Sonic Colors (2010)
Looking through Wii-colored glasses
Being 14 years old in high school feels like only yesterday, where I only cared about gaming on a console with The Best Graphics™… but alas, I was a Wii owner. As a Sonic fan, it was especially painful to see the state of the blue hedgehog on the Wii; I remember thinking back then how Wii owners always got the short end of the stick, while the PS3/XBox360 owners always got The Cool Games, like Sonic ‘06… yeah…
While my feelings for the Wii Sonic games have changed over time, there is one shining star that has remained on top for 14 years: Sonic Colors. Gone were the days of shaking my controller with forced motion controls and static storybook cutscenes, this game had everything I wanted from a Sonic game.
I beat Sonic Colors 14 years ago, got 100% completion and never played it again. It was the tail end of the Wii’s life after all, and I never saw reason to return to it. Yet, I always considered it one of - if not the best - Sonic game I had ever played. Ever since, I’ve wondered if it really was That Good, but never had an opportunity to replay it.
Thankfully, the remaster train finally hit Sonic with the release of Sonic Colors Ultimate in 2021. I can finally confirm if my thoughts on it have remained the same, or if I’ve been looking through nostalgia-colored glasses.
(Disclaimer: For the purposes of this Sonic Color revisit, I will only speak about the original game and will not take into account any of the added benefits from the remaster)
Saturday Morning Video Game
Sonic Colors is not a story-heavy game. The earth will not get shattered by a death ray to revive an evil god, there will be no alien invasion threatening to destroy the world, and no teenage girls will get murdered by US government soldiers. In comparison to past Sonic games, this feels like a side-quest in Sonic’s life.
Dr. Eggman has created an amusement park as an “apology” for past wrongdoings with absolutely no evil motives behind it, well, for the most part. In reality, Eggman is harvesting the power of these little alien creatures called Wisps that contain a special kind of energy. His objective is to create a mind control beam to take over the world or something, and it is Sonic’s job to stop him.
And that’s kind of it.
The story doesn’t delve deeper than that. We get a few cutscenes here and there, but they’re there only for a quick funny bit and don’t provide anything for world building. I remember Loving this game as a kid, but I couldn’t remember much of the story. Now I know that’s because there isn’t actually anything in here.
Unlike past Sonic games, the writing here is lighthearted and focused on silly jokes, clearly designed to have that Saturday morning cartoon humor. In no other game you’ll get to see your favorite blue hedgehog moonwalking and breaking the fourth wall in the same scene.
I like this direction for Sonic’s writing, but the execution left me disappointed; It’s fine to have a childish story, these games are mainly for kids anyway, but these cutscenes don’t tell a cohesive narrative, as they’re just composed of several comedy bits siloed from the rest of the story.
I don’t mind Sonic doing comedy, especially after the extremely serious writing we’ve seen in games released before and after this one, but it left me wanting reasons to care about the story. Thankfully, there isn’t a lot of story to begin with, so it doesn’t detract from the experience; just an eye-roll here and there.
Reaching for the Stars with Old Hardware
The world of Sonic Colors consists of 6 planets chained together, each with a truly unique theme; gone are the days of beginning with a grassy Green Hill Zone clone, this game starts with a bang. From the firework spectacle that is Tropical Resort, to the desserted plains of Sweet Mountain, each planet provides a feast for the eyes... and ears.
Accompanying each world, we have an outstanding soundtrack that manages to capture the essence of each level perfectly. My favorite example of this is Planet Wisp: a grassy planet invaded by Eggman’s heavy machinery trying to mine the planet’s resources. Its track combines a soothing piano melody and an industrial guitar sound at certain portions to create something so perfectly fit for what you see on the screen.
It is both surprising and expected that this is a Wii game. On one hand, the game looks gorgeous and colorful which is surprising for a console only slightly more powerful than 2001’s GameCube. This is mostly thanks to the art director, who knew how to work around the Wii’s limitations instead of just downsizing a PS3 game.
Though on the other hand, the game has a lot of rough edges: Animations, particle effects, poor physics, collision detection and a couple of glitches make it downright impossible to finish a few levels.
Still, my opinion on the game’s presentation has not changed in 14 years. While the writing is pretty much made for small children, the art design feels fresh and unique, in a way Sonic has not been since. As an adult, I paid much more attention to the artistic choices made throughout, which made me realize how everything in the game feels cohesive, from the music to the level and art design.
It’s OK to go slow
Sonic Colors is the second game using the divisive “Boost Formula”, divided in 3D fast-paced movement and 2D side-scrolling platforming. You can tell Sonic Team learned their lesson from Sonic Unleashed because of how much better Sonic controls. The “boost” button is much slower and the camera is farther away, giving you a better chance for precise platforming.
Despite being easier to control than Sonic Unleashed, it still took me some time to get used to the controls. The last Sonic game I played was Sonic Frontiers (which ditched the momentum-based movement for tighter controls), so getting back to this clunkier era of Sonic was a bit difficult.
With 6 acts and a boss per world, Sonic Colors has over 40 levels. Now, some of them are much shorter than others, but each has unique mechanic or gimmick to keep things fresh.
Speaking of fresh and gimmicks, this game’s main shtick is Wisp Powers. There are 8 in total, each with a unique ability: Laser allows you to speed on a specific direction while bouncing on walls for a short period, Drill allows you to drill through earth and water, Rocket blasts you into the sky. All are very situational, used on very specific portions of each level on unique circumstances, but are not really necessary to reach the end of a level. Instead, Wisps are primarily used for collecting Red Rings.
Ah yes, the Red Rings. These are the main collectible in the game and one of its shining stars. Each stage has 5 Red Rings scattered throughout the level, turning Sonic Colors into a sort of fast-paced collectathon, as it requires players to explore the level in more detail and think outside the box. Since levels are short and can be beaten in a couple of minutes, inspecting every single inch of the world in search for Red Rings never felt like an impossible task. Collecting them was a joy back then and it still is now, and I am baffled by the fact that these are completely optional. Sure, you unlock Super Sonic after collecting all 180 of them, but it’s not necessary to finish the game.
I am rarely a completionist, but you bet that I got all 180 Red Rings when I was a kid. Slowing down Sonic’s gameplay sounds like a horrible idea on paper, but it’s clear that the level design is built for exploration, with Red Rings as its reward for taking a longer path. Red Rings have made an appearance in most Sonic games since, but they’ve never been as fleshed out as in Sonic Colors.
At its core, Sonic Colors is a very simple game: the writing is lighthearted and silly, the controls consist of literally 4 buttons, levels are short and sweet, and the game is over before you know it. But in its simplicity, it manages to achieve greatness, thanks to its fantastic level design and structure. It might not be the best Sonic game ever, but I can easily sink dozens of hours collecting every single Star Ring with a big smile on my face throughout (and I think I will).
Sonic Colors left a mark on me 14 years ago and it feels great to finally remember why.