It has its moments of amazing retro goodness, but Sonic 4: Episode 1 highlights every problem with 2D Sonic games.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is a 2D Sonic game in the vein of the series' Genesis hits. The goal of each level is to reach the end of the stage while collecting rings along the way. Sonic will bash badniks, defeat Dr. Eggman's mechanical boss creations and blast through stages at the speed of sound. You won't find any sort of 3D perspective or bizarre gimmick in Sonic 4; this is a Sonic platformer, through and through, and it doesn't try to be anything else. This retro focus is admirable, as Sonic Team's recent offerings have obnoxiously put in some auxiliary gameplay feature that distracts the player from Sonic's claim to fame: high speed platforming and running to the right. It's a honed, no-frills downloadable side-scroller.
But there are reasons as to why some gamers don't like the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The main criticism is the game's pacing. The series has always prided itself on its fast speed, featuring Sonic rushing through loops and corkscrews, flying through the air, and jettisoning himself through each stage. While this speed is a great feature, it isn't perfect. The recurring gripe is that while the game is fast, those moments of hitting an enemy randomly or falling into a bottomless pit by accident completely ruin the game's momentum, halting the speed and breaking the flow of gameplay. That issue is omnipresent in Sonic 4 and it damages the game's quality considerably. Questionably placed enemies (many of which hover in the air, directly in your forward path) are terribly plentiful; there's nothing more frustrating than flying through a stage and getting hit by an enemy, losing all your rings, or in worse cases, losing a life…well, except for falling into a bottomless pit. Sonic 4 doesn't let you know when a bottomless pit is present. Future games in the Sonic series remedied this by marking nearby chasms with signs, so you knew when a fall could kill you. Sonic 4 doesn't; it's a complete gamble and you will always feel cheated when you plummet to your death in a bottomless pit that you simply couldn't predict was there.
Sonic 4's other major problem will disappoint even the most patient of long-time series fans: the physics. Sonic does not control well in Sonic 4 compared to past games. It takes a very long time to achieve a high speed and Sonic doesn't have much forward momentum when you stop running. Unlike other games in the series, Sonic decelerates extremely quickly, making the game feel very heavy and slow. In fact, Sonic 4 doesn't even beat out Sonic 2 in speed. While there are moments where the game does feel fast and fluid, it's so obnoxious that something as simple as a steadily ramped cliff can break the game's already slow pacing by causing Sonic to come to a screeching halt.
Sonic 4 does add a few cool ideas to its fundamental gameplay, though. Sonic has his traditional Spin Dash move, but he can also use his 3D-era homing attack, where he can attack an enemy or environmental item after an aiming sight appears on screen. While the aiming sight isn't flawless (sometimes it locks on to things that you simply cannot reach), this does help build momentum for the gameplay. It lets you easily move to bouncing springs or enemies, and when it works, it works exceptionally. The homing attack is probably the one new feature that counters the sluggish pacing of the gameplay; it's a welcome addition.
Episode 1 of Sonic the Hedgehog 4 has four zones, each with three acts. You start off in your typical "Green Hill" style zone, eventually moving into ruins, casinos and factories. This clearly is a very slim amount of content (especially for the $10 US asking price), but surprisingly, each act in a zone manages to have distinctions from the others. Casino Street zone starts off with your typical slot machines, but the second act follows a unique playing card aesthetic throughout the stage. The acts are distinctive enough from each other to keep from being boring, but still retain a cohesion and similarity that it doesn't feel too scatterbrained. You can also enter Special Stages to earn Chaos Emeralds by completing a level with 50 rings or more and jumping into the giant ring at the end of the stage (a la Sonic 1 and Sonic CD). The Special Stages are not bad (a little dizzying and difficult), but you don't get much out of them aside from the ability to become Super Sonic and getting a very underwhelming preview of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2. Other options for Sonic 4 are leaderboards and time trials, but aside from those, you won't find much content in Sonic 4: Episode 1 once the story is finished.
Sonic 4 does have a nice presentation that respectfully references past games in the series. For example, the first zone, Splash Hill Zone, has the same kinds of enemies seen in Sonic 1's Green Hill Zone and some level design elements are near-identical to that game. Many of the boss fights are exactly like bosses in past Sonic games, such as the Splash Hill Zone's "wrecking ball" boss, but offer a few quirks and twists to stay interesting. The HD polish of the graphics gives the game a striking aesthetic that emits a retro vibe, but also a shiny and new style. Frame rate issues aren't present and some of the more creative environments in the stages are clever and give the zones personality beyond their retro inspiration. Audio is catchy, with exciting boss themes and some remixes of classic Sonic themes like the final boss audio from Sonic 2. There isn't too much new in the audio, but it's there and doesn't seem out of place in the game's blatant retro style.
Pros
+ Stylish presentation gives off a retro vibe with HD shine
+ References to classic Sonic games will please long-time fans
+ Homing attack is a fresh approach to the high-speed gameplay
Cons
- A culmination of every annoyance and complaint with the Sonic series
- Extremely short for a $10 price
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 tries to be a love letter to anyone who enjoyed the Genesis-era Sonic games, but instead perfectly frames every flaw seen in the series since its inception. The pacing's dependence on flow and momentum is instantly recognizable, especially when a randomly placed enemy or environmental hazard brings the game to a screeching halt. The bizarrely sluggish physics will also bother series veterans with their unexpected weight and acceleration problems. But when the game works, it works very well; the homing attack in particular keeps the flow going and eliminates many of the road blocks that would otherwise destroy this game entirely. The high amount of fan service in the retro references will keep the attention of series veterans and the stylish visual design will catch the eye of series rookies as well. However, you're not getting too much content in Episode 1 and at $10, it's a tough deal to get excited about. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is problematic and it could've done a lot more to be a fully fitting tribute to the Blue Blur, but it's still exciting and stylish enough to keep your attention for the few hours of entertainment it provides.