Sonic Lost World (2013)

Sonic Lost World tries many new ideas to carry the series forward. While some of it lands, a lot of it doesn't.

After the success of Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, people believed that Sonic was back in the glory days where the franchise wasn't seen as a laughing stock. All was good. Sega found a formula that worked. You would think that they would stick to it... But they didn't at all for their next entry.

Sonic Lost World is one of the most interesting titles I have to review in this entire Sonic The Hedgehog retrospective because unlike the games to have come before it, it plays nothing like a traditional Sonic game. It tries way too many ideas and I think the game suffers from that.

If I have to say something nice about the game... The presentation and color look incredible. It's a very visually stunning game. Once again, like most Sonic games, the soundtrack is pretty good. And the gameplay (When it works) feels great.

Notice how I said, "When it works"?. Well, that is one of the main issues with this game. The gameplay. For starters, putting a "Run" button in a franchise all about gaining momentum is pretty dumb. It kind of defeats the purpose if you can just press a button and be max speed. The jump button and homing attack are horrible in this game because they completely halt your speed and leaves you dying a lot. You will die a lot... Not because this game is challenging by any means. The bosses are pretty easy and the levels aren't too long. It's just that the game is riddled with deaths that never feel fair. It's frustrating.

The story is also a disaster in my opinion. Sonic and Tails are fighting Eggman as usual as he carries a pod full of animals (Much like he does in the Genesis Games). But he drops it on a land known as The Lost Hex. An area inhabited by the Deadly Six. A group of monsters hellbent on sucking the energy of the land. Sonic and Tails must stop them from draining the life out of the world. The story sounds pretty neat when I write it down. However, it is executed so horribly. Firstly, the writing and acting in this series are at an all-time low. It is horrible and so unfunny. The Deadly Six also don't look threatening at all. And are rarely presented as such. So the villains are awful. The final boss is so easy and not at all satisfying. The ending just feels... abrupt.

The biggest issue with this game for me is that it doesn't know what it wants to be (Hence the title of this review). It's trying to be Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario 3D World, the Genesis Sonic games, and many others at the same time. The game ends up feeling like a cheaply made fanmade game than a big-budget Sonic game because it doesn't know what it wants to be.

Sonic Lost World does have good music, presentation, and good gameplay when the stars align. But it is riddled with dumb ideas and gameplay problems. As well as an awful story. The game ends up having an Identity Crisis as a result. Shame

2/5

Would VERY LIGHTLY Recommend

HD Version: Reached End Credits

Final Thoughts: Overall, I did enjoy the good points of Sonic Lost World, even though the game feels more like a Super Mario Galaxy with Sonic physics and movesets instead. However, there are some levels that are ATROCIOUS to play through, especially the entirety of Lava Mountain where everything insta-kills you. I'm indifferent to the Deadly Six. They are animated well on a surface level, but I dislike how they taunted you through certain levels.

I do have to note that this game has some of the best original music compositions, with high energy melodic tunes that still stick with me even after finishing the game! The instrumentation-focused approach just sounds so gorgeous!

This game overall feels like a 3/5 stars to me, but the impressive soundtrack bumps it up to a 4/5 stars in the end!

3DS Version: Retired on November 23, 2020

Notes: It starts out very strong, but the level design just nose-dives after the first world. The levels start to drag on WAAAYY too long, and it got over-reliant to puzzle mechanics to the point I lost the patience to continue playing this game. I'd rate the 3Ds version a 2/5 stars.

God damn.

I kinda forgot how good playing a game on the console it's built for can feel. I played this on Steam, and while it's a port, and a rather mediocre one at that, the real issue is that I run everything on this laptop which is, despite being shockingly powerful at times, really unable to run full high end titles. It's partly the game and partly my setup.

But playing it on the 3ds? Holy hell. Love it even more. Feels so fluid and right. Still posit that Lost World is an excellent addition to the Sonic franchise. Such a cool concept, very Super Mario Galaxy (which is an odd thing to say as I didn't really enjoy that game when I played it, though maybe a replay is in order).

Anyway, Sonic Lost World on 3ds. Good shit, man. Good shit.