Let me level with you for a second. I remember playing Sonic Heroes as a kid. And, man, did I love the opening cutscenes. Didn't really get too far past that. I did eventually beat it, but I was still too young to remember it all too well. So when I went into this game, in the year of our Lord 2020, I wasn't expecting to have a good time. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not Arin Hanson. My thing with these replays isn't to pretend to be miserable and complain about Sonic. I try not to approach these games with preconceived notions of how bad they are or whatever. Generally, I'm pretty positive about Sonic as a franchise. I guess Sonic Heroes was one of those games I let public perception influence me on a little bit more than with others. You could say I had the opposite problem that I did with Adventure 2. I was expecting to have less fun than I actually did. Hopefully I can elaborate.
It's really interesting how Sonic Team decided to approach structuring this game in comparison to the last two entries. I had noted in one of my Adventure reviews how, throughout the series, the developers have to find ways to make a game where you go real fast... last. So far, the 3D games have had you play through multiple campaigns each with their own style of gameplay and goals. I preferred Adventure 2's approach but I gotta say, Sonic Heroes does something really special. Each campaign has you play as a trio, that for all intents and purposes control as one unit. However, you can switch characters on the fly and take advantage of their abilities to traverse a level more efficiently. This was actually very intuitive to me. I found myself doing things like using Tails to stun enemies then using to Knuckles to finish them off. When I got into the flow of things, switching between these three characters felt satisfying. What I like about this as well is that it completely changes how the levels are structured. You don't just go from a level all about going fast as Sonic to one all about slow, clunky platforming as Tails... Now, a single level can have a little bit of everything. Not only that, but you'll often find sections where you can choose between multiple paths that each focus on a specific character's abilities. So if I want to tackle the path with Sonic because I'm feelin' spiky, I can do that. Or, I can choose Tails' path if I'm feelin' wimpy. That's not to say the level design isn't confusing at times and stages can sort of drag on for a bit too long. It's a refreshing gameplay gimmick for a Sonic game, nonetheless.
Unfortunately, and I can't believe it somehow gets worse with each installment, I had far too many instances where the controls just decided to take a big dump on my lap. Sometimes I'd press a button and fly off a cliff when I wanted to grab onto or let go of something. Sometimes I'd have to spend way too long pressing the B button as Tails to pull a lever up high. Sometimes I'd have to drop onto a rail and I would let go of the control stick because I'd just automatically land on it. Except the times where that wasn't the case and I did have to align myself into place. But the perspectives always made it impossible to tell when. And by gosh there was a Light Dash in the Frog Forest that just didn't work for me and it was driving me nuts! (That one was particularly annoying because the Light Dash in this game is actually much more responsive than in Adventure 2) To make matters worse for myself, more than once... or twice, I accidentally restarted a level while on the pause screen. That's totally on me, though, I got slippery fingers. :/
I just find it amazing how, as the games have gone on, I've struggled more and more with gameplay/camera issues. You'd think it'd be easier to control Sonic here than in the original Adventure but I honestly don't think it is.
The campaigns all have the same levels. Team Dark was pretty much the same as Team Sonic. Noticed enemies were swapped for others but the level design remained the same as far as I could tell. Can't really say if I had more fun with Team Dark because, although I did breeze through levels faster because it was my second run through them, I got stuck in parts I hadn't previously.
Team Rose is the only campaign that sneaks in a tutorial for what I can only assume is because Team Rose is cute and for girls and girls don't play games unlike boys who are cool and pick Sonic or Shadow and don't need tutorials. Seriously, though, it was weird having to have the controls broken down for me on my third go through the game. Team Rose's levels are the same as the others but half as long which automatically makes this campaign the best one.
Team Chaotix was strange. Initially, the missions were a breath of fresh air. Having something different to do in levels I'm going through for a fourth time was nice. It seems I had a really bad roll of the dice, though. Throughout my playthrough as Chaotix I ran into three major roadblocks. The first was in the Power Plant. I looped through the level multiple times trying to find the final two enemies out of the 85 I had to defeat. Eventually, I decided to restart the level. Same thing happened, 83/85, no enemies left in sight. For a third time I gave the level a shot, this time following a video walkthrough to see if I had gotten all the enemies. I was able to beat the stage that time. For the life of me I cannot figure out what was going on there. Either the enemies didn't spawn on my first two runs, or they did but killing them did not affect the counter. Second roadblock was in the Bullet Station. Reached a point with a laser wall with a switch on the other side. Had no idea how to get past it. Fortunately for me, I redid the level and managed to destroy 25 capsules before I needed to get past that wall. It wasn't until Egg Fleet forced me to use Vespio's camouflage ability that I realized you could use it to walk through lasers. That one's on me. The third and final roadblock was in the Mystic Mansion level, once I got to a circular hallway. After almost 30 minutes of searching, a video walkthrough let me know there is a switch, that the camera in that room makes it very easy to miss, that would open a door forward. These moments made Team Chaotix's campaign way harder than it needed to be. I might've enjoyed it more otherwise.
Bosses were alright. Sadly, I don't think they were all that interesting… or fun. The multiple waves of enemies in Team Dark would definitely be considered a form of torture in most countries. Egg Emperor was dumb and stupid and stupid and dumb, too. Had to run through hallways with cannons and enemies on both sides while I'm being assaulted by lasers from the front. More than once I took the speed ramp to the next platform and the Egg dude would just fly to me and hit me in midair WHEN I HAD NO WAY TO DODGE IT, IDIOT.
Gotta mention as well that the Special Stages suck. Absolutely terrible physics for a mini-game where you can only input left or right. The 3DS version of Sonic Generations brought back these same Special Stages and they feel a million times better to play.
Finally, I'll comment on the story. It's certainly not as ambitious as Adventure 2. The characters do have their charm. I really liked the aspect Shadow's memory and all the clones, and the little hints that Eggman was a fake throughout the adventure. It was a great way to introduce Neo Metal Sonic whose design I love. Sadly, though, I can't say his transformations made for very good final bosses.
All in all, this game is a mixed bag. As I said at the beginning, the concept of switching between characters on the fly to traverse through obstacles is a great twist for a Sonic game. If the stages were a tad shorter and the controls were tighter, this could be a very satisfying game to play. I'll say this, Sonic Heroes is a fairly consistent experience. Usually, the first stage of an area (eg. Hang Castle) is smooth sailing, then you get to the second stage (eg. Mystic Mansion) and things start to get more frustrating until you feel like the level has gone on for too long. Team Dark’s levels exacerbate this problem. While Adventure 2 was very up and down for me while, with this game, my level of enjoyment stayed pretty much the same all the way through. Unfortunately, that does mean that Heroes does not hit the highs that Adventure 2 does. And though it does have its moments, I don't think they compel me enough to power through the tedious segments.
It's really interesting how Sonic Team decided to approach structuring this game in comparison to the last two entries. I had noted in one of my Adventure reviews how, throughout the series, the developers have to find ways to make a game where you go real fast... last. So far, the 3D games have had you play through multiple campaigns each with their own style of gameplay and goals. I preferred Adventure 2's approach but I gotta say, Sonic Heroes does something really special. Each campaign has you play as a trio, that for all intents and purposes control as one unit. However, you can switch characters on the fly and take advantage of their abilities to traverse a level more efficiently. This was actually very intuitive to me. I found myself doing things like using Tails to stun enemies then using to Knuckles to finish them off. When I got into the flow of things, switching between these three characters felt satisfying. What I like about this as well is that it completely changes how the levels are structured. You don't just go from a level all about going fast as Sonic to one all about slow, clunky platforming as Tails... Now, a single level can have a little bit of everything. Not only that, but you'll often find sections where you can choose between multiple paths that each focus on a specific character's abilities. So if I want to tackle the path with Sonic because I'm feelin' spiky, I can do that. Or, I can choose Tails' path if I'm feelin' wimpy. That's not to say the level design isn't confusing at times and stages can sort of drag on for a bit too long. It's a refreshing gameplay gimmick for a Sonic game, nonetheless.
Unfortunately, and I can't believe it somehow gets worse with each installment, I had far too many instances where the controls just decided to take a big dump on my lap. Sometimes I'd press a button and fly off a cliff when I wanted to grab onto or let go of something. Sometimes I'd have to spend way too long pressing the B button as Tails to pull a lever up high. Sometimes I'd have to drop onto a rail and I would let go of the control stick because I'd just automatically land on it. Except the times where that wasn't the case and I did have to align myself into place. But the perspectives always made it impossible to tell when. And by gosh there was a Light Dash in the Frog Forest that just didn't work for me and it was driving me nuts! (That one was particularly annoying because the Light Dash in this game is actually much more responsive than in Adventure 2) To make matters worse for myself, more than once... or twice, I accidentally restarted a level while on the pause screen. That's totally on me, though, I got slippery fingers. :/
I just find it amazing how, as the games have gone on, I've struggled more and more with gameplay/camera issues. You'd think it'd be easier to control Sonic here than in the original Adventure but I honestly don't think it is.
The campaigns all have the same levels. Team Dark was pretty much the same as Team Sonic. Noticed enemies were swapped for others but the level design remained the same as far as I could tell. Can't really say if I had more fun with Team Dark because, although I did breeze through levels faster because it was my second run through them, I got stuck in parts I hadn't previously.
Team Rose is the only campaign that sneaks in a tutorial for what I can only assume is because Team Rose is cute and for girls and girls don't play games unlike boys who are cool and pick Sonic or Shadow and don't need tutorials. Seriously, though, it was weird having to have the controls broken down for me on my third go through the game. Team Rose's levels are the same as the others but half as long which automatically makes this campaign the best one.
Team Chaotix was strange. Initially, the missions were a breath of fresh air. Having something different to do in levels I'm going through for a fourth time was nice. It seems I had a really bad roll of the dice, though. Throughout my playthrough as Chaotix I ran into three major roadblocks. The first was in the Power Plant. I looped through the level multiple times trying to find the final two enemies out of the 85 I had to defeat. Eventually, I decided to restart the level. Same thing happened, 83/85, no enemies left in sight. For a third time I gave the level a shot, this time following a video walkthrough to see if I had gotten all the enemies. I was able to beat the stage that time. For the life of me I cannot figure out what was going on there. Either the enemies didn't spawn on my first two runs, or they did but killing them did not affect the counter. Second roadblock was in the Bullet Station. Reached a point with a laser wall with a switch on the other side. Had no idea how to get past it. Fortunately for me, I redid the level and managed to destroy 25 capsules before I needed to get past that wall. It wasn't until Egg Fleet forced me to use Vespio's camouflage ability that I realized you could use it to walk through lasers. That one's on me. The third and final roadblock was in the Mystic Mansion level, once I got to a circular hallway. After almost 30 minutes of searching, a video walkthrough let me know there is a switch, that the camera in that room makes it very easy to miss, that would open a door forward. These moments made Team Chaotix's campaign way harder than it needed to be. I might've enjoyed it more otherwise.
Bosses were alright. Sadly, I don't think they were all that interesting… or fun. The multiple waves of enemies in Team Dark would definitely be considered a form of torture in most countries. Egg Emperor was dumb and stupid and stupid and dumb, too. Had to run through hallways with cannons and enemies on both sides while I'm being assaulted by lasers from the front. More than once I took the speed ramp to the next platform and the Egg dude would just fly to me and hit me in midair WHEN I HAD NO WAY TO DODGE IT, IDIOT.
Gotta mention as well that the Special Stages suck. Absolutely terrible physics for a mini-game where you can only input left or right. The 3DS version of Sonic Generations brought back these same Special Stages and they feel a million times better to play.
Finally, I'll comment on the story. It's certainly not as ambitious as Adventure 2. The characters do have their charm. I really liked the aspect Shadow's memory and all the clones, and the little hints that Eggman was a fake throughout the adventure. It was a great way to introduce Neo Metal Sonic whose design I love. Sadly, though, I can't say his transformations made for very good final bosses.
All in all, this game is a mixed bag. As I said at the beginning, the concept of switching between characters on the fly to traverse through obstacles is a great twist for a Sonic game. If the stages were a tad shorter and the controls were tighter, this could be a very satisfying game to play. I'll say this, Sonic Heroes is a fairly consistent experience. Usually, the first stage of an area (eg. Hang Castle) is smooth sailing, then you get to the second stage (eg. Mystic Mansion) and things start to get more frustrating until you feel like the level has gone on for too long. Team Dark’s levels exacerbate this problem. While Adventure 2 was very up and down for me while, with this game, my level of enjoyment stayed pretty much the same all the way through. Unfortunately, that does mean that Heroes does not hit the highs that Adventure 2 does. And though it does have its moments, I don't think they compel me enough to power through the tedious segments.