It's June 23rd, 1991. The Gulf War had subsided, Grunge was starting to get a flannel-bedecked stranglehold on the music industry and Paula Abdul was Rush Rushing on the Billboard #1 chart. As for the Sega Genesis, it was almost entering its second year in the American market, and while a modest success, was still not catching up to their rival Nintendo. With Nintendo ready to roll out the Super Nintendo in the coming Summer, Sega was in desperate need to find that one killer app that would finally propel them past their rival, or if not, their fate would have easily matched that of the Turbografx-16.
What Sega needed was a mascot. Well, one that was a lot more hipper to a 90's crowd than good old Alex Kidd. A character that was cool and edgy, while also cute and friendly. Something that could easily appeal to the Jolt cola drinking, extreme media hungry kids of the era. After multiple failed concepts, the one that finally stuck was a speedy blue hedgehog. And thus, Sonic the Hedgehog was born.
The story of the game is as follows. The planet Mobius was a peaceful planet of animals, content in spending their lives in peace and splendor. That all changes when the evil Dr. Robotnik shows up, and with a god complex as big as his gut, he decides to turn all the creatures into robots to do his bidding, while also stealing the powerful chaos emeralds. The only creature who hasn't been roboticized is Sonic the Hedgehog, the fastest creature in Mobius. It's up to Sonic to stop Robotnik's evil scheme, recover the stolen emeralds and save the cuddly creatures of Mobius.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a one player action platformer. You control Sonic through six zones as he saves his animal friends from the evil Doctor Robotnik. The directional pad moves Sonic, while you jump with A, B, or C. Sonic is a fast character, so when you get your speed at full momentum, you can execute a spin dash by pressing down. This game predates the easier method of spin dashing that would premiere in the game's sequel the following year.
Each Zone is broken into three acts. Two straightforward platforming areas, and a final boss area where you'll do battle with Robotnik in one of his many contraptions built in stopping the hedgehog in his tracks. Eight jumps to the mad doctor will send him in retreat. After which, you just break the capsule and free the trapped animals at the end of the level to advance. Levels include the iconic Green Hill, Marble, Spring Yard, Labyrinth, Star Light and finally the Scrap Brain Zone which leads to the final fight with the portly egg man.
Speaking of Sonic's speed, what's interesting about Sonic 1, and most of the Genesis Sonic games was that despite the emphasis and marketing being about the speed, the game is far more focused on slower platforming. This is especially evident in the Marble Zone and Labyrinth Zone where many areas are built where speeding through is next to impossible. Not to mention unlike most Mario games at the time, there were usually multiple paths you could take to complete an act. Go the high road or travel the low road, or even make your way through the middle. This serves as a good counterargument to those who think that the Sonic series were successful for nothing more than the gimmick of speed that accompanied it.
Throughout every level are rings that Sonic can collect. Collecting 100 will earn you an extra life. However, one arrant hit from enemies will cause all your rings to fly away, so be careful. But most importantly if you collect 50 or more and hold on to them by level's end, you can enter a giant ring that will take you to a special stage where you must travel through a treacherous (And somewhat eye straining) maze to collect the Chaos Emerald. Collect all six to get the game's true ending. The importance of the emeralds will also be something improved upon in later games. Other items Sonic can collect are shields that can give you an extra hit so you don't lose your rings as easily, a brief invincibility shield and speedy shoes that can increase the speed of Sonic. Which in this early game don't really do much.
We're covered the good about Sonic The Hedgehog, but what about the bad? Well, the hit detection is a bit weak in places, not to mention when you land on spikes and lose rings, you don't get a brief invincibility to try and escape. Fall immediately onto more spikes and it's instant death. The Labyrinth zone is also annoying in its structure and constant reliance of air bubbles when underwater. The game is also notoriously glitchy in places, leading to many unfair deaths. Something that sadly, the series would never really get past.
As for graphics, Sonic the Hedgehog is colorful and vibrant with plenty of detail on the sprites. The Sonic games would definitely be games to push the color palette of the Genesis to its limits, and Sonic 1 is no exception. But what's even better than the graphics is the sound. Masato Nakamura's music in this game is wonderful with songs that execute the wonder and excitement of the world of Sonic. My favorite of the bunch is Star Light Zone, but the whole soundtrack is top notch. A must listen.
Sonic the Hedgehog was actually the last of the series I had played on the Sega Genesis, so maybe that skewers my opinion on it a bit. As a kid, I didn't like it as much as Sonic 2 or the almighty Sonic 3 and Knuckles, but I still had fun with it. With an older set of eyes, I definitely appreciate it more for being the building blocks for what would become some of the best games of all time. It's important to ensuring that Sega would survive the ever changing 90's landscape, and it led to one of the greatest pop culture characters in gaming. Sonic the Hedgehog is a classic, and a must-play even almost 25 years later.
RATING: A-
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