The Sega CD might not have been the greatest idea from the house of Sonic, but something must be said for the support it had. Most third party developers were on-board, and while a significant amount of its library is composed of ports it’s surprising how many original and exclusive titles were released on the platform. Sega themselves released a few sequels to their biggest franchises here. Among them the most famous is Sonic CD, and for the longest time it was available no other place. For a while this was considered the holy grail of Sonic titles because so few had played it, but since then it has been released on a multitude of platforms even including mobile. In my opinion the original release is the best, but how does this stack up with other installments in the franchise? In my opinion it’s one of the greatest games in the original series.
Dr. Robotnik returns once more to wreak havoc on Sonic’s world, but this time he has brought along a new creation; a mechanical version of everyone’s favorite hedgehog – Metal Sonic. It’s up to the blue blur to defeat these two as well as rescue his ‘girlfriend’ Amy Rose from the mad doctor’s clutches. On the surface Sonic CD plays like any other game in the franchise. This is a side scrolling platform game with an emphasis on speed; many sections of each zone have you rushing forward as fast as possible running up loop-de-loops and other similar obstacles. Like Mario, Sonic has the ability to jump high and his main method of attack is by bouncing off the heads of his enemies. The basic gameplay is very traditional by Sonic standards; you still collect rings and lose them when touched by an enemy, and your goal is to make it from one end of a level to the next. Things get a little strange when you start digging a little deeper though…
The biggest difference here is in Sonic CD’s time travel gimmick. Each stage is littered with signs that say either ‘Past’ or ‘Future.’ Touching one of these causes a stream of stars to follow Sonic, and if you can reach specific running speeds he will be transported to the era in question. The stages don’t change a great deal between the different time zones, but there are several differences (such as new paths, or different obstacles) that you’ll occasionally notice. For the most part you can ignore this aspect of the game, and I actually recommend doing so because ‘Present’ is easiest to navigate, but it adds replay value and new dynamics to the series. In my opinion this feature is a little out of place in the franchise. It isn’t a nuisance because for the most part it is avoidable, but it isn’t particularly fitting. It’s an odd choice for the original series.
What’s also odd is the themes used for the various zones. Palmtree Panic is the only stage that actually feels like it belongs in a Sonic title. The neon scenery is the only thing that doesn’t fit in it. The rest of the game tends to steer toward indoor and mechanical environments, and I’m not the biggest fan of this. These include areas such as the Chaos Collision, Wacky Workbench, and Metallic Madness Zones. Others such as Quartz Quadrant and Tidal Tempest are just plain uninspired. Thankfully this game does have one of my most favorite zones across the entire series; Stardust Speedway. Unfortunately the level designs mark a departure for the series. This title gets rid of the old multi-tiered approach and instead focuses on more labyrinthine areas which require exploration in order to navigate. There are also significantly more light puzzles here. In my opinion this slower and more methodical approach just doesn’t fit the other mechanics particularly well. This is part of the reason that Sonic CD is one of the easiest games in the series.
The game gets a noticeable boost in graphic fidelity thanks to the expanded hardware of the Sega CD. This is by far the best looking of the original Sonic titles with lush vibrant landscapes and frames of animation for Sonic that weren’t seen in any other game. This is a lot flashier than the past two titles with loop-de-loops that are significantly larger and use a psuedo 3D perspective. What’s more is that the framerate never suffers; Sonic CD runs just as smoothly as the other titles though it still slows down when you lose your rings. The new 3D bonus stages look absolutely marvelous, and Sega did an excellent job of emulating Nintendo’s mode 7 effect here. The game even features an FMV intro that’s animated in classic Sonic title, and it’s quite entertaining. Sonic CD features one of the best soundtracks in the entire series. The music is best described as electronic pop, and was made before Sega took Sonic in that faux punk rock route with the Adventure series. The sound effects are even upgraded a fair bit here.
I may have been a little hard on Sonic CD, but comparisons to the Genesis titles are unavoidable. Sonic CD feels like an entirely different beast from the original two Sonic titles, and that’s both a good and bad thing. It’s not the best Sonic game, but it’s one of them, and it’s quintessential to those who want to complete the series. It’s available on so many platforms that it’s not really worth hunting down a Sega CD for, but do play whichever version you can get your hands on.
