The year is 1990. After the 8-bit Master System failed to gain much attention in the US, Sega is now enjoying a new-found status in the home console market as a relevant hardware developer thanks to their 16-bit Genesis console. It proved itself to be a competent competitor against the Nintendo Entertainment System with home ports of arcade hits like Altered Beast, Golden Axe, and Strider. It was also home to great console exclusives such as Phanstasy Star II, The Revenge of Shinobi, and Thunder Force II. But despite the rising success of the Genesis, Sega knew that something was still missing. They needed a mascot that would perfectly represent what the Genesis was all about. Alex Kidd hadn’t aged too well and never quite gave Super Mario the run for his money they were hoping for. It was time for a replacement; and Sega turned to their AM-8 team to get it done.
After deciding to go with a hedgehog as the new mascot, character designer Naoto Oshima along with Yuji Naka (programmer), Hirokazu Yasuhara (designer) and their 5-person team (renamed “Sonic Teamâ€) created Sonic the Hedgehog-- the fastest hedgehog the world had yet to see. One year later on June 23, 1991, it was time for Sonic to make his debut. And his first stop was the USA.
This was the game that made me sit up and pay attention to the Sega Genesis. I still remember that fateful summer afternoon watching TV with my brother and sister. Suddenly, a 30-second commercial come on that forever changed my life. Seeing Sonic effortlessly run through that loop, transition into a rolling ball, and taunt the mean old lady criticizing him made quite an impression on me. I officially had to have a Genesis. Sega’s mission was now complete. A brave new world was underway.
Our story begins with Dr. Ivo Robotnik. He’s a rotund red mustached mad scientist with some less than noble intentions for the animals around him. He’s snatching them up and turning them into evil robot slaves that plans to use for wold domination...or something like that anyway. Enter Sonic-- the hedgehog with a spiked haircut, power sneakers, and above all else, a bad attitude (or at least roughly surly when standing still). He has made it his mission to free his friends from fiendish captivity and thwart the vile plans of Dr. Robotnik.
The biggest element that made this game unique was its fast pace and Sonic’s attitude. He could zip through the carefully designed zones at [then] unheard of speeds. The zones often have springs, slopes, steep falls, and loops that further assist Sonic to reach higher places and greater speeds. And in contrast to the “nice guy†happy-go-lucky persona of Mario, Sonic exhibited a slightly tougher exterior. While definitely heroic, Sonic gave off a self-assured, slightly cocky persona that you couldn’t help but admire...even if you were a fan of Nintendo’s Italian plumber like me. If Sonic stands still for more than a few seconds, he’ll impatiently look at you while tapping his foot, letting you know that doesn’t take too kindly to idly waiting. These little details worked well in Sega’s favor by giving Sonic a distinct personality instead of being a mere rip-off of what was popular at the time.
The gameplay is based on momentum physics, which meant that Sonic’s speed and momentum could often be used to his advantage. For instance, if he’s going down a steep hill while using his spin-attack, he’ll greatly increase in speed and easily destroy any vulnerable enemies in his path. And despite Sonic’s ability to blaze through different areas, the controls felt spot on. He responds well when you need to change directions or quickly jump over a chasm or a set of spikes.
Throughout each zone you collect rings which protect him from losing a life as long he has at least one ring in his possession. I remember playing this for the time and being pleasantly surprised to discover that Sonic could still gain some of his rings back if he lost them after colliding with an enemy or hazard obstacle, rather than all of his rings being a lost cause at that point.  There are also monitors strewn about each zone that contain helpful items for the blue hero as well. Some of them contain 10 extra rings, speed shoes (which allow him to run twice as fast), a shield, Invincibility, or a 1-Up.
There are a total of 6 zones. Each zone is split up into 3 sections or “actsâ€. Every 3rd “act†ends with a battle with Dr. Robotnik. And he’s always using a new contraption or gimmick to try and defeat you. I always found him to be one of the more interesting antagonists in video games because it reminds me of the antics of Wile E. Coyote vs. Road Runner -- always using advanced technical contrivances to subdue his much-to-fast-for-him prey. I liked how, once defeated, Dr. Robotnik briefly turns red and he scurries away having suffered a face full of fail.
The zones themselves are well designed and highlight Sonic’s strengths and weaknesses. For example, stages like Green Hill and Star Light Zone plays to his strength of speed and agility and are fairly easy. Conversely, underwater sections like the Labyrinth Zone can be bit tougher since Sonic moves slower in water. Also, you run the risk of drowning unless you find him oxygen bubbles. Speaking of which, no game ever gave me the fear of drowning my character like this did thanks to the panic music that plays when he only has 5 seconds to go before he drowns. I guess I assumed that all video game mascots could hold their breath indefinitely. Well, with Sonic, I learned the cold truth. To this day, Labyrinth and act 3 of Scrap Brain Zone are the only sections that I try to rush through as quickly as possible.
In addition to freeing his friends of Dr. Robotnik’s control and battling Robotnik himself, Sonic can also attempt to collect the 6 Chaos Emeralds in the game’s bonus stages by jumping into a huge ring at the end of the first and second act of the current zone. These bonus stages are quite interesting themselves because they constantly rotate and are littered with pinball-esque bumpers that bounce you all over the place. In order to grab a Chaos Emerald, you have to penetrate jeweled barrier surrounding it and also avoid the “goal†walls that will force you to exit the bonus round. It’s a deceptively simple requirement that can prove to be quite challenging with each attempt. But it super fun nevertheless.
Remember the original line of Genesis consoles that displayed the “High Definition Graphics†logo on them? Well Sonic the Hedgehog certainly did that label justice. The game had more colors in it than in older Genesis titles and ran silky smooth without any hiccups to speak of. The game simply looked gorgeous. Just by looking at the title screen you could tell that you were in for a good time. Each zone’s background was well detailed with scenic overlooks, ancient ruins, urban building, and smog-spewing industrial factories. The attention to detail packed into the game was impressive to say the least.
The music was another major factor in Sonic the Hedgehog being well received. The entire soundtrack was composed by Masato Nakamuraâ€"a member of the J-Pop band Dreams Come True. The music in the game is consistently good all throughout and compels you to want to play through the rest just to hear all the tunes that game has to offer. My favorite zones are Green Hill, Spring Yard, Star Light, and Scrap Brian, just for their music alone, not to mention the fun level designs of each zone. Interestingly, you get treated to a mini-mix of each level’s music during the end creditsâ€"probably the first time it was done in a video game (correct me if I’m wrong). It was nice bonus for me once I finished the game for the first time.
Sonic the Hedgehog was a spectacular masterpiece that made history in several ways. Sonic was the first mascot character to reasonably give the Super Mario Brothers a run for their money. The Sega Genesis console skyrocketed in popularity and relevance. As a result, it motivated Nintendo to coax the Super NES out of hiding and onto store shelves months later, bringing about the one of the most fearsome console wars we had then witnessed. Sega understood that if they wanted to have a fair shot at beating Mario, they couldn’t have a mascot trying to be Mario. And on a personal note, Sonic the Hedgehog the game that taught me that Nintendo wasn’t only system with something good to offer.
Finding this game is very easy these days. In addition to the original cartridge, you can download it on the Wii Virtual Console and Xbox Live Arcade. It’s also available on Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (which includes Sonic 2 & 3 along with lots of other Genesis games). If love old school platformers and have never played this one before, do yourself a favor and get it. You’ll thank me later.
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