MissedTheArk

I actually really liked this game, but the reason I didn't rate it higher is that it feels… unfinished? Not simply that it's too short (which is it), but there are certain classic Sonic game elements that aren’t there, which I quite missed. First off, THE GOOD: The visuals are gorgeous. Great detail to the artwork, and no framerate issues (not that *I* encountered, anyway). One level has bright lava in the background, and the characters are backlit. Pretty cool. After what I felt was the very disappointing Sonic Lost World for the 3DS, I love that this game returns to 2D platforming as the main component of the gameplay. The levels are quite expansive and encourage a lot of exploration… which I do understand is a negative for many who’ve reviewed the game, but which I quite appreciated. There IS encouragement to replay levels within a certain amount of time (though it’s not required), so finding ways to get through them quickly – WITHOUT exploring – can satisfy to some extent the desire for speed. The music, while not necessarily memorable, fits the mood of each level well and I always made a point to turn up the volume. But now, THE NOT-AS-GOOD: As I said, it feels like certain things are just missing from the game. For instance, aside from the very last level, there are no boss battles at all. There are a few race levels where you’re dashing to beat other characters to the finish line, but I didn’t feel like those filled the desire for true boss battles that test your skills and make you sweat a bit and let you really earn the right to advance to the next world. Speaking of worlds: out of six worlds (or islands, I suppose), FOUR have only a single main level each (race and bonus levels aside). I incorrectly expected each island to have at least two (as is the case for a number of my favorite Sonic games, with two acts per zone). So, only eight main levels total in the whole game. I miss Sonic’s classic spin dash. While it’s kind of an option as one of the controls, the game is set up such that, honestly, you’ll never use it. Ha, I miss Eggman (nee Robotnik). ;) There’s a new gameplay element – the “enerbeam” – which serves primarily as a grappling hook to swing from place to place. That’s a fun element to throw into the mix, but I feel that the enerbeam device as a whole could have been made to serve multiple purposes and effects. (Okay, I guess there ARE 1 or 2 more ways it’s used, but they’re rather inconsequential.) The cutscenes “humor” is awful. Sorry, writers… good try. :) And whether you finish the game after having collected all the **** crystal shards or not, the ending is the same. There’s no added bonus level or battle if you collect all the pieces (as there sometimes is when you, for instance, collect all the chaos emeralds). Even a slightly altered epilogue would have been appreciated. SO, TO SUM UP: When I completed the game, I just felt like there should have been more to it… but, the game that IS there is still pretty fun. Fun enough to warrant a 6 out of 10, anyway.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

My enjoyment of this game changed quite a bit as I progressed in it. When I saw the trailer, I was so intrigued by what looked to be an incredibly unique, bizarre game… but then once I started playing, I thought: "Wait, this is it? Just moving around avoiding bad guys and collecting things to finish the level?" And, to be honest, that really IS all it is. But, not wanting my purchase to be a waste, I kept at it. And it started growing on me. I found the interaction between Kubi (the "hero") and the game's designer (a character in the game) to be quite amusing, and in fact, Kubi's own comments often reflected my own dislike for certain things in the game. For instance, after a few levels, Kubi says: "That was it? That was the game?" and prompts the creator to make it more interesting. Later on, there's some rather dopey music in a level… and Kubi complains about it to the creator, who then changes it for the next level. And so forth. Yes, this conceit is impossibly cheesy and cutesy. And if that doesn't strike a positive chord in you, then you will likely hate this game (as many on this site seem to). Furthermore, it's true that the game certainly has some flaws/oversights: blocks that you sometimes can climb over but other times not (without explanation), walls that you can sometimes cling to and sometimes not (without explanation), inability to skip past what sometimes become VERY long sections of dialogue, and a handful of levels that, to me, were just stupidly difficult without much of a learning curve. But, I nevertheless made it through to the end (at least, I THINK it's the end… I still see some question marks on a level list screen that I think might be secret levels) and enjoyed about 90% of the journey… which was enough for me to recommend this game. The colorful graphics and gorgeous use of 3D go a long way toward that enjoyment.