After more than a decade of mediocre or downright bad Sonic games, 2010 is proving to be the turning point for Sega's little blue hedgehog. Sonic 4 started the trend, and Sonic Colors continues it, giving portable players one of Sonic's best adventures yet.
Sonic Colors DS looks and plays a lot like the classic Genesis games. It's a fast, 2D platformer where you blaze through levels collecting rings and other items in a mad dash to reach the end. Sonic Colors follows a formula, but it never feels repetitive thanks to wonderfully inventive level design. You're constantly encountering new, often one-time-only mechanics. One level might have a portion where you're careening down a waterslide; another might pit you against a giant dinosaur's skull that's chasing you, and another still might keep you underwater. Each act combines moments like this with traditional Sonic staples like spikes, loops, and moving platforms, creating frenetic courses that demand your attention.
As if the level design wasn't insane enough on its own, Sonic Colors adds in special powers to make it even more chaotic. Each world Sonic unlocks gives him access to a new "color," gained by saving poor little aliens called "Wisps" from Dr. Eggman. Each Wisp color grants Sonic a power, transforming him into a rocket, a laser, and more. Levels are designed with these powers in mind, so on top of hectic platforming, players are constantly transforming and exploring the world in different forms. These lead to dramatic changes of pace, and add a lot of replayability, as players can take newly unlocked powers into older acts to find previously inaccessible areas.
Each world has two acts that culminate in a boss battle, and Sonic Colors' are generally designed with just the right mix of challenge and fun. Once I figured out their attack patterns, no boss took more than a few minutes to overcome, and each were a fun break from the all-out speed fests provided in Sonic Colors' acts. The need to focus on one enemy is a nice shift from the otherwise constant rushing around.
Sonic Colors has more to offer once you get bored with the standard acts and boss battles. Along with objective based challenge levels, players can also play collect-a-thon missions or partake in competitive multiplayer. While the special missions and challenge levels are fun interruptions to the main game, Sonic Colors multiplayer is also surprisingly fun, as you and a friend compete to see who can reach the end of a level faster. It's not very complex, but it's entertaining and works both locally and over wifi. The best part, though? It can be played with a single copy.
My only real complaint with Sonic Colors is it's more than a little schizophrenic with the difficulty. At several points players can expect to encounter spots where they'll be killed outright if they don't perform perfectly. This is frustrating, especially since losing your limited number of lives means you'll start a level over at the very beginning. I like challenge, but Sonic Colors' more difficult spots, combined with its stingy continue system, feel punitive.
Sonic Colors is undoubtedly the best portable Sonic game I&#Array;ve ever played, and may even be my favorite entry in the franchise. If you&#Array;ve never been into Sonic, then Colors certainly won&#Array;t change your mind, and the difficulty spikes and poor continue system will undoubtedly fluster many, but the ride is worth it. A year ago I was ready to relegate Sonic to the &#Array;won&#Array;t ever be good again&#Array; part of my heart, but, if this is where Sega&#Array;s taking the franchise, I&#Array;m ready to believe again. Welcome back, Sonic. I&#Array;ve missed you.