Sega struggled with the creation of a mascot in the eight bit generation. Their primary choice was Alex Kidd, but he wasn’t as universal as Mario and has since been long forgotten. Eventually they created Sonic the Hedgehog, and the original along with its two sequels went on to become some of the best selling 16-bit titles of all time. Sega had finally found its Mario. In a rather odd decision they decided to create a version of Sonic the Hedgehog for their unpopular and by then forgotten eight bit Master System console. The developers had to work around the less powerful hardware, and ended up creating an entirely different game for this release. The main problem is that no one had a Master System, and because the Sega Genesis had already been on the market for a few years those that did were almost certainly not playing it anymore. Thankfully their new handheld system was based on the same architecture as their now forgotten console, and this made it easy to port Sonic’s new adventure over. Unfortunately it doesn’t hold up well.
The story is virtually identical to the Genesis counterpart. Dr. Robotnik has captured all of the animals, and it’s up to our environmentally friendly hedgehog Sonic to save them. This was of course before the introduction of Tails and Knuckles; the blue blur is the only hero in this adventure. For the most part this is a traditional side scrolling platform game. As Sonic you move from the start of the stage to the end, and then move on to the next area. Things would be simple were it not for the army of mechanical foes that populate each zone in this game. These are destroyed by performing a spin jump atop their heads. Each level is filled with with golden rings that function in a similar way to Mario’s coins. The thing is, Sonic can only survive a hit as long as he has at least one ring. When damaged you lose the rings you’ve collected up to that point. For some reason Sega completely removed Sonic’s trademark ability to retrieve lost rings. Once you’re hit they’re gone for good. I imagine this has to do with the fact that the Game Gear has more limited hardware, and rendering all of the rings you lose could prove quite taxing. Rings are common in each stage of every zone so losing them really isn’t such a big deal. It’s very easy to get hit however.
Unfortunately the stage designs and mechanics had to be toned down quite a bit from the original Genesis release. As I mentioned this is by no means a straight port; some of the names are shared between the two for zones but even these areas have been completely re-designed. With that said the difference in mechanics is disappointing. Sonic is all about speed, and in this version of the game he just isn’t all that fast. What’s more is the fact that in the later zones the hazards are too numerous to even attempt to run through them. This slows down the pace to Mario levels, and as I’ve said before intricate platforming is the kiss of death for Sonic games. It just doesn’t suit the physics. While the hazards are more difficult to dodge their placement and functions are not very creative. The stages feel surprisingly bare for a Sonic title. The boss battles also score several notches below the Genesis version. They’re just slapped together and aren’t nearly as fun or creative. The themes used for the zones are mostly ripped straight from the original release, but two are brand new. Jungle zone and Bridge zone are the exclusive ones here, and thematically they’re pretty unusual for this series. Overall they aren’t anything special though.
There are a few positive changes however. The first of which is the fact that chaos emeralds are no longer found exclusively in bonus areas. Now they’re hidden in the main stages. I prefer this change because the hiding places are surprisingly creative here. In addition the bonus stages now function only to give you extra lives and continues. I prefer it this way because I never really enjoyed these in any Sonic title to be honest. Unfortunately these pros aren’t enough to overcome its shortcomings. There are no new power-ups here, and because of the more simplistic level design the comparisons to Mario are now impossible to avoid. They definitely aren’t favorable for this game, that’s for sure. Sega tried for an all out Sonic title here instead of playing on the limited hardware’s strengths, and that just doesn’t work. This feels like a barebones installment in the franchise, and after its release I’m surprised Sega followed up with more franchise efforts on this handheld platform. Sonic’s first portable adventure is kind of a bust.
Sonic the Hedgehog is actually one of the better looking 8-bit titles you’ll find. This is a port of the Master System version, and while it runs at a lower resolution (because of the screen size) the color palette is more wide and varied. Despite the weaker hardware Sonic’s sprite is instantly recognizable as are the enemies. The rings look especially nice and animate wonderfully. I was very surprised to see that they still spin in this version. The backgrounds are also well done. While these are mostly just blue skies or black there are small details here and there that are definitely appreciated. Areas like the Green Hill zone retain the checkerboard pattern on the terrain, and I loved that Sega was able to re-create this using an 8-bit processor. The soundtrack is also pretty decent, and in some ways is better than the Genesis version. Green Hill’s track is a perfect example of this; I actually prefer the Game Gear’s song here. The themes have been remixed, but they’re still recognizable as Sonic music. The same goes for the sound effects.
While I’m sure this was considered a killer app for the Game Gear at the time it’s a poor substitute for an honest to goodness Sonic the Hedgehog title. It’s far too simple, and Sega failed big time at playing off of the hardware’s strengths. It’s so bad that it almost feels like the original Sonic title could be a sequel to this one. Only pick this Game Gear edition up if you’re trying to fill out your collection and otherwise avoid it.
