GameTavern - Sonic the Hedgehog 4

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UK, March 25, 2010 - Blue skies, red shoes and golden rings, tied together with chequered tiles, corkscrews and springs. These are the things that great memories are made of, but it's impossible to talk about Sonic the Hedgehog without acknowledging how tarnished they've now become, with nearly every entry within the past decade marred by missteps, mishaps and plain bad design. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I promises to be entirely different; it takes those memories of long afternoons spent dashing and spinning against ever-colourful backdrops at a time when it wasn't parallax barriers but parallax scrolling that was the buzzword, and it makes its business nothing simpler than polishing them and refining them. The result, we're delighted to report, is quite dazzling.

Marking the first entry in a new episodic approach – although SEGA's yet to reveal how many episodes to expect or how frequent they'll be – Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I is so reductive in its approach to the series' formula that it makes Sonic 2 seem bloated and Sonic 3 feel like an exercise in abstract expressionism. Every bit of excess fat that the games have accumulated over the years has been stripped away (and when Sonic games have descended into delivering water-weak mimics of God of War it's fair to give a diagnosis of morbid obesity), and it's a thrilling discovery to realise that Sonic's core concept is still as brilliant as ever.

Maintaining momentum is the order of the day and it's a feat that's rewarded by some wonderful turns of speed. Sonic's always been more of a racing game than a platformer, its legacy more evident in games like Trials HD than anywhere else, and when it goes back to basics this is more apparent than ever. It's an aspect of the game that's acknowledged well in the time trial mode, with global online leaderboards logging the best times achieved throughout Sonic the Hedgehog 4's stages.

Those stages themselves are well designed and while they're firmly rooted in the foundations laid by the very first wave of Sonic games they've clearly benefitted from 20 years worth of hindsight. Splash Hill Zone is the only set of stages on display and they're near enough a remake of Sonic 2's Emerald Hill Zone, with multiple paths coursing through green hills and under a SEGA-blue sky that turns red as the sun sets in the last of its three runs.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4's structure is also steadfastly traditional, with levels coming in sets of three and climaxing with a showdown with Dr. Robotnik. Snatch 50 rings in a stage and at its end there'll be the opportunity to enter a bonus stage that's ripped from the very first Sonic the Hedgehog, with a revolving maze housing a Chaos Emerald. There's a modern twist too; both the PlayStation 3 and Wii versions get motion control support as the maze can be rotated with a flick of the pad.

Sonic himself is also a blast from the past. His look in the game may well stem from the 3D generation of games, but his moveset harks back to earlier days. The only addition to the standard set of run, jump spin and spin attack is the homing dash that Sonic Adventure introduced and it's been well worked in to a 2D space, providing an invaluable tool when trying to chain airborne enemies in order to maintain speed. Likewise the power-ups are of the old order – speed-ups, shields and the trademark glittering invincibility were the only ones we witnessed, and we doubt there are any other outlandish additions that lay in wait.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 might feel familiar, but in truth it's better than we ever remember Sonic being. Levels flow together with a little more ease than the originals, and of course the HD refit sits perfectly with Sonic's bright visuals. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I's an advancement of the approach taken by the DS's excellent Sonic Rush games, no surprise given that it's Dimps that are undertaking the bulk of the development work with Sonic Team lending a helping hand. Some familiar names return, most notably composer Jun Senoue who provides some suitably sparky and hummable background music.

We've been here before, of course, and it's not the first time that a Sonic game has wowed at first glance only to disappoint further down the line. But, truly and genuinely, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is different, being the first game in some time to acknowledge why the series was so popular in the first place. Don't be surprised if it provides some sweet memories of its own when it comes out this summer.

IGN