Has Sega lost their minds? What gave them the idea of writing a 3/4 platform Sonic game? No, I'm not talking about Sonic 3-D Blast. I'm talking about an interesting puzzle game about when Sonic loses his speed shoes and has to get them back through huge labyrinths that only the diabolical Dr. Robotnik can set up. So what does the story mean for the gameplay then? Well, there is absolutely no speed in this game. "WHAT?! THIS CAN'T BE A SONIC GAME!" is something most people would be thinking right away after reading that. In a way, no, it isn't a Sonic game. There is almost no part of the gameplay to show that this is a Sonic game. If you changed the Sonic sprite with a moving blob, you'd never think of it as a Sonic game. This is just a wierd puzzle game. What makes this game good no matter what character it's affiliated with is the level designs, the time limit that's always keeping you on your toes, and the 3 keys you must collect to get passed the level. The 3 keys could be on the floor, on an enemy, in the air, or any other majority of places. Getting the 3 keys can be very difficult later on in the game, and the fact that you can't just run to it like Sonic normally would makes it that much harder. Spindashing in the game can make Sonic lose control quite easily if not done properly, and the levels start wearing on you after a while due to the length, and occasional frustration that insues to get the keys, hold on to them, and get to the end of the level before time runs out. It's exciting, really, if you can give the time to give Sonic Labyrinth a chance. Sonic Labyrinth gets extra kudos in the graphics department for actually pulling off a smooth running 3/4 platform game with some speed on the Game Gear. Sonic himself only has about 2 or so animations on him when running... err... walking, and his spindash animation is nothing special, but the overall look of the backgrounds and unique designs of everything in the levels really make this game stand out in it's own right. Really can't get much better than this on Game Gear with 3/4 platforming. Music in Sonic Labyrinth, to me anyways, was really memorable, but won't get stuck in your head. It has stereo sound with headphones on, enhancing the sound experience, even if some of the music is way too high pitched, and could end up putting a ring in your ears, the rest of the music is still okay, just don't blast your ears out, (stupid, you might go deaf! :P) alright? The normal spindashing sound has a little edit in Sonic Shuffle, with it being less high pitched, and more pleasing to the ear. The explosion of the enemies is also incredibly soothing to the ear, fitting in perfectly with Game Gear's speakers. It will wear on you, though, since there really isn't any new sounds to be heard in the Sonic world with Labyrinth. Due to Sonic Labyrinth's difficulty and relatively long length of the levels, this game will last you about 3-4 times longer than your batteries can last in your Game Gear. A lot of times, you'll end up incredibly frustrated, but when you beat each level, you'll feel happy about passing the level, and looking forward to the next while looking at how many KM/H you were going through the previous level in the splash screens in between each level. Sonic Labyrinth is not for everyone. Not even for all the avid Sonic fans out there. But for pseudo puzzleplatform fans, or someone wanting something different for their underappreciated portable system, Sonic Labyrinth is for you.
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