DP Challenge Part 10/100 – Sonic Colours

Yay! Double figures! I should celebrate in a slightly banal way to truly capture this moment.

Game: Sonic Colours

Ranking: 95/100

Score: 77.98%

Sonic. He can really move, he’s got an attitude, and he’s the fastest thing alive. Or so they say. In this game, evil Dr. Eggman is harvesting cute little aliens called Wisps and using them to power his latest plan for world domination amusement park. Can Sonic save the day with the help of his two-tailed techie buddy Tails and a bunch of aliens that invade Sonic’s body?

'That damn hedgehog. He just took my sandwich and now he's acting like it's no big deal. Well, it is, Sonic. It is. I've got both my eyes on you, sonny...'

Intro

The manual is functional and readable. The story is straight forward and the tone is cute and cartoony; you get an opening silent cutscene (save for the hyperactive tween-friendly pop-rock soundtrack) that shows you the premise - Eggman is moustache-twirlingly bad, his robots will clearly be comic relief, and the little aliens (Wisps) are adorable and have funny slapstick moments. You feel like you're in a slightly cool Disney film.

There are a couple of moments in the manual that are overwritten and make it a little confusing. You are sort of just thrown into the game, too - the opening cutscene feels like a promo more than setup. I do have a teeny gripe about the story; Eggman - the primary villain of practically every single Sonic game in the franchise builds a theme park to say sorry, and only Sonic is suspicious? Really? Really?

Given there are plenty of spoken-word cutscenes, I would like to see one before the tutorial section starts up. It does feel a bit jarring to just start controlling Sonic right away, and maybe a ten second cutscene of him getting ready to train or the like would make the transition between the opening promo and the game flow better.

Eggman is surprisingly well-travelled; when he takes over the world, he'll know which bits to keep.

Getting Going

The tutorial stages allow you to touch icons to get information from Tails on how to handle various obstacles, but they are set out in such a way that you can ignore them and plough on through if you choose. It is also clear that there are several routes you cannot access yet, which hints at some replay value. The cutscene that follows the level is pitched great - it's definitely kiddy friendly, but I genuinely laughed out loud at parts that I was clearly meant to find funny. Also, when you save the game, the default name you're given is a nice little in-joke.

With regards to the several routes you cannot access - if you've read the manual, you'll know why. If you haven't? Well, there are areas that will be a little confusing. Oh, and the dialogue is instantly dated by using the phrase 'this place is epic'.

I think it would have helped enormously to have one of the tutorial icons tell you something about the empty Wisp capsules and that they'll be filled if you come back later, just to stop you wondering if you're missing something.

Sonic: Dating this game to 2010 with a single line.

Fun

The gameplay is very fast, so trying to make crucial jumps to get to certain levels is quite a tense experience; this is balanced by the fact that missing said jumps leads to a different route, rather than death (mostly). There's a ranking system that gives you extra incentive to go back and replay levels, and you can collect various aliens which give you limited powers that change the gameplay style - from simple speedy platforming to pseudo-puzzling in some cases, as you try to figure out the best ways to utilise the abilities. When you catch what's being said over Eggman's PA, it's usually quite funny - it's a nice touch that does add amusement value to the game.

The big thing I had a problem with in this game was the sheer number of acts per level; there are six, and it's too many. There are not enough gimmicks or differences between the acts to make this viable; I'd find it difficult to distinguish one act from the other, and it means you get a bit bored of seeing the same design over and over. There's also a big problem with that nice touch where you hear Eggman's voice over the PA spouting things. They are most likely amusing; the problem is, the music mix is so loud, you can't hear what he's saying! It's actually a little distracting because you're trying to work it out instead of concentrating on the game. Even worse, this occurs on the world select screen! Eggman provides all the descriptions of the worlds, but the sweeping and majestic music score drowns him out. And there's no subtitles! Argh! You have to guess where to go based on what's locked or unlocked, or sit there for five minutes trying to decipher it.

Less acts, more worlds! Give me more variety if you want to stretch the game out. At least make the acts different; add an interesting feature or two (swing platforms don't count, Tropical Resort) that makes an act stand out from the others. For a level to stand out, I should be able to find something in it to tell people which makes them go, 'Oh, yeah - that one!' if they've played it.

Damn straight.

Visuals

The fun, cutesy, cartoony style comes through from the very first opening promo through to each level. Everything is bright and grabs your attention, and the graphics are very detailed. The block primary colours of your playable character as well as all the Wisps you need to collect make them noticeablet. The worlds look very distinct, as well. The fact you can smash up bits of the scenery for no purpose other than being able to cause wanton destruction is also rather satisfying.

With all of the bright colours and break-neck speeds you encounter throughout the game, it all starts to get a bit much at times - I occasionally found it difficult to see where my character had actually ended up. The theme tune has lyrics which go '...the colours feel so right...'. No, no they don't. They hurt my brain. I know it's called 'Sonic Colours', but I don't feel that's an excuse to try and give me an aneurysm.

Game, dial down the intense colours; just a teeny bit. Most of the time, effort has clearly been made to avoid too much blue in the scenery to make Sonic stand out, but when you have to move so fast, I could do with having either a bigger Sonic to control or more contrast between the character and the environment.

'The colours hurt my eyes...' Once the retina burn wears off, you'll notice the graphics look amazing for a Wii game.

Intelligence

The enemies have their specific attack patterns - some chase you, some shoot at you, some just stand around either getting in your way or allowing you to homing attack them to traverse large gaps. Something I quite like is that some of them seem genuinely thrilled when they've hurt you; they'll do a little jig. Although quite why Eggman built his robots to have personalities at all is confusing. Maybe he's lonely.

There doesn't seem to be a great deal of variety in the enemies - in two worlds I came across three different enemy types. For a game like this, I'd expect to see more, as your enemies are the main obstacles besides the physical platforming.

I'd like to see different enemy types for each world; it would be another way of making the area feel different as well as providing unique challenges.

I'm suddenly feeling rather peckish...

Immersion

The game does suck you in with its cute cast of characters and its amusing little touches - you actually enjoy watching the cutscenes for the reason the game wants you to, which is a rarity. There are enough gimmicks - such as the Wisps power and the collecting of Red Rings - that make you want to go back and explore the different routes available in each level. One thing that deserves a mention is the music; it's used really well and goes beyond just adding atmosphere - there are genuinely interesting music pieces throughout each world, which are arranged subtly differently in each act so you keep the theme of the music but with noticeable differences. I am actually humming the last act's music as I type this; that's how catchy it is. The amusement park theme is kept up throughout not only the levels, but the stage select screens - and Eggman, the proprietor, gives all the announcements for all of the stages. I really felt like I was playing in a cartoon theme park.

The world/act ratio really pulls you out of the game; there are just too many acts and you start wondering how many more levels you have to go through before you get to the boss.

More worlds, less acts; it's that simple. If that's difficult from a development schedule point of view, then there should be some very distinct gimmicks for each act that makes it feel like a different experience; such as a level completely indoors, or a racing-style level. Or, make half of the acts optional, so you can bypass them and still get through the game. I appreciate that the game tries to make these acts more varied by introducing you to the different Wisps now and then, but it's the equivalent of sticking a plaster on a burst pipe.

'Rocket!'

Cameras

The camera follows your character around in third person and sticks with you wherever you move. The view changes between 2D and 3D automatically; any intricate platforming appears to only occur in the 2D view, but anything which involves extensive homing attacking of enemies or speed runs is done in 3D view - this tight control limits the possibility of the camera angle getting you killed.

The only major issues with the way the camera automatically follows your character is that you get no control over what you can see on screen. This is fine for the most part, but each level has multiple routes you can take, and sometimes the camera focuses in such a way that you physically can't see how to get onto different routes.

A free camera option which you could reset to automatic would be a great help in this game, purely so you can see around the level when you try to aim for different routes. The game encourages you to do this with the various collectibles, so it would seem sensible to allow the player to look around.

'Laser!'

Controls

There are four different control mechanisms employed; you can use the Wii Remote and nunchuck, the Wii Remote on its side, a Wii classic controller or a Gamecube controller. The Wii Remote and nunchuck feel the easiest to use - the buttons are all accessible and are in sensible places; for example, if I want to boost - a quite aggressive action that can only be used for limited periods, I press the trigger-like B button. To unleash your Wisp power after collecting a cute alien, you have to shake the Wii Remote and this was never something you ended up doing accidentally - with such a design it could have easily resulted in you accidentally setting it off whenever you tilted the remote.

At times, the controls felt a little unresponsive - on occasion I pressed the A button to jump as I headed forward, only for nothing to happen (well, except for me falling off the edge of a platform). When you shake the Wii Remote to unleash your Wisp power, sometimes a little shake would work, but other times I'd have to really go for it. Also, one of the Wisp power-ups allows you to point a laser which sends Sonic shooting off in that direction. The game is set up so you use pinball physics to ricochet off surfaces to get to places; the problem is, you don't get much time to set up your trajectory and you end up flying off all over the place.

As vague as it sounds to say, 'tighten up the controls', tighten up the controls. When I press to jump, I should jump every time. For the Wisp power-ups, it would be better if you had to press another button once you've activated the power to complete the action; this means that when you have to set up a trajectory, you can do so and then press a button to send Sonic along it.   

'Drill!'
Are you getting bored yet?

Ideas

There are a lot of interesting ideas in this game. The concept of collecting Wisps to give Sonic temporary powers is definitely fun; the powers are very unique and allow you to reach areas you couldn't as Sonic alone. For example, you have a Rocket power that shoots you up high into the air and then you have to control Sonic's descent - collecting items or reaching a platform as you do; there's a Spike power that lets you grab onto walls and travel along them upside-down. As the powers are temporary, you have to make sure you use them in the best place. You have numerous different routes through each level - some of which you can't access until you've come across the appropriate Wisp in later levels. This, coupled with the need to collect Red Rings, provides reasonable incentive to go back and replay various acts. You can also make Sonic do tricks in the air when you dash through certain rings, which gain you extra points and actually gives you something to do while you're waiting for him to land. 

One lovely little addition is the results screen at the end of each act - you can actually still control Sonic and start attacking the ranking and score objects; sometimes you'll get an extra life or other bonus for doing so. Also, the higher your rank, the happier Sonic is - he points at your rank rather disdainfully if you get a 'D'. The game really doesn't take itself too seriously - on several occasions the cutscenes mock themselves and the daft storyline. Another great thing this game does is offer help that you can easily ignore. If you don't want assistance, you can switch it off. If you don't want to read the information in-game, you just don't touch the information rings. Simple.

The acts themselves are just too samey, which is a real shame. There are so many nice little touches and moments that will make you smile, but the main levels seem to need a little more variety. One thing I noticed, despite the tutorials, is that you are left to your own devices with the Wisp power-ups. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as it encourages you to think about how you might use it and where. The problem is that the whole game is designed around speed. You don't really have time to think too much about what you have to do next, and it seems a bit jarring when you have these powers that force you to stop and think. Oh, and one other tiny thing - throughout every cutscene, Tails is with Sonic - effectively being the brains of the operation - yet you can't play as him. Why not, game?

A lot of my issues with this game would have been resolved if only there were fewer acts, or at least more stark differences between the acts. I'd also like it if we were able to play as Tails. In the earlier games he had slightly different abilities, which could be utilised to allow him access to different parts of each level and provide a unique gameplay experience. It would be difficult to accommodate the cutscenes for this, so why not make it an option upon completing the game? It would give people a further incentive to go back and play the levels again.

Creepiest. Thing. Ever.

Memory

The whole feel of this game is simply fun. You have very lively and comical characters in both the villains and heroes; even the banter between buddies Sonic and Tails has some bite to it. The whole amusement park theme is consistent throughout the levels and the game screens; Eggman's descriptive comments about the worlds are informative and amusing, and the in-game announcements he makes will make you chuckle - in the 'Sweet Mountain', attendees are advised not to lick the rides, but if they do? 'We warned you!'. Everything's incredibly over the top, but it doesn't ever feel far-fetched; even when Sonic keeps leaning on the fourth wall during the cutscenes. You get to make Einstein turn in his grave by running upside-down along corkscrew platforms, apparently kept in place by sheer momentum, you can use all sorts of unusual powers that the levels are designed to accommodate (or are even built around in some cases). Every level feels like a theme park ride - fast, fun and occasionally nauseating.  

There is also a 'Sonic Simulator' which I have to mention. It's supposed to be part of Eggman's theme park, and from the sensor gloves, chest plate and protruding red beacon Sonic wears, it's literally a VR machine where people can pretend to be Sonic. I've no idea what this is for - the manual says you have to collect Red Rings in the main game to access this, but beyond that there is no real explanation (I've a sneaking suspicion it involves the ubiquitous Chaos emeralds). You have several levels to traverse, which look like they've been built with LEGO and thus is a radical departure from the rest of the world design. The music, however, is unbelievably creepy. It's a genuinely unsettling experience playing this weird simulator where Sonic is apparently hooked up to a VM machine to play himself with the soundtrack of ominous death clinging to your ear drums, and I don't know if this is what they were going for.

There is one huge fly in the ointment, and that is the acts. I've said it numerous times, but there are too many, they're too similar and it makes the game drag. By act four on the first world, I was starting to wonder, 'aren't we at the boss yet?', something I really shouldn't be thinking at any stage of a game. It feels as though the makers were struck by a sudden need to pad the game out, and tacked on a bunch of levels by modifying their existing designs. 

One other thing I find a little odd about this game is who the target audience is. Sure, the cutscenes and overall look and feel of the game tell me it's pitched squarely at kids (which says a lot about me, given how entertained I was by all of that), but because the gameplay pretty much leaves you to fend for yourself and goes at such a breakneck speed, it feels better suited to older players. I suppose younger players wouldn't have a problem just ripping through the initial levels, but when it comes to collecting necessary items and progressing through the worlds, I think it could be frustratingly tricky for them. One other tiny thing - I genuinely hate the fact that I have to listen very, very carefully to Eggman's in-game announcements. Sure, they aren't relevant to anything, but they're really funny - when you can hear them. This is especially irritating on the stage select screen, however.

If only the acts were fewer, or the level design was noticeably varied. The game really needs greater level variety to keep those six act worlds interesting. Maybe just making the middle act a bonus act with something completely out of left field - pinball, racing or collecting a number of rings in an allotted time - would create a decent break from the similarity of the other acts. The game sort of has its own in-built difficulty, given you can choose to ignore a lot of the collectibles, but I still think the option to be a bit more hand-holding would be a good thing to offer in a game like this. Oh, and sort the music mix out so I can hear Eggman, or give him some subtitles. Thanks.

'Quickly, Tails; to adventure!'

Overall, I found that what I enjoyed most about this game was all the extraneous elements; the cutscenes, the visual design, the humour. The main gameplay was certainly fun, but the sheer volume of repetitive acts marred this game a little. This still has a lot going for it and the unique method of collecting little alien creatures to obtain power-ups is both a cute and interesting mechanic.