In a way, getting the fastest time is the real goal – and something that would explain the AI, which is usually indifferent and just has characters running their own paths. More than anything, these work alongside the mechanics to get you to become better by replaying courses, understanding the mechanics and trying out new tricks to set a new record. What ties it all together are the track layouts, which are dense with routes and shortcuts in a way few racing games are. The various mechanics complement each other well, leading to a game that’s easy to enjoy on the surface while containing plenty of depth. While characters are often somewhat loose in drifting, the majority of them are enjoyable to control and offer enough variations in stats to encourage different playstyles. However, the controls can be adjusted to despite their reputation, and are worth the effort for a unique racer. Characters who can’t jump often become a liability, as they can’t access certain areas and are unable to grab some of the collectibles, making them outright useless on occasion. There’s no way to reverse, forcing you to stop and turn very slowly to start moving again – something that becomes very annoying when the collectibles sometimes force you to do this. That isn’t to say the controls are perfect. You can also make sharp turns with the shoulder buttons, and those should be used alongside steering for corners and the like.
Despite looking like a 3D platformer and being able to move the character by pushing forward, it’s better to use the acceleration button to move forward while using the control pad for steering left and right, like a standard racing game.
It’s a very good idea, especially for incentivizing players to understand the initially unorthodox controls. These collectibles encourage replaying the tracks to not only unlock more content, but to get better at the game by learning the controls and layouts to grab the collectibles and win the race. As for the Chaos Emeralds, you can only keep them if you come in first place, and getting all seven will unlock a special character…
If you win, that racer will become playable. There are five Sonic Tokens in each track, and if you collect all five and come in either first, second or third place, you’ll be challenged to a race against one of Robotnik’s robotic racers (mainly clones of the main cast with different attributes, including the memetically spooky Tails Doll). In the “Grand Prix” mode, these areas will contain Chaos Emeralds and occasionally Sonic Tokens. Yes, there are plenty of rings to collect, but instead of counting towards your health, they’re used to either give you a quick speed boost on booster pads or open up gates to access shortcuts and secret areas. While most characters have extra maneuverability, Amy and Robotnik can drive over water without sinking and can boost or fire a missile respectively to even the odds.ĭotted around the level are item panels, which can give you a temporary speed boost, a water shield to run across water, or a lightning shield to attract rings. These help the characters navigate the tracks, since each one has numerous routes and shortcuts that can be taken depending on who you’re playing as. This can first be seen in how the majority of the racers aren’t in vehicles, but instead run around on foot and can jump – usually with an extra boost like double jumping or gliding. While somewhat clunky and very short, it’s also a technically impressive, unique racer quite unlike anything else in the genre. The third game was Sonic R, an original racing game conceived by Sonic Team and developed by Traveller’s Tales in much the same way as 3D Blast.
Only three games were released, and two of those were ports of his 16-bit adventures ( Sonic 3D Blast and the Sonic Jam compilation). Despite being at the center of the Genesis’ success and popular to the point of ubiquity, Sonic the Hedgehog was comparatively quiet during the Saturn’s short life.