Sonic The Hedgehog becomes an Apple Application. Is it worth the 3.99 in Great British Pounds?
The game is Sonic The Hedgehog from the SEGA Megadrive, and it is largely untouched.
The graphics are exactly the same, and the levels and enemies are all pixel perfect. Sonic still bounces, jumps, spins and runs his way through all of the original zones, collecting rings, obtaining chaos emeralds, and kicking Dr Robotniks' hide.
There are a few sound changes due to the porting however, that relate to a slightly lower pitched sign-post spinning sound effect, and an ever-so-slightly different jumping sound effect (Possibly due to the speaker on the apple product itself). Apart from this, the game is the same Sonic The Hedgehog that we all know and love.
The controls aren't totally fantastic, but they get the job done well any way. After a learning curve of 5 minutes, you realise how and where you'll want to position your thumb and fingers to get the best out of the on-screen buttons, and to make it easier, the game also has a setting to slightly minimize the game screen, giving you a better view, as your hands will be touching the screen. At times, your thumbs may slip out of the buttons reach, and as you cannot feel them physically, and this may mean that you will have to slow down for a split second just to regain the correct holding. That said, with practise, this problem is near enough eliminated. (See hours of play).
The game also has some nice little touches; The buttons on-screen are visually the same as the Megadrive controllers, but digital. The game also boasts an automatic save function, as well as a hard reset, so if for some reason you fancy playing GreenHill Zone over and over again, then there's something for you here too.
The only difference between versions is the way the secret level select screen is accessed. You now only have to press "New Game" after entering the directional pad motions, whereby the screen will automatically pop up.
Overall, the game works, sounds and plays exactly the same as the original. If you can spare a one-off five minutes of your time to position your hands in the right place and play the game, then you're a very lucky player indeed. This game is, as one might say; "Way past cool!".
Thanks for reading my bite-size review. If you have any questions, please send me a message.