This is the second piece in Mama Robotnik's Sega Obscura ResetEra Series:
Sega Obscura 1 - The Sega Saturn was the best console EVER for…
Sega Obscura 2 - Sonic 1 (8-bit) is a better game than Sonic 1 (16-bit)
Sega Obscura 3 - The first "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" released hates Sonic, and hates us all
Sega Obscura 4 - The Eleven SEGA "Zeldas"
Sega Obscura 5 - The extraordinary Sega game that played the player
Sega Obscura 6 - The ambitious Sonic game from 2009 that you will never, ever get to play
Sega Obscura 7 - When Sega took on Zelda, they really went for the jugular
Sega Obscura 8 - The most consistent sequence of fuckups in the entirety of the history of video games
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Master System came out five months after the Mega Drive/Genesis original. Developed by The Ancient Corp, the game took inspiration from its 16-bit counterpart but also did a number of things quite differently.
My personal view – The Ancient Corp produced a game that I prefer to the original. I know this is definitely a view not generally accepted. So, I'm going to evidence my reasoning, through the mediums of words and GIFs.
Platforming Paradise
Sonic 8-bit is designed differently to its 16-bit equivalent. There's less speed and bouncing through multiple routes, and instead more focus on jumping and platforming. This Mario-like approach really appeals to me – the game demands precision and patience from the player, in a way atypical for the franchise.
Simply put, the gameplay and level design really stands out for me.
Altered Acts
Sonic 8-bit is determined to extract the maximum potential from its zones, in a way distinct from the 16-bit game. The second act of Green Hill Zone shakes things up by taking the player into the flooded caverns beneath the green garden. The second act of Jungle Zone is an ascent to the top of a colossal waterfall. The second act of Scrap Brain takes place in a puzzle of teleportation devices. All three acts of the Sky Base have completely different tilesets and approaches.
While the 16-bit game has two really great zones – Green Hill and Star Light – I find the rest meandering compared to the more focussed entries on the Master System.
Brutal Bosses
Sonic 8-bit doesn't give you rings for the boss acts. There's no room for error – simply throwing yourself at Doctor Robotnik expecting protection from rings will get you killed.
The player must apply themselves – they must patiently study the boss patterns, and attack at the right moment. This might not appeal to the pace expected by most Sonic fans - but they worked really well for me.
Emerald Exploration
Sonic 8-bit does something different with its six Chaos Emeralds. They are hidden in the levels, and sometimes require patient exploration to track down. The game expects you to use those oft-forgotten features - looking up and looking down – to spot these secrets. A few of their hiding places: a low cliff below a bridge, a rocky hole found by navigating backwards through the waters beneath the jungle level, within a spike pit, in a secret chamber in Doctor Robotnik's teleportation maze, and at the bow of a great airship.
Each act also contains a single extra life, also hidden in a tricky place. The game goads you to explore each and every level for secrets, in a way that its 16-bit counterpart does not.
This focus on exploration finds a place even in the fast and bouncy bonus stages. The player has limited time in this surreal realm, and if they don't get to the end of the area, they lose all that they had gained. Each has a Continue monitor – finding this often takes the player on a diversion away from the goal – forcing risky exploration that Sonic might not return from before the countdown exhuasts itself.
Joined Journey
Sonic 8-bit provides a world map, an unexpected feature which contextualises the adventure. Where the 16-bit game provides a selection of disjointed, disconnected zones, the Master System version of the game takes us on a joined journey.
Towards the end of the Green Hill Zone, Sonic ascends a literal hill. From its top, his journey across the great bridges (Bridge Zone) begins. The hedgehog journeys alongside the rapid rivers leading to the great river jungle (Jungle Zone). We then climb a great waterfall with stone blocks, hinting at a structure within the mountain. The top of the waterfall takes us into an ancient ruin (Labyrinth Zone). While the waters within are clear, the flows from above are green and polluted. Breaching the top of the ruins takes us to the lair of the island's defiler, the monstrous Doctor Robotnik and his Scrap Brain Zone,
Which leads us to…
Epic Endgame
Sonic 8-bit tells the complete story of Sonic 1. On the Mega Drive/Genesis, the game ends as Doctor Robotnik is defeated in the Scrap Brain Zone.
Here, something very different happens. The evil Doctor flees the facility, revealing the means by which he assaulted the island – the formidable Sky Base Zone. The airship is suspended in a storm, protected from infiltration by an enormous electrical array. Behind the lightning field is the vessel itself, a battery of weapons and war. At its heart, the sanctum of the villain, an electrical nightmare chamber.
This feels like the bombastic endgame that the 16-bit game lacks. The final levels are exciting, with new dangers, peril and all the while supported with spectacular, spectacular music. Sonic 8-bit ends by throwing the best the game has to offer at us.
Resounding Restoration
Sonic 8-bit gives us something lacking on the Mega Drive/Genesis – an actual meaningful ending.
With the six Chaos Emeralds collected, Sonic releases them into the skies. The artifacts spin around the island, their mysterious powers cleansing the place of Robotnik's evil taint. His factory is erased and the pollutants cleansed. The world map – our companion between every level – is employed to show the value of our victory.
Never again was Sonic able to so totally eradicate Robotnik's evil.
Forgotten Forefather
Sonic 8-bit is often overlooked for the impact it had on the franchise. The game gave us much:
-The airship trope
-Access to the chaos emeralds through secrets within levels
-Zones connected by a loose narrative
-Distinct visual and gameplay differences between act 1/act 2
Conclusion
I love Sonic 8-bit. The game has always been in the shadow of its more popular, more recognisable 16-bit brother. But it absolutely deserves its moment in the spotlight, for being an exciting and very well-designed platformer. I prefer it to the Mega Drive/Genesis version, and while most might disagree, I hope the above illustrates just where I'm coming from.
What a great game!
Acknowledgements
The GIFs use footage from these videos: 1, 2, and 3.
Sega Obscura 1 - The Sega Saturn was the best console EVER for…
Sega Obscura 2 - Sonic 1 (8-bit) is a better game than Sonic 1 (16-bit)
Sega Obscura 3 - The first "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" released hates Sonic, and hates us all
Sega Obscura 4 - The Eleven SEGA "Zeldas"
Sega Obscura 5 - The extraordinary Sega game that played the player
Sega Obscura 6 - The ambitious Sonic game from 2009 that you will never, ever get to play
Sega Obscura 7 - When Sega took on Zelda, they really went for the jugular
Sega Obscura 8 - The most consistent sequence of fuckups in the entirety of the history of video games
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sonic the Hedgehog on the Sega Master System came out five months after the Mega Drive/Genesis original. Developed by The Ancient Corp, the game took inspiration from its 16-bit counterpart but also did a number of things quite differently.
My personal view – The Ancient Corp produced a game that I prefer to the original. I know this is definitely a view not generally accepted. So, I'm going to evidence my reasoning, through the mediums of words and GIFs.
Platforming Paradise
Sonic 8-bit is designed differently to its 16-bit equivalent. There's less speed and bouncing through multiple routes, and instead more focus on jumping and platforming. This Mario-like approach really appeals to me – the game demands precision and patience from the player, in a way atypical for the franchise.
Simply put, the gameplay and level design really stands out for me.
Altered Acts
Sonic 8-bit is determined to extract the maximum potential from its zones, in a way distinct from the 16-bit game. The second act of Green Hill Zone shakes things up by taking the player into the flooded caverns beneath the green garden. The second act of Jungle Zone is an ascent to the top of a colossal waterfall. The second act of Scrap Brain takes place in a puzzle of teleportation devices. All three acts of the Sky Base have completely different tilesets and approaches.
While the 16-bit game has two really great zones – Green Hill and Star Light – I find the rest meandering compared to the more focussed entries on the Master System.
Brutal Bosses
Sonic 8-bit doesn't give you rings for the boss acts. There's no room for error – simply throwing yourself at Doctor Robotnik expecting protection from rings will get you killed.
The player must apply themselves – they must patiently study the boss patterns, and attack at the right moment. This might not appeal to the pace expected by most Sonic fans - but they worked really well for me.
Emerald Exploration
Sonic 8-bit does something different with its six Chaos Emeralds. They are hidden in the levels, and sometimes require patient exploration to track down. The game expects you to use those oft-forgotten features - looking up and looking down – to spot these secrets. A few of their hiding places: a low cliff below a bridge, a rocky hole found by navigating backwards through the waters beneath the jungle level, within a spike pit, in a secret chamber in Doctor Robotnik's teleportation maze, and at the bow of a great airship.
Each act also contains a single extra life, also hidden in a tricky place. The game goads you to explore each and every level for secrets, in a way that its 16-bit counterpart does not.
This focus on exploration finds a place even in the fast and bouncy bonus stages. The player has limited time in this surreal realm, and if they don't get to the end of the area, they lose all that they had gained. Each has a Continue monitor – finding this often takes the player on a diversion away from the goal – forcing risky exploration that Sonic might not return from before the countdown exhuasts itself.
Joined Journey
Sonic 8-bit provides a world map, an unexpected feature which contextualises the adventure. Where the 16-bit game provides a selection of disjointed, disconnected zones, the Master System version of the game takes us on a joined journey.
Towards the end of the Green Hill Zone, Sonic ascends a literal hill. From its top, his journey across the great bridges (Bridge Zone) begins. The hedgehog journeys alongside the rapid rivers leading to the great river jungle (Jungle Zone). We then climb a great waterfall with stone blocks, hinting at a structure within the mountain. The top of the waterfall takes us into an ancient ruin (Labyrinth Zone). While the waters within are clear, the flows from above are green and polluted. Breaching the top of the ruins takes us to the lair of the island's defiler, the monstrous Doctor Robotnik and his Scrap Brain Zone,
Which leads us to…
Epic Endgame
Sonic 8-bit tells the complete story of Sonic 1. On the Mega Drive/Genesis, the game ends as Doctor Robotnik is defeated in the Scrap Brain Zone.
Here, something very different happens. The evil Doctor flees the facility, revealing the means by which he assaulted the island – the formidable Sky Base Zone. The airship is suspended in a storm, protected from infiltration by an enormous electrical array. Behind the lightning field is the vessel itself, a battery of weapons and war. At its heart, the sanctum of the villain, an electrical nightmare chamber.
This feels like the bombastic endgame that the 16-bit game lacks. The final levels are exciting, with new dangers, peril and all the while supported with spectacular, spectacular music. Sonic 8-bit ends by throwing the best the game has to offer at us.
Resounding Restoration
Sonic 8-bit gives us something lacking on the Mega Drive/Genesis – an actual meaningful ending.
With the six Chaos Emeralds collected, Sonic releases them into the skies. The artifacts spin around the island, their mysterious powers cleansing the place of Robotnik's evil taint. His factory is erased and the pollutants cleansed. The world map – our companion between every level – is employed to show the value of our victory.
Never again was Sonic able to so totally eradicate Robotnik's evil.
Forgotten Forefather
Sonic 8-bit is often overlooked for the impact it had on the franchise. The game gave us much:
-The airship trope
-Access to the chaos emeralds through secrets within levels
-Zones connected by a loose narrative
-Distinct visual and gameplay differences between act 1/act 2
Conclusion
I love Sonic 8-bit. The game has always been in the shadow of its more popular, more recognisable 16-bit brother. But it absolutely deserves its moment in the spotlight, for being an exciting and very well-designed platformer. I prefer it to the Mega Drive/Genesis version, and while most might disagree, I hope the above illustrates just where I'm coming from.
What a great game!
Acknowledgements
The GIFs use footage from these videos: 1, 2, and 3.
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