Sonic Colors Review (Wii)

            Before I became the big RPG fan that I am today, the games that I played most were from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. After hearing one of my best friends talk about it so much during middle school, I decided to give one of the games a shot. I started with Sonic Rush, and was instantly thrilled by the high speed platforming. After that, I found myself buying every new Sonic game that came out on day one and playing the hell out of them.

            The blue blur admittedly did go through some hard times. After games like the mediocre Shadow the Hedgehog and the outright disastrous Sonic ’06, people started to lose faith in the Sonic franchise. However, Sega finally started to learn from their mistakes, starting with Sonic Unleashed. Unleashed was a step in the right direction; the daytime levels were a blast of high speed and platforming. However, at night, Sonic would transform into a Werehog, changing the playstyle to a Beat ‘em up genre. Many people disapproved of this unnecessary change in playstyle while still praising the daytime stages. As a result, Sonic Colors was born, sporting only daytime Sonic’s playstyle and mechanics.

Story

            The plot begins when Sonic and Tails visit Eggman’s Interstellar Amusement Park (which he built as an apology for his misdeeds and totally will not use for evil plans). Soon, they find that Eggman’s harnessing the power of a helpless alien race called “Wisps” in an attempt to take over the world (big surprise there…).

            The Sonic games are, first and foremost, platformers. After the 3D polygon model era began for video games, Sega tried to implement more of a story for the Sonic games with mixed results. Some of the games had decent plots, but all of them had the same flaw: they were trying too hard to be dark and serious. In this game, Sega and Sonic Team decided to take a more lighthearted approach. While the plot itself is your typical save the world and stop Eggman story you’d expect in a Sonic game, the character interactions in cutscenes is where the story department really shines. Sonic, Tails, Eggman, and his two personal robots Orbot and Cubot all have amusing or downright hilarious dialogue with each other. I find that this style really fits the Sonic series better than the serious or dark stories of Sonic Adventure 2 or Shadow the Hedgehog. And in the end, I think this sort of writing is what really helps keep my attention in game, whether or not it’s an RPG. A game with a good plot won’t mean shit to me if the characters and their interactions are bland and poorly written.

Gameplay

            Sonic Colors takes its gameplay style from Sonic Unleashed’s daytime stages with a few additions. Like in Sonic Unleashed, you can hold down a button (depending on your controller configuration) to boost, allowing Sonic to run at full speed while plowing through any enemies in the way. The amount of platforming has also increased from the previous entry, balancing out the time you spend boosting through the level or actually maneuvering through platforms. However, one of the game’s more notable flaws is that there are more 2D sections as opposed to 3D, and most of the 3D sections are somewhat bland, short, or automated.

            This game also adds a new mechanic in the form of Color Powers. Sonic can find the aforementioned Wisps throughout the stage and temporarily fuse with them to gain a unique power, ranging from turning into a laser, drill, or even rocket. These powerups can help you find hidden secrets or alternate routes. Personally, I think it adds a lot of flavor to the gameplay.

            Level progression is also more straight-forward now. No more hub worlds, no more medal hunting. You simply pick a stage and play. After unlocking new Wisps, you can also go back to previous levels and use them to find new hidden goodies.

Graphics

            Sonic Colors is simply a FANTASTIC looking game, especially when you consider the fact that it’s a Wii title. All of the environments look beautiful and colorful (pun not intended), and are a joy to blast through at high speeds. It’s a massive improvement over the graphics of Sonic Unleashed for the Wii and PS2.

Sound/Music

            It’s a Sonic game. Need I say more? I can safely say that I remember each and every single track played in each stage, and even some of the cutscenes. My favorite track is definitely Planet Wisp Act 1, which sounds like a masterpiece to me.

            The voice cast also got completely replaced except for Eggman. The new voice actors did a really good job at making the characters sound believable, and like everything else in this game, it’s a massive improvement from the previous titles.

Length

            Sonic Colors is short. VERY SHORT. It’s possible to beat the game in just 4-6 hours if you know what you’re doing. On the other hand, there’s a lot of incentive to go back and complete the game 100%. Throughout each stage you’ll occasionally find a Red Ring, and each stage has 5 to find. After certain amounts of Red Rings are collected, you’ll unlock a bonus stage in Game Land, which can be played with two players. If you collect all of the Red Rings and complete all of the Game Land stages, you’ll receive a very special surprise. What is it? It’s a secret to everybody!

Verdict: 9/10

            This game is pretty much Sonic’s return to glory, and the best game he’s ever had in years. Whether you’re a fan or not, give it a shot. It’s short, but very sweet. And finally, congratulations to Sega, Sonic Team, and the blue blur himself for making such a wonderful comeback.