Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom
There is no circumstance you can’t handle.
Like the Hedgehog himself, time seems to accelerate to the point where it’s off the screen and a complete blur. It’s hard to believe that Sonic has been saving the world (galaxy? universe?) and its adorable inhabitants since 1991. Beginning his epic reign as Sega’s mascot with “Sonic the Hedgehog” and continuing today with “Sonic Mania”, it’s clear that sonic and friends will never allow Dr. Eggman’s (Robotnik) evil plans to materialize.
Let’s talk Sonic CD, a 1993 side-scrolling platformer for Sega’s strange Genesis (Mega Drive) add-on: the Sega CD.
But first... a confession.
I have (and have had) my fair share of retro consoles and games, but I have never owned a Sega CD. Actually, I don’t recall ever playing a Sega CD game as a kid. After stumbling across a top 20 favorite Sega CD games list and learning of the downright bizarre game library and odd feature set, I obviously had to acquire one. The Genesis extension totes full motion video (FMV) and CD quality audio. As an example, Road Rash for Sega CD sports a full soundtrack featuring Soundgarden. Seriously. I snagged my Sega CD from an Ebay seller. I bet you can guess I am partial to the “classic experience” rather than emulation or remake.
Back to Sonic CD
Sonic CD is laid out exactly as you would expect from a classic Sonic installment: stages split into three zones, starting with platforming and ending with a Dr. Eggman throw down. There are a total of seven main stages; ranging from the “familiar zone one” (you know, green palms and the like), to exotic outings like a glitzy space concert that doubles as an epic raceway. There’s even a semi-retrofuturist “Outrun”-ish looking stage. Each stage is unique, featuring a vibrant color palette and excellent music, all made possible by the Sega CD’s ... well … CDs. Given the extended storage capabilities of a CD compared to a classic cartridge, Sega CD games were able to pack in more media, and Sonic CD is no exception. The stages even feature multiple pathways, which had me replaying to explore.
For me, playing Sonic CD, was a bit of an odd journey. The game felt like a brand new “modern experience”, despite knowing it is the third-ish installment of a Sonic game (a few early sonic games were released for both Genesis and Game Gear). The game follows the formulae laid by Sonic the Hedgehog, while introducing unique mechanics, locations, enemies, and music that have gone on to influence every subsequent Sonic game. Honestly, if you love (or even just tolerate) Sonic, Sonic CD is every bit of what makes Sonic games so great (and then some). You can expect all the staples we have come to know and love (blistering speeds, spin dashing, pinball bumpers, sinusoidal runways, loops, bounce springs, spikes, crushing pistons, moving platforms, bosses, etc.) and additions we may never see again, such as the ability to change a stages entire facade using the past/future time travel mechanic.
Littered throughout the stages you’ll find posts reading “Past” or “Future”. Coming in contact with the post (like a checkpoint) places a Future/Past indicator on your display. After acquiring an indicator, you must build and sustain a high enough run speed for a few seconds or so, which will cause sonic to time warp, sending him years in the past or future (on the same stage/zone). In general, the past for any given stage is pleasant (think prehistoric Earth, you know, lots of green), and the future… well it depends. There are secrets here, leading to replayability and the mechanic is definitely unique, but ultimately for me, not all that exciting. I won’t spoil all the fun, but you should definitely poke around in the past, maybe you’ll find something interesting. Checkout Reddit user /u/Ray2P’s custom cover art featuring all the stages/zones futures and pasts.
The game is approachable, maybe even “easy” as far as Sonic games go, but does ramp up a bit toward the final stages. In addition, the brutal retro era difficulty is kept at bay by a sort of save feature, allowing you to continue your game from the last checkpointed stage. You’ll also find what I call “try again 1 ups” here and there. You know... those extra lives they place at tough segments which you can pop right after a death for another penalty free go.
If I had a single gripe about the game it would be the difficulty of the boss fights. Make no mistake, Sonic CD includes what I consider one of the best boss fights of Sonic history (in the form of an epic race with your new nemesis doppelganger Metal Sonic). However, I found the boss fights not necessarily simple or mundane, but easy. Some boss fights only require a hit or three to beat… after you figure out the mechanics.
A single playthrough is a bit on the shorter side. You can complete it in around an hour (after your initial playthrough), but most definitely warrants replay to explore the multiple pathways of each stage/zone, checkout the past and future versions, and to collect all the emeralds (of course). Collecting the emeralds involves scooting around a special stage smashing UFOs like Randy Quaid in Independence Day.
Sonic CD also takes advantage of FMV in the form of the kickass “Sonic Boom” intro cartoon (and theme) and a credits cartoon which recaps the game.
All in all you should probably stop reading and play Sonic CD :)
Retro Re-Review Score: Great
The Good
- Colorful and vibrant stages featuring multiple paths to explore
- Metal Sonic Race
- Music
- Great platforming
- Awesome Sonic cartoons
- Ported to other platforms (mobiles, Xbox 360, etc.)
- Replay-ability
The Less Good
- Easy boss fights
- A bit short
- Water stage (whoever invented this concept, you will be the first person I stop when time travel is possible for common folk like me)
Hope you enjoyed. Let me know your thoughts on Sega CD, Sonic, or literally anything else :)