Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, or Sonic 4 to more impatient fans of the spiky blue bolt, is Sega’s bold attempt to restore some of its beleaguered mascot’s pride after close to two decades of underachievement and disappointment. Is this download-only platformer a fitting tribute to the classic Sonics of yesteryear, or is it a waste of cash, like so many of the blue hedgehog’s recent excursions? Strap on your red sneakers because we’re about to find out in our Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I review.
Sega is telling a bit of a fib with Sonic the Hedgehog 4. Don’t be fooled by that number – there have been countless other Sonic titles over the past decade or so, but most have been embarrassingly forgettable uses of Sega’s most famous mascot. Clearly the company is aware of this fact, because it wouldn’t be referencing this as a direct sequel to the excellent 16-bit Mega Drive outings if it wasn’t.
Like Nintendo’s New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Sonic 4 is all about updating the original concept with a high-def lick of paint. The 3D gameplay which bogged down Sonic during the Dreamcast and PS2 era, has been jettisoned in favour of a faster and more direct 2D approach. With just two dimensions to worry about, it’s much easier to get Sonic doing what he does best – namely sprinting very, very fast around increasingly complex platform levels.
Sonic 4’s gameplay is lifted almost wholesale from the Mega Drive trilogy, but features embellishments taken from more recent outings. For example, there’s the invaluable homing attack, which allows Sonic to lock-on to certain objects and enemies and propel himself towards them at breakneck speed. This ability really opens up the game and makes it even more frantic, as it allows you to quickly chain together attacks and fling yourself off the numerous spring pads which are scattered around each level in such abundant quantities.
Visually, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is nothing short of incredible. A intoxicating mixture of pin-sharp 2D and highly detailed 3D, everything moves along at an astonishing pace. Sonic himself is especially well animated, and his expressions and mannerisms remind you instantly of the first time you clapped eyes on him way back in 1991. The music is also fantastic, taking many stylistic cues from the 16-bit sound of the Mega Drive games. The game even opens with the famous digitised “Sega” shout which caused so many jaws to drop back in the early ‘90s.
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Although this is just one episode in what will no doubt be an-expanded series of downloadable adventures, Sonic 4 boasts 24 levels to dash through. That’s less than were available in the very first Sonic outing, but the difference here is that Sonic 4’s stages are considerably larger, and take much longer to negotiate. You’ll also find special rotating bonus levels to tackle, also lifted directly from the very first game. It’s only when you snag all seven of the chaos emeralds hidden within these stages that you get the ‘true’ ending for Sonic 4.
Despite Sonic 4’s unquestionable brilliance, it does end rather quickly. This is understandable when you consider that this is part of an episodic series, but the asking price is pretty steep. Aside from clocking better completion times on the stages, there’s little reason to replay the game afterwards. The lack of a multiplayer mode – like the one that made New Super Mario Bros. Wii so compelling and fresh – is also disappointing, especially when you consider how much fun it was to play co-operatively with a friend in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
After the particularly tortuous nature of Sonic’s recent console outings, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 definitely puts the blue speedster back on the right track. It’s a gleeful celebration of what makes the character one of the most renowned and loved faces in video gaming history, and encapsulates his finest qualities – namely a cool attitude, incredible speed and addictive gameplay. The game’s biggest failing is that is simply doesn’t last long enough. Roll on episode two.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is out now as a download for Nintendo Wii, Sony PS3 and Microsoft Xbox 360, priced at 1500 Wii points (Wii), 1200 MS points (XBLA), £9.99 (PSN).
