3D Sonic The Hedgehog (3DS eShop) Review

Firstly after all this time, No, I still don’t know how Sonic is based on a hedgehog. But despite that now you can see where the ‘Blue bomber blur’ first begun the brain washing of a generation. The Mega drive Sonic games where a powerful force in their time both in terms of quality and the marketing strength they commanded. This was the figure head for Blast processing and all of that junk that doesn’t really exist.

School yard battles were fought over who was better Mario or Sonic, friendships ruined because of said attacks. After years of the franchise being treated like total trash (Sonic Unleashed etc), it is hard to remember a time where Sonic was considered a system seller and pen worth risking long term emotional scars over. However for all the time that has passed- this is one game that still surprisingly holds up. A testament to good game design in a period of the games industry that was in a moment it change, it’s a rare and beautiful thing.

The inferior Game gear games have already been released on the 3DS but they should be ignored when looking at this release, they were produced on a platform that simply couldn’t handed the gameplay concept in a similar manner to the original game release. This is nothing more than said original Sonic the hedgehog re-released with a fairly convincing 3D effect applied to the environment. While the 3DS doesn’t always nail the 3D effect on polygonal based games – this is yet another great example that the 3D effect on primarily 2D games works an absolute treat.

Having rebuilt the entire engine to be more portable on modern hardware, this title feels much more natural on the platform than some previous emulation efforts, the added dimension is just an added bonus to this change in the underlying technology. Beyond this additional visual flair there is little added to the overall game play but it feels like this was done to keep authenticity of the product rather than copout on the overall design. As with all these Sega classic games however there is one key question, how does it hold up after a staggering 22 years since release?

Of all the Sega classics being released on the platform this was the one I’m sure most Sega fans were looking forward to simply because it is one of the few games in the release list that still feels somewhat relevant.

The gameplay while not the most refined game of all time still retains the brilliant sense of speed it instilled in players when it first came out, this can feel like a lack of control to some players but to the experienced is just a part of the entire experience. It will keep those familiar with the title entertained for a little over an hour on a total play through but will keep newer players coming back again and again while they figure out the level dynamics on hand. The original Sonic games where never known for their length but more for the possibly to outdo previous efforts in terms of time, score and ring count. It never had the same level of subtlety and complexity that is presented in the Mario universe of games.

Visuals are still just as bright and over the top as they always where, Sega trying to make their games look flashy in an attempt to try and make the then competition the SNES appear less appealing essentially meant that everything in the launch period became afflicted with this visual style. But for Sonic with its cartoon style it worked then and it still does now.

Audio for the most part doesn’t do the title much justice any more however, for what few memorable tunes there are on hand they are matched off with one that is completely forgettable. Being developed right on the cusp of audio being considered an important part of game design meant that it definitely didn’t receive an equal amount of work in this department, I lnow some Sonic farms will hate me door saying that but truthfully it was the weakest in the entire series. That said at least the 3DS can recreate all these tunes accurately for the most part.

If there is one game to pick out of the entire Sega classic collection to represent the best of the Mega Drive then personally, this is probably your best choice. The game play is the most welcoming to new and old players, the fact that this is one of the few franchises from Sega that still exists til this day is testament to how important it was to gaming in general. Is it one of the best games of all time? Definitely not but as a whole it is still one solid package that is deserving of your time even after so many years.

Rating: 4/5