I knew Sonic Colors was something special the moment I began playing it at this year’s E3. Everything just seemed to come together: blinding speed, great level design, and a seemingly lack of tacked-on mechanics. Of course, a 10-minute demo is one thing, but how would the game fare when spread across an 8-hour adventure?

 

 

I won’t keep you waiting; Sonic Colors is fantastic. It’s obvious Sonic Team took a few pages from their old competitor’s book, as the game shares more in common with Mario Galaxy than can be attributed to mere coincidence. Between the otherworldly setting, orchestrated soundtrack, imaginative power-ups, and focus on core gameplay, Sonic Colors is the breath of fresh air this decaying franchise has long needed.

 

Much of this is owed to the to the game’s near-perfect blend of 2D to 3D elements. Like Mario Galaxy before it, the game switches between the two perspectives constantly, only with a heavy emphasis on the former. You’ll often find yourself racing through the level from a ‘behind Sonic’ perspective, before switching to an old-school side-scrolling angle. The camera is what really makes this game, changing things up on the fly, creating for a very diverse, cinematic experience, such as when Sonic races toward the screen, desperate to evade a chasing enemy.

 

 

The side-scrolling portions feel great, but Sonic has always had trouble adjusting to the third-dimension. Thankfully, I’m happy to report that even those control beautifully. In an interesting design choice, the game sometimes offers complete freedom of control in 3D mode, whereas other times, it will lock Sonic to an ‘on-rails’ section, where Sonic can only be positioned on the left, middle, or right of the screen and can dash from side to side as he runs forward. Both work great, however, the game will sometimes prevent you from jumping during these on-rails sequences, which isn’t always made clear and can be annoying if you attempt to leap, only to realize it was never an option in the first place. One other addition is the ability to ‘power-slide’ around corners while in some 3D sequences. I loved this addition, even if it is largely superfluous. And it’s just one of the many new mechanics Sega added to this game.

 

Wisps are perhaps the biggest addition to the game, and one of the brilliant ways in which Sega has injected new life into the sagging Sonic series. Though they are, fundamentally, just power-ups, they’re integrated in such a way that they compliment the main game perfectly, without ever feeling like a distraction. Sonic Colors brings eight of them to the table, all of which you’ll find interspersed throughout each world. When used, they cause Sonic to morph into a variety of different forms. These range from a rocket that launches straight up, to a ravaging monster that grows bigger with each bite. Despite the fact that so many of these transformations are incredibly fun, my personal favorite has to be the Yellow Wisp, which transforms Sonic into a lean, mean, drilling machine; allowing him to dig underground at high-speed with complete freedom--as long as energy remains. And beyond each being a one-off gimmick, several are used in new and creative ways as you progress through the game, such as the drill acting like a torpedo when underwater, complete with slightly heavier controls that feel completely natural when framed against the watery environment.

 

 

Speaking of water, Sega has finally managed to make the underwater sections of Sonic...enjoyable? Though the air-supply time-limit still remains, Sega has provided Sonic with a move set that makes these segments not only manageable, but also engaging. Instead of being forced to flail around on the ocean-floor, Sonic can now travel up and down at will. With a few taps of the “jump” button, Sonic will ascend as high as you like, whereas a stomp will bring him careening back to the ground. And it doesn’t hurt that the underwater environments are beautiful to boot, employing a very neat ‘shimmer’ effect most similar to the original Donkey Kong Countries, only many magnitudes more impressive.

 

Beyond the water effects,  the game serves up stunning environments one after another, making for the most visually pleasing 3D Sonic game I’ve seen. Granted, the  individual elements can’t compare one on one with his HD brethren, but taken as a whole, the graphics jive in a way that they never have in previous 3D Sonic titles. Each planet has a very distinct theme, and seeing how the game plays with that theme within each level is a treat. The Aquarium world, in particular, blew me away.

 

Not only are the visuals great, Sega also completely revamped their approach to scoring Sonic games. Mercifully, Colors was spared of the buttrock that has haunted Sonic’s previous 3D outings, instead replacing it with fantastic orchestral arrangements that lend the game the same epic and extraterrestrial feeling that Mario Galaxy possessed. Even better,  excluding the opening and closing songs, the game is completely free of cheesy lyrics!

 

Not to worry, there’s still plenty of cheese -- the good kind -- to go around this time in the form of Sonic Color’s cutscenes. The game’s story, half-penned by Ken Pontac of MadWorld fame, injects a welcomed dose of humor and self-awareness. The game breaks the fourth-wall constantly and offers a refreshing departure from Sonic’s other 3D outings which took themselves just a wee-bit seriously for a game that features a sneaker-wearing hedgehog. Sonic Colors offers the energy of a Saturday morning cartoon with a script just sharp enough to entertain even my 25-year old self. Keep an ear out for the announcement in Eggman’s theme park asking those who’ve lost any gold rings to check in with Lost and Found. It’s very clever.

 

The game also features a smooth difficulty curve, ramping up in challenge at a very reasonable pace. What begins as a leisurely stroll (well, by Sonic standards) through grassy plains, eventually turns into a hectic race through the more industrial side of Eggman’s creations. I’ve read some complaints about “cheap deaths” in the later levels, but it’s something I didn’t encounter, except for in the last level before the final boss, which was extremely frustrating and felt like it really had no place in this game. The game also offers up additional challenges in the form of 5 Red Rings hidden on each level, as well as a "Sonic Simulator" mode offering levels for 1-2 players (but more on that in the multi-player section below).

 

Sonic Colors, after a decade of missteps, has managed to become the defining moment of Sonic’s post-16-bit career. It provides an experience that both hearkens back to his roots and feels decidedly new. It’s without question the most fun I’ve ever had with a Sonic game, which is owed to the fact that every portion of the game gels together so well. It actually plays like I had always imagined a Nintendo-developed Sonic title might, and that’s perhaps the best compliment I can give. Hopefully Sonic Team can maintain the momentum they set with Sonic Colors and make this franchise relevant again.

 

Sonic Colors also features a multiplayer mode completely separate from the main story, called “Sonic Simulator.” These specifically designed challenge levels allow you and a friend to work together to take down Eggman’s creations.

Interestingly, the mode offers two types of co-op: 1.5 Player mode, in which the second-player is merely a “helper” character, who can respawn an infinite amount of times, and shares the same Wisp powers as Sonic. The second mode, 2-Player, makes both players equal, giving each their own live counts, Boost meters, and Wisp powers.

We found that 1.5 Player was a much more enjoyable experience. Unlike in 2-Player mode, there's no penalty for the helper character falling behind, as there’s no lives for him to lose. And being as this happens frequently, one player will often find themselves out of luck and out of lives in 2-Player mode. Of course, if you want to trudge ahead in 2-Player mode, you can try and mitigate the separation problem by reducing the game’s speed. It’s not a perfect solution, and comes at the expense of what makes Sonic famous, but it a does help to reduce the problem.

One thing that immediately stands out about this mode is how bland the levels feel. They all share the exact same template (think Smash Bros. Brawl’s custom stages) and focus primarly on 2D platforming, removing the fantastic camerawork and perspective changes in the story mode, save for a very limited number of sequence. This really works against the mode, as while the side-scrolling portions control fine, they feel significantly less energetic--and fun--than the fantastic single-player mode.

All in all, I had fun playing through Sonic Simulator, just not too much of it, especially compared to the single-player game. It’s a nice addition, but it’s certainly not something I would buy Sonic Colors for--thankfully, the fantastic single-player mode alone is enough to justify the expense.