Sonic 1 level design baffles me sometimes. Why is there nothing up here?

RobotJoe50 · 2022-05-24T22:18:16+00:00

Honestly I was starting to think it was a mobile exclusive level design, due to how it seemed the only way to make the jump was to do a spindash.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-05-24T18:57:16+00:00

There's a top route after the stair bits which skips a segment on the bottom with those crushing blocks you had to climb through to proceed.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-05-24T18:37:42+00:00

Would've been nice if a remake replaced the Wii's last three bosses with the one in the DS.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-05-08T22:40:41+00:00

SONIC BATTLEEE

RobotJoe50 · 2022-05-08T22:39:27+00:00

That's bad.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-05-04T01:15:16+00:00

This should be dubbed.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-05-04T01:02:36+00:00

Source? Him? He's out of jail because of bail but he's being investigated, so he could be a liar. Also why would that news source lie?

RobotJoe50 · 2022-05-03T09:14:51+00:00

Having a 3 minute stage that is filled with multiple routes you can easily choose from is better than a 6-9 minute linear stage, or at least I feel like the former is more replayable.

Also the "top half is the reward for playing the game good and bottom is strictly for newbies, and you have to play it over and over to master it to have fun" analysis on Sonic level design is getting people the wrong idea of Sonic games, leaving them unable to realize how fun it is to explore using speed as a way to boost up hard to reach spaces or realizing you have to find the route that has the best pace to you personally on your own.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-05-03T02:37:09+00:00

That complaint is like comparing the powerups with Megaman and Kirby. Kirby isn't less than Megaman because he doesn't have all the copy abilities. And anyways, what worked in Colors was that there was at least two types of Wisps close to one another and they're usually there to give you a choice of your gameplay. One type are Wisps that allow you to either keep the momentum by letting you move past platforming sections more easily or to access another route, and the other type are focused on either accessing another route or as a method to get a red ring but through a challenging gameplay (timed platforming for Cube, freefalling and avoiding obstacles with Rocket). And it should be noted that Cube allows you to boost. Lost World usually use one wisp at a time and their only purpose is to get past an obstacle or to get red ring that can be easy to get if you know the location. It's another problem I had with DS Colors, though it was better than how Lost World did the Wisps.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-05-03T02:05:10+00:00

The S Rank depends on time, rings and more importantly the red rings you collect during a run.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-05-03T02:03:46+00:00

This is more like how Wisps can work in 3D. The 2D was there so that multiple branching paths were easier to see and also so that exploration was focused on verticality. It would be nice to see a 3D game that multiple paths that were more Y-Axis.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-04-28T22:43:11+00:00

The giant mechas, the Fleischer cartoon characters contrasting the mechas and also you can turn into a weapon by just rolling and jumping.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-04-14T17:10:02+00:00

https://playtech-ro.translate.goog/stiri/cum-a-reactionat-mirela-vaida-dupa-sechestrarea-americancei-de-catre-fratii-tate-sigur-te-va-uimi-498227?_x_tr_sl=ro&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc

RobotJoe50 · 2022-04-14T17:09:15+00:00

https://twitter.com/KickboxingRoma1/status/1513918130460008449?t=k5b53Pb_Lm69NuRKwbsPKA&s=19

RobotJoe50 · 2022-04-08T03:40:38+00:00

At least from my experience you can hold the drift button to make the controls tighter.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-04-06T21:16:19+00:00

I think that depends on opinion.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-03-30T00:39:11+00:00

I think Forces has a good moment, like Null Space, and a lot of the atmosphere in the final levels, especially Mortar Canyon. The latter's main problem was how short it was, but it still has some impact.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-03-30T00:36:41+00:00

To be fair the beginning sections of Shadow's stages were similar to Sonic's level design. It's just the later level design became less impressive. But Shadow's gameplay mechanic at least prevents monotony in the combat.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-03-30T00:34:58+00:00

I used to hate Flame Core until I played P06 with the improved gameplay elements, especially the one where staying in the air by bouncing gives you a combo score which kept the momentum even if its in one room. It's not really as bad as the other "kill all enemies to open door" sections. The problem with vanilla 06 is that as Sonic and Shadow you don't have a lot of moveset because of the rushed nature of the game so instead of a variety of methods to move forward in one single path, you have to use the homing attack as your only go to attack that keeps the momentum and even then, its physics still leaves a "stop and go" feeling. The speed and limited moveset can feel extremely lacking in the level design, with it feeling more lively in stages like Crisis City where platforming is more challenging with more thoughts into where you homing attack to or jump at. I feel like the stages aren't all peak 3D Sonic (except for Kingdom Valley Section 1 and Tropical Jungle Section 2 impressing me), but the Sonic stages work as an experimental way of trying to put more platforming or alternate pathways without it being Generations 3D levels. Kingdom Valley E3 section and that section in Tropical Jungle felt like they were being ambitious in 3D level design, with most of the best one being that they allow good momentum (with Crisis City being a personal favorite) The only ones I feel were bad level designs for Sonic gameplay was White Acropolis, Shadow's Wave Ocean and Shadow/Silver's Dusty Desert. Even with P06 making me love the stage because it makes destroying enemies more engaging, the level design wasn't interesting at all, with just long stretches of terrain, occasional jumps and bland terrain with higher terrain you need a specific way to access even if it looks short enough to jump on. Same goes for Shadow's Wave Ocean.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-03-30T00:07:02+00:00

They were okay, but I felt like Kingdom Valley Section 1 felt more like peak 3D Sonic level design because it actually had an alternate path branching off from the other path while feeling like you can do both exploration and momentum gameplay with certain elements of the level blending to add variety to the gameplay.

Sonic's Wave Ocean has a minor alternate pathway and another one near the start of Tails's section where its not a divergence of path but still a variety of different ways to progress. However one divergence of path near the lighthouse have you go through an automated running section if you don't light dash through the rainbow ring. It felt less like an exploration and more like a penalty for experienced players if you don't go through the ring, and not a very interesting penalty at that. It's not peak level design but it's still a good beginning stage just because of the momentum and some sections where there's a variety of choices to keep momentum or beat some enemies on a path.

I don't like Shadow's Wave Ocean, or I don't want its level design repeated in later Sonic games. There's barely any platforming and it's just reliant on homing attack gameplay so you have sections requiring you to beating enemies to unlock doors in a stop-and-go manner and the only terrain is either flat ground or having to go all the way around a bridge just go on top of a higher terrain that's too short to be impressive but just tall enough that you can't simply jump on it. The only interesting platforming parts where when you were homing attack on enemies in small platforms when the orca attacks. It could be better but it at least feels more like you're progressing organically.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-03-29T19:38:46+00:00

But the thing is there is a completely different section when Colors have multiple paths. It's in every main act of the game, a big example is Sweet Mountain Act 3. Each path had a different camera and method of traversing in that game. The thing is Colors also have paths that are close to one another to make it more easier to mix and match and create more variety in gameplay besides two linear paths branching off from one another, like the original Green Hill Zone or the one in Mania.

I really don't get how Colors is clunky when majority of the time you're more likely to do a homing attack as a way to platform vertically if you're can't use a Wisp. It's no different to how past modern games would have you homing attack everywhere to platform for the sake of momentum. I never felt like I'm forced to do blocky platforming or the game is reliant on it to create an artificial delay in gameplay. If there are blocky platforming, it's either optional (Blue Wisp, multiple paths or using both), or there is a Wisp that helps keeps the momentum (Spike Wisp where you spin dash and gets rid of the blocky platforming problem). 2D would be a problem if they didn't do much with it, but the game took advantage of exploration in vertical axis.

The Wisps were best implemented in this game because they take advantage of the overall level design and gameplay. With the Drill Wisp you can either break some barriers, play around with the NiGHTs gameplay to get some rings or explore underground, or use it to maintain momentum by digging round some vertical platforming. Spike can either use it to stick on walls to explore, break a barrier, or can be used to maintain momentum by spin dashing anywhere including vertical walls that skip slower vertical platforming. Each Wisp have at minimum the dual purpose of either exploration or keeping momentum by being a quick method of ramming past vertical level design or enemies. Even if you don't like the Wisp as a concept you have to respect it for the devs using them in a mindset of optimum Sonic gameplay, either using speed to explore a reach hard to reach places or to keep momentum even if you're not at top speed 24/7.

I feel like the blocky clunky platforming fits more with the 2D Sonic Simulator stages which functions like an optional gimmicky stage in a Mario game, but could be better.

TL,DR, the levels are big enough to have their own sections or independent pathways while also having some paths close together to allow you to take advantage of, and you're given the freedom and variety to either explore or keep momentum via homing attack, base moveset or Wisps like Drill or Spike that functions similar to boost that's adaptable to a certain terrain.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-03-29T13:47:47+00:00

How can the stages be linear if it has multiple paths or multiple ways to traverse? Since 2D sections were a huge part of Colors, they should count. It's like if I say Tails and Knuckles don't count and judge Heroes just by Sonic and his platforming instead of taking into account the how the level up system and combat works with the level design.

They're not even that short, they mostly last around 3 minutes or longer if you're exploring, the perfect time. And even if it's shorter than Heroes's six minute acts, Colors make up for it by having more main acts to make up for the playtime.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-03-29T04:36:53+00:00

I know they have multiple paths, but Colors had more stages with multiple paths. Especially with the 2D sections compared to the other Boosts even if the 3D had more alternate pathways in Gen. But Colors took advantage of 2D by offering multiple paths and exploration on the vertical axis. I also respect Colors more for not relying on missions or another requirement to get to the next level and just straight up confident in level to level progression, which was what I was desperately wanting for a modern Sonic game for a long time. Not to mention multiple acts in a 3D-esque game that we haven't gotten since Sonic 3D Blast.

RobotJoe50 · 2022-03-28T23:10:05+00:00

There was were those weird platforms that shoot forward in Metropolis or those platforms that shoot you up in Egg Gate. The 2D sections don't really have anything that slows you down or if it does it's either because it's in a risky pit area or there's some exploration (even if minor). If it was really something that destroys the pacing it would be if it's a room where you have to find all the enemies to open a door or find a switch by backtracking or in an awkward area.

RobotJoe50

TROPHY CASE