Sonic Unleashed isn't a terrible game but there are enough gripes I had with it that made the game a slog to beat. The werehog levels while sometimes enjoyable overstayed their welcome and the combat isn't all that great. The sun & moon coins were also a pain in the ass to collect for a good chunk of the game and will probably take up a good majority of your playthrough. It gets a bit easier to get the amount required to complete the game once you unlock the extra acts, but unless you really pay attention as you play the levels, you're going to find yourself replaying them quite a bit if you want to make progress. Eggmanland is one of the most infuriating levels I have played for quite some time. Not only does it have an absurdly big difficulty curve from every other level, but the level drags on longer than the other werehog levels. Considering my lack of skill at Sonic games, I'm honestly surprised I managed to beat it, let alone without having to grind for extra lives. Even with that in mind it still took me over an hour to do it.

I've complained enough about the downsides so I'll go into the positive aspects this game has to offer. The regular Sonic levels are fun to speed through and there is a lot of variety among the levels which is something I always am clamoring for in a game. The graphics are impressive and hold up nicely in 2023. Despite the werehog levels being far from perfect, I can still appreciate that they at least tried to do something new and unique.

There is a good game underneath some of the issues it has. What Sonic Unleashed really needs is a remaster that adds some QoL changes. Those few small changes can come a long way and are all Sonic Unleashed really needs for it to truly unleash its potential.