Sonic the Hedgehog: Before and After

Sonic Adventure DX vs Sonic Lost World

Introduction

This time I look at the Adventure formula and as the name suggests, it the gameplay of Sonic Adventure released on the SEGA Dreamcast back in 1998/99. The game to bring our beloved or despised, your choice, hedgehog and friends into the 3rd dimension. This matchup is between Sonic Adventure DX and Sonic Lost World, the port and the modern look-alike. I'll be looking at the GameCube & Steam versions of DX as well as the 3DS and Wii U/PC versions of Sonic Lost World. This is going to be a fun one. Which one will win and earn the crown for Adventure style game? Adventures or Lost World. They'll be spoilers ahead, let's go.

Gameplay

The gameplay category, this is where I look and see which one is functional, has a good control scheme, its collectables, and they're levels. Which I mean they're hub worlds, action stages, and their bosses. Time to check 'em out, this time I'll start by looking at Lost World for the Wii U and PC.

  Should I call this the Sonic Team version, the HD version, I'll just call it the Sonic Team version, since they made the Wii U, yet Sega Europe made the port. Whatever. I'll just go with Sonic Team version, back to the review. This one is quite the mix bag as it changed gameplay styles after the trilogy of Boost games. Especially following the fan favorite, Sonic Generations. I'll start with the elephant in the room, the run button, which needs to be held to use the parkour and speed up. The parkour works nicely, through it does forces Sonic to attach to nearly everything especially in the 2D sections. Like the games before, it switches between 2D and 3D or just sticks to one of them. Unlike them through, I think the transition is sloppy, as you go through a door or shot up in the air by spring or flower. Speaking of changes, they change the Homing Attack. Now you need to be locked onto object/enemy, through it can lock onto multiple things at once, and can be charged for a stronger attack. It has it positives, it feels off before getting used to it and can mess up if you're not careful. Plus theirs a new kick skill, an alternate homing attack that works the same way. Through this skill is required to defeat certain enemies like Crabmeat and Egg Pawns. When you're not locked onto anything you can double jump. They pretty much mess up the homing attack, but they did find a way to have the homing attack and double jump get mapped to the same button properly. While I'm looking at games using the Adventure formula, the boost is still present, now it appears as the spin dash. Which is also used alongside the parkour, to keep you running on and up the wall. Unless you're using Super Sonic, then it becomes a boost and works automatically. The bounce also makes it comeback replacing the stomp. Now the additional things, or gimmicks, other things you get to do. I start with the one feature exclusive to the Wii U version, the carnivals, which has you launching Sonic, Tails, Cubot, and Orbot (if you can find the white balloon with a question mark) into the air to pop balloons to free animals and earn rings. Strangely, it also has a multiplayer features, one is a race between the virtual hedgehogs or have someone control an RC Vehicle, which are both strangely gone in the PC port. Two anti-gravity sections where you go upward and have to hold to jump button to go down. Sliding and Mach Speed segments also make a return. The fourth extra zone which has you jumping through, hitting the borders will kill you instantly. And a fun Tails level which has you controlling the Tornado as you head to the goal. Even the wisps return, like before, there are common and exclusive ones. The common wisps are the cyan, yellow, and indigo wisps. The cyan and yellow do the same as in Colors, transforming you into a laser and drill underground and underwater respectively. The indigo wisp is an asteroid that can absorb anything it comes intact similar to the Violet and Purple wisps. The exclusive ones are Green, Orange, Black, Crimson, and Magenta. Green wisp hovers and can do a light speed dash with Orange launching the player into the air. The Black wisp is a bomb that is quite difficult to use. The Crimson wisp turns you into an eagle and soars through the air. And the Magenta becomes a musical note that follows a pink dots. Plus an inventory feature allowing you to store and use items anytime. Items that return are Elemental Shields, Invincibility, Speed Up, and Wing Warp. The shields protect you from elements, or in the case of the regular shield, one free hit before your rings are lose. Invincibility which is in the name, makes you invincible. The speed up item increases your speed and acts as an automatic run, which makes me question it design a little. The Wing Warp allows you to skip a part of a level, they will also appear if you're having a hard time. You can only access the Black wisp through completing the DLC levels. Plus 1-ups, rings, and a sensor to help you find the red rings. With everything said, now I look at the control schemes. I'll start with the basics here with the main controls. The Run button is mapped to the Right Trigger/Z, Spin Dash mapped to the Left Trigger/Z, Jump to 'A' and 'B' buttons, and Roll with 'X' and 'Y' buttons. You can double jump by pressing jump in mid-air or homing attack when locked onto something. Kicking is similar except with the roll button, but you also bounce by pressing that same button in mid-air. Now I'm going into the advance stuff now, starting with the infinite spin dash or boost. Spin Dash needs to be held down to charge, then release, and quickly press and hold it down. You can speed it up by pressing the jump button. The parkour works when you run into a wall while holding down the run button. When on a wall, use the spin dash to increase the momentum allowing you to stay on the wall. Plus pressing the roll button when the spin dash is held down stops it, in case you'll say, accidentally spin dash to your death. Sorry about the long explanation, but the game doesn't explain the controls well. And if you don't know how to, it will harder to earn Super Sonic. Which brings me to the wisp, for the Wii U version, it has you using the Gamepad for Orange, Black, Crimson, and Magenta wisps. An update patch and PC version, allowing you to use normal controls or the analog stick. Sadly, if you use the Wii U version, the gamepad controls are still active. The carnival minigames are controlled via touch screen. The inventory is also used via touch screen, and with the port, you use the right analog stick, pressing it opens it, then you select an item using the right analog, then press to use it. Now to the collectables, with the red rings returning once again. Collecting all of them unlocks Super Sonic. A Bonus World is unlocked by completing the game. And there are unlockable RC Vehicles, which requires you to complete missions or collecting animals. I'll explain the missions, they're honestly achievements you get for doing certain actions such as collecting rings normally or with certain wisps, beating a boss, or collecting 1-ups. And the animals, which are required to move to the next level, luckily, they are easy to get. They are earned in levels, completing levels, or in the case of the Wii U, DLC stages and carnival minigames. You can also earn items for your inventory by completing DLC levels, after a while, or Miiverse (Not gonna say it, but you know). Which perfectly leads me into levels. I'll start with the DLC levels to get them out of the way. The NiGHTs theme level is on both versions, which is a simple boss rush, through it is the best way to earn tons upon tons of rings. And the two Nintendo exclusive DLC levels, Zelda and Yoshi. The Zelda level takes Sonic the land of Hyrule, this level is the best way to earn animals if you have the Wii U at least. And the Yoshi level that takes Sonic to Yoshi's island and is the best way to earn 1-ups if you're having trouble. Short note, I'm looking at the game after it been patch, before you couldn't get an extra life for collecting 100 rings, now you could through. The carnivals levels are filled with balloons, rings, and bumpers. Every zone except for Lava Mountain and Hidden World has a boss in every second and fourth level. I can excuse them for being easy since they appear at the end of the level, while can still be annoying appearing in the second act, I can't excuse the final Eggman boss. He can be defeated by two perfectly charged hits, three at best, unless you want to take your time. And it a Mach Speed level, which is pretty disappointing. The levels are designed in the following styles: tubular, 2D, flat, or grind only. Surprising how I didn't mention it being related to galaxy, but does it own things. Before I conclude, there are multiple paths, and if you want the red rings, you have to master the parkour as some of their locations requires it. Man that was long, but with all that said, let's take a look at the 3DS version of the game.