Sonic Unleashed: Retrospective

Written by on 15 May 2009

When you hear the word Sonic, some people will think of their younger joy-filled gaming days of loops and springs and Green Hills and Chemical Plants.  These are usually the people who haven’t been up to date with his recent endeavours.  Unfortunately for those who have, regardless of if they’re a fan or not, the word Sonic will often conjure up the fact that the poor hedgehog has nothing but controversy over whether he’s alive or dead, in good games or bad, should be 2D or 3D...  The list goes on.

Despite the excitement the game received in previews and early trailers, Sonic Unleashed was no exception, with reviews complaining of fast trial and error with Sonic and slow boredom with his moonlit alter-ego, the Werehog.  However, a lot of fans were overjoyed with the attention to detail and speedy platforming, some even finding themselves enjoying the slower “gimmick of the week” that was the Werehog.

Now with the buzz over, and prices dropping, I’d like to offer somewhat of a retrospective review of the game.  I’ve always been a more accepting and loyal fan than most, even finding enjoyment out of some of the titles considered abysmal by both reviewers and fans alike, such as Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic 2006.  However I refuse to be biased and would like to offer my thoughts on some of the harshest criticisms of Unleashed.

First, the trial and error gameplay is a frequent complaint in many Sonic games, particularly the faster ones, and Unleashed is without a doubt, possibly the fastest Sonic game ever created.  The levels are high-speed to begin with, but when you add to this the ability to level up Sonic’s speed, and a boost that is near constantly available for use, it’s understandable that many people would get frustrated at repeated failure and blaming the speed.  However this isn’t necessarily bad level design.  There are very few obstacles that you don’t get a fair bit of warning about.  Not only this, but I feel if Sonic is going to be as fast as he is meant to be, harder gameplay is a natural side-effect.  If you wish to blast through the level holding down boost the whole time you can, but this is an expert move designed for time trials.  You’ll need to know the level to succeed.  However using the boost in moderation, only when necessary, will lead to a much more fulfilling and fun platforming experience the first time you play.

At this point I’d like to bring up the lower-spec Wii and PS2 versions of the game.  For those who aren’t aware, while both the high-end versions and low-end versions use the same storyline, settings, characters and music, the actual level design is entirely different.  Generally, the Wii and PS2 versions were praised with much higher scores than the 360 and PS3 versions due to a lack of trial and error.  However, I found this to be because the 360 and PS3 level design was much denser... filled with obstacles, set-pieces and platforming sections, as well as fast paced, simpler “just dodge the hazards” type areas.  Those who tried to boost and speed through the levels first time are going to fail and get frustrated at the areas which are designed to be traversed carefully the first attempt.  However, on the Wii and PS2 versions, all of the daytime, regular Sonic stages are much less hazardous.  You spend most of your time just running down straight roads and drifting round corners, with enemies being a means of reaching new areas through chain attacks rather than actual threats to Sonic himself.