"Sonic CD," somehow the only Sonic game to be the funkiest and scariest. Sega CD technology is amazing.
“Sonic the Hedgehog CD” also known as “Sonic CD” was released for the Sega CD in 1993. The Sega CD was an accessory for the Sega Genesis to allow usage of CDs and more space for games. “Sonic CD” was its flagship title.
The general opinion on “Sonic CD” is confusing, at least for me. Some people consider it to be one of the best Sonic games, while others argue it’s one of the worst Sonic games. I had no idea what to expect going into it compared to the previous Sonic games.
For this review, I played the Christian Whitehead Version on Steam. It's both a port and remaster of “Sonic CD.”
Story (B-)
In “Sonic CD,” Sonic is trying to stop Dr. Robotnik from getting the Time Stones on Little Planet, a literal little planet that visits Earth every year, that Dr. Robotnik trapped on Earth.
With the Time Stones Dr. Robotnik could control time itself. He could uninvent chili dogs if he wanted to, the mad lad.
Along the way, Sonic must save Amy Rose, a pink hedgehog that gets kidnapped by Dr. Robotnik’s latest and greatest creation, Metal Sonic.
We get a bit more story and while it isn’t much, the setting and new characters are cool.
Presentation (S)
The zones look phenomenal, with four different versions depending on which time Sonic is in. The bad future versions give a feeling of dread, while the good future versions are uplifting.
Still has the blue-sky problem in the first zone though. Why is this inconsistency so consistent?
The game has 3D capabilities, such as in the title screen, which are sometimes an acid trip because of it.
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The game also sparks an amazing intro animation from Toei Animation’s Studio Junio for the game. On the original Sega CD, it was choppier due to hardware limitations. Despite that, it still looks good on the CD.
The Christian Whitehead version has the video in its full quality.
The in-game animations and designs are the same as before, fantastic all around. One lovely change is that enemies drop flowers when defeated instead of releasing animals.
However, unlike its predecessors, “Sonic CD” sports CD-quality audio. Sound effects have a lot more punch and the soundtrack uses real instruments.
Both the JP and US soundtracks are solid: with songs like Sonic Boom, Metallic Madness Present on the US side and Wacky Workbench Bad Future and Stardust Speedway Bad Future on the JP side being my personal favourites.
The past tracks use a built-in sound chip in the Mega CD due to CD space limitations. This is quite clever since this makes the past tracks feel like the past due to the built-in sound chip having the same capabilities as the Sega Genesis.
Gameplay (A)
“Sonic CD” has a lot of similar changes to “Sonic 2” but even more.
First, Sonic has a new move: The Super Peel Out. By pressing jump and up at the same time, he can charge up a faster but more vulnerable version of the spin dash.
It’s a cool addition but a bit unnecessary since the spin dash accomplishes the same thing with less risks.
Miles “Tails” Prower returns as a playable character in the Christian Whitehead version when the player beats the game.
Tails can fly and swim, which was originally added in “Sonic 3.” This makes Tails rewarding to unlock in CD as his flying adds a lot.
The special stage changed again too, from a halfpipe to destroying U.F.O.’s. To get to them Sonic/Tails needs 50 rings at the end of the stage and to jump into a giant floating ring, exactly like “Sonic 1.”
In the special stage, Sonic/Tails moves in a 3D space and must destroy a set number of U.F.O's in 100 seconds by jumping into them.
However, running in the water quickly decreases precious time. If all the U.F.O’s are destroyed, a time stone is collected. Getting all seven Time Stones is one of two ways to get the good ending.
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There are also bonus U.F.O.s that just give extra time when destroyed but don’t count to the overall tally, that’s a bit annoying.
The special stages are a ton of fun, but the reward is akin to "Sonic 1," where you get the good ending. Which isn’t as great as “Sonic 2” where the player got Super Sonic.
There is also an extras menu where the cutscenes can be viewed; a sound test for listening to the soundtrack and sound effects, with secret pictures with the right numbers inputted; the DA Garden that I’m not sure what it’s for; and a stage select.
These are all cool features, although the DA Garden feels like another sound test. The sound test itself seems to glitch out though, When the special pictures are found, I couldn’t exit out of them nor the game without windowing out of it.
Some other general additions include a game over if Sonic is left idle for three minutes, even if the player has more than one live left, which is funny. There is also a save feature built into the game, which is quite handy. Finally, there are no continues. With the save feature, that isn’t much of a problem though.
As for the zones, I’d argue this is the best selection yet. I like every stage, Wacky Workbench and Quartz Quadrant being my favourites.
Although, Wacky Workbench is usually hated for understandable reasons since some gimmicks can be annoying. Some would even say… Wacky, and I revel in the wackiness.
The levels are built around exploration, which makes the levels a joy to explore and play through.
The zones also have three acts again, with the third act being a minizone and boss. The third acts work well here compared to “Sonic 1” since the third zone is either a victory lap or a failure lap depending on the future you get.
The bosses themselves are good too, they can be short and easy, but they never feel as though they drag on.
Metal Sonic specifically is the best boss in the classic series for being a race with the doppelganger that tests the player reaction time and speed. He's tough in a good way.
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Finally, there’s a time attack mode for the acts and special stages which is how the extras are unlocked. It’s a great and satisfying addition as you get better times on each stage.
There’s even a leaderboard system on the Christian Whitehead version from players all over Steam, although there are a lot of 0:00 times, which can take some fun away from it.
Overa-
Sigh, as much as I'd love for that to be it, there is one major thing in "Sonic CD" I can't ignore, that being the time travel mechanic.
Another way to get the good ending of “Sonic CD” is to travel to the past in each first and second act of each zone and destroy the Robot Transporters and Metal Sonic Projectors to get all of the good futures for the good ending.
Bad future stages have more enemies, while good future stages are free of enemies.
To travel to the past, the player needs to find a past post and keep their momentum long enough to time travel, vice versa for Future Signposts. If the momentum stops, Sonic loses the ability to time travel until the player finds another signpost.
Think “Back to the Future” logic with traveling through time.
On paper, it’s not a bad idea, the levels are built around exploration and time traveling is a novel idea.
The problem is getting to the past.
Things get in the way in almost every level that interrupt the momentum all the time, resulting in frustratingly searching the level for how to get to the past without interruptions.
Not to mention, if the player does screw up, they must find a Past Signpost to try again. There's a limited amount too and each signpost is one-use only.
On top of that, transporters and projectors can be a pain to find in each first and second act, and even make some levels chores as a result. Levels like Metallic Madness, while they don’t have the projectors, aren’t built with backtracking in mind to get the transporters. If they’re missed, you have to restart the level.
On top of the topping, there is a ten-minute time limit per level! This was present in the previous games, but none of the levels were ever long enough to reach it. “Sonic CD’s” levels are that long when finding the projectors and transporters however, and if a timeout occurs, that’s a lost life.
It feels like the game makes things needlessly aggravating for the player. Levels barely feel designed with the time mechanics in mind. I recommend flat out ignoring the time travel altogether to save any headaches, because the time travel and transporters turn this game into a frustrating nightmare.
It’s shocking a core mechanic brings down the game so hard.
Overall (A+)
“Sonic CD” is a weird one. I feel it nails the visual, sound the music, the gameplay, the levels, and is very impressive for 1993… Except the time travel mechanic and the transporters, one of the most crucial parts.
I enjoyed my time with CD a lot and consider it a ton of fun, it’s my favourite classic Sonic game so far.
However, being technical, “Sonic 2” is better because at least the only bad part was one zone. In “Sonic CD” it’s an entire mechanic that lingers throughout the entire game even if it can be ignored.
With “Sonic CD” finished, it’s time to throw the computer away and head back to the Sega Genesis, a.k.a. the Nintendo DS for "Sonic 3."
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