Sonic The Hedgehog – Sega Game Gear

When I offered to write a review for this site, I knew instantly what game I wanted to cover.  Sonic the Hedgehog as a franchise is especially close to my heart, but the 8-bit version especially is one that evokes some very special memories for me.  You see, my first experience of Sonic was not the   Megadrive/Genesis version, it was the GameGear one, albeit on the Sega Master System.  My sister and I would play this, huddled around the living room TV, trying to find those elusive Chaos Emeralds and defeat Dr Robotnik once and for all!

8-bit Sonic the Hedgehog games are an interesting breed. 

Developed specifically for the GameGear and sometimes ported to the Master System, they are generally unique experiences.  They may sometimes share the title of its 16-bit counterpart, but they are generally not the same game ported down and the first handheld Sonic game is no different.  

The developers, Ancient, set out to make a Sonic game that stood on its own, that wasn’t compromised by the limitations of the GameGear. Most of the core aspects are there, and only a few concessions have been made.  The loops that famously appear in Sonic on the Megadrive are no longer present and the levels are shorter, but the focus on exploration, rather than pure speed is obvious from the start.

After the title screen,

The player is thrust straight into the main game after a brief map showing your progress. The game follows a basic structure of 6 zones split into 3 acts, just like its Megadrive big brother.  However, there is a slight difference. Act 1 is largely speed based. They feel shorter and allow more for a quick blast through the level. In fact Green Hill zone act 1 can be so fast, that the game can’t keep up with the blue blur!  Act 2 focuses more on exploration.  The level design means you have less open spaces to stretch Sonic’s legs, forcing you to navigate tight paths or jump across moving platforms.  In the later stages, Scrap Brain zone in particular, the game takes on a more maze-like structure, forcing you to find the correct path through multiple routes and locked doors.  It’s largely in these more exploratory second acts that you will find the Chaos Emeralds. Unlike most Sonic games, these are hidden within the levels themselves rather than relying on beating a special stage. It’s worth noting that there is no requirement to find all 6 emeralds to beat the game and there is no Super Sonic (sad face), but hunting them down is fun and some are fairly well hidden.  

The difficulty curve in Sonic the Hedgehog, 

I feel is just right.  This is not a difficult game by any stretch of the imagination, but the later levels can provide a challenge for new players and there can be a few deaths along the way, but these never felt cheap.  If I died, It was because I messed up.  There are far less traps for Sonic to fall or run into compared to the Megadrive version.  Each zone ends in a boss fight naturally against Dr Robotnik. This is where the game is a touch lacking. The fights against Robotnik are a little too easy. It won’t take many attempts for most people to defeat the egg-shaped villain and I feel this could have been more challenging.

I don’t think anyone 

can deny however that Sonic on the GameGear looks fantastic!  Especially if you are playing it on a modded GameGear with an LCD or IPS display.  The colours pop off the screen and it all runs fairly smoothly. 

It’s here that there is some noticeable slowdown.  When there is a lot going on at any one time, the game can feel as if it is running in slow-motion.  Running across the falling bridges in Bridge zone or the second act of Sky base zone with multiple projectiles flying across the screen really pushes the GameGear to its limit.  But when it’s running well, the experience is fast, fluid and responsive and a joy to play.  The lightning effects in Sky Base zone are particularly impressive considering this is running on an 8-bit portable system.  I also need to acknowledge that the music in this version is excellent and given that it was developed by Yuzo Koshiro, that shouldn’t come as a surprise given his pedigree as a game composer. The tunes here will get stuck in your head for days.

So overall, 

how do I feel about this game now, in 2021? Does it still hold up?  I think the answer to that is a resounding yes.  I had a blast playing through this again and putting aside my obvious love of this game in particular, I genuinely think that this gives the 16-bit version of Sonic a run for its money. I was fully prepared to pick this game apart, but I can’t.  There are far more positives to it than negatives. Yes, it’s short, it’s pretty easy and can struggle with slowdown at times.  But, when you consider that in 1991, this was running on a handheld and could be played anywhere if you had enough batteries, I am willing to forgive those imperfections. Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega GameGear is a fun, well-made, beautifully designed portable Sonic game that deserves to be played by all Sonic and GameGear fans.  Highly recommended.