A very long time ago, my
brother-in-law had a Genesis game system. One of the games he played for hours
was Sonic. I remember watching him and other family members play, and all the
fun they had with the speedy blue hedgehog. Sonic has resurfaced lately on
various consoles, but these games haven’t managed to capture the true Sonic
essence. Now, we have Sonic Unleashed, which is available on all the major
consoles.
Most Sonic fans have probably given up hope for a game that approaches the
exuberant speed of the old Sonic. The good news is that the levels that feature
Sonic in racing mode are excellent and very exhilarating to play. The bad news,
for some, is that more than half the game is made up of levels that feature a
slower, non-racing Sonic in “Were” Sonic form. In these “night” levels (as
opposed to the racing “day” levels), Sonic turns into a hulking creature with
long arms. He doesn’t race. He spends most of his time swinging and jumping in a
platform type mode. Some players will enjoy these levels, some will not.
The beginning of the game is very long. Between the cut scenes and tutorial
sections, it seems to take forever to get to the actual game. Once players
finally do finish the tutorials, though, they will be in for a treat. Sonic is
unleashed in blazing glory!
The visuals in the day racing levels are outstanding for the Wii. The characters
and the backgrounds are equally well-designed and animated, with bright, vivid
colors. There are shadows, glimmering water, shiny reflections. Everything is
highly detailed. The night levels are less bright, as they are at night. The
music is great, as well, and is a type of techno modern sort of music. It is
upbeat and fun to hear.
Sonic is faster than ever, due in part to a lack of obstacles to slow him down.
About the only thing that will keep him from forward progress are enemies, which
are fairly easy to dodge or defeat. The controls are responsive and “feel” right
as players move Sonic from side to side and up or down, racing the whole while.
True to Sonic culture, there are innovative ramps and slides for pure sliding
pleasure.
The main goal in these levels is to collect rings while racing to the end of the
level as fast as possible. Players can go back and redo these levels to gain
better scores, which earns medals. In order to access these levels, players can
use a world map, which is a nifty globe that revolves to show the unlocked
levels that players can visit. This interface works very well and is easy to
use. Progress is saved automatically.
While these day levels are Sonic at his classic best and then some, the night
levels are vastly different. This is not to say they aren’t good, though. While
the design of these levels isn’t as polished, and the controls are twitchy at
times, they are also good fun. For Sonic purists, however, they will not be as
pleasing as the racing levels.
Sonic is turned into a Werehog in these levels, and is bigger and slower. He has
blue fur/feathers, and very long arms. The reason for the long arms is the
design of the platform gameplay, which requires Sonic to swing from vertical and
horizontal poles, to swing from items in the air, and to reach up and catch the
edges of ledges. Most of the time this works, but when it doesn’t, it is
irritating. Many times players will hit the “B” button to latch onto something,
but instead Sonic will just fall to the ground. Sometimes this means beginning
the level again.
The camera view is also not what it should be in these levels. For platforming
purposes, it is a good thing to be able to swing the camera around at will in
order to see, and to move the character to face another way. While it is
possible to turn Sonic around most of the time, the camera viewpoint doesn’t
quite turn with him. And, when trying to turn Sonic on a narrow ledge in order
to position for a jump, he often will fall off the ledge to the bottom of the
level. Grrr…Couple this with a too-long stretch between save checkpoints, and
these levels can be pretty difficult to finish.
But, even with these annoying features, these levels are challenging and fun in
their own right. Besides swinging and jumping from platforms, there are also
enemies to battle. Sonic will earn increased attack powers as play progresses
and put together some interesting combos. The controls are twitchy, but players
will eventually master them and then the levels will be easier. While we’ve been
frustrated a few times, we’ve continued to stay motivated to finish the level.
The sense of accomplishment when reaching the end is satisfying.
The Wii controls are put to good use. The racing is swift and feels natural, and
the platforming motions are well-conceived, although they could be more tightly
designed as to execution. Players will use the Nunchuk and the Wii-mote together
to swing back and forth, up and down, and to fight enemies. In case players
forget which motion to use, the controls are demonstrated for them in the upper
right corner of the screen in motion.
We’ve really been enjoying Sonic Unleashed. While there are improvements that
could be made, and there should be more racing levels and less platforming
levels, the total package is pleasing and a lot of fun. We are not die-hard
Sonic fans, though. While we like the little guy and enjoy racing, we are not
Sonic purists. Therefore, the different non-racing levels are fine with us. They
may not be as much fun for people who expect nothing but racing.
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Review Scoring Details |
Gameplay: 7.5
The gameplay is fun, but is split between two opposing types of play: racing and
platforms. The racing levels are superbly executed. The platform levels are
engaging and challenging, but are not as much fun overall as the racing. This is
mainly due to their length and sameness, even across different worlds, and to
the overly difficult controls.
Graphics: 8.5
The graphics are as good as it gets for the Wii.
Sound: 8.0
The music is really catchy and upbeat.
Difficulty: Medium
The game isn’t easy, but neither is it too difficult. The controls in the
platforming night levels are probably the most difficult aspect of the game.
Concept: 7.0
The concept of having two different types of gameplay is a good one, but the
execution in the night levels could use a bit more work.
Overall: 7.5
This game is really fun to play, especially in the racing sections. Sonic is
breathtakingly fast! The platforming levels are a drastic switch from the
racing, and force players to slow down. These levels are also fun to play, and
imbue players with a sense of achievement once finished. However, these night
levels suffer from a lack of variety in design, and should be a smaller
component of the game. More racing, less platforming. The controls in the night
levels could use refinement, too. Overall, this is a fun game for everyone, but
is probably too difficult for young gamers. Whether a Sonic fan or no, most
everyone can have fun playing Sonic Unleashed.
