Review: Sonic Lost World

Sonic Info
Sonicstory
Sonic Lost World follows the journey of Sonic, and the struggles he faces as he tries to defeat Doctor Eggman. The evil Doctor has captured several of Sonic’s animal friends. Pursuing Eggman, Sonic and Tails crash land on a world in the sky which is known as the Lost Hex. Doctor Eggman has seen it in his best interest to enlist the help of the world’s indigenous Zeti race, who are known as the Deadly Six. The main charters are all really charismatic in this game, but unfortunately the villains falls short, ending up as generic antagonists. The story itself holds up quite well in terms of the Sonic series but it’s definitely not as great as earlier Sonic games.

sonic presentation
The latest entry into the Sonic franchise can be commended for its presentation. The CG cutscenes look absolutely stunning and the voice acting, though cheesy, is still acceptable. The game itself looks absolutely radiant, which is to be expected with such a bright and colourful game. It’s not the most amazing looking game, but thankfully the art style saves it.

Sonic Screen1
The game looks absolutely great when in motion and runs without too many hiccups. It’s when you stop and look at the environment that things don’t look so great. It’s not such a big issue, because you’ll be going at speeds quicker than your eyes can discern for most of the time, but once you stop, it’s there. The sound track is a pleasant companion to the fast-paced gameplay. It’s catchy without being too repetitive, but it’s unlikely that it’ll stay in your mind for too long after completing the game.

sonic gameplay
The minute I began playing Sonic Lost world, I instantly felt that the team were inspired by Mario Galaxy. This is obvious in the fact that you’re essentially traversing through different floating worlds. It never feels like it’s a straight copy though, due to the fact that the platforming aspects of each game are completely different.

There is a good variety of stages. You’ll find your usual Sonic stages such as those that thrust you through the level faster than you can take notice. There is also a nice mix of old-school platforming levels. The game is definitely at it’s creative best when it slows things down a bit and allows you to explore the level.

RELATED:  Alpha Protocol Is Back After Being Removed From Digital Stores Nearly Five Years Ago

The problems really start to come with Sonic Lost World when you start to tackle some of the longer, faster paced 3D levels. This is when you realise that the controls really let this game down. The main difficulties come from the new running and jumping control scheme. It’s in no way intuitive and really doesn’t feel all that good. The other man issue is the new lock-on mechanic. Locking on to your enemy when jumping feels absolutely horrible and really just breaks the momentum the game should have aimed to deliver.

sonic screen2
Unfortunately, this game doesn’t hold your hand in any instance, as there are absolutely no sort of tutorial levels that teach you these new mechanics. They do feel more natural with practice, but it still just ends up feeling too clunky to save the game. It’s a real shame because the level design in Sonic Lost World is absolutely incredible. It’s more inventive than any Sonic game that has come before it and quite frankly, it’s more creative than most platformers these days.

The Wii U version supports co-operative multiplayer. Whilst in this mode a second player can control a remote controller vehicle in order to assist Sonic. It also features competitive multiplayer which has you racing against the other player. Miiverse support is also included which allows you to exchange Wisps or shields. The Off-TV play is to be as expected.

sonic conclusion

Sonic Lost World is the best HD Sonic game without doubt. Unfortunately, it’s let down by wonky controls that most won’t be patient enough to put up with. Regardless, the level design is incredible, which is more than enough of a reason to play through the game at least once.

Sonicend