Blue and Full of Attitude: Sonic the Hedgehog Review (Genesis) | Hazy Bit #5

Welcome to the fifth edition of Hazy Bit!

Hazy Bit dusts off the ol’ video game collection with retrospectives, reviews, and other nostalgic content sent directly to your inbox on the 1st and 15th of every month. If you enjoy what you’re reading, subscribe and follow me on Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky!

This week’s retro releases:

• Shining Force II (Genesis, October 1, 1993, JP)

• Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow (PSP, October 2, 2007, NA)

• Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS, October 3, 1997, NA)

• Mario Pinball Land (GBA, October 4, 2004, NA)

• Skies of Arcadia (Dreamcast, October 5, 2000, JP)

• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi (PS2, October 6, 2005, JP)

• Viewtiful Joe (GC, October 7, 2003, NA)

Check out this list on GameFAQs to see other titles released this week.

And in the left corner…

The early 90s was arguably one of the best times to be a gamer. The industry was back on solid ground after the 1983 crash that nearly sunk it. Nintendo was a juggernaut, having practically saved video games with the NES. Their next console, known as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in North America, followed up the NES with a stateside release in 1991. However, by that time, it was already late to the 16-bit party.

The console wars had begun.

The Sega Mega Drive, or the Genesis as it’s known in North America, was officially released in the US on August 14, 1989. Partly due to a two-year head start and fantastic marketing, the Genesis outsold the SNES in four straight Christmas seasons. It was especially a hit with teenage boys. The “cool” factor of the Genesis made it a hit with teens who thought the SNES was a toy for kids.

A big source of that “cool” factor was a new mascot: a speedy blue hedgehog named Sonic.

A bright, beautiful, detailed world

Looking back on it, when I first fired up Sonic the Hedgehog at a childhood friend’s home I should have known I was in for a different experience than on my Nintendo consoles, based on the MIDI voices singing “Segaaaa” alone. Shortly after that, the color title card faded in from black onto the screen and Sonic popped up from behind it in all his 16-bit glory, wagging his white-gloved finger. I don't know what exactly he’s wagging that finger at, but it seemed cool as a kid.

You’re immediately thrown into the action with the memorable Green Hill Zone. The first thing I noticed as I took my first steps with Sonic in years is just how good he, the enemies, the environment, and the background art all look. They all set the tone for the bright and colorful adventure ahead.

There’s enough setting and enemy variety here, too, to keep the visuals interesting. Sonic the Hedgehog contains 7 “zones” plus six “secret zones,” each with a distinct flavor that influences gameplay objects and background art. From the iconic Green Hill Zone to the urban Spring Yard Zone to the laboratory setting of the Final Zone, each set of levels is unique enough to stand apart from the others. I’ll even go as far as saying I prefer Sonic the Hedgehog’s visuals to that of Nintendo’s platforming heavy weight of the era, Super Mario World.

Sonic is fast - sometimes

I’ll start off writing about Sonic the Hedgehog’s gameplay by saying this: it’s fun. Most of the time, I enjoy it. In Green Hill Zone especially, when surprise enemies and potential pitfalls are few and far between and you can actually speed around a level as the Blue Blur, Sonic the Hedgehog feels amazing.

But after that intro zone, the game kind of grinds to a halt.

Starting with Marble Zone, the chances you have to really speed around as Sonic happen less often, as you have to take care to watch out for more enemies, more spikes, and more things that can kill you in general. The game also introduces some light puzzle elements that are more of a nuisance than challenging or inventive in any way.

Sonic’s calling card - going fast - takes a backseat as the game progresses. As I said at the top of this section, this doesn’t mean that the first Sonic’s gameplay is bad. It’s just not as good as it could be. Once you have the layout of stages and build some muscle memory around navigating levels, it does get better, but I wish the overall gameplay experience had more of the open running and jumping sequences than ramming smack into a surprise enemy or stopping to push a block.

An amazing soundtrack by Masato Nakamura

With my mild criticism of Sonic the Hedgehog out of the way, let me make a more positive statement: damn, this game sounds hella good. Each zone’s theme, composed by Masato Nakamura, perfectly matches the aesthetic of that zone as you speed along, bouncing on enemies and jumping over spikes. You can tell Nakamura is a bassist; each theme is powered by a driving bass line, giving the tunes an inertia matched by Sonic’s speed.

Beyond stage music, the sound effects all sound great, too. From jumping as Sonic to spilling out rings after taking a hit from an enemy, Sonic the Hedgehog is a treat for the ears. I’ve got it ranked among my top retro soundtracks and I feel like it’s better than a lot of modern video game soundtracks out there.

A better debut than Mario?

It’s impossible to review Sonic the Hedgehog without thinking about its direct rival at the time, Super Mario World for the SNES. But I feel like that’s a bit unfair considering Super Mario World had a team of developers that had already honed the Mario experience through three titles on the NES. Sonic, on the other hand, was an entirely new concept that, while inspired by the Super Mario Bros. games, tried some new things in an effort to create a better, faster platforming experience.

With that in mind, I think it’s better to compare Sonic the Hedgehog with the original Super Mario Bros. on NES. I think that Super Mario Bros. still edges out Sonic as a debut title, mostly due to the tightness of the controls and consistent gameplay experience. Sonic the Hedgehog feels like a game caught between two desires: the fun of speeding through a level as fast as you can versus a slower, more traditional platforming experience - a feeling that I get from most of the games in the franchise.

Playing Sonic the Hedgehog in 2024

Finding a physical or digital copy of Sonic the Hedgehog is no trouble at all in 2024. Most retro gaming stores, online or brick-and-mortar, have loose and full copies at reasonable prices. I got my hands on a complete copy of the game for under $25.

For the folks out there who prefer to save shelf space, digital versions and remasters of Sonic the Hedgehog abound. Through my extensive research (aka browsing the r/SonicTheHedgehog subreddit) I found that the best way to play Sonic the Hedgehog might just be the mobile version of the game remastered by Christian Whitehead and Simon Thomley.

That’s all for this week! I hope you enjoyed my review of Sonic the Hedgehog. If you did, don’t forget to like the post, drop a comment, and subscribe if you feel so inclined. If you didn’t, drop a comment telling me how wrong I am! I love talking games with readers.

Next week, I get spooky and play the game that spawned an iconic, multibillion-dollar franchise: Resident Evil.