Sega fans let out a collective groan after playing Sonic the Hedgehog on Apple's iPhone three years ago. The publisher desecrated the beloved Genesis classic with a shoddy port that suffered from lackluster controls and the most disappointing criticism of all, a serious lack of speed, two points mentioned in our review that resulted in a dreadful two-out-of-five final score.
So why the re-review? As it turns out, the company was so impressed with indie developer Christian Whitehead's superb mobile version of Sonic CD that it consulted with the designer to give this unimpressive version a much-needed facelift, which he most certainly did via free update for iPhone/iPad and the game's official Android debut. That said, we're proud to announce that his Sonic the Hedgehog redo gives the 90s hit the respect it rightfully deserves.
For starters, the game's presentation shines, thanks to box art from the U.S., European and Japanese releases. From there, the original is fully intact, but now you can also play as Tails and Knuckles. Sonic has the Spin Dash, but if you're a purist, there's an option to switch it off.
On top of that, the issues we had with the original were dealt with accordingly. Not only does the game run smoothly, thus retaining Sonic's trademark speed, but the virtual controls are about as good as you'll get with a touchscreen device, and even then, Sega allows you to adjust the size of the d-pad and its opacity. Does it compete with a more tangible controller? No. We'll always want a plastic joy pad, but considering the limitations of smartphones and tablets, this is significantly better than in most games.
It's also important to note that when Sonic first appeared on mobile, the game sold for $5.99. Today, it's $2.99. A sign of the times for sure, but considering this title's quality, three bucks is more than justified.
Suffice to say, we love this new edition of Sonic the Hedgehog, and hold it in a similar regard to Sonic CD. Considering Mr. Whitehead's talents, it would be wise of Sega to let him tinker with Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
Review code provided by Sega.
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