Back in 2013, a uniqueSonicgame was released as a Nintendo exclusive for both the Wii U and 3DS.Sonic Lost Worldtook inspiration from the Wii’sSuper Mario Galaxyto invite players to the intriguing cylindrical and hexagonal world of Lost Hex, where the new threat of the Deadly Six were found. As these Zeti villains could control all robotics,Sonic Lost Worldtakes a turn early on, and its up to Sonic, Tails, and Dr. Eggman to team up to save the day.
While the landscape of Lost Hex was both unique and familiar at the same time compared to usualSonicenvironments, theobviousMarioinspirationserved as one of the many things that leftLost Worldto receive mixed reviews and become one of the lowest selling games in the series' history. However, 10 years later,there’s a different perspective toLost Worldthat even Sonic Team itself seems to have taken to help decide the franchise’s future.
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Sonic Lost World Found a Balance Between Exploration and Speed
Sonic Lost Worldhas a number of release dates, all coming out during the later half of October 2013. European countries got it as early as October 18, while it was made available to North American fans on October 29.
One big criticism thatSonic Lost Worldfaced when it came out was the fact that the blue hedgehog’s trademark speed was kept on the low end compared toother titles such asSonic Unleashed. However, this served an important purpose in terms of the game’s control scheme. Taking advantage of ZL and ZR on the Wii U gamepad gave players the ability to control Sonic’s spin dash and running speed at will, which led to a much more controlled environment to play with.
While the hedgehog may feel slower, it led to a great deal of freedom to the player with responsible controls that made it harder for fans to fall off ledges because of Sonic’s fast pace. This in turn goes hand-in-hand with the cylindrical shape of Lost Hex, which offered multiple paths on the sides of the platforms that players could pick and choose at any time through the Parkour mechanic, triggered by holding down the ZR run trigger. This type of control scheme wouldpersist beyondSonic Lost WorldthroughSonic Frontierslikely for this reason.
3DS
59 Based on 34 Critic Reviews
63 Based on 64 Critic Reviews
57 Based on 5 Critic Reviews
ViaMetacritic
Yet, again, it’s worth repeating that perspective has changed since the launch of this title. While it is not a “redeemed” game by any means, its attempt at new things has informednewer games likeSonic Frontiers.
The Level Design in Sonic Lost World Wasn’t Afraid to Branch Out
Not only did the unique control scheme and perspective on speed help setLost Worldapart, but so did its level design. Mostly known for its tube levels that make up a majority of its gameplay and maps, the setting was used for other interesting set pieces like circular caves to run along the walls and ceilings, segmented hexagonal structures used to encourage side-stepping during auto-running segments, and entire planets would be used as boss battling grounds, much likeLost World’s inspirationSuper Mario Galaxydid within its own galaxies.
The ideas didn’t at all stop there as many ofSonic Lost World’s levels tried something different from one to the next, with the cylindrical lay-outs being the most common. While this is another big criticism of the game, it keeps players guessing and offers interesting new challenges every step of the way. It may say one thingabout Sonic Team’s commitment to level design, but it says another for how much the studio loves to experiment.
Sonic Lost Worldmay be a small footnote in the franchise’s lengthy historynow, asSonic Frontiershas marked the new era for the blue blur going forward, but it brought concepts and lessons that are definitely being carried to the new foundation of the next decade ofSonic,according to Sonic Team. This new direction, which has begun with the newest best-selling 3D Sonicgame, carries the torch from the title that was once Nintendo-exclusive in many ways, which means thatSonic Lost Worldwon’t be forgotten as the series keeps running faster.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog is a prolific game franchise that started life on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Covering both 2D and 3D iterations through the generations, Sonic is known for speedy movements and interesting platforming mechanics.
