Sonic Unleashed (2008)

I am on a journey to beat 360 random Xbox 360 games. Here's my next adventure

Game number 69 is Sonic Unleashed. This is an action platformer in the Sonic series that blends two separate gameplay types, fast Sonic platforming and God of War style hack and slash games. Each of these gameplay types takes up roughly the same amount of time and I feel like they were both well fleshed out. Frankly, I thought this was one of the better 3D Sonic experiences.

As soon as I started up the game, I was gifted with an amazing cutscene. The opening to Sonic Unleashed is stunning and some of the best the XBOX 360 has to offer. It sets up the story by showing Sonic and Eggman fighting in space. Over the course of the battle, Sonic wins and pushes Eggman into a corner; however, he had one last trick up his sleeve and was able to trap Sonic and suck all the power out of the Chaos Emeralds. He uses this power to fracture the planet and utilize the power coming from an ancient, evil deity in the planet’s core. That evil deity is called Dark Gaia and releasing it causes evil monsters to appear at night time.

As well as evil monsters, sonic turns into a werehog at night and suddenly slows down and grows large claws. Still before playing any levels, Sonic meets a new sidekick named Chip. Chip flat out sucks. He is very annoying and constantly cracks unfunny jokes. It is like Sonic is carrying a 4 year old around with him. Chip is kinda like Navi and points out things I already knew to me. I really could have gone without him; however, his character developed a little and he was almost cool at the end of the game.

The main plot goal is to find 7 different temples across the planet, restore the Chaos Emeralds, and fuse the planet back together again. Sonic finds Tails, Amy, and a helpful professor throughout his journey. I am not sure how I feel about the plot here. While there is a ton at the start/end of the game, the middle portion is essentially devoid of meaningful cutscenes or plot development. It would have been nice for the plot and pacing to stay consistent throughout.

Finally, to the gameplay! There are two types of levels (day and night). The day levels are classic 3D sonic and are a ton of fun! Sonic is essentially on rails and runs really fast, while dodging or defeating enemies. There are 3D and 2D sections and they blend together well. I think that the day levels also provide a significant amount of challenge later on. One mistake will often cause death and I died many times throughout the later day levels. Additionally, these levels are visually stunning. Sonic moves very (almost uncontrollably) fast, but the 360 was able to keep up the whole time and I would be mesmerized by the fun loops, jumps, rails, and scenery that would pass by.

I miss how older games threw their characters into a wide variety of themed levels! Having Sonic travel the world was a great idea and led to levels with different feel and visuals. For instance, there are Africa levels where Sonic travels through a savannah and up a giant baobab tree, then Sonic will go to Greece and run around the coast and near pristine windmills and coastal towns. These are only the first two levels and the game keeps up the new theming throughout! I loved this and each level really felt like a different experience.

The second type of gameplay was the hack & slash action portions (night levels). When the moon goes down, Sonic transforms into a werebeast and changes genres. Now, Sonic is slowed down significantly and forced to participate in God of War style Hack & Slash gameplay. He will move through the levels and be put into various arenas filled with enemies to defeat. This is very easy until the late game, but I felt that it also added a fleshed out combat system. This is not DMC 5, but it still has many solid combos and an RPG system. At the end of each level, Sonic gets experience and can improve his stats.

In addition to the hack & slash combat, there is actually a lot of platforming in these night stages. Sonic will be balancing on tightropes, shuffling across ledges, and utilizing enemies to cross wide gaps. This also is not a tacked on element. I would say that there is more platforming in the night levels than hack & slash combat and it is pretty fun. I have heard people say that the night levels are too long and I disagree. While they usually do last 20-30 minutes, I feel that isn’t an exceptional length for levels in this genre. They are about the length of Bayonetta levels or Hi-Fi Rush levels and I think they are also paced pretty well.

With that said, I think the night levels have one glaring weakness and that is enemy variety. I think there are only 7-8 enemies in the entire game and the rest are just recolors. That is almost unacceptable. This affects the mini-boss/super enemies the worst. There are only 2 different tanky dudes and they are used in almost every level. When Sonic Unleashed does introduce new enemies, they are often just more filler and feel the same to fight against. The only enemy that was introduced in the second half of this game that I felt brought new mechanics to the table were the fire wizards.

Let’s also talk about my largest gripe with Sonic Unleashed: the sun and moon medals. These are the main collectables throughout the game and act like stars in 3D Mario games. Sonic needs a certain amount of these medals to unlock each stage. There are a few issues I have with this. The first is that the requirement is large enough that I had to both back track and play optional levels. I highly doubt that anyone not using a guide will always have enough medals to continue the main story. Over a third of my gameplay time was backtracking to find more medals throughout the stages. Additionally, I rarely had to replay night stages since I was missing most of the medals from the day stages.

This leads me to my second issue with the medal collection/requirements: I was not able to enjoy the daytime stages once I started worrying about medals. Around medal level 4, I started doing all the day stages really slowly and scouring for medals. This isn’t an issue in the night stages since methodical searching and slow progression is fine in a hack & slash game; however, it is antithetical to the idea of “Sonic go fast” in the day stages. I could no longer get lost in the breathtaking scenery. I could no longer breeze through tons of enemies. I could no longer play Sonic like he was designed to be played. Instead, I had to be slow and look for collectibles. Eventually, I made a decision and that was to play the day levels the fast and fun way the first time. That way I could enjoy the content that was produced here. Then, I would replay the levels if I ever needed more medals. This led to more time replaying levels; however, I actually got the chance to experience them once. I genuinely think that this game would get a full star rating higher if I did not have to go through this painful collection process. Why did they add it?!?!?!

Overall, Sonic Unleashed is one of the better 3D Sonic games. The presentation is some of the best of the time. The graphics look amazing and are able to keep up with Sonic’s extreme speed without slowing down. The sound is also great! I enjoyed all of the tracks and the sound effects brought weight to Sonic’s movements. I think it would be difficult to find another game from 2008 with this production quality. The gameplay is also stellar. The day stages are some of the best 3D Sonic stages ever made and the night stages are also fun! As I discussed, the biggest issue in the entire game are the collectibles. They are so detrimental to the experience that they cause this rating to be lower than it would otherwise be. If you are a fan of 3D platformers or Sonic the Hedgehog then I could recommend this game to you. It is now my favorite 3D Sonic game without the word “adventure” in the title. It is also a wonderful kids game! I think that any 8-12 year old would absolutely eat this up. (7/10)

I spent 12 hours, 15 minutes, and 53 seconds playing Sonic Unleashed.

I have spent a total of 856 hours and 5 minutes on the Road To 360 challenge so far.

Next Game: Nier

Sonic Unleashed is a were-good-game. It's half good, half trash.

On the good side of the spectrum are amazing graphics for its day, lots of killer tunes and some pretty impressive 3D Sonic levels (of the boost-era variety). They have their annoying parts too but at times the game is damn impressive on how intricate the levels are for such a blazing fast game. Also, the werehog (aka "iconic" werewolf Sonic) beat'em'up gameplay is pretty fun early on and has weirdly high amount of different moves and combos you can pull off.

On the not-so-good side are the bafflingly long levels (final level took 59 minutes to beat...), repetitive were-hog gameplay, atrocious challenge levels, bad enemy designs and boss encounters as well as jankiness here and there near the end of the game. The finale also made groan hard. I also thought it was a hyperbole when I read that the game has about 80% of anything but the typical 3D Sonic gameplay. Turns out it wasn't a hyperbole. So much of the game is dull exploration (aka trying to find the right NPC to talk to) or werehog levels that wear out their welcome. I admire the courage to experiment but sadly the results are not spectacular here.

It feels bad giving this only 2 stars since it's a lot more likeable and ambitious than Sonic Superstars, for example (which I gave the same rating). However, when the game makes me wish it would end so I wouldn't have to deal with it any longer, it's typically not a good sign. Let's say it's 2 stars and extra cheers for trying.

Definitely I believe this game deserves both the praise and the criticisms I've seen. It introduces the mechanic of boost sonic, and does a really good job with it, for the most part, aside from a few levels, where sometimes it'd be too easy to dash off. The final eggman level, and the final boss fights too, definitely could have been improved too I think. The levels are all fun, though I feel that Werehog levels may have went on a bit too long. I liked most of the boss fights in the game, but again, some were a bit too easy to just accidentally fall off and die.

The music, is as expected, incredible. I also really like the concept of the game, which is just travelling around the world. Really makes me want to travel around the world, more irl.

I bought this game the same day I got Pokémon Heartgold and I think it's really funny that the latter is still one of my favourite games whereas I can't muster enough nostalgia to convince myself this wasn't anything beyond horrible. I think the most obvious problem is that for every single level you have to collect 500 trillion medals and no matter how much of a surplus you think you have you'll always be at least like 10 behind the level requirement. And the requirements just continue to get steeper as the game goes on in direct proportion to the levels becoming longer and more painful. Chip was a valuable addition to the game because the whole time I wanted to bite his fucking head off (and I really felt like The Werehog™!!!!) I liked the hubs and I hated having to play more shit seizure-inducing levels to unlock them. My fondest memory of this game when I was younger is crouching in the river in the China hub area and inventing a fake mythology of a blue river shark creature because I was so desperate to not have to play another level of this incredible amazing game. To this day I have never defeated the last boss because the final and ultimate challenge of Sonic Unleashed is to press the X Button 60 times in 10 seconds. Another platinum-certified classic by Sonic Team grins gives a thumbs up.

Also Mario Odyssey ripped this off but no one is ready to have that conversation.

Sonic Unleashed is one of the most polarizing entries in the series. There are people in the community that despise this game for a lot of reasons that I will get into. But there are also people in this community that adore this game. I'm one of those people. No, it's not because it's the first Sonic game I ever beat. This has nothing to do with nostalgia even if it holds a nostalgic connection to me. I think this game, despite its problems, is a worthwhile experience and a genuinely good game.

Sonic Unleashed was promoted in a very interesting way. It was promoted as a game about Sonic on a globe-trotting adventure. Travelling to different countries and with a new gameplay style. But there was this underlying thing that left people really confused. And it was this monster-looking Sonic that travelled at night.

Sonic Unleashed released on November 18th, 2008 and was met with less than stellar reviews. However, in retrospect, this game is looked back more fondly and I am part of that group. Sonic Unleashed starts with Sonic tearing through Eggman's fleet in a beautiful CGI cutscene. Sonic, already in possession of the Chaos Emeralds, transforms into Super Sonic and corners Eggman. However, it was a trap. Eggman traps Sonic in his machine known as the Chaos Energy Cannon which removes the Chaos Emeralds from Sonic and drains them of their power, making them useless and gray in color. Eggman awakens an ancient monster known as Dark Gaia who spreads his power around the Earth, shattering it in several pieces. The Side-Effects of this transforms Sonic into the Werehog form. A form he takes at night that makes him stronger, but slower. Sonic is ejected onto Earth. Upon landing, he meets a small creature he names Chip who seems to have lost his memory. Sonic and Chip then travel the world to fix the broken planet, restore the power of the Chaos Emeralds and stop Eggman and Dark Gaia.

It's a well-told narrative that is made better with the excellent performances by Mike Pollock as Dr. Eggman and Jason Griffith as Sonic.

The game takes you to different places around the world that are based on real settings. Places such as Apotos which is based on Greece, Spagonia which is based on Italy, and Chun-Nan which is based on China and more.

What Sonic Unleashed absolutely nails is the presentation. This is one of the best looking games to have come out in 2008 and is the best looking Sonic game I've ever seen. The CGI Cutscenes are almost like movies in terms of animation, the levels are filled with great shading, color, and detail. They used an engine they call The Hedgehog Engine and it shows. This game nails it on the music. Each piece of music is based on the region you are in. Instruments are used in accordance to where you are and they are amazing. The Day Time Stages all have these adrenaline-pumping, fast-paced tracks that are so good. But the night-time stages are slow and intense. The main theme is great (especially when you get an E Rank because it becomes broken as a way to make fun of you for failing), And the vocal songs, Endless Possibility and Dear My Friend are great. Only complaint is that the battle music never changes which can be annoying

As for gameplay, well there are two types. The Day Stages where you play as Sonic The Hedgehog, and The Night Levels where you play as Sonic The Werehog. In the Day Levels, they introduced the boost gameplay in this game which has been used since. Essentially, they brought over the boost from Sonic Rush and applied it to 3D. Sonic has never been faster. The challenge is to get to the level as quickly as possible while avoiding obstacles and enemies and finding shortcuts. It is for the most part really well done. Sure there are glitches here and there, but it never felt unfair. This game reminds me of the 2D Sonic games in the sense that it rewards you for memorizing the levels which is really the only way to get a S Rank. The Night Time levels are very different. Instead of getting to the end of the level as quickly as possible, you travel the level while fighting Eggman's Robots and Dark Gaia's minions. It's treated like a God of War clone and the levels are typically longer. This was the big reason why people hated this game. I don't think it's that bad. Sure, it's repetitive, the levels drag out for a long time, and it could be unfair. But I find it fun tearing through the enemies. It's satisfying in my opinion. The only real complaint is that levels are locked behind collecting Sun and Moon Medals and I find the gatekeeping to be pace breaking. And how the framerate suffers greatly, especially at Night-Time Levels. Also, the last level is really hard so be warned. Very satisfying to beat though.

Sonic Unleashed is one of my favorite Sonic games of all time and I think it's about time people start appreciating what this game has that later games don't. Is the game perfect? No... But I love it for what it is

4/5

Would Recommend

Fully finished the story

• Played to credits for the Wii version
• Played all PS3/Xbox360 Day stages via Sonic Generations Unleashed Project

Final Thoughts: Easily the best Sonic game when it comes to production value!!! The opening CGI is INCREDIBLE and is the best cutscene I've seen ever in a Sonic game. Even all of the ingame cutscenes are well stylized and animated, especially with a more cartoony direction compared to earlier titles. The tone of this game hit's a perfect balance between comedic and seriousness, unlike Sonic 06 or Colors which went very far in both ends of the spectrum. Chip's a lot of fun to see everytime he shows up with his klutzy personality. These are also probably the best original zones in my opinion, and the soundtrack is also top notch!

While the daytime boost sonic stages are well done, the werehog stages weren't terrible in comparision in my opinion. I felt the Werehog stages would be more fun if the combat was fleshed out further, or if the game was playing the same battle theme over and over on top of the underappreciated night stages songs! The werehog's design is a bit goofy, and I felt it shined the best in that Halloween short instead.

Overall the game is a 4/5 stars to me, though the presentation alone is easily a 5/5 stars.