Sonic Unleashed

Roaming around at the speed of sound is the name of the game, usually. In Sonic Unleashed you will spend a significant portion of the game as a werehog version of Sonic. You’ll be slow and clumsy, much like the controls of this game. This was the game’s gimmick that was advertised to us as an attempt to mix up the Sonic formula but with such great day time missions that have you racing around as normal Sonic, being werehog Sonic feels like a sluggish mundane chore you mom makes you do to earn more videogame screen time.

Story

The game takes place after Sonic’s nemesis, Dr. Eggman blasts the world with a laser, causing it to fragment in his attempt to release an ancient evil called Dark Gaia. Sonic comes into contact with this magical dark evil, causing him to become a werehog at night. Your job is to stop Dr. Eggman’s evil plan and fix the world. Fairly standard for a Sonic game.

Gameplay & Level Design

Arguably every 3D Sonic game has had an issue with its camera controls and overall gameplay. You either are in the flow that the world has set up for you, or you’re stuck on the side trying to gain speed, only to be hit by one of the several chaotic obstacles that you often can’t see coming due to the camera pointing elsewhere. Unfortunately, Sonic Unleashed continues this pattern. But it doesn’t stop there, the game has you spend roughly half the game as werehog Sonic where you must fumble around poorly designed platforming stages along with simple combat where you fight mundane enemies. These sections of the game will make you question if the rest of the game is even worth the pain.

Best & Worst Parts of Sonic Unleashed

There is a light at the end of this tunnel, but first, let’s get the worst part out of the way. For some reason, the developers thought adding an RPG system would be a good idea. I’ve never met someone who thought Sonic needed an RPG system. It works as well as you’d expect. It’s a poor and needless RPG system, that will have you upgrading your werehog attacks and sonics speed. Why do I have to upgrade Sonic’s speed? Isn’t that the point of Sonic? He’s the fastest thing alive, but apparently, he needs to be upgraded. But wait, there’s more. They added hub worlds where you can do side quests and talk to pointless NPCs, I never spent much time here since it seemed like a rather useless area. But graphics is much better than used it's predecessor Sonic the Hedgehog 2006.

Beloved Features

Now it’s time for the light at the end of the tunnel. There is something special here for those who are big fans of the Sonic lore. There are plenty of secrets to unlock character art, character lore, and other collectibles. Added features like this are often missing from many big games today, which can rob fans of the chance to get to know the world they love.

Pros

• Nicely stylized
• Good day time levels
• Classic Story

Cons

• Poor controls
• Bad RPG elements
• Wonky camera
• Bad nighttime levels