Sonic Unleashed

It’s been almost nine years since Sonic’s Y2K spin into the world of 3D. Nine years of hits, misses and everything in-between, from hover-board racing to the Olympic Games. And while the series that defined Sega in the ‘90s has always enjoyed varying degrees of success, Sonic Team has yet to deliver the quintessential 3D Sonic. Transitioning a game of speed and momentum into 3D has proven a difficult task and the buggy nature of the engines from Dreamcast on has been the Energizer bunny of flies in the ointment.

Playing the Wii version of Sonic Unleashed first, as good as it is, made playing the 360 version a religious experience. I was waiting for the clouds to open up and shoot out some real-time heavenly light sourcing. The two versions aren’t even in the same stratosphere. The set-up is the same (Eggman cracks the Dark Gaia out of its planet shell prematurely causing it to break down and spread little Dark Gaia monsters all over the planet, turning Sonic into a werehog in the process) but that’s where the similarities end.

It’s good to know that there’s still a little mystery left in the world. I did not expect Sonic Unleashed to have more RPG underpinnings than either Sonic Adventure or last year’s stomped-on Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic comes to after his fall from space alongside “Chip,” but after the initial chit-chat the little guy keeps it pretty well zipped; no training and no lame “hints,” just Sonic and the spry people of Apotos, the lovely port town where it all begins. Nudging the left analog ever so slightly (as you must), Sonic already feels better—walking slowly and smoothly, speeding up manageably and turning on a tight radius—common for most characters but a real chore for Sonic, who’s always had a tendency to get away from you. After milling about the quaint sun-drenched town chatting it up with the surprisingly chipper natives for being on a planet that just split apart, the far end of the village lets out into an “Entrance Stage,” Sonic’s all-new (and quite brilliant) city, town, and village hubs where Sonic and Werehog Sonic can discover or use earned upgrades and items, enter (or re-enter) levels or change day to night depending on the situation. They’re packed with a nice bit of gameplay too. The other side of town leads to the planet overview…No silly temple and no silly doors.

Where the Wii had pictures, villagers now stand, resembling film-quality CGI more than the stick people we’re used to, and (hold onto your hats) the writing is exceptional—charming and witty, and the voice acting pretty much great, including the original Japanese audio track with subtitles. There are shops too, but not of the usual variety. These are for buying and selling souvenirs, food and other items for use in other parts of the game as you travel around the fractured globe. Most vendors just share their thoughts, which are usually funny, or ask you a favor, though some will quiz you and reward a good job. The guy selling hot dogs wants you to complete time trials before he’ll sell to you (that must be some hot dog!). The thing is, everyone is interesting. It’s everything Sonic Adventure wanted to be finally (and finely) refined.

There have been changes to the level structure too, beginning with the standard Sonic speed run, now strictly a daytime affair. They’re much longer and branching; much faster and smoother, but mostly they’re more hands-on. The days of holding a direction and completing long stretches of a level are long gone. These levels are wider, layered with way more speed pads, bumpers, enemy robots, platforms, speed rings, cannons, and all kinds of traps…not to mention architecture. They are also about 90 percent cleaner than any previous 3D Sonic. Initially Sonic can drift (and the levels have sweeping banks and turns that call for it), quick step left or right and use his homing attack and slide, but there’s much more to come. As you clear levels you’ll discover new abilities and items (for both Sonics) to reach previously unreachable areas, much like the progression in Metroid. Regular Sonic finds shoes (for sky running, stomping, wall jumping, etc.) and Werehog Sonic, well, we’ll get to him. One thing to remember is that your first time through most daytime stages is nothing compared to when you return later with new abilities. Overall, while the daytime levels are on the hard side (if you want to excel you’ll need lightning reflexes too), they are equally rewarding and replayable. I did find a couple of hiccups, most notably in the first daytime run in beautiful snow-covered Holoska. The sled handles like an old Buick and Sonic is still a bit clunky at low speeds when you really need to gather rings (which you do here). Chances are it’ll get buttoned up in final testing but if not remember, patience is a virtue.

The biggest question for me going into Unleashed (and many a Sonic fan, I’m sure) was the Werehog. I loved the idea from the beginning—kind of a Wario for Sonic—but such a radical departure seemed risky. Of course, now I can’t imagine a game without him. The gruff attitude is a nice change and not at all overplayed and the gameplay, especially if you like fierce combat and fiercer platforming, is 100 percent hardcore. Amy seems okay with it too (when she’s not hanging out with Professor Pickle). At the end of every stage, earned experience can be applied to combat, strength, life, Unleash, or shield power or to regular Sonic’s speed or ring energy. Sonic the Werehog’s combat experience covers ten variations on five methods of attack. You’ll need them all too. Flailing away will not work. The Dark Gaia in the 360 game are raging, swarming, diverse, and tough. They’re also too much fun to battle using the Werehog’s stretchy arms and amazing combos and special moves. The boss battles are extra-crispy too. Three bouncy hits and out these are not. The Eggman bosses are the worst (therefore best); often wicked fast and always extraordinarily striking, but the big Dark Gaia bosses are more fun. The platforming follows suit with the combat, if not more so. The biggest Wii level is like a junior training mission in comparison. The Werehog levels, once you get past Spagonia (where I’m pretty sure Sonic Team are in violation of every porn music statute on record) are probably the highlight of the game. Spagonia’s Werehog levels are good, they just get much better, and leave the Starsky and Hutch theme behind. The soundtrack otherwise is a mixture of Trademark Sonic Team Muzak and classic area derivative BGM.

Something else you should know about Yoshihisa Hashimoto’s Sonic…He loves his quick-time events. There’s a great Tails shooter in Unleashed where Sonic fires from the wings of the Tornado in quick-time, the Dark Gaia Bosses are all finished off with quick-time, Werehog Sonic’s devastating grab moves are quick-time, and if you want to reach the highest points and get the highest grades in Sonic’s daytime levels be on the lookout for 3-button mid-air quick-time! It’s a good thing that Sonic Team is really good at quick-time. It’s also strictly of the cushy variety and the results are always spectacular.

Unleashed on 360 and PS3 is probably the hardest Sonic yet (by design). It’s definitely the deepest yet—I’ve been finding all sorts of little side quests, hidden places, homages and innuendo —it’s the most repayable, the best written and acted, and by far the best looking. Sonic Team always delivered visual stimuli but they’ve outdone themselves this time, including the CGI, which once again is on par with Square’s.

Of all the squatty little mascots that have come and gone over the years, two became legends—Mario and Sonic—but the way Nintendo’s going Mario’s next game could be tossing pizzas so, it’s up to Sonic now. Judging by the size of those fangs, he’s up to the challenge.

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