A nice blend of the old in a fresh(ish) way. I was pleasantly surprised by this little gem.
In the past Sega have tried many ways to try and bring the old classic Sonic back. The Advance and Rush series were more like reboots and ultimately (bar Advance 1) didn't really mirror the feelings of the old game. That's not saying they're not good though. However, Sonic 4: Episode 1 manages to deliver a similar vibe that the good old games had whilst adding it's own spin to create a familure yet fresh(ish) experience
No idea what the story is, I assume it has something to do with stopped Eggman's plans and saving the kidnapped animals whilst doing so.
The gameplay is a side scroller. The game only consists of four zones, each with a unique theme. In each level you run through loops, bounce of springs and smash through those robots. They have toned the speed down here and so there is more of an emphasis on platforming. The Homing attack was ported from the modern era to add a nice edge. The homing attack is a great addition and is fun to use. I think it compliments the game quite well.
Some levels have gimmicks to help separate them and make them stand out more on their own. For example, one requires you to swing from vines, another is all in darkness and you only have a flame torch to find your way which you use to light up certain areas and blow up dynamite. One level requires you to shoot yourself from cannons at certain angles. The variety in levels is much appreciated.
The special stages return! TO enter them, you must finish a level with 50 rings or more. The special stages consist of floating mazes. You tilt the maze and guide Sonic to the emerald. It takes some getting used to - it's not easy to control. You can change the control method to titl controls and tilt the wii-mote in the options if you prefer it that way. Anyway - You are on a time limit and there are segments which require you to have collected a certain number of rings. The game is a little cruel about how the collecting system works. Once you have collected an emerald from a level, you can't try and get another emerald from that level. So if you want all the emeralds, try and get the first few on harder stages so when you need several attempts to get the last few emeralds you will only need to do the quick and easy levels.
The graphics, I initially felt looked weird, but they look nice after a while. They are bright and cartoony in style.
The music is great! The tracks have great beats to them. For some reason the Wii tracks sound slightly different to the PS3/360 tracks - some of the instruments are slightly different. But the tunes are the same
The physics are quite weird. For some reason if you jump without pushing sideways you loose all forward momentum. There are some other quirks, but I can't explain them - when you play it you'll see what I mean.
Sonic 4 Ep 1 is really fun game. I was pleasently surprised by it especially after hearing negative comments about it. It is a fun game, it manages to re-create a nice nostalgic feel whislt adding it's own spin. The homing attack is a great addition and the level specific gimmicks are nice.
One complaint I will make is the price of the game. (assuming Wii Ware doesn't drop in price as it ages like store games do) It costs 1,500 points, which equates to £10.50 For a game that you could complete in one sitting fairly easily, that is too much. But on the whole. Great game!
milesprower2K9 original reviews