Sonic has been one of the most popular characters in videogames ever since he was invented in the early '90s. But Sonic is also been one of the most over-milked mascots ever, and most of the blue hedgehog's recent games do little to remind us of the great titles Sega spoiled us with in Sonic's glory days. Sonic Unleashed, which we had the opportunity to put our hands on at the Games Convention in Leipzig, looks like a good game. Sonic fans might finally be seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.
The game is split into day and night levels, and the gameplay is very different between the two parts. Actually, it felt like we were playing two different games. The developers explained that the game will explore "the Yin and Yang of Sonic," his good and bad sides, his traditional nature opposite to something darker that appears only at night.
The daytime levels are based on traditional speed. You will see Sonic running as fast as he can (which is pretty fast!) and using his new ability to boost his speed up to 300mph, with a pretty nice blur effect when it happens. Our favorite hedgehog will be able to grind rails, as usual, and to quickly interact with the environment while he runs towards the end of the level. We saw him speeding on water and jumping on rotating platforms, and also triggering some "quick timer events" while running or sliding. For example, you'll be asked to quickly push some buttons in time to avoid obstacles while running, or to choose the right rail to slide on (in a very similar way to some of the craziest levels in Rayman 3).
The nighttime levels are not all completed yet, but we were able to play one of them at the Games Convention too. As we previously said, the night is very different from the day. If the day is about speed, the night is about fighting. In fact, Dr. Eggman used the emeralds to place a curse on Sonic, so that each night he changes into a lycanthrope. A "werehog," if you want to be specific.
Sonic the werehog can't rely on his usual speed anymore, but he can fight against hordes of enemies thanks to his super strength and to arms that can now stretch in order to grab ledges, avoid dangerous falls, or reach higher platforms. Of course, you can also use your stretchable arms to grab and smash enemies with great satisfaction. The gameplay in the night is very different from what we are used to seeing in a Sonic game. The control system changes from the day, and the gameplay feels like a combination of Ratchet & Clank and Dynasty Warrior. You will have to explore, smash objects and bash enemies with nice combos to proceed.
Both day and night levels are based on real locations, the first ones on European countries, the later ones on a Chinese environment, with a very atmospheric reproduction of the Great Wall. The visuals are nice and crisp, with sweet effects, and the new Hedgehog Engine does its work just fine in bringing Sonic to life on PS3 and Xbox 360. The game will come also out on Wii, with the same engine but lesser graphics.
Graphics are good, controls are perfect, but the framerate needs some more adjustment. During the daytime levels we played in Leipzig it sometimes fell. Still, we're pretty sure that Sega will finally give us a good Sonic game again, and we'll know for sure when Unleashed hits the shelves this fall.
