⏩ Written: June 17th-30th, 2021 ⏩
Never talked about a Sonic game in full before; let's rectify that, and given his recent milestone of gaining thirty years, why not?
Most gamers acquainted with the Janken-talented protagonist felt that he peaked with his 1986 Sega Mark III/Sega Master System debut Alex Kidd no Miracle World/Alex Kidd in Miracle World
In 1988 Sega began work on a character to rival Nintendo's Mario for the next three years; Sega's previous mascot, Alex Kidd, was no longer deemed satisfactory and felt too similar to the heroic plumber, as they wanted a character who rivaled Mario and to be as iconic as Mickey Mouse. Speed was the name of the game, so the people at Sega thought up of animals known for their swift agility, one of the animal ideas they had for their mascot was a rabbit with prehensile ears that could grasp objects and enemies, but was too complex for the MegaDrive/Genesis hardware to handle so they simplified it to one who could roll into a ball which would be used for an attack move.
It greatly helped boost the sales of the MegaDrive/Genesis console (which sometimes it came bundled with post-1991), becoming not only the system's bestseller with 15 million copies sold but it was among the fifty bestselling video games of all time, which is an impressive feat as it left an impact the likes of which video games had rarely seen. Its success would prompt and influence other developers to try their hand at a speed-based platformer (such as Gremlin Graphics' Zool: Ninja of the "Nth" Dimension, Accolade's Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind, and Iguana Entertainment's Aero the Acro-Bat) to varying degrees of success, receive adaptations to media such as animated shows and comics and movies, and would be the start of a successful franchise that is still going to this day.
After two successful Sonic games and after the CD-based add-on for the MegaDrive/Genesis came out, the Mega-CD/Sega CD, Sega wanted to create a flagship title featuring the blue blur on the format to show off its technical capabilities (wanting it to stand out from what came before), directed by Sonic co-creator Naoto Ohshima. Initially the plan was to create an enhanced port of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but because of that game's meager sales figures in Japan (despite how well-received it was otherwise, out of the 6 million copies it sold in all Japan only managed to sell 400,000 of those versus the 5 million in American shores) it got reworked into an entirely new Sonic venue. At first given the title CD Sonic the Hedgehog, it would be renamed
Images from GameFAQs
Sonic the Hedgehog CD (or simply referred to as Sonic CD), produced by Minoru Kanari and Makoto Oshitani, executive produced by Hayao Nakayama, programmed by Matsuhide Mizoguchi, Yuichi Matsuoka, Hiroshi Takei, Tatsuya Satoh, and Noritaka Yakita, program directed by Keiichi Yamamoto, and game designed by Hiroaki Chino, Kenichi Ono, Yuichiro Yokoyama, Takao Miyoshi, and Akira Nishino; the latest Sonic would arrive on the Mega-CD in Japan and Europe on September 23rd, 1993 while its American release on the Sega CD would be delayed by nearly two months for it would not come out until that November 19th.
Images from GameFAQs
Less than three years after its original Mega-CD/Sega CD release Sega would convert Sonic the Hedgehog CD to Windows PC format; Japan would receive this version on August 9th, 1996, North America would receive it that August 26th, and Europe would catch up with it on October 3rd of that same year. This version in particular would be featured in Sonic Team's 2005 compilation Sonic Gems Collection on the Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2 which is how I'm playing this game.
Sonic decides to venture into the planet to right this wrong and foil Dr. Robotnik's scheme once more,
Left: Sonic's latest begins in Palmtree Panic | Right: Introducing Sonic's super peel-out
In the sidescrolling action-platformer Sonic the Hedgehog CD you control the eponymous speedster for he can run left and right, look up and duck down while remaining stationary, roll into a ball by pressing down as you move, survey the surroundings above you by remaining still and pressing up twice (holding down the button the second time), and to view the premises below you simply remain still and press down twice (holding down that direction button the second time). With the A or B button you can jump in the air with your gained altitude depending on how hard you pressed the button, by holding down and A or B you can make Sonic perform his spin dash to gain more traction as he rolls faster after letting go, and for the first time in the series you can make Sonic do a super peel-out by holding up and A or B to make him run faster after letting go when you feel you charged his speed enough, but if you wish to return to the title screen simply pause the game and select the quit option.
Left: "Not a bad likeness of myself, crashing through the wall from within like that" | Right: Destroy the projector to liberate the animals from Metal Sonic's abuse
Scattered throughout each zone are individual rings that are there for you to collect, and along the way you will come across monitors which you must either jump on or roll by to collect its contents: a boxful of rings will net you ten extra, opening up a monitor with a barrier will have Sonic surrounded by one which acts as a supplemental bit of health for if he sustains damage with the barrier he will lose it but not the rings he gathered, a pair of sneakers to temporarily increase Sonic's speed, a sparkle power-up to render Sonic invulnerable for a momentary period of time as he is sprinkled with stars, and a Sonic icon to receive a new life (which you could also earn by collecting one hundred rings). When reaching a certain point you will come across a signpost which acts as your checkpoint so you can start from that point when you lose a life.
Left: Running behind a waterfall | Right: Battling a mech-riding Dr. Robotnik with bumper deflectors
Setting this Sonic game apart from the others is the time travel mechanics, with director Ohshima citing Robert Zemeckis' Back to the Future film trilogy as an influence, for each round is comprised of three zones; the first two zones of each round will have you begin in present time while the third zone takes place in the future. On occasion during the first two zones you will come across signs labeled "Past" or "Future" which you must touch, but in order for Sonic to travel to the respective timeline you must go continuously fast until the time travel has been put into effect as failure to do so or stopping just before you reach the tipping point will counteract it and you're stuck in the current time until you touch another time sign.
Left: Meet Amy Rose, simping for Sonic circa 1993 | Right: Also introducing Metal Sonic, who whizzes by and captures her at the same spot in Collision Chaos
There are four different time periods for Sonic to traverse through: the past, the present, the good future, and the bad future. Littered in the first two zones are Dr. Robotnik's enemy robots which are sent here through a transporter that is situated in a particular spot, and the only way to reach it while it is still active is by travelling to the past which is the only way to destroy it by jumping on it; in destroying a transporter all the remaining enemy robots in the current zone will automatically be destroyed leaving flowers in their wake plus you will hear a cue to know you've done something special. If you destroyed the transporters in both zones before reaching the third one you will have created a good future for this round, but failure to do so will result in the bad future.
Left: Skidding | Right: Super peeling-out to the heavens
Should Sonic receive a hit by an enemy or its projectile, spiky obstacles, or land on spikes and you did not have a barrier around you when it happened Sonic will lose all the rings he collected making them scatter around him, giving you a brief time to recoup some of them, but should Sonic be hit again without any rings in his stead he will lose a life. In Tidal Tempest's three zones you must prolong Sonic's time below the surface by breathing in air bubbles that sprout from a tiny cache of bubbles and in the underwater bout against Dr. Robotnik as they circle around him in the form of a barrier, for should you take a long time you will be given a five-second prompt to either go back up the surface or breathe in another air bubble otherwise Sonic will drown. Other ways Sonic can lose a life is if he falls offscreen, gets pinched by a ceiling or floor or wall by a moving obstacle, or if ten minutes pass and you didn't reach the goal by that point.
Left: In this tunnel are certain spheres with rotating spikes | Right: Rolling through
Sonic the Hedgehog CD's visuals were worked on by Hiroyuki Kawaguchi, Takumi Miyake, Masahiro Sanpei, Masato Mishimura, and Hideaki Kurata, and it is an incredible-looking game. Each round has got its own distinct design with Palmtree Panic being pleasantly colorful with the ocean in the backdrop and the foliage of the trees, Collision Chaos is like a casino with its bright neon signs and bumpers and sunset sky, Wacky Workbench takes place in an automated factory with lots of headlamps and occasionally buzzing lights, I like Stardust Speedway with the platforms and layout designed like brass instrumentation (like trumpets) with the occasional moving spotlight underneath a starlit sky, and just like the first two Sonic games the parallax scrolling is smoothly on point as it lends these zones a great sense of visual depth.
Left: Bouncing off of red bubbles | Right: Revving up to speed out of this half-pipe to begin time travelling to the past
The art team went out of their way to ensure that each zone would have its slight variations depending on if you're exploring it in the past, the present, the good future, or the bad future. Visiting Palmtree Panic in the past there is an antiquated look and feel with its aqua green sky, the past version of Quartz Quadrant features an arctic-like oceanic backdrop replete with quartz diamonds, the past version of Wacky Workbench transpires in front of the canyons, and I love how the past take on Stardust Speedway contrasts with the present version as it's fully vegetated with occasional roses with lights emanating from Greek-like temples in the backdrop, et al. When creating the good future there is a more wholesome and pristine quality to the proceedings with wildlife whereas the bad future is corrupt and shattered and broken beyond repair with evil robots and the difference between the two possible futures is so striking.
Left: It's a transporter, destroy it to rid the zone of all remaining enemy robots | Right: Let's face it, Sonic was pretty much destined to be a living pinball since his very inception
I particularly like the enemy robots Sonic contends with this time around like the mosquito robots with their needle nose as they plummet to the ground trying to get you, the stag beetle robots with sawblades by their horns, the spider and ladybug robots, the mantis robots that occasionally fling projectiles at you, snails with spikes on their shells, and bees who wield around two chained spiked balls, et al.
Left: On a roll replete with platforms (operable during the present, but stagnant during the past) | Right: A rewarding sight to be greeted by the good future after destroying both transporters leading up to the third zone
Sonic's idle pose, rolling, skidding, and running animations have largely been reused from his first game for they still look very good, though Sonic the Hedgehog CD presents new animations like his super peel-out move as his legs rev up before speeding through, the vertical springs will propel Sonic upward as he spins around, in Wacky Workbench he'll sometimes hang on a wire and in the same zones if you're not careful Sonic will find himself encased in a block of ice with an incredulous expression on his face; and if you ever wanted to play as a bite-sized Sonic he briefly becomes so after getting under a shrink ray in Metallic Madness' penultimate zone.
Amy's headband and trainers reflected Ohshima's fashion tastes "while her mannerisms reflected the traits Hoshino looked for in women at the time" and Metal Sonic was conceived after Ohshima wanted a rival for Sonic as opposed to just the mustachioed Doctor, at which Hoshino had a clear vision of the character in mind from the moment he was briefed
Kazuyuki Hoshino worked on the character designs for Sonic the Hedgehog CD in his first contribution to the franchise. This game marked the debut of both Amy Rose and Metal Sonic; Amy has got a cute in-game design with the way she pines over Sonic with hearts visibly showing up, following him around, and how she latches onto him after being rescued with hearts in place of her eyes, and as a foil for the blue blur Metal Sonic looks fantastic with his sleek metal figure and slightly imposing stature plus I love how in the third zone of Stardust Speedway he waits for you with crossed arms and wags his finger claw at you any time you jump before the deadly race to the finish begins.
* This is purely based on the version I played, I am aware of the 2011 HD remake and how the special zones were made to be more polished
Left: Descending towards the depths of Tidal Tempest | Right: Sonic being dragged down a tube
The soundtrack to Sonic the Hedgehog CD was composed originally by Naofumi Hataya (whose other audio credits comprise of Sega's Golden Axe III and OutRunners as well as Sonic Team's NiGHTS into Dreams...) and Masafumi Ogata (who also composed for Sega's Hyper Marbles and Sega's collaboration with Fuji Television Network's Formula One World Championship: Beyond the Limit), both of whom previously worked together on the music for Aspect's Sega 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. For this music the two drew inspiration from house and techno club music along with an influence from the American music group C+C Music Factory, the British electronic band the KLF, and the stylings of the late American DJ and the "Godfather of House Music" Frankie Knuckles.
Left: An effective way to ensure that you successfully travel back in time without fail is by being propelled by springs on both sides | Right: Pushed off by a moving wall
Much like the zone of each round has got its own time-based variation on a visually aesthetic level, so too do the round's themes to better align with the time period you're in, with the non-present themes categorized as mixes: the antiquated-sounding "P" mix (past), the optimistic-sounding "G" mix (good future), and the pessimistic "B" mix (bad future). Palmtree Panic's theme is infectiously joyous with a party-like vibe and the occasional cheering sounds of children, Collision Chaos' theme sounds very catchy, Quartz Quadrant's theme is energetically atmospheric, Stardust Speedway's theme is endearingly jazz-oriented (and its "B" mix is memorable and fits as the theme for Metal Sonic with the blaring sirens, the "hue hue hue", quick piano, and occasional record scratching), and Metallic Madness' theme is fittingly hectic-sounding for a final round theme; I like Palmtree Panic's relaxing "P" mix, Collision Chaos' "P" mix is an incredibly fun listen and is one of my favorites,
Left: Breathing in an air bubble | Right: Ascending while underwater
Tidal Tempest's "P" mix is slow and soothing with an air of mystery, and Wacky Workbench's "P" mix has got a very funky vibe especially with the opening notes; the boss theme for when you go up against Dr. Robotnik has got a fun beat to it, and the final boss theme is very foreboding with its do or die choir and organ-led composition. The opening and ending anime FMV cutscenes were accompanied by two songs, both sung by J-pop artist Keiko Utoku and written by Casey Rankin: composed by Ogata was the opening song "Sonic - You Can Do Anything" (usually referred to as "Toot Toot Sonic Warrior") while the ending song "Cosmic Eternity - Believe in Yourself" was composed by Hataya. These would be used in the Japanese and European versions.
Left: Fighting off against Dr. Robotnik underwater trying to maintain your breath while also being mindful of the occasional projectiles he'll attempt to blast towards Sonic | Right: Tipping backwards on a tiny platform moving on a rotary axis
For the American version's soundtrack most of it was replaced by new music by Spencer Nilsen and David Young (the former of whom worked on the music for Novotrade's Ecco the Dolphin and Ecco: The Tides of Time while the latter did Jumpin Jack's Congo the Movie: The Lost City of Zinj, both would also work on the music for Gray Matter's The Amazing Spider-Man vs. The Kingpin) with some additional tracks by former Santana keyboardist Mark "Sterling" Crew (with his tracks featuring percussion work from fellow Santana member Armando Peraza); according to Nilsen, Sega's American division felt the original music felt too samey thinking that the game needed a "rich and complex" soundtrack, hence why this version was delayed by two months. Now I did say most of the soundtrack, because you do get to hear the original Japanese tracks any time you travel to the past version of the current zone as those songs in particular were sequenced PCM audio tracks as opposed to the Mixed Mode CD audio, hence why the past tracks could not be replaced like the rest.
Left: Freed squirrels | Right: Quartz abound
In the American version Palmtree Panic is now accompanied by a bouncy and tropical-sounding ditty, Collision Chaos' new theme is rock-fueled and surreal-sounding, I love the use of the castanets in the new Wacky Workbench theme, and Metallic Madness' American theme has got a sense of finality to its composition plus its occasionally haunting synthesizer makes me think of Daft Punk's music from Joseph Kosinski's Tron: Legacy (even though that would not be a thing for another seventeen years); Tidal Tempest's "G" mix has got a nice guitar riff while its "B" mix exudes a catastrophic tone, and the boss theme used for all fights against Dr. Robotnik in the American version sounds genuinely creepy with the neverendingly distorted music and hollow laughter (it's very much akin to the Follin Brothers boss music in Software Creations' Plok).
Left: Running on a conveyor belt | Right: Careful when approaching the spider robot not to get impeded by its web which will briefly slow you down
The previous music used during the cutscenes have been replaced by "Sonic Boom", both the intro (a portion of it is used for the title screen) and the ending version (where the instrumental is heard in the Time Attack screen), sung by the jazz vocal trio Pastiche (comprised of Sandy Cressman, Jenny Meltzer, and Becky West, all three of whom also provided background vocals for ToeJam & Earl Productions' Orly's Draw-A-Story), and is a major highlight from the American soundtrack as it draws you in with its incredibly memorable beat and great lyrics elevated by a vibrant sense of energy, perfectly complementing the cutscenes.
Left: Tipping backwards at the edge of a ring monitor | Right: Treadmill battle
Both soundtracks are different than what was heard in the preceding games, and they are both catchy and exceptionally well-made with high sound quality, lending a different sense of atmosphere to these rounds (though the Japanese version does have a bit of an edge, you can't say the American take doesn't have its moments). It is unfortunate that Sega of America felt the need to have the original soundtrack altered purely out of culture bias, it's true, but gamers can take solace in the fact that in all versions you hear the Japanese "P" mix music whenever you're in the past which is always nice (it does work in the American version's favor, somewhat, having a melody that contrasts with what plays in the present and future versions of these zones), and at least Nilsen and Young made a conscientious effort to come up with original melodies befitting these seven rounds as opposed to lazily using preexisting licensed music regardless of whether it appropriately fitted the setting or tone like certain titles during localization did (Activision did Athena's BioMetal a complete disservice by replacing its soundtrack with unfitting 2Unlimited music that failed to gel even remotely).
Left: Frozen | Right: On a spinning, moving platform
Many of the sound effects of the past Sonic games get reprised like the jingle of the rings you collect or lose should you sustain damage, Sonic's revving sound for when he spin dashes or rolls through a tube, the air bubble breathing sound, the cash register-like sound for when the score is tallied up at the end of a zone, the bouncing spring sound, and the sound for when Dr. Robotnik's evil robots have been disposed of; for the first time in a console Sonic title you get to hear proper voice acting (albeit used sparingly) whenever Sonic gains a new life ("Yes!"), when Sonic abandons the game after remaining still for three minutes straight ("I'm outta here!"), Amy Rose gasping when grabbed by Metal Sonic and giggling after being rescued and grabbing Sonic, and the futuristic-sounding tones anytime you pass through a "Past" or "Future" sign.
Left: Literally pedaling upward | Right: Formation platforms
Unlike the first two Sonic platformers where they had to be played through in one sitting, Sonic the Hedgehog CD has got battery backup and will save your progress anytime you clear a round (though it is possible to play it through in one go when given the opportunity), including whether or not you created a good future and/or gathered all the Time Stones along the way. In the title screen there is a Saved Games option where for one of six game files you have the option to select which one to use if you've got more than one file in the system, copy to create the same file for an empty slot, rename to either input your name or nickname, or delete to permanently remove the file with your progress from your system.
Left: For the first time in the series, hanging on and moving across by wire hanging | Right: Riding on an 8-shaped roulette
Upon its original release Sonic the Hedgehog CD was universally well-received and managed to sell 1.5 million units, making it the bestselling Mega-CD/Sega CD title of all time; now that might not seem like a big number compared to how many copies of its cart-based predecessors sold altogether, but bear in mind that the Mega-CD/Sega CD cost roughly twice as much as the MegaDrive/Genesis it got added on to meaning that CD-based game format wasn't quite as accessible. Couple that with Sonic being at the height of his glory two years after his debut, and this was pretty much a big win for Sega. To go from universally well-received to universally well-received to universally well-received, three* times in a row, is such an accomplishment... only after the fact would Sonic go through his ups and downs in terms of his subsequent games' quality (that said, I do like the majority of Sonic's '90s venues, even the lesser ones as I find myself more lenient towards those).* Master System, Game Gear, and arcade Sonic fare don't count
Image from GameFAQs
In 2011 Sega (with assistance from Blit Software) released an HD remake of Sonic the Hedgehog CD on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, iOS, Android, and PC. Australian indie developer and programmer Christian Whitehead spent a year or so trying to convince Sega to let him work on the port after having showed them a "proof-of-concept" video running through his Retro Engine; a Nintendo Wii version got cancelled on account that it exceeded the WiiWare download size. The HD port incorporated widescreen, the option to choose either the Japanese or North American soundtracks, refined polish and frame rate for the special zones, the ability to play as Tails once the game was finished as Sonic, and achievement and trophy support; it was so well received that Sega commissioned Whitehead to work on mobile ports of the first two Sonic games and would become the lead developer (with collaboration by PagodaWest Games and Headcannon) for 2017's Sonic Mania.
I first learned of Sonic the Hedgehog CD when I got Sonic Team's Sonic Mega Collection for the Nintendo GameCube in 2003 back when I was twelve at either a GameStop or a GameCrazy. My experience with the Sonic games growing up in the '90s was fairly limited as I only played at least two or three of them by the time I got the compilation; one of my oldest cousins Kara owned a Genesis and one of her games was the very first Sonic the Hedgehog, I recall one time hanging out with my twin cousins Jonathan and Andrew visiting their grandparents and playing the Genesis where one of the games there was Sega Technical Institute's Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball, and I might be misremembering but I vaguely recall Traveller's Tales' Sonic 3D Blast when I visited the house of Bryan, another of my older cousins (who also owned the SNES console I played at my grandparents' house each Summer until he lent it to me shortly before 2009 knowing how much I liked playing it), one time playing on his Genesis (I do vividly remember Sega's Golden Axe, Motivetime's port of Atari Games' Paperboy, and Iguana UK's port of Midway's NBA Jam, however). Mostly I just played on the SNES and Nintendo 64 whenever playing video games with my cousins growing up, but I did have some experience with the Genesis once in awhile; the compilation was a great way of catching up with these classics.
Left: Electrical obstacles sometimes turn on | Right: Riding on a spinning pole
I remember liking it quite a lot back when I first played it with the traditional Sonic gameplay combined with the time travel aspect which I thought was very cool, and I only beat it once back then (but with the bad ending); this was the first time in nearly a dozen years since I last played Sonic the Hedgehog CD (which I played through twice just this month for this review but with the good ending both times) and my appreciation has for it has increased by a lot especially since I knew and figured out what entailed receiving the best ending and my gameplay skills had increased over time.
Left: Welcome to the musical location of Stardust Speedway | Right: Flip the panel over to move in either the forefront or in the backdrop
While Sonic Team's Sonic the Hedgehog had its emphasis on its fast sense of pace and speed and action, as did Sega Technical Institute's Sonic the Hedgehog 2 but more focused, this game added a layer of exploration to the proceedings which makes for a rewarding experience if you travel back in time and destroy the transporters Dr. Robotnik's evil robots emanate from and along the way gathering enough rings to reach the special zone at the end. With the exploration element added it lends Sonic the Hedgehog CD a sense of depth for you can take your time (but not too much time) and even backtrack to get to a secret compartment or monitor if you feel you overlooked something.
Left: Looking at a fly robot approaching me | Right: Traveling to the past
The blue blur's need for speed is there, but you will have to be very mindful when to utilize it as generally you'll need to accomplish that to travel back (or forward) in time. The thing about time traveling is that the signs will be present no matter which time variation of the zone you're in; the key for when you're in the past is to find and destroy the transporter, but there are "Future" signs in the past that will take you back to the present if you touch it and go continuously fast so you'll want to destroy the robot generating machine before you do so (if you want to go forward in time at all) and knowing exactly when to counteract the time travel before you do what you need to do to generate the zone's good future so it doesn't go to full effect is necessary lest you have to scrounge around for another "Past" sign if you're sent back to the present. Even so, it's one of those things that make this game very fun to play and lend it a great amount of replay value.
It's so heartwarming to watch Little Planet show their gratitude to Sonic for saving it
but if you manage to create a good future for all rounds and/or successfully collect all seven Time Stones you'll attain the good ending as a now freed Little Planet flies away thanking Sonic leaving behind a flower shower appearing in the plains complimenting you on being too cool.
Christian Whitehead must've felt the same, because Sonic's in-game design for Sonic Mania is closer in look and feel to the former design than the latter
And I'm just going to say it: I greatly prefer Sonic's in-game design from the first two Sonic games and Sonic the Hedgehog CD than the one he was given in Sega Technical Institute's Sonic the Hedgehog 3; as simple as the earlier design is, it's highly endearing and likable.
Here you will see appearances from the Flickies, a random flying saucer, Dr. Robotnik, Metal Sonic, and Tails flying his biplane in a small cameo appearance as it gradually goes from day to night and from night to day; in this screen you can even move around Little Planet, bring it closer or far away, make it stop rotating, or make it rotate at differing speeds, individually or simultaneously
for instance if your total clear time is less than 37'27"57 an option called Play Music (or DA Garden) will be available in the title where you can relax and listen to the game's music, and if you manage to have a total clear time of less than 25'46"12 you'll unlock Visual Mode.
As screenshot image splicing goes, I didn't do too bad here
As an added bonus if you should manage to have an overall clear time of less than 30'21"05, go back to the title screen, choose Time Attack, and press left to now be able to see how quickly you can clear the special zones which you can visit any time you want (even to practice for when you access them in the game proper).
Left: "Uh uh uh! You didn't say the magic word!" | Right: "See you next fall!"
I love how each round has got its own distinctive set of obstacles and fun sense of gameplay: one time in Palmtree Panic Sonic rolls inside a structure with the camera following his move until he emerges from within it leaving behind a Sonic-shaped hole, in Quartz Quadrant are a series of conveyors whose directional flow depends on whether Sonic passed through the switch going right or going left, in Wacky Workbench falling on the ground powered up by a spark will skyrocket Sonic up to the upper levels like a very powerful trampoline and sometimes he hangs on a wire and moves along that way, in Stardust Speedway there is a panel you must flip over determining whether Sonic will progress along in the foreground or the background (and in some cases, create or close off gaps), and at a later point in Metallic Madness Sonic gets shrunk down by a shrink ray.
Left: Amy Rose has been rescued | Right: Pushing while waiting for it to rise up
As 2D Sonic platformers from the '90s go, Sonic the Hedgehog CD is relatively easier in difficulty (trying to obtain the Time Stones in the special zones notwithstanding) than the first two games, and I think the exploration aspect helped with that. I don't particularly mind this as it is a very fun game, as the real challenge comes from finding the transporters and destroying them to create the good future as certain zones require you to search very thoroughly (trying to reach the past in Wacky Workbench's first zone without fail might take some practice what with its ground at the bottom level bouncing you upward like a trampoline and occasional walls). That said, there are a handful of moments that will really challenge you, like the race against Metal Sonic at the end of Stardust Speedway, learning the proper path of Metallic Madness' labyrinth-like second zone, and at one point there is a diagonal spring that will propel Sonic so high provided you do not press any direction buttons (took me some time to realize that). On the flip side if you lose a life all the item-containing monitors will be reset (including ones with a Sonic life icon) which is very helpful to know (particularly during the aforementioned Metal Sonic race, for it might take some tries to succeed here).
Left: Playing the waiting game until those obstacles move down | Right: One last transporter to destroy
As easier as the battles against Dr. Robotnik are this time around on account that he only takes three or four hits to defeat in this game, I like the creative variety ways in which you bout against him: in Collision Chaos you must reach to the top where he's at in the form of pinball with the flippers and bumpers, in Tidal Tempest's battle which takes place underwater you must breathe in enough bubbles acting as Dr. Robotnik's barrier (thereby removing them) in order to deliver the final blow after getting a clear target, in Quartz Quadrant you must run on a treadmill continuously (while occasionally evading a falling spike obstacle and trying not to sustain damage from the spikes situated to the left side) so that the base at which Dr. Robotnik is standing will gradually burn up with enough time running on it, and in the race against Metal Sonic in Stardust Speedway not only must you try to get ahead of him while also jumping over spikes and averting his robotic alter ego's occasional shock attacks but you mustn't stop moving because Dr. Robotnik will trail behind you with an insta-death ray resulting in having to start the race over should you get under it.
Left: Ducking for the explosion | Right: Alternating on stompers to move them forward
I looked up that the team that worked on Sonic the Hedgehog CD had a more relaxed and less stressful time working on this than the team who worked on Sega Technical Institute's Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and y'know, I believe that; it does feel more relaxed by comparison, not to say there isn't any action as there's plenty of that too, but the exploration and backtracking make for something less linear and straightforward which is refreshing. According to director Naoto Ohshima what contributed to that was that it was not a numbered sequel like 2 and he himself doesn't consider it to be a sequel, although according to the artist Yasushi Yamaguchi the way today's game bookends itself might imply that it takes place between the events of the first and the second game which is a nice thought. It does work as its own self-contained game as well, which is a plus.
Left: Temporarily controlling bite-sized Sonic | Right: Almost there
When I played this game on Sonic Gems Collection over fifteen years ago it was worth the wait to quench my curiosity, and it is so phenomenal to play still that after really thinking about it and what Sega was trying to achieve I consider it to be my favorite Sonic game from the '90s (edging out the second game, which I still think highly of), I love it so much! ๐ I only wish that out of all the games available to play on that compilation, with maybe the exception of the unlockable VectorMan by BlueSky Software (a good albeit brutally hard yet highly epileptic unfriendly game anytime the title character destroys a monitor followed by aggressive flashing lights), that it wasn't the only truly exceptional game out of all of them to play (there is a novelty value to the rest of the games and they can be fun to play mostly, it's just that they all pale in comparison to Sonic the Hedgehog CD). Oh, well, at least it's worth playing.
Left: Swiveling to the foreground | Right: Last confrontation with Dr. Robotnik, until the next time
I highly recommend playing Sonic the Hedgehog CD, if not on the original Mega-CD/Sega CD than on the PC or on the compilation Sonic Gems Collection (I looked up that it's going to be a part of an upcoming compilation that's coming out next year called Sonic Origins). It's got the classic Sonic gameplay to a T paired with the occasional time travel element, a slower paced layer of exploration, an incredible soundtrack, and lots of replay value depending on your actions, different endings, and amount of secrets it stores. It's no wonder that it's still regarded by many as one of Sonic's very best endeavors, and in my opinion ranks among the blue blur's very best of all time. ๐
My Personal Score: 9.0/10
d(^-^)bTO EACH THEIR OWNd(^-^)b
● Recently I saw Pedro Araujo's fan animation movie of the whole game on YouTube (more than once), and I really enjoyed watching it. I smiled at some of the Easter eggs (like the nod to the American cover art at one point and the subtle references to Sonic the Fighters), and the animation was good.
● It pains me to not have completed this review by June 23rd, Sonic's birthday, because I figured how cool would it have been if I managed to finish this by his milestone birthday? But because I'm a bit of a perfectionist because I want to articulate myself properly and still had to transfer the requisite number of screenshots to my Surface Pro that I hadn't yet (and because I want to be more or less consistent with their dimensions, and that is a process each time) among other factors I took longer than I should have. Still, I'm glad I managed to finish this review by the time the month of June is over.
● So recently my father and I made our first trip to the movie theatre in a year and a half, which was a bit exhilarating because it had been so long (even if the screening itself that I went to was empty, we are still in a pandemic after all), to watch the latest movie in The Conjuring franchise, Michael Chaves' The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. I love the first two The Conjuring films by James Wan, both are excellently crafted horror movies with effectively crafted scares with a strong emphasis on family and empathy that made those two films' proceedings wholesome by the time those finished; this latest outing was alright, but it fell pretty short of what came before. It was still a well-made movie, I still felt for the central characters, it had a strong opening act, and a few scares were effective, but the direction it went in at points leading up to the twist made me go "Ehm..." (๐คจ) because to me it felt a bit far removed from the dark grounding in spiritual reality set up by the first two films. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are still excellent as Ed and Lorraine Warren for they have a beautiful chemistry together and I love them, they (like Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz's Rick and Evy from Stephen Sommers' 1999 take on The Mummy) are one of my favorite movie couples, and hearing Mark Isham's "Family Theme" makes me happy. ๐
Thank you for reading my review, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think (neither spam nor NSFW allowed); hope you have a great day, be a kind human, keep yourself protected during this pandemic, and take care! ๐
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It's unfortunate you can't input your initials after beating the game like you could for when you clear a zone in Time Attack mode (at least that's the case in Sonic Gems Collection), but taken in a different context there's no denying Sonic the Hedgehog CD's triple A status as quality entertainment. ๐
