I will preface this review by saying that this game is NOT a replacement for the Master System original.
First off, the controls have been tweaked to be a bit closer to the Mega Drive game, which may sound good on paper but the faster movement and more precise jumping controls seem to result in the levels being too easy or hitting hazards you would normally avoid.
This is because of my second gripe with the remake, the original stages are not changed to accommodate the change in controls (I should add that some stages do have little extra sections in them but nothing that changes the overall stage). The original stages were designed around the controls so it just feels off.
My third problem is that the emerald challenge has been changed from finding the emeralds hidden in the stages to finding them in the bonus stages from the Master System original. This I feel removes some of the charm of the original and makes the game much easier as the levels were designed around the gameplay loop of having the player search for the emerald in each Zone. I don't even think the inclusion of Super Sonic is even worth the change, as he just exacerbates the controls issues and makes the stages even easier (which isn't helped by the fact that once you have all 7 emeralds you get given a giant ring at the start of each Act which is worth 50 rings.)
I should add that there are things I do like. I think the inclusion of 8-Bit demakes of the 16-Bit exclusive Zones are a nice touch, and as they are made from the ground up for this game they work better with the controls. I also like the fact that rolling into badniks has been made easier to pull off.
Overall I don't think this is a bad game. If you are looking for a fresh take on a classic favourite this game can be a fun time, just don't bother going super and resist the urge to grab the free 50 rings at the start of each Act when you have all the emeralds. I also think that if you don't like the slower pace and emerald hunting of the original title you might find something worthwhile here too.
First off, the controls have been tweaked to be a bit closer to the Mega Drive game, which may sound good on paper but the faster movement and more precise jumping controls seem to result in the levels being too easy or hitting hazards you would normally avoid.
This is because of my second gripe with the remake, the original stages are not changed to accommodate the change in controls (I should add that some stages do have little extra sections in them but nothing that changes the overall stage). The original stages were designed around the controls so it just feels off.
My third problem is that the emerald challenge has been changed from finding the emeralds hidden in the stages to finding them in the bonus stages from the Master System original. This I feel removes some of the charm of the original and makes the game much easier as the levels were designed around the gameplay loop of having the player search for the emerald in each Zone. I don't even think the inclusion of Super Sonic is even worth the change, as he just exacerbates the controls issues and makes the stages even easier (which isn't helped by the fact that once you have all 7 emeralds you get given a giant ring at the start of each Act which is worth 50 rings.)
I should add that there are things I do like. I think the inclusion of 8-Bit demakes of the 16-Bit exclusive Zones are a nice touch, and as they are made from the ground up for this game they work better with the controls. I also like the fact that rolling into badniks has been made easier to pull off.
Overall I don't think this is a bad game. If you are looking for a fresh take on a classic favourite this game can be a fun time, just don't bother going super and resist the urge to grab the free 50 rings at the start of each Act when you have all the emeralds. I also think that if you don't like the slower pace and emerald hunting of the original title you might find something worthwhile here too.