sonic the hedgehog review
Test: Sonic The HedgehogIn 1991, anxious to acquire a mascot that could compete with Nintendo's favorite plumber, Sega created what would become one of the most famous and appreciated characters in the gaming world. Going from prototype to true masterpiece, sold in millions of copies, Sonic The Hedgehog has more than fulfilled its task of promoting the Sega Megadrive. Back to the origins of a myth ...
It all starts in South Island where Sonic and the many animals on the island lead peaceful lives. While nothing seems to be able to shake this little paradise on earth, the infamous doctor Robotnik, a scientist with treacherous intentions, captures the animals in order to transform them into evil and obedient robots. Only a person can therefore stop this Machiavellian plan: Sonic the hedgehog.
If the scenario has never been the strong point of games stamped Sonic, it is more than enough to train us through 6 zones each divided into 3 acts for a total of 18 levels and 6 bosses. But the success of the blue hedgehog is above all due to its legendary speed and the tremendous scale of the environments, enabled by a technical discovery accelerating the speed of scrolling of the screen. Yes, Sonic, it is above all the pleasure of traveling at high speed mountains and valleys, of jumping and traversing tens of meters in the air, and this, with the beard and the nose of enemies seeming almost static in front of your Exploits. Playing such a game gives a feeling of freedom, at the time, innovative and still refreshing today.
However, before you can fully enjoy the capabilities of the hedgehog, you will have to get used to its handling ... Indeed, while a single button on the controller is used, the gameplay is much deeper than it seems at first glance . Sonic's movements, controllable by more or less maintained pressures of the multidirectional cross and the jump button, are also subject to the laws of physics! Thus, the slopes will accelerate or decrease the speed of the character according to their inclination and the latter will also modify the trajectory of his jumps. You will sometimes want to jump at full speed from a hill to finally succeed in advancing only a few centimeters, right in the obstacle to avoid ... And you can count on the level design to make the most of the possibilities offered by such a gameplay, the famous bumpers, loops and half-pipes will accompany you throughout the game in choreographies as pleasant to play as they are beautiful to watch.
But Sonic remains a platform game and if the first level is a health walk, the following ones are full of difficult passages, more or less twisted. Mixing platform phases and high-speed zones, the level structure will not leave you time to get bored. Crossing streams of lava on a makeshift raft and fighting piranhas-robots in a sunken city is, in fact, not easy. And let's talk about these passages underwater, whose countdown to the approach of drowning always causes cold sweats to a whole generation of players. In fact, Sonic can only hold their breath for a limited time and you will have to cross long periods of apnea with the only source of oxygen of the air bubbles which escape here and there. During these phases, the movements of the hedgehog are slowed down and the presence of all kinds of obstacles intended to slow down your progress has not finished playing with your nerves.
But Dr. Robotnik has many other ways to keep you from completing your quest. Its robots are present everywhere, flying, swimming, or protecting themselves with spikes ... Each level has its own set of opponents to face, with different designs and behaviors. In order to destroy them, Sonic will have to use his hedgehog gifts: his sharp quills! During his jumps, the animal will automatically go into attack position, but it is also possible to roll on the ground by a simple press of the button down on the directional pad in full stroke. And if this position is very practical to destroy enemies and even some walls, it is also less obvious to control because of its high inertia, leaving the slopes to take you almost anywhere ... But a Sonic wouldn't be a Sonic without its wackier bosses. At the end of each zone, you will, in fact, have to face Dr Robotnik, armed with one of his latest "inventions" ... Why use quotes, you will ask me? Well, just because trying to smash a hedgehog with a giant ball or catapult it with missiles doesn't really seem worthy of a genius at the so-called 300 IQ! But these bosses, in addition to being fun in their form, are also fun to fight, an analysis of their movements is often essential before you can correctly understand the dodging and attack phases.
In terms of graphics, the sets are filled with animated elements, the flowers moving with the wind, the flashing lights or the waves on the surface of the water are only examples of the attention to detail. One can also note the presence of an impressive number of plans constituting the decoration which, by parading at different speeds, create an impression of depth very convincing at the time. The six zones that make up the game tackle various and varied themes. We see ourselves traversing the universe of Sonic, from green hills to an ancient city ravaged by lava flows before being propelled into the factories of the horrible Dr Robotnik. Everything is colorful, vast, without the slightest drop in framerate, despite the large number of elements displayed on the screen. Sonic is also very lively, the different stages of its race being modeled differently depending on its speed or the incline of the ground.
A recurring strong point of the series is its sound atmosphere. Often composed by real musical groups, the soundtrack of this first opus is provided by the Japanese pop-rock group Dream Come True. Each level is accompanied by its own music, all of which perfectly match the style of environment concerned. You will be able to escape to the starry sky of Star Light Zone or even move your head to the rhythm of Marble Zone. The sound effects, without being exceptional, nevertheless imposed themselves as standards, and even today, the picking up of rings or the jumps of Sonic are accompanied by the same sounds as at the time.
The notes
Graphics 18/20
Later overtaken by its own suites, the graphics of this first opus are varied and colorful. But it is above all the size of the environments and the speed of scrolling, true technical prowess, which are at the origin of the success of the series.
Gameplay 19/20
The acceleration / deceleration system specific to the Megadrive episodes of the series is fully exploited. Here, there is no question of pressing the right key of the multi-directional pad until the finish. The simple playability takes all its interest thanks to the structure of the levels, extremely well thought out.
Lifespan 14/20
18 levels may seem short, but the level design gives the player the choice of path to take and the many crossings connecting them allow countless combinations. You’ll never feel like you’re doing a level twice the same way. Add to that the presence of unlockable bonus levels by completing the levels in possession of more than 50 rings and you get a game with great replayability. You are not getting tired!
Soundtrack 18/20
The set of themes that make up the game's soundtrack is memorable. Sometimes rhythmic, sometimes melodic, you will find yourself humming them in just a few parts. Unlike Nintendo, Sega has rarely reused its most famous music, their rights reverting to the musical organizations that composed them ...
Scenario/
The semblance of a scenario motivating Sonic's adventure is only explained in his manual, he is completely absent from the game.
Simply revolutionary when it came out, the game has not aged and is still as pleasant to play. Served by a millimeter gameplay and an appropriate level design, this Sonic has set the bar very high and will only be matched by the other episodes of the series released on Megadrive. Monument to video games, it seems essential to play it, if only for the sake of your general culture!
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