The super-fast platformer that introduced Sonic the Hedgehog to the world.

Story

A raving mad and demented scientist known as Dr. Ivo Robotnik has been seen snatching innocent animals and turning them into evil robot minions. It’s obvious that his insane scheme must be stopped. Luckily Sonic the Hedgehog is around and does not hesitate to take on the challenge. So he sets out to save the animals, armed with nothing more than his ability to run at the speed of sound.

Introduction

Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Mega Drive is the game that started the whole Sonic game series. It is a 2D platformer where you play as the blue speedy hedgehog named Sonic. The goal of the game is to reach the end of each act and defeat the bosses of each Zone. Along the way you can collect rings, power-ups and find secret areas.
What makes Sonic the Hedgehog unique is its unique art style, easy controls, breathtaking speed and playful level design – each level is built in multiple layers, hosting many secrets and alternate paths.

The Game

After the awesome title screen, you’ll notice that there are no option screens or settings you can adjust. There are no intro sequences or story screens either. The game just starts once you press the start button, and you will immediately be taken into the action.
When the game starts you’ll see a timer that counts how long it takes for you to beat each stage. The faster you reach the goal, the more points you’ll earn. From there you’ll start to explore the game world and defeat Robotnik’s minions, typically by jumping on them.
Through beating special bonus stages you can collect Chaos Emeralds, which in turn allows you to unlock Sonic’s true power.

Controls

At first glance you can’t do much more than run really fast and jump. From a stand still, Sonic is actually pretty slow to get moving. With the momentum of speed however, he can roll into a ball and thus use the downward slopes in the environment to his advantage. This can be used to knock out enemies or gain even more speed that in turn can be used for even longer or higher jumps, if launched from a ramp.
Keeping up the momentum is key for moving fast through the stages, but obviously this isn’t always possible due to how the levels are designed and which paths you choose to take.

Content

The game starts you off with three lives (no continues), and you die from single hit unless you’re holding at least one ring. If you get hit while holding rings you will drop them sending them scattering all over the screen. If you’re fast you can regain some of the lost rings. You may earn yourself extra lives and even chances to continue the game after you’ve lost all your lives.

There are six Zones for you to explore and survive before you actually get the chance to set your foot in Robotnik’s domain and face him in the final confrontation. Each of these Zones include three acts, new enemies, devious traps and a boss fight. All in all there are 19 acts and they’re all equally well designed and filled with power-ups, rings, robots, obstacles, secrets and puzzles. You’ll be visiting places such as the Spring Yard Zone where Sonic is forced act as a ball in a wicked pinball-like area and the mystic Labyrinth Zone that resembles an Egyptian temple.
Some of the bosses are really difficult and perhaps even unfair, so they may require a few attempts before you have them figured out. Speaking of difficulty level, we found it to be quite high overall, especially if compared to other games in the series. This game is certainly not a pushover!

Even though Sonic is known for his high speed, this game tends to have an emphasis on platform based puzzles. Moving platforms, springs, spikes, collapsing platforms, fire, water, elevators, swings and fireballs are common – you can’t simply rush by these segments. But of course there are moments when Sonic is allowed to pick up some serious velocity – but more often than not, it will also land him in new trouble. Thanks to the clever level design the game maintains a nice mixture of puzzles, action and speed.

The game has lots of replay value thanks to the fact that the stages are so varied and rich in secrets and alternate routes. It just really never gets old. There is, however no denying in that playing the same Zone many times through is tiring after a while and if you want to get to the end of the game you must be prepared to play through the same starting Zones multiple times, because there’s no way to save your progress.

When exploring some of the Zones you are sure to notice that some of the traps are very unfair. They can be concealed and impossible to notice or foresee before it’s too late. Some of the traps also seem a bit bugged – Sonic can get crushed to death and die instantly only by slightly touching a crushing trap, which seems a little too harsh. The many spike traps are also very dangerous. Even if you hold rings, you only have a split second to get out of the spikes before you take another hit and die. The temporary invincibility shield after taking a hit is very brief and practically useless in some situations.

Graphics

Sonic the Hedgehog surely has a way to capture hearts with its visual style. The game is fast and full with vivid colors, special effects and inspiring design. The zones that you run through are like virtual playgrounds where you can do insane stunts and search for hidden bonuses. The various zones all have their distinct atmosphere, and it’s all very stylishly designed – it really has the qualities needed to awaken the inner child in most of us.

Sound

There are a lot of catchy songs in this game. Most of the songs are so easy to listen to that you get the feeling that you’ve heard it somewhere before – and that is a power not to be underestimated. The upbeat music is without a doubt a nice addition to the fresh and vivid overall style of the game. The sound effects mostly consist of rushing sounds, beeps, pops and the slammer of rings. If you fancy cheery 16-bit music, this is your bag all the way.

Summary

If you ever thought platformer games lacked speedy action and groovy style you need to take a look at Sonic the Hedgehog. It’s widely acclaimed and regarded as one of the best games ever made, and you can’t really argue with the qualities that the game has – it manages to deliver a fresh platforming experience with lots of content and replay value. It may look like child’s play, but it really has some harsh and devious traps and bosses in there, worthy of any gamer’s attention and dedication.
Either way you put it, this is a solid game and a brilliant start for the adorable and now classic 2D Sonic game series.

Developed By: Sega
Published By: Sega
Version Reviewed: Sega Mega Drive
Genre: Platform
Players: 1
Also Available On: Wii (Virtual Console), Playstation 2, Playstation Portable, Playstation 3 (Playstation Network), Playstation 4, Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS (Nintendo eShop), Windows PC (Steam), Xbox 360 (Xbox Live Arcade), Xbox One
Released: 1991-06-23
Website: https://www.sonicthehedgehog.com/