This is a lie: “Sonic is all about speed. Without it, he is not Sonic. So we needed to put absolute priority on the sense of speed.” – Yoshihisa Hashimoto, Project Lead, Game Director, and Lead Game Designer on Sonic Unleashed
This is also a lie: “Yes, I think this will be the game Sonic fans have been waiting for. Sonic will be reborn in the state he always should have existed in with a new control scheme, fresh new gameplay elements, all while simultaneously returning to Sonic’s roots.” – Yoshihisa Hashimoto
Yes, Sega has pulled quite the switcheroo with Sonic Unleashed. The very first screens and video that leaked last spring showed only the gorgeous 2D/3D platforming levels in Sonic Unleashed and, since then, Sega has placed all emphasis on these portions in their promotion. It’s classic Sonic play in 3D! It’s a return to Sonic’s roots! It’s what people want in their Sonic games! Even just two months ago, when I sat down to demo the game, I was allowed to watch and play a number of Unleashed’s platforming levels. But only a portion of one werehog brawler level was shown and I wasn’t allowed to play that. Wasn’t ready, they said. Based on what I played then, Unleashed really was the perfect 3D Sonic. It was fast, gorgeous, and you actually had to play the game; pressing right to sprint through Unleashed’s pan-continental levels wasn’t enough to win.
Well, I finally sat down with the finished version of Sonic Unleashed last night. Turns out Yoshihisa Hashimoto is big liar. He lies to people. He obscures the truth behind honeyed words. He is not a nice man.
I played Sonic Unleashed for one hour and ten minutes. Ten of those minutes were spent playing the very brief introductory and first full platforming levels, the same Greek-themed coastal job I played in October. They were challenging and delightful. Another ten minutes was spent skipping Unleashed’s cutscenes and RPG-light hub-world exploration. I was impressed right off the bat how Sonic Team has made both of these aspects of the game optional. Then? Then I had to play two of the werehog levels. They lasted roughly twenty minutes a piece. They are terrible.
Sonic the Werehog is slow. Very slow. He plods about the environments looking like he’s suffering from rickets. There is a dash button but it makes him difficult to control. You are often thrust into a room full of enemies, a handful of robots and glowing blobs. You mash buttons and, as opposed to punching or clawing them, it looks and feels like Sonic’s paws go through them until they just disappear in a flood of glowing orbs. Then you are asked to navigate platforming sections where Sonic has to cross balance beams, and since he controls like a twitchy, top-heavy oaf, he easily falls off said beams to his death. Death will send you back to a checkpoint far from where you died, forcing you through one or more of the fights you already slogged through. Then, for kicks, you have to slowly push blocks around large rooms to place them on switches to open doors.
Apparently, Sonic isn’t all about speed. He is one-seventh about speed.
Oh, and if you’re curious, those last ten minutes? Yeah, those were spent playing a button-pressing quicktime event masked as a shooter. It involves Tails. I’ve had more fun getting punched.
After five attempts, Sonic Team finally excised all of the technical problems, namely the camera and imprecise platforming control, that plagued Sonic the Hedgehog’s 3D transition. And this is what they made with it.
Related links:
Sonic Bound: After Three Botched Reboots, Sonic the Hedgehog May Finally Get His 3D Due
New Sonic Game Looking Strangely Tolerable
Sonic Unleashed's Silver Lining
Trailer Review: Sonic Unleashed
Sonic the Hedgehog: I'm Just Not that Into You
Sonic Unleashed Wii: Should Dimps Be Trying Harder?
Do You Hold Any Hope For Sonic Unleashed?
Quality? Not For You, America