| rapsuperstar31 said: I never understood the appeal of Sonic and I have tried to play the first game probably a dozen times over the last 30 years. I run forward until I hit something and lose all my rings. Rinse and repeat. In the dozens of times I've tried to force myself to like the game, I've maybe gotten to the third level on my furthest attempt before getting mad that the game stinks. |
I can sympathize with this confusion, as I struggled to understand the appeal for the longest time. The way I’ve come to enjoy Sonic is (i) rolling more (i.e. not necessarily revving up a spin dash, but simply pressing down while moving forward, so as to avoid running into an enemy and taking a hit), and (ii) playing slow. 2D Sonic arguably is a far more “open”/non-linear experience than 2D Mario. Take your time in each level, explore the world’s environments, and then once you’ve become familiarized with everything, then — and only then — consider speeding through time trial runs and such.
It’s a very satisfying gameplay loop once you understand the design intent. Again, the game is supposed to be Mario, but with the addition of allowing the player to quickly return to a part of the game where they “Game Over”-ed.
