Sonic CD

Most other Sonic games encourage the player to build up speed and rapidly navigate the world. Build up to maximum speed, leads to discovery of new areas and new places in the level that can't be reached if the game is played like a traditional platformer. Many players found Sonic CD to be designed to inhibit maximum speed and distinctly lack frequency of exploratory rewards of other games in the franchise. Indeed, this is true, levels are filled with designs designed to slow or stop players all together should they attempt to travel at maximum speed. There is a reason for this. Building up speed in Sonic CD is intended as part of the time travel gameplay element. Which can only be done at certain points in each level. The developers wanted to encourage players to use the time travel mechanic. And so they are stopped from navigating levels at high speed. Players are encouraged to look at and study the levels by being frequently stopped or slowed down. So players discover the time posts and where they can, in a small area, build up speed to strike it and time travel. Speed is no longer an two-dimensional exploratory tool but a fourth dimensional one. Speed is less about being fast and furious, and must be used more strategically.

zerothis # 2023-05-05 14:18:58

Sonic the Hedgehog and his self-proclaimed girlfriend Amy Rose travel to Never Lake, only to discover the legendary Little Planet there, tied in chains and covered by metal. It appears that Sonic's archenemy, Dr. Eggman, is using the powers of the planet in order to manipulate the fabric of time. He created Sonic's evil counterpart, Metal Sonic, who kidnaps Amy and disappears. Now the brave hedgehog must explore the Little Planet, collect seven jewels capable of altering the passage of time, free Amy, and defeat Metal Sonic along with his master.

Sonic CD is a fast-paced side-scrolling platform action game, similar in gameplay to other installments of the series. Sonic uses his patented spin attacks to destroy the doctor's minions, and collects various items, such as protective rings, shields, and speed shoes. His special attacks include the Spin Dash and the Super Peel Out. A stand-out gameplay feature of this installment is Sonic's ability to travel to past and future versions of the stages he traverses. Depending on the player's action in the past version of a level, the future versions (which contain obligatory boss enemies) will change from "bad" to "good", having more or less enemies and obstacles, respectively.

Time Stones can be collected by completing special stages, in which Sonic has to shoot UFOs within an allotted time limit. The game's "good" ending can be achieved either by collecting all the seven Time Stones, or by turning all future level versions into "good". The game has features that take advantage of the CD format such as CD audio, video clips, and more levels (over fifty in total).

Cebion # 2022-01-06 16:09:54

An AWESOME game. Firstly intented to be an enhanced version of Sonic 2, it was later reprogramed as a remake of Sonic 1. This CD-ROM enhanced version featured time travel (you could travel between past and future), and instead of Chaos Emeralds you had "Time Stones".
Also in the European and Japanese version, the music was composed by a famous japanese group, with styles going from Rock to rap, with some hip-hop, classical, pop... (Sonic CD OST was a big hit in Japan).
At last, but not least, the opening and ending movies, using THHU-VIDEO system, were made by Bird Studio (Dragon Ball's studio).

# 2002-10-15 15:44:07

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collected in
Sonic Gems Collection (PS2)
Sonic Gems Collection (GameCube)

has influenced
Freedom Planet (Linux)

ported to
Sonic CD (Windows)
Sonic CD (X360)
Sonic CD (PS3)
Sonic CD (iOS)
Sonic CD (Android)