Sonic the Hedgehog. A name that brings many players fond memories of the past. Memories they feared would never be more than that again. Fortunately for those people, Sega isn't dumb, and they brought to you Sonic the Hegdehog 4 Episode 1.

 

Everything you'd expect is there: the gameplay, the artstyle, the level design... but more than simply the things from 20 years ago. Levels are longer, there are ropes to swing and the "air dash" attack from the newer games is also here.

 

Sonic going back to his roots....

 

Graphics and sound are basically HD versions of the original game, which isn't bad at all. The water effects are jawdropping and the remixed tunes are great. Platforming mixes the old challenges with the new features, creating some incredible moments where you'd stay on the air for a long time, just switching from rope jumping to enemy attacking to spring jumping. By the way, the loading screen has the 16-bit sonic running, a nice nostalgic touch to the game.

 

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 will be an episodic game released for WiiWare, PSN and Xbox Live Arcade with the first episode being released this year.