Confused By The Hate

This game has received widely terrible reviews from critics everywhere. I bought the game because I tend to enjoy even Sonic's most wretched moments. Generations and Colors was like a breathe of fresh air when I played them, and they both received generally positive reviews. My hopes sank however when this title received 5's almost everywhere. Reluctantly, I journeyed into this seemingly terrible game.

The game is blast. In fact, I'll go ahead and say it. It's the best Sonic game since the Genesis days. It's the 3D Sonic that we've been waiting for. This review won't be lengthy, but I'll break down the basics of the game.

Sonic is actually capable of doing real platforming this time! He's not running at uncontrollable speeds this time, so you can actually move him around where you want. If however, you want to go fast, all you must do is hold down the right trigger. There's a momentum too it; he won't just suddenly run real fast. Also, Sonic can do parkour while holding down the right trigger. While not always 100% seamless, I had zero problems with the system, and actually enjoyed running up walls and trees for no reason. The only other new control scheme is the double jump. Now, you can do both the homing attack and double jump with a and b, but if you specifically want to do one or the other, a is the homing attack, and b is the double jump. If you actually read the tutorials, the game will explain this.

The music is the best Sonic has ever had. Songs fit the levels, and it helped create the mood of the game. The Deadly Six are interesting, but if you're looking for massive character development, I have no idea why you're playing Sonic. The leader was actually pretty hard to fight at times too, and by the end, I felt the desire to teach him a lesson. The story is not deep, or sadly Adventure-style at all, but it's still pleasant and a massive improvement from Colors and Generations. It felt like it was ripped straight from the comics or old cartoon shows. I enjoyed my time with it.

The game is not without flaws. The level design can be pretty uninspiring sometimes. Some levels look like repeats with a different theme. Some boss fights are extremely easy, but some of the later bosses gave me a tough time. They also test a lot of new level ideas in this game. Each area is comprised of four zones. Zones 2 and 4 consist of a boss fight, with Zone 2 usually being a specialized stage. These stages are hit or miss. The rail-grinding levels are a blast and easily my favorite. A certain snow ball level...well, at least the snow ball is controllable...? They also have side-scrolling levels which feel like classic Sonic. The themes of the level pleasantly look like classic Sonic as well, and that was a bonus for me.

My solid complaint with Sonic Lost World is the life system. It's archaic and pointless in a game that clearly uses a test and check gameplay style. You'll die a lot because the game is challenging. True, some areas are "cheap," but I never died because the game didn't work or just killed me...well, except for one bug where I floated in oblivion for eternity. However, that was funny and worth the life. Unfortunately, when you get a game over, you must restart the level from the beginning. This may not sound so bad, but when the only thing stopping you from completing the level is on hard section at the end...well, I turned the game off and had to cool down for awhile sometimes. It's not long, and I feel compelled to replay it now and again. Generations had far better replayability in my eye, but the game is still fun and worth, at the least, a rent.