This game is part of the Sonic Retrospective and man, is this a interesting case. Not only was this a game Nintendo heavily pushed (it being a Wii U exclusive after all) but coming after Sonic Generations….one would think this is a great game!
Well……it’s a mixed one and I can’t play the Wii U version due to not owning the system, but I got help! NeoGaf Member Yoshi is covering the Wii U version while I cover the 3DS version. So between the two of us, will we escape this Lost World?
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The history behind this game is that it was the start of a three-game exclusivity deal between SEGA Japan and Nintendo; three Sonic the Hedgehog titles were going to be Nintendo only, with Lost World being the very first one.
Nintendo was rumored to have a hand in helping production on this game, but the most likely deal was them working with Sonic Team for the post-launch Yoshi’s Island and Legend of Zelda Zones (Free DLC).
Sonic Team wanted to move on from the Modern Formula created with Sonic Unleashed, Colors and Generations, as they figured it ‘ran its course’. It also could be from desire to make cheaper Sonic games, as HD Modern Formula Sonic titles take a lot of assets and time make. Either way, they wanted to have a middle-ground gameplay formula for Sonic pushed both speed and platforming.
So, they came up with a new control set up for Sonic and made the core level design be inspired by Nintendo titles, mainly Super Mario Galaxy. When this released November 2013, many were expecting it to be a fantastic game, as Generations was a return to form for many fans of the Sonic series (though Colors did this as well in 2010). But reviews were mixed and fans felt torn.
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For the Wii U version, going to let Yoshi take the stage, as he played through the Wii U game and has a lot to talk about on the title.
“So, Sega had found a great recipe for Sonic games in Sonic Unleashed, and perfected it in Sonic Colours and Sonic Generations. What better point is there to drop it all and start anew? This must be what Sonic Team was thinking when they came up with the Wii U-exclusive Sonic Lost World. Note that this game is completely different from the 3DS game of the same name, even though both games use a 3D engine. For Sonic Lost World, the speed of the game was drastically toned down. Even though you can go quite fast, you never reach the speeds you could in Unleashed and Generations. Instead, the speed is more similar to that of the Adventure games. In return, the developers focused more on platforming challenges and adopted a Mario Galaxy-esque level design for quite a few levels.
Most levels are either 3D platforming levels or 2D platforming levels, the rapid switching between gameplay styles was not incorporated in Lost World. In order to offer better controls for the more platforming oriented stages, Sonic has a slower and a faster running speed, triggered using the shoulder buttons. At the higher speed, Sonic can also perform parkour moves, however these take a lot of learning and are actually not required to make it through the game. In order to collect all red rings and (sometimes) to get the S-Ranks in all levels, mastering these skills is required though. At first they seem quite unreliable and hard to learn, in parts also supported by them being completely under explained. They only start to be fun when you worked your way through learning them and only few players will invest so much time in them because, as I said, they are not required.
Despite not explaining the more unique gameplay systems, Sonic Lost World is harsh in another way, too, because the level design gets really challenging after the mid point an this is amplified by the vanilla version of the game not granting extra lives for rings. After a patch you will now get extra lives for collecting 100 rings though, so the game became considerably easier to blast through. The level design is very fun from my point of view, but the jumping controls in 2D feel a bit off, because they actually use the same physics as in 3D and jumping to the left or right leads to a very small jump, that is unlike usual Sonic jumps in 2D games. The Wisps were integrated well, but didn’t add that much to the game. Note that again, after an update, this functionality got improved in the sense that everything can now be controlled just using buttons. In the original version, some Wisps required Motion and Touch controls. Personally, I was not bothered by that, but some people were quite unhappy about that. Similar to Sonic Generations, the S-Ranks are being given solely for quickly going through the levels in time attack, no points like in Unleashed or the Adventure games.
Overall, Sonic Lost World is a well-made, but under explained platformer that looks fantastic, comes with some really obscure Nintendo-franchise crossover levels and some nice level design ideas. However it is considerably worse than Sonic Generations and especially the lost speed and the added complexity take away some of Sonic’s trademark arcady fun. I wouldn’t place it too close to the top of the series, but it still is a good entry in the series and certainly well worth a playthrough. By the way, the game also has some kind of story about some evil guys… doing stuff…. Well it is forgettable and doesn’t play any serious role in the game.”
Yoshi made a lot of great points here and I can’t thank you enough for helping me cover the Wii U game! Yoshi also answered a few questions about the Wii U game, so here are the questions & answers.
-How does the controls 'feel' on Wii U Lost World? Does the Parkor feel natural, or forced?
For the controls, this depends on if the area is 2D or 3D. In 2D areas, the controls are a bit strange, because the jump is shorter than one would expect and is used from other Sonic games. Personally, I got used to it pretty quickly, but a friend of mine was furious right to the end. Considering the game is quite difficult (if you want to get all S-Ranks) it is important you get used to the controls. As for 3D controls: They are intuitive and simple, as long as you don't get into the parkours stuff, which is actually quite tricky. Mind you, it is not bad, once you master it, it can be satisfactory. However, the parkours of course comes at the cost of lowered speed of the overall game when compared to the Sonic games before. The game does not explain the nuances of the parkours stuff very well, you will need to put some work into it to master it.
-Do you like how the wisps control with the motion controls and normal controls? I heard they updated the Wii U version with no touch screen/motion controls for wisps.
I think the Wisp controls were fine with motion controls already, they were no particular strong or weak point. The exception is the finnicky bomb Wisp and its associated achievements in the game. I have not used the bomb Wisp with normal controls yet though. If you are interested, I can try the new controls.
-How the does the game preform on the Wii U? Heard it’s a consistent 60FPS.
Absolutely flawless 60fps. Looking really vibrant, too. It is not as detailed in its visuals as Sonic Generations and as I said it is way slower, but the technical performance is great and due to the strong art design the game also consistently looks nice.
-How do you feel about the game's core level design?
I liked the level design, with the exception of one snow level where Sonic gets turned into a snow ball, which is a very slippery version of Monkey Ball. The game gets brutal though later on, because the levels are very long (a bit too long) and initially you did not get lives for collecting 100 rings. If you are a casual Sonic player and just want to rush through the levels, you may feel the game is a bit too unforgiving. If you are always going after the S Ranks (which are obtained through time attacks here) and the red coins (which are quite nasty at times and heavy on the parkour’s) this shouldn't be an issue though, because you basically need to learn the controls well and complete the levels without any death anyway.
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For the 3DS version of Lost World, I fully played through that on my Nintendo 2DS and here are my comments about the game.
Some of the levels have really solid level design, with a lot of extra paths to take and in some cases, being an open playground for your parkour abilities.
The game also has Wisps from Sonic Colors returning and they are used well in the game, with level set-pieces utilizing them. I put this in good.......due to some of the moments being enjoyable. The electric Wisp is a lot of fun to play with and the Drill Wisp (in 2D) controls great. But the game also suffers from issues using the Wisps, will get to that latter.
The general story is the same as the Wii U version, so my thoughts will here will echo for the Wii U version. It's tone shifts all over the place and the Deadly Six are really one-note, but its still a nice tale. It can be funny and some of the harsher moments touch on parts I liked in Sonic Adventure 2 (when it got 'dark' at points; it failed often, but still, nice effort).
Sadly, the game has a lot of problems and its one of the more devisive 3D Sonic games for me.
One example is the controls, as I like how I like how Sonic works here.....but what they do with him here is really disappointing. The Wisps feel really float to use (*Cough* Asteroid and 3D Drill *Cough*) and the jumping when running or not has really far momentum (making jumps a bit tricky). The gimmicks with the Wisps in the 3DS version is too frequent and distracting at points.
Then we get to the combat encounters which remind me of Heroes.....but without the Team Blast and the Power Character's Air Attacks; annoying, long and if you don't have the right power up/wisp, it can take a while. Will commend the 3DS version with the fact they tell you how things work and the motion controls are really smooth; they work very well on the 2DS for me.
But the level design really upsets me, as they get so close really often. It has a lot of fun levels, but when a level is really bad, you feel it. Frozen Factory Act 3 is one of the worst 3D Sonic levels out there. You have to help make snowballs to put in holes, activating teliporters bring new to the next location.
I had a decent time with it, but I spent far too long in what should be a short level. In fact, the levels take far too long. I keep getting C and D ranks and spend over 10 minutes in each level; that is a problem when past handheld Sonic's I spend maybe.........5 or so minutes in each stage.
If you can overlook some of the level design issues and the heavy focus on the Wisp Gimmicks, consider giving it a shot. One last thing; I didn't not expect to love the Special Stages! For something that I should hate, I love how they feel. Sonic flying around using the Gyro feels great and the design for these stages works quite well. Sure, I'm standing in the middle of my room moving around like some idiot but I'm having a blast.
Anyway, is it a good game or not? I implied that it wasn't a good game but it’s far from the worst the series has offered (06, Shadow. Chronicles, Sonic Blast).
The final two zones, Sky Road and Lava Mountain in the 3DS version, made me feel a bit better about the game honestly. They have really fun level design and I really love how Sky Road Act 3 works; its a great level highlighting the level design being strong at points.
Regarding how the games structure works, every zone post Desert Ruins has ONE annoying stage that is stuffed with Gimmicks/Wisp Powers and it makes what should be a fun level needlessly frustrating. But that is one out of three acts for every zone. Most zones are set up like this:
-Act 1: 3D Platforming stages with mostly focusing on 3D platforming
-Act 2: 2D Stage heavily using the Parkor mechanics in full force alongside playing with a Wisp power or two
-Act 3: Gimmick Stage that uses one element or a number of elements at once
This is not always the case (Sky Road Act 3 comes to mind) but point still stands. The Gimmick Stages is really give or take; if you can deal with a heavy focus on the Wisp mechanics......they aren't that bad. Even then, they tend to mix in platforming and parkor elements (Silent Forest Act 2 is a great example of this, blending rail grinding, 3D platforming and the Lighting Wisp).
Not saying this is a great thing (it can be a problem honestly) but still, not all the 'gimmick' acts are bad.
A few things to note about Sky Road, Lava Mountain and post-game content before concluding my thoughts on the game.
-Sky Road is different from the Wii U version, with that version focusing on Windy Hill and Desert Ruin Assets. The 3DS version is a Casino Zone for two Acts with the third act being the final platforming level in the game. It is a lot of fun, with you flying on rockets and using the Parkor system to its fullest potential.
-Lava Mountain is a boss rush for the three acts (where you fight harder versions of the Zeti) while the final act is a boss against Eggman in a mech. He uses various attacks inspired by the Wisps you use in the game (Quake, Drill, Lighting, Laser, Burst, Hover). In some ways, it validates the Wisps inclusion into Lost World (as Eggman was harvesting their power alongside draining Sonic's World). Either way, it was a fun boss fight and an great conclusion to the game.
-Super Sonic makes the game fairer when you unlock him; the cheap stuff thrown at you and the combat encounters are less of an issue due to the homing attack being a bit stronger and you being able to ram your head into foes (ala boost) to attack.
-The Special Stages are a lot of fun if you don't mind being silly with the motion controls. Otherwise, they can be annoying to some.
-Red Rings unlock stages for each zone, as if you collect all the red rings for a given zone you unlock an extra act.
-Hard Mode is unlocked and it changes the level layouts a bit. You need to beat the Hard Mode version of Windy Hill before moving on to Hard Mode for other Zones.
Overall thoughts on the 3DS version is that.....the game is enjoyable and can be a lot of fun. There are more bright spots then I originally thought but my issues are still present; the focus on Wisps as gimmicks, locking you into combat sections and some strange level design at points hinder what could of been an amazing game.
The mechanics are present, they work better then the Wii U version (reportedly) and Dimps has some stronger level design ideas (they make great use of the 2D perspective, the gimmicks in the Wii U version are used a bit better here like the Spot-Lights in Silent Forest Act 3).
Its a mixed bag and is one of the weaker handheld Sonic's but its impressive for it trying to be the first 3D Sonic game on a handheld. Hopeful that the anniversary game gets a great handheld game and learns some lessons from this title
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The presentation has been covered by both Yoshi and myself for the different versions, but what about the music?
Well, its not the best Sonic Soundtrack of the Modern Era, but it is still a great one.
Wonder World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnRBaP7WJjY&list=PLD1akREkdUJGPD3BJEzrdA_X08XfVZIMV&index=1
Windy Hill Act 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUfePCy3i6I&index=2&list=PLD1akREkdUJGPD3BJEzrdA_X08XfVZIMV
Desert Ruins Act 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxMH3UHksc0&index=15&list=PLD1akREkdUJGPD3BJEzrdA_X08XfVZIMV
Dessert Ruins (Ha XD): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3k62YYbrRU&index=20&list=PLD1akREkdUJGPD3BJEzrdA_X08XfVZIMV
Tropical Coast Act 2 (Sea Bottom Surge):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmVOEV29bIk
Casino Zone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwdRVkG_S9I&index=16&list=PLMBv88hele9DbNxpOO_POl0z7GhWgNhTh
Silent Forest Act 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=easbubNWn84&index=18&list=PLMBv88hele9DbNxpOO_POl0z7GhWgNhTh
Silent Forest Act 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCZuZn4NIeI&list=PLMBv88hele9DbNxpOO_POl0z7GhWgNhTh&index=22
Sky Road Act 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et9F9V0HqZo&list=PLMBv88hele9DbNxpOO_POl0z7GhWgNhTh&index=24
Sky Road Act 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JV232ihYjwg&index=17&list=PLD1akREkdUJGPD3BJEzrdA_X08XfVZIMV
Silent Forest Act 3 (3DS Version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDrCd0EvqHA&list=PLMBv88hele9DbNxpOO_POl0z7GhWgNhTh&index=19
Lava Mountain Act 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB7DkXjOYuE&index=29&list=PLMBv88hele9DbNxpOO_POl0z7GhWgNhTh
Deadly Six Boss Theme (Guitar) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUoefmJGm-Q&list=PLD1akREkdUJGPD3BJEzrdA_X08XfVZIMV&index=22
Deadly Six Boss Theme (Orchestral Version): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIDYABbjV5I
Final Boss: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1A-JIq2dCI&list=PLMBv88hele9DbNxpOO_POl0z7GhWgNhTh&index=31
Special Stage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feF9DaPsTE8&index=13&list=PLD1akREkdUJGPD3BJEzrdA_X08XfVZIMV
I really enjoyed this soundtrack and Tropical Coast Act 3 in particular is one of my favorite themes in Sonic. So haunting, moody and touching; reminds me a lot of Tidal Tempest Zone (JP) from Sonic CD
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So, overall impressions? Sonic Lost World for the Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo 3DS is a very 'odd' game in the Sonic series. It has to be the game that has the highest highs and the lowest lows in terms of Modern Era 3D Sonic, but its still a fun game. When it works, man, does it work. It feels like the Adventure style for Sonic but a bit more controllable.
I recommend you give the game a shot if you own a Wii U or 3DS, as even if you don't like it, it never hurts trying a game out
. Lost World is a lot like Sonic Heroes; a game that has people mixed with some people loving it and some people hating it. You might end up loving the game if you give it a chance !
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The next game is quite a massive boom, so I needed a few hands to help me out. Thankfully, NeoGaf Members Yoshi and Village are working with me on covering everything Sonic Boom.
