Title: Sonic: Lost World
Format: Wii U(reviewed), 3DS
Release Date: October 22, 2013
Publisher: SEGA
Developer: Sonic Team
Price: $49.99
ESRB Rating: E
The once lovable blue Hedgehog has gone through a rough couple of years, with one disappointing title after the next. Sonic: Lost World was prepping up to be the revival that the iconic Sega mascot needed, unfortunately it doesn't come close to it's goals.
Story and Presentation:
These past few titles coming from the Sonic Team haven't featured the most elaborated stories told featuring the charming hedgehog, and Sonic: Lost World follows that same stigma. Usually, in these types of games, you only get bits and pieces of narratives. But in Lost World, the game constantly throws narrative at you. If the story wasn't so bad, it wouldn't be as annoying, since the game forcefully throws it's story at you. The visuals and audio performance are a huge step up from the game's narrative. Sonic explores a wide array of zones that has clearly taken inspiration from past games, and other popular Nintendo titles such as Mario Galaxy. A lot of people and reviewers alike have brought up comparisons to Mario Galaxy, and I can see why. The game is split up in different zones thats very reminiscent of the different world in Super Mario Galaxy, visually speaking of course. The game does look really good, this is easily one of the better looking games on the Wii U, and who doesn't want Sonic in HD? The music is just as fast paced as before, but the voice acting falls flat. There are a lot of new voice actors for existing characters, and they just come off as bland. They don't add any extra personality to the many characters that are present in the Lost World. Overall, the presentation is a mixed bag.
Core Gameplay: Sonic: Lost World is the first game in the series to run at a fully locked 60fps, and it's one of the few cases of a developer taking advantage of the extra horsepower in the Wii U. Sadly, the developers don't use this to make the game fun in anyway. Lost World's level are designed for exploration, with multiple pathways to take. This may seem like a new and fresh take on the series, but Sonic has always been about speed. When you take out the thrill of running at a high velocity, it just doesn't feel like a Sonic game. As a long time fan of Sonic, I know he was never the precise platformer around, and in Lost World he's kinda taken a step back. He doesn't accelerate as quickly as he used to, and even while dashing, he just didn't feel like he was at top speed. Sonic doesn't accelerate anymore while jumping, so you'll have to use the double jump that was introduced in Sonic Colors. There's a lot more wall jumping this time around, and the levels reflect the emphasis on this mechanic. It's not as precise as I'd want it to be, he constantly jumps to walls that I wasn't aiming for, which can become a real headache at times. All to often throughout the game, I never experienced the sense of speed that I've come to love from the long running series. There are those times of high speed set pieces, but since you're not in control at those times, that doesn't really help.
Final Thoughts:
In the end, Sonic: Lost World captures the unique aesthetic of a Sonic game, but the gameplay fails to excite. Only the utmost hardcore fans of Sonic will find enjoyment here. This isn't the best start to Sega's new relationship with Nintendo, hopefully future games will fare better. S&S Rating: 6/10 @whatsPlay
