Sonic Colors brings back Sonic into his full glory.
Sonic Colors is a game every Sonic fan had wished for. It goes finally back to the traditional gameplay that always made Sonic this awesome, but it adds a lot of new things into the game as well, that don't ruin the game. Plus, you also get the feeling that the game borrowed some of it's ideas from the Super Mario Galaxy games, which is definitely a good thing, considering the 2 Super Mario Galaxy games as some of the best video games ever created. Sonic Colors levels are therefor varied, creative, but also especially unpredictable and thrilling. The sense of speed is amazing in Sonic Colors and really makes it a joy speeding through these amazing levels.
The story is simple enough, which is a definite plus, as the game concentrates much more on the gameplay than on anything else. The story isn't absent, but it's not disturbing and holds the game pretty well together.
The controls in Sonic Colors are good. No, they are great. They are always responsive so you'll never feel left alone, even in the toughest and speediest sections. Sonics jumps are a little floaty, but that's simply Sonic.
The game lets you play both 2D levels and 3D levels. The 3D levels are the highlights of the game: In these levels you really speed through the various environments, avoiding one obstacle after the other. It's more than thrilling.
The 2D levels slow down the pace a bit. That doesn't mean they are bad, but they aren't as good as the 3D levels. Oddly enough, there are more 2D levels than 3D levels, at least, that's what it seemed to me like. Still, the 2D levels are a lot of fun, cause they have some nice platforming sections and plenty of challenges for you. These levels are well designed as well.
However, since Sonics jumps are floaty, some of the more precised platforming sections can get a little too tricky and therefore a little frustrating at times. Actually, Sonic Colors main problem might just be it's difficulty spikes spread around the adventure. Here and there you'll face sections of which their challenge feels a little unfair at times, and that may end in an attempt to try to throw your controller to the ground when nobody's looking.
Fortunately, the game's good and fun moments easily overshadow the bad and frustrating ones.
One aspect of the game that mixes up the action well are the wisps. These alien creatures allow Sonic some real unique abilities. Most of them are really good and add more variety to the game. Using them at the right points also allows you to unlock secret passages and other cool secrets. The game has a hell of a lot of replay value to offer. Going back to earlier levels where some Wisps weren't available yet, will have you finding more new secret paths which you couldn't find in your first run through due to the specific missing Wisp. Every level also has five red coins you have to collect, some of which are really cleverly hidden. These are mandatory if you want to complete the game with a 100 percent, obviously. These red coins also unlock special levels that you can play both solo and with a friend. It's nothing really worth your time however since these levels are pretty lackluster, and playing with a friend doesn't work out all that good.
One thing that really comes to shine in Sonic Colors besides the gameplay of course are the graphics. The game is a beauty. Colors pop out everywhere and there's an incredible amount of detail in the environments. There's a nice variety between all the environments as well, from a casino park world right to a world full of good food like cookies, hamburgers and more. The characters looks great, and the animations are just as flawless.
The game's music is also great. It's not the most memorable soundtrack I've ever heard, but it's still darn good. The voice acting is also pretty impressive, as is the writing. Some rare scenes even had me laugh.
Sonic Colors is the Sonic game a lot of fans had waited for. Even though it has it's niggles here and there, and can frustrate a bit too much at times, in a whole Sonic Colors is one awesome package. The graphics are amazing, the soundtrack is is full of memorable music pieces, the game has a huge amount of replay value, the boss battles are fun yet a little uncreative, but most importantly, the great sense of speed and the thrilling and unpredictable nature of the levels make for one excellent Sonic experience. It's definitely worth a buy.
THE GOOD
+ Sonic's back in his full speed
+ fun, thrilling and unpredictable levels
+ amazing visuals, especially from the artistic design
+ the wisps add another level of variety to the game
+ lots of replay value
THE BAD
- occasional difficulty spikes tend to frustrate a bit
- more 3D and less 2D levels would have been welcome
Review Score: 8/10