DLC review: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode Metal

For anyone who purchased Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I and Episode II on the same console, SEGA provided a bonus game, titled Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode Metal. It puts players in control of Metal Sonic, exploring just how he came to be revived by Dr. Robotnik as well as how he managed to track down Sonic and Tails. The story begins with Metal Sonic lying broken and battered on the Stardust Speedway from Sonic CD, a stage which has been gorgeously rendered in the Sonic 4 engine. Robotnik swiftly fixes up his creation, then sends him off to find a new source of power.

The game's introductory sequence is simple enough, but it does a great job of drawing you into the story of Metal Sonic. Unfortunately, nearly everything that follows is borderline-disastrous. Episode Metal, though accessible from the menu of Sonic 4: Episode II, is run entirely on the engine that was used for Sonic 4: Episode I. Whereas Sonic controlled less smoothly in the first episode, Metal Sonic does not slow down as quickly as one would hope and manages to crash into just about everything in his path.

Each level that Metal Sonic traverses only lasts a single act. However, each of these levels is recycled from Sonic 4: Episode I. He will revisit Splash Hill Zone, Casino Street Zone, Lost Labyrinth Zone, and Mad Gear Zone, albeit in a somewhat reverse order. Lost Labyrinth Zone proves the most enjoyable of the bunch, as the rolling boulder puzzle element has been kept intact. Any puzzle elements from the other stages have been removed in favor of more linear pathways. While this does move Metal Sonic through each stage more quickly, it does not allow for much freedom in choosing alternate routes and effectively removes the entire challenge factor.

It's a good thing that SEGA included Sonic 4: Episode Metal as a free bonus, because no one should ever have to fork over money to play this mess of a Sonic title. It is true that Episode Metal was never intended to be as full and fleshed out a product as either Sonic 4: Episode I or Episode II. But it seems like SEGA put forth as little effort as possible into Episode Metal. Metal Sonic's controls are very clunky, the same levels are recycled in a lazy manner, and there are no boss fights. Episode Metal's one saving grace is that it takes than a half an hour to complete.

My rating: 5.5 (out of 10)

XBLA review: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I

Some sixteen years after the releases of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic and Knuckles, SEGA has heeded the cries of many fans who wanted nothing more than the return of the original formula. There have been a few side-scrolling Sonic games in recent years, like Sonic Rush and half of Sonic Generations, but most outings since the start of the 2000s have been from a third-person perspective. Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is being released in two parts, and Episode I seeks to rekindle the flame for fans of the Genesis classics.

For starters, Sonic 4: Episode I controls almost exactly the same as the original three games, though the accuracy of the blue hedgehog's motions have been adjusted to play more smoothly on current generation hardware. The lock-on attack is carried over from the Adventure titles, and makes for a much more enjoyable experience, as there is no guesswork involved in attacking enemies. That said, strategy is no sacrificed, as each enemy has a different method of attack/defense that players will need to work around. Episode I favors high-speed thrills over lethargic puzzle-based segments, though the few puzzles that are included are quite well designed, requiring players to tilt a room to drain it of water or spin giant mobile gears to open doors.

Graphically, the game looks pretty good. Everything on the screen is brightly colored and there is some nice attention to the finer details, while the game design as a whole puts forth a solid effort to recall its classic roots. The new-school Sonic character model is used, albeit with some cel-shading that is a bit rough on the eyes.

As this is only the first half of Sonic 4, there are a mere four levels included. Each has three acts plus a boss fight, so they all last longer than a typical Sonic stage. The first level of Splash Hill Zone follows the pattern of Green Hill Zone and Emerald Hill Zone. Casino Street Zone is a nearly-direct copy of Casino Night Zone, though it does include cannons and card platforms as a means to traverse the terrain. Lost Labyrinth and Mad Gear are the best of the bunch, with the former feeling like a wildly original spin on the side-scrolling Sonic experience, despite a note taken from Donkey Kong in the form of a mine cart ride segment. The latter, Mad Gear Zone, is something of a hybrid between Chemical Plant Zone and Wacky Workbench, but still brings enough new gameplay elements to the table to merit its important role as the final true stage of the experience.

Boss fights are nicely varied and present a decent degree of challenge. At the end of the game, players must face off against all four of these once more, in a 'greatest hits' lineup. However, this is both unnecessary and unmerited due to the fact that Episode I only lasts a little over an hour. It feels lazy on SEGA's part, and they should have just cut to the chase and made the final boss fight more impressive and challenging.

The soundtrack gets off to a bumpy start, as the first few tunes are some of the most boring and uninspired since Sonic Rush. However, the tunes that play throughout all the acts of Lost Labyrinth and Mad Gear, as well as the boss themes, are very well done. They are as catchy as they are befitting of the levels they have been associated with, and are in keeping with whole 'throwback' vibe.

When SEGA says "Episode I", they really mean it. There's not a whole lot to this first chapter of Sonic 4, and the best part of the experience lies beyond the halfway point. Still, if you are a fan of classic Sonic and are in need of a quick fix, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I should serve as a decent solution.

My rating 7.75 (out of 10)