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Sonic Fan Remix Impresses With Lush Visuals And Tight Controls
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I is Sega’s answer to loyal Sonic fans starving for classic platforming. While I think the game is fun, it’s not Sonic’s return to form I was hoping and praying for. It turns out the blue hedgehog’s true return to form may actually come from the hands of two avid fans.
Sonic Fan Remix opens on a vivid, thriving Emerald Hill Zone. The cheery and green opening level is befitting of any Sonic game, and appears to be a fairly faithful recreation of the original Sonic 2 level. As you progress through the demo, however, the beautiful world becomes dynamic and dramatic. As Sonic speeds across a bridge, a gigantic killer whale leaps over Sonic’s head, reminiscent of Sonic Adventure’s beginning stage. In later levels the sky darkens as rain begins to fall. This fan-made game is no doubt the best-looking Sonic game I’ve ever seen. Everything is beautiful and vibrant, but not so much so that I felt distracted from the gameplay.
Speaking of, Sonic controls exactly as you remember him from the Genesis days. The somewhat awkward physics I spoke of in my Sonic 4 review are nonexistent (as is his homing attack), and I loved it. Plugging a Xbox 360 controller into the computer provides very natural controls for the demo. Running, jumping, and spin-dashing feels tight and responsive.
I couldn’t wipe the smile from my face as I burned through these three stages. Updated versions of classic Sonic tunes like boss music, Emerald Hill Zone, and Hilltop Zone sounded great, and all the sound effects ring true. It’s a very promising game, but it’s still very early on. Power-ups, check points/special stages, and the mandatory Robotnik boss fight were all absent, but the experience wasn’t lessened by it at all.
If Sega’s smart they’ll hire these two talented fans and let them help with future Sonic games. Sega has always been excellent about listening to their fan community, and the publisher should definitely be paying attention to these two devotees’ hard work.
That’s all I have to say for now, so why not try it out for yourself if you’ve got a solid PC? The main Sonic Fan Remix website appears to be having troubles with the download, so click here instead.
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