Sonic the Hedgehog
Blast processing. On level 1 anyway.Genre: action - platform
Publisher: Sega
Year: 1991
System: Genesis
Gameplay Score: 4
Gameplay Notes:
Patented momentum-based controls are not my thing. Still, they're refined and fair and are easy to acclimate to. And the slow initial movement makes platforming easy which is good because this game loves precision platforming. There's exactly one button to jump. During a jump you spin and touching an enemy causes you to bounce off but also damage the enemy. Almost all enemies require one hit which is nice. Given the limited move set boss battles I'll play out the same way.
Level Design Score: 3
Level Design Notes:
Memorization is the name of the game here as the game trolls you with enemies and hazards that pop out for cheap hits. Anyone who thinks this game is all about speed has never finished level 1. Most of the levels beyond that involve extremely slow platforms and auto scroller sections. They sap any speed or excitement out of the game. They feel like they were designed for a generic, slow paced platformer.
Theme Score: 4
Theme Notes:
Sonic is a generic mascot platformer with three things that set him apart. First your objective is to free cute fuzzy animals. Each time you kill an enemy and at the end of each level, a fuzzy little critter is freed. So right there you've got motivation to save the animals. Second, Dr. Robotnik is a dumb looking boss but he's a recurring enemy so there's a clear villain in this story. And third, the fanfare at the end and beginning of levels is fantastic and really sets the stage.
Art Style Score: 4
Art Style Notes:
The artwork is lovely, especially for 1991 and when compared to the average Genesis game in that year. Everything's very colorful. There's parallax scrolling in the background and there's nice animation of the well drawn sprites. Each level has a distinct look as well.
Audio Score: 4
Audio Notes:
The music is hit and miss. The level one theme is absolutely iconic but level two is terrible. I had it stuck in my head and it was not a good time. Probably because of the level went on and on and on level 3 was slightly better. But again, it's not a consistent, excellent soundtrack. Some tracks are great while others not so much. Sound effects on the other hand are very nice
Overall Score: 75
Review ID: 1247
No comments:
Post a Comment