Sonic the Hedgehog, the one and only, the character (and game) that changed video games forever; I realize saying this gives off an air of hyperbole (since you could say that about… pretty much *any* iconic game and/or character of yesteryear), but in the grand scheme of things, it’s true really. Sonic gave Sega the very edge they needed when their prior mascot Alex Kidd wasn’t doing it anymore for them, the hype it generated and its positive reception helped boost the sales of their 16-bit MegaDrive/Genesis console to the point that it was not only the bestseller of the system but one of the best-selling video games of *all time* (for a first game in a series, this was unheard of), it gave Mario strong competition (at first), and it made Sega a force to be reckoned with in their console war against Nintendo’s 16-bit powerhouse.

But most people acquainted with Sonic might know this already, I know, but it’s still mind blowing what an impact Sonic Team’s 1991 hit had on the video game industry (to the point where certain developers attempted to ape Sonic’s fast speed, flair, attitude, and verve); without Sonic, there’d be no Zool (solid), there’d be no Bubsy (first game’s a guilty pleasure despite its problems, second game is completely soulless, but his latest game Paws on Fire! is not that bad… not great, but as a rhythm-based game it’s all right), and there’d be no Aero the Acro-Bat (ranging from maudlin or okay suffering from lack of polish in the first game to consistently enjoyable in the follow-up), et al. Well, you never know, maybe they would have still existed, but not as they presently are……… Anyway!

In the past week I saw the live action Sonic movies back-to-back on Paramount(Plus), having not seen them in theatres, and I found those movies to be enjoyably fun (Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik was perfect casting, he was hilarious); yeah, video game movies (particularly the live action ones) usually tend to not have the best of track records out there, but I was pleasantly surprised and found Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to be some of the best video game movies there are.

Sonic Team’s Sonic the Hedgehog is a really great start to Sega’s most successful video game franchise of all time. Part of the beauty is the simplicity of its gameplay and controls, the fast sense of speed the likes of which had never been seen in a video game before, the vast array of colors in Green Hill Zone and Marble Zone and Star Light Zone are eye popping (and yes, the bonus zones are also mesmerizing to look at, with the backgrounds shifting its motif from fish to birds the longer you stay in), its soundtrack is iconic (Green Hill Zone’s music is timeless, Labyrinth Zone’s theme is immersive and bouncy, and Star Light Zone’s theme is such an ear-pleasing reward after having survived the ordeal of the previous zone–hearing this music playing at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was incredible), and Sonic has a very appealing design (I much prefer the way he looked in-game in this, in Sonic 2, and in Sonic CD, I’m glad Christian Whitehead used his big-eyed design of Sonic for Sonic Mania because… Sonic 3’s in-game design did not do it for me, but that’s neither here nor there). It’s got a good sense of replay value, too, with having to gather six (as opposed to seven like in later games) chaos emeralds, and it’s a fun game to play while it lasts. I like the majority of Sonic’s ’90s games (most of which I played through compilations or as unlockables in Sonic Adventure DX: Director’s Cut), and while I do like Sonic 2 and Sonic CD more (Sonic Mania is a great return to form for the series, and a perfect love letter to Sonic’s peak era), there is an undeniable beauty and charm to Sonic the Hedgehog’s simplicity. Not to mention I always appreciate the cameo from the blue bird Flicky from time to time.

Sure it doesn’t have the spin dash or the super peel-out speed-gaining abilities, and sure it might not feature Tails or Metal Sonic or Knuckles or any other character introduced along the line, but the first Sonic is still enjoyable to play every once in a while. A fine classic that still stands the test of time after all these years and one that’s left an indelible mark in video game history. Kudos, Naoto Ohshima and Yuji Naka and everyone at Sonic Team.

To each their own