DISCLAIMERS:
- the reviewer has not finished the game with 100% completion
- the game was played on the Xbox One S using the Xbox 360 version of the game intended for United States audiences through the backwards compatibility feature of the Xbox One series of consoles
Sonic CD was Sega’s killer title for their not particularly successful Sega CD add-on to the Sega Genesis. It was developed in Japan separate from Yuji Naka (lead programmer of the original Sonic the Hedgehog) who chose to create Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in the United States. This review will judge the 2011 rerelease for the Xbox 360 based on Christian Whitehead’s recreation of the original on its own merits.
Sonic CD‘s gameplay is a bit different in focus compared to the other Sega Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog platforming games. Rather than being focused on completing stages with high scores and quickly, Sonic CD plays more like a puzzle platformer. The levels are much larger than in the other Sega Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog platforming games and feature much more verticality. These levels are not built to be completed quickly, and doing so would miss the whole, rather poorly explained, objective of the game. The player is supposed to be looking for sign posts that are labelled with some time period. Once they pass through them, the player must reach a high speed, which is often a challenge due to the level design, though there are many spots that allow Sonic to reach the correct speed easily. Once at this speed, a short in-game cutscene plays and Sonic will go to a different version of the stage. Basically every stage has four versions: the past, the present, the bad future, and the good future. To get the best ending, Sonic must go to the past in every stage and stop Eggman’s (the villain) plans. This will also make it so the future will be the good future if Sonic goes there. Sonic also needs to take on this game’s special stage multiple times to collect all of the Time Stones. The special stage involves Sonic running around on a flat plane similar to those of the original Super Mario Kart in 3D space and jumping into UFOs. This generally controls rather well and provides a nice break from the main game. The stage features multiple levels, each with thee parts. The first two parts only involve reaching the end and optionally doing the necessary tasks to achieve the best ending. The level design in these stages is mostly fine, with some parts that can be rather finicky to get past or unfairly designed. The gimmicks in each stage are also generally well made. The third part is a boss fight. The bosses in this game are rather unique and well designed, though hardly challenging. The real lack of a difficulty curve makes the already underwhelming final boss feel extremely anti-climactic. This version of the game also makes a few gameplay changes. The new widescreen presentation makes it easier to see obstacles coming and makes some of the level design feel less unfair when moving quickly. Sonic also gets his Spin Dash ability in addition to the less intuitive Super Peel Out from the original Sonic CD, making the game more approachable for fans of the other Sonic games. The player can also choose to play as Tails for the entire campaign which adds to the replay value of the game. Overall Sonic CD has some interesting ideas but its different take on Sonic the Hedgehog platforming fails to be as engaging or challenging as other Sonic the Hedgehog platforming games.
The original Sonic CD was a technical showcase for the Sega CD add-on and this rerelease isn’t too bad itself technically. Sprites are extremely detailed and have an impressive variety of colors used. The sheer amount of assets is also rather impressive. Animations are well made and the various graphical effects that used the power of the Sega CD look good and are used well as well. Christian Whitehead’s recreation of Sonic CD using his Retro Engine (now known as the Star Engine) also impresses. The game plays basically identically, but with a few modern changes. The entire presentation is in widescreen and HD so it looks much better on modern TVs compared to the original. Christian Whitehead also included basically every option and bonus feature one could ask for in a rerelease of Sonic CD. The original FMV cutscenes are also present in what seems to be the highest quality Sega could get their hands on. Overall this version of Sonic CD looks great and has just about any modern features one could ask for and more.
Arguably the best use of the Sega CD hardware for Sonic CD was for the game’s sounds. Both the Japanese/European and United States soundtracks are included. They are both good soundtracks, but the Japanese/European soundtrack is a bit better. The sheer amount of songs and the quality of the songs still impress by 2011 standards. The only real problem one could have is that some of the songs can be a bit too weird and not exactly match what the player is looking at. The sound effects are about what would expect from a Sega Genesis game. Overall Sonic CD‘s sound is probably its greatest attribute.
Overall Sonic CD is absolutely worth its extremely low asking price. Some players may not appreciate its accomplishments compared to the standards of 2011, but there is a lot to like here for fans of Sonic the Hedgehog and platformers in general, even if the game is flawed in some ways.
Overall the reviewer would give the game an 8 out of 10.
If you decide to purchase this game through one of the links below this blog will receive a commission.
