, badniks, and bosses felt cheap at the time, clearly playing to an audience Sonic Team didn't really know how to cater to beyond surface-level nods. The in-game explanation for Bubbles and other badniks being around is essentially "Dr. Robotnik ran out of fuckin' money," an almost perfect allegory for Sonic Team and Dimps hitting their creative bottom, destitute of ideas.

This desperate pandering went on to define the series for such a long time after, best exemplified by the incessant trotting out of Green Hill game after game. Though I hate to evoke Mania again, it is the game to get this right, and that was the result of bringing in outside blood that actually knew what pieces Sonic Team was missing. Perhaps the comparison is a cheap way to further denigrate a game and developer that has been thoroughly run through the mud, but it's also taken them 13 years to stop reusing old Zones, so I don't really care.

And you all know that already, because Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is nearly as infamous as Sonic 2006 and Sonic Boom. It's a well-covered laughing stock, wrung so dry of content that it is as brittle as the bones I'm now sucking marrow from. Sonic standing perfectly parallel to the ground with his feet glued to a wall is an image that will outlive me.

Esse jogo inicialmente era para se chamar Sonic the Portable, um novo jogo de Sonic exclusivo para celulares com a proposta de trazer o gameplay 2D de volta. Por exigência da Sega, acabou virando a bizarrice que foi lançada. É um jogo bem medíocre em termos de gameplay, gráfico e trilha sonora, e sem originalidade, já que todas as fases são reciclagens dos conceitos da trilogia original de Mega Drive. Apesar da crítica, ele é um jogo... funcional. Não provoca dor de cabeça, náusea ou uma vontade incontrolável de arremessar seu computador ou videogame pela janela, o que já é melhor do que muita coisa por aí, inclusive outros jogos de Sonic. Vale a pena ser jogado pela curiosidade mórbida ou para quem é fã de Sonic. Apesar de a física ser terrível e o Sonic parecer que está usando calças jeans molhadas e andar igual ao Simon Belmont do Super Castlevania IV, é relativamente ok. Eu tenho um apego especial a esse jogo, pois joguei numa época em que estava me reconectando com a franquia e com jogos em geral.

"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.

You’d think that, after the critical and financial success of both versions of Sonic Colors, teaming up Sonic Team with Dimps to make a 2D throwback would be a recipe for success. Unfortunately, this game is absolute trash.

My first Sonic game was actually a fan-made Adobe Flash game utilized music and mechanics from the Advance games. It was short, but it was a good introduction for my 5-year-old self and I played it countless times on my dad’s computer.

That little fan game is LEAGUES ahead of this horseshit.

First off, I will say that although the stupid chip-tune sound is unfitting, the music itself is nice and upbeat. Unsurprising, considering it was made by the series’ lead composer (and Crush 40 songwriter) Jun Sunoue. We love Jun Sunoue. He’s never done us dirty.

Everything else sucks. The game’s art style is atrocious, using an unpleasant mix of 3D models and 2D backgrounds that look disgustingly low-poly, to the point that I unironically think that Sonic Adventure DX looks better. I hate Sonic Adventure DX.

Then there’s the oft-criticized physics. I thought the Internet was exaggerating when they said the physics in this game were awful. The internet actually told me the truth for once. I should’ve listened. Sonic’s movement feels uncanny and stiff; you can’t roll into a ball to gain speed, his top speed is pretty damn slow compared to other games, and he has a habit of just clinging to slopes and standing there like some kinda lifeless, demonic Spider-Man.

The level design sucks. All of the zone themes are ripped straight from Sonic 1 and *2, and all of them (sans Lost Labyrinth; you really can’t get worse than Labyrinth Zone) are just downgraded versions. Green Hill, Casino Night, and… Metropolis Zone? Fucking METROPOLIS ZONE?! Nobody likes Metropolis Zone, yet they decided to make a zone based off of it— shitty enemy placement and all— only much worse due to the lack of momentum-based physics, which makes platforming a slog. In fact, most platforming is a slog due to how slow and janky Sonic’s control is.

I’m fine with 2D Sonic games that are different from the classics; I liked the DS version of Colors and I’m enjoying the Advance* trilogy so far. But this abomination is just not fun to play at all. What the fuck.

Originally, this game was supposed to be a platformer for mobile, BUT Sega decided that they should market this shitty 4 zone platformer as the successor to one of the greatest platformers ever made. Thus, increasing people's hype and expectations. Lo and behold, this game ended up being shit. Sonic is a weird floating orb in generic zones that are simply lifted from Sonic 1, and it's just not fun. It tries so hard to be a Genesis game but fails on every mark. My only praise for this game is that it's playable.

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.

The 2010s was an interesting time for Sonic, as Sonic Team was trying to refocus and take a different direction for the franchise. One of these announcements was a new 2D Sonic game, and what we received was beyond disappointment.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is one of the lamest 2D platformers I've ever played. First off, calling it Sonic 4 feels like an insult to the classic trilogy as it does nothing to stand out against its 2D predecessors except for maybe translating the homing attack into 2D. The visuals look unappealing with its cheap graphics, the music ranges from ok to mediocre, the levels are boring and uninspired, and they fucked up the physics somehow. There's not much else to say what hasn't been said beforehand in the Sonic community, it just... exists.