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.

Thank you all for sticking around, as this has been a long run to the goal ring XD!

We are almost there, with only two more games left to cover (Boom and Generations). Been a wild ride and I can't thank you guys enough for sticking with me on this :').

Great write-up as always, and awesome write-up from my pal Yoshi as well!

RK, I'm shocked you didn't pick up a Wii U for this game....

maxcriden said:

Great write-up as always, and awesome write-up from my pal Yoshi as well!

RK, I'm shocked you didn't pick up a Wii U for this game....

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The whole thing with the Wii U is......I just didn't see then need for one :l. I can only afford one current-gen console and considering PS4 is getting stuff like FFXV, KH3 and Nier 2 that likely won't land on the Wii U, my hands are a bit tied. I love Nintendo and felt pressured into getting a 2DS......worth it . Love Smash on the thing and Kid Icarus Uprising is one of my favorite Nintendo games ever made .

Might end up getting a Wii U and a PS4 this year, as the former isn't that pricey while the latter will go down in price hard thanks to recent PS4K rumors.

Honestly I mostly liked Lost World on Wii U. There was a few awful levels, such as the snowball one here and there. But there were a decent amount of levels which I felt were pretty fun honestly.

I just wish they'd stick with a formula though. They keep trying to reinvent the wheel instead of just improving a wheel they've already created to a fairly decent level.

Let me know when there is a mod that remakes the game entirely to make it not just be worth playing but fun as well

I really like Lost World despite its shortcomings. Music is superb. I loved that main volcano and desert levels.

Zafir said:

Honestly I mostly liked Lost World on Wii U. There was a few awful levels, such as the snowball one here and there. But there were a decent amount of levels which I felt were pretty fun honestly.

I just wish they'd stick with a formula though. They keep trying to reinvent the wheel instead of just improving a wheel they've already created to a fairly decent level.

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I think that they made a new gameplay style for Lost World to move away from making pricey Sonic games. Asset production and the Hedgehog Engine is taxing for stage development, leading to Generations re-using assets of other Sonic games (will get to it when I cover the game).

But they could of just use the simplified art style this game has or more toned-down visuals that Colors got, so I guess I'm just making excuses for Sonic Team here :l.

Aesthetically speaking at least, this is the best looking game since Sonic & Knuckles.

I actually liked Lost World. It had some issues, granted, but overall it was a fun experience and didn't feel like a "bad" game at all.

Plus it had this free DLC





It was great fun. I wish the Zelda DLC was longer though.

Sir_Crocodile said:

Aesthetically speaking at least, this is the best looking game since Sonic & Knuckles.

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Since Sonic Heroes and Colors, this game tries HARD to match the style and direction the Genesis games tried capturing. If anything, I think the visuals try to capture Sonic CD and Knuckles Chaotix more, as the art style here is similar to those games.

Garbage game. The controls felt sooo off and UN sonic like. Fuck that snowball level

RK128 said:

Since Sonic Heroes and Colors, this game tries HARD to match the style and direction the Genesis games tried capturing. If anything, I think the visuals try to capture Sonic CD and Knuckles Chaotix more, as the art style here is similar to those games.

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Yes, that's what I love the most about it. It looks fun. Badniks look good, there's no silly "realistic" looking stuff that the series messed around with for so long. This is how a sonic game should present itself in 3D imo.

Add good controls and level design and we have a winner

Lost World looked like it had so much promise. It's really the controls that ruin it all (especially the bloody wall run in 2D sections). I ended up buying the game after hearing Sea Bottom Segue, just to hear the game's music in context, lol.

Good luck with Sonic Boom.

Sir_Crocodile said:

Yes, that's what I love the most about it. It looks fun. Badniks look good, there's no silly "realistic" looking stuff that the series messed around with for so long. This is how a sonic game should present itself in 3D imo.

Add good controls and level design and we have a winner

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A 2D Sonic game with Lost World's visual style will instantly peak my interest .

Regarding controls/level design, Sonic controls fine here (though Super Sonic is a bit too slippery). Its the level design that is the real head scratcher, as its great sometimes and really weak at other times (3DS version).

The 3DS version of Lost World is an abomination.

That is all.

EhoaVash said:

Garbage game. The controls felt sooo off and UN sonic like. Fuck that snowball level

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Its almost like.....I don't know, its trying to be MARIO or something .

To be serious, Sonic Team tried to appeal to the Mario fan decades ago with Billy Hatcher (as its Mario 64....with Eggs more or less XD) and it was more successful then trying to make Sonic mario-like.

I think Lost World is another case of Sonic Team having enough ideas to make a new IP, but stuck with Sonic just to get sales. Not discrediting the games strong points, but it feels that to me.

At least its more like Sonic Riders where the game is still fun and enjoyable instead of completely outlandish/not fitting to the series like Shadow was :l.

Neoxon said:

• The Wii U/PC version was decent. The controls are pretty decent once you get the hang of them, but the real problems were the level design in the later half of the game (which was hit-or-miss) & the bosses (WAY too easy).
• The 3DS version was a dumpster fire. I think that's all that needs to be said about that version.

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I wouldn't call the 3DS dumpster fire, as I had a lot of fun with it despite the issues I cite in the OP. But considering everything I saw of the Wii U version, that version (Wii U) has to be the much stronger game compared to the 3DS version.

I've only played the 3DS version. During some strange sale Toys R Us was having, I got it for "free" technically, after buying Angry Birds on the 3DS (which was 10 dollars). What an odd sale.

- Got to a sand level that was a bunch of shifting slides and it was frustrating and I just never played again. The non-gimmicky grass levels I felt were actually fine.
- The bonus stages were basically unplayable.

I loved Lost World on Wii U. First hours I was a bit sceptic on the gameplay, because they removed all the "automatisms" that there usually were on 3D Sonic games, but after some hours I started learning this new way of play and I had a lot of fun. Also, when you start to know well the stages, you can move really fast.

I really really wanted to like this game (PC version).

Good music, good art that IMO nailed what Sonic should be, I liked the new gameplay.... but the level design is terrible on the later levels. This + uninspired bosses and some weird gimmicky things (1hit deaths and stuff) made me drop the game at the last world.

Kikorin said:

I loved Lost World on Wii U. First hours I was a bit sceptic on the gameplay, because they removed all the "automatisms" that there usually were on 3D Sonic games, but after some hours I started learning this new way of play and I had a lot of fun. Also, when you start to know well the stages, you can move really fast.

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With the spin-dash more or less being Sonic's new Boost ability, you can go VERY fast in levels XD!

I thought it was faster in the 3DS version compared to the Wii U one (played the demo of the latter a lot in GameStops) but still, a great way to gain speed.

Ferr986 said:

I really really wanted to like this game (PC version).

Good music, good art that IMO nailed what Sonic should be, I liked the new gameplay.... but the level design is terrible on the later levels. This + uninspired bosses and some weird gimmicky things (1hit deaths and stuff) made me drop the game at the last world.

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Level design is something I think they will fix if they go back to this gameplay style for the anniversary game. They know what worked and didn't work, so they can make levels without worrying about making the gameplay too.

In many cases, Sonic Lost World is the second Sonic Unleashed, with it making a whole new gameplay style for base Sonic and while its fun......its just not refined enough yet and the level design shows that at points.

Edit: Looked over the main Anniversary Thread I made (housing all the thread links).......and man, only two more games left. We came a long way since Late February with Heroes, Sonic 1, Riders and Sonic R XD!

Thank you all for sticking with these threads and I hope you enjoy the upcoming ones .

RK128 said:

The whole thing with the Wii U is......I just didn't see then need for one :l. I can only afford one current-gen console and considering PS4 is getting stuff like FFXV, KH3 and Nier 2 that likely won't land on the Wii U, my hands are a bit tied. I love Nintendo and felt pressured into getting a 2DS......worth it . Love Smash on the thing and Kid Icarus Uprising is one of my favorite Nintendo games ever made .

Might end up getting a Wii U and a PS4 this year, as the former isn't that pricey while the latter will go down in price hard thanks to recent PS4K rumors.

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Yeah, but what about all the amazing Wii U exclusives you missed? You gotta play those sometime. I hear ya, though.

Also, you mentioned anniversary handheld game. You think we'll really see one other than Sonic Boom 2?

maxcriden said:

Yeah, but what about all the amazing Wii U exclusives you missed? You gotta play those sometime. I hear ya, though.

Also, you mentioned anniversary handheld game. You think we'll really see one other than Sonic Boom 2?

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I don't mind missing out on a few games, as my Nintendo 2DS gave me my fill of great Nintendo titles. 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, Kid Icarus, Kirby's Triple Deluxe, Majora's Mask 3D, Shantae, ect; all were wonderful times .

I think so . I mean, Dimps is busy with SFV but they had two years to make another Sonic title .

And if NX rumors are true about the system being dual-platform, I could picture a set up where the NX version has a 'true' console version being portable.

RK128 said:

Level design is something I think they will fix if they go back to this gameplay style for the anniversary game. They know what worked and didn't work, so they can make levels without worrying about making the gameplay too.

In many cases, Sonic Lost World is the second Sonic Unleashed, with it making a whole new gameplay style for base Sonic and while its fun......its just not refined enough yet and the level design shows that at points.

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I agree, and I wouldnt mind a Lost World 2 with an actually good level design.

To be fair Unleashed was fairly good IMO, even if the next games were better.

I dunno if you have a PC enough to play it, game runs fine in +5 old PCs so maybe you can look into the Steam version. The later levels IMO dropped the ball really hard.

RK128 said:

I think so . I mean, Dimps is busy with SFV but they had two years to make another Sonic title .

And if NX rumors are true about the system being dual-platform, I could picture a set up where the NX version has a 'true' console version being portable.

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I see what you're saying, but TBH I'd be surprised if they crowd the market with two HH games in one year, and FWIW I don't think the HH will necessarily hit till next Spring. We'll see though!

I don't mind missing out on a few games, as my Nintendo 2DS gave me my fill of great Nintendo titles. 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, Kid Icarus, Kirby's Triple Deluxe, Majora's Mask 3D, Shantae, ect; all were wonderful times .

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See, if you enjoyed all those, though, imagine how much you'd dig Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, 3DW, etc.

P.S. Shantae isn't a Nintendo title.

Ferr986 said:

I agree, and I wouldnt mind a Lost World 2 with an actually good level design.

To be fair Unleashed was fairly good IMO, even if the next games were better.

I dunno if you have a PC enough to play it, game runs fine in +5 old PCs so maybe you can look into the Steam version. The later levels IMO dropped the ball really hard.

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I got my laptop in 2011 and it can bearly run Generations and Racing Transformed :l. Don't think it can run Lost World XD!

I love Unleashed, but it is a good example for Lost World; it introduces a new style and it has some issues (stiff controls, level design being a bit 'cheap' sometimes) but it was overall a lovely experience .

maxcriden said:

I see what you're saying, but TBH I'd be surprised if they crowd the market with two HH games in one year, and FWIW I don't think the HH will necessarily hit till next Spring. We'll see though!

See, if you enjoyed all those, though, imagine how much you'd dig Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, 3DW, etc.

P.S. Shantae isn't a Nintendo title.

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She might as well be one considering how close she is with Nintendo XD!

Like I said, might consider getting a Wii U this year if my money situation is right; that and a PS4 combined could cost a lot :l.

Content with the Nintendo stuff on my 2DS and if I didn't feel the need to get a Wii U since its launch.....I can wait a while longer .

RK128 said:

She might as well be one considering how close she is with Nintendo XD!

Like I said, might consider getting a Wii U this year if my money situation is right; that and a PS4 combined could cost a lot :l.

Content with the Nintendo stuff on my 2DS and if I didn't feel the need to get a Wii U since its launch.....I can wait a while longer .

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Sounds good. Looking forward to the next write-up!

maxcriden said:

Sounds good. Looking forward to the next write-up!

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It should be quite the boom .

I had to play both versions for review. I definitely think the 3DS version is the worse of the two (stiffer controls, obtuse level design, nasty difficulty) but the Wii U version definitely wasn't especially great, either.

It's not even funny bad, either. It's not Sonic 2006. It's just... really flat, and boring, and confused about what it wants to be. Like, hey! What if we made a Sonic game that was like Mario! Okay, but, uh, wasn't Sonic originally positioned to be something different than Mario? Aren't you kind of throwing the baby out with the bathwater, here?

So much of this game's design feels like that. If you wanted to be kind, you could say it was "experimental" but none of the ideas they were trying feel like they hit. At that point, it feels like they were throwing darts at a dartboard.

Like, parkour. Okay, sure, maybe Sonic would benefit from a parkour system maybe, but how is it used in Lost World? The answer: barely. The whole point of parkour systems in other games is to provide the player with an easy way to explore environments without having to worry about the rigid environment design that plagued older games. In Lost World, parkour is primarily used for a few obvious sections where the only way to progress forward is to do a wall-run, and it's usually in an area that is blatantly telegraphed to need the wall-run. For something alternatively called "free running" that doesn't sound very free.

Or, more commonly, parkour is used to accidentally attach you to surfaces you didn't want to stick to, which really fucks things up about the time you're trying to learn these levels for time trial stuff.

And then you have things like the game's scoring system, where you get bonus points for chaining together homing attacks, and you even have whole entire levels centered around the idea of amassing hundreds of thousands of points all for... nothing. The grading system of past Sonic games is gone, so those hundreds of thousands of points are absolutely worthless. I think a later patch made it so you had to re-score another 10,000 points in order to replay the DLC levels, but that feels like such a lazy, sloppy way to make score "matter."

And then there was the rings thing. The original unpatched Wii U version of Sonic Lost World made it so collecting 100+ rings didn't give you an extra life, and it made the game considerably more difficult as a result because it was super easy to get a game over. How do you fuck up something like that? When you take damage, you never drop more than 20 rings total, so letting you amass hundreds of rings didn't mean jack shit outside of getting a 1up. But you didn't get 1ups for that in Lost World. Despite this, they were constantly enticing you with secret areas full of more and more rings that you didn't need.

It's like the people making this game didn't have a thought in their heads, and moreso than even in the worst Sonic games. I know there's been a lot of blowback about how you should never say game designers are "lazy" but I can't think of any other word to describe Sonic Lost World, because all it takes is 10 minutes of connecting the dots and you'd see the problems this game has. Some of this shit got patched, sure, but the stuff they needed to patch was so dumb and simple that I can't imagine how it got that way in the first place.

What a bad fucking game.

I like what Lost World tried to do with the gameplay. The villains were seriously shit-tier though, and every single level after the first one sucked really hard.

Seriously, I played the hell out of the Wii U demo for this game. Had a great time figuring out all the routes and whatnot, then was so horrifically disappointed by the full game that I sent it back.

RK128 said:

It should be quite the boom .

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knucklesohno.wav

Shifty. said:

I like what Lost World tried to do with the gameplay. The villains were seriously shit-tier though, and every single level after the first one sucked really hard.

Seriously, I played the hell out of the Wii U demo for this game. Had a great time, then was so horrifically disappointed by the full game that I sent it back.

knucklesohno.wav

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XD! Its going to be fun making the Boom thread .

Sorry the Wii U game disappointed you though .

Overall, do you guys prefer the Wii U version or the Steam version?

I played the Wii U version. Despite of the game's weaknesses, I really enjoyed it. I hated the snowball and casino levels, and touch-wisps too, but otherwise, I think it's pretty enjoyable. And a real challenge as well, because of the difficulty. In a later update, we could get extra lives when we got 100 rings, before that we got nothing, fortunately they fixed it. The parkour gameplay is hard to play,

I learned not long ago, after nearly 2 years, how to perform it, but I still got lot to learn before mastering it. Parkour here is frustrating, and the mechanics need to be polished, it's not intuitive. Parkour could fit with Sonic, but not this way.

It's not a great Sonic game, but overall it's a good Sonic game.

RK128 said:

-Bosses are really fun and make great use of all the games mechanics

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Hahaha

In terms of game design, Lost World (Wii U) has higher highs than Colors by a small margin (Tropical Coast 3, Silent Forest 2, and Sky Road 2 are all absolutely great) but it definitely hits rock bottom at some points. It's a fun game overall though, and I still recommend it to anyone who has the console. I can't say anything about the steam version as I am not that interested in double dipping.

The only Sonic game in recent memory I reeled hard back at. The controls made me not want to play it.

This game is the absolute worst, because it represents leaning way too far in the other direction.

Sonic boom , and believe me when get to those games and tv show im going lay that game the fuck out because of my idealogical issues with all boom shit, despite that boom has more character than this farce. Lyric as underused as he was was miles better than the off brand reject dreamworks characters that are the deadly 6.

The best thing that this game did was some of the music, and along with parts of boom providing the last straw on peoples back,for them to realize the true problem.

Fuck this game

Fuck this game

It doesn't have the desire to be good, it is run by numbers meh. It is so nothing. I hate this game so much.

I REALLY liked the Wii U version (and hated the 3DS one), until the lava world...

Village said:

This game is the absolute worst, because it represents leaning way too far in the other direction.

Sonic boom , and believe me when get to those games and tv show im going lay that game the fuck out because of my idealogical issues with all boom shit, despite that boom has more character than this farce. Lyric as underused as he was was miles better than the off brand reject dreamworks characters that are the deadly 6.

The best thing that this game did was some of the music, and along with parts of boom providing the last straw on peoples back,for them to realize the true problem.

Fuck this game

Fuck this game

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I have a lot to say about the brand too, as while I never played the Wii U game, I really am bitter that former Naughty Dog developers of all people can fuck up Sonic so badly X(.

Its going to be great talking about the Boom games honestly. I enjoyed the 3DS game a good deal and the TV show is great but the Wii U game? Man, that is going to be fun tearing a part .

RK128 said:

I wouldn't call the 3DS dumpster fire, as I had a lot of fun with it despite the issues I cite in the OP. But considering everything I saw of the Wii U version, that version (Wii U) has to be the much stronger game compared to the 3DS version.

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You always have fun with every Sonic game you play, maybe it's time to admit that your opinion is very biased, as you really loves this series.

Sonic Lost World 3DS demo made me sell my 3DS XL, as I thought I wasn't having any fun with any of the games the system offered. Played all the Zeldas and sold it.

Played Lost World a lot (on Wii U) and really liked it. It is a great platformer, and requires a lot of skill. Stages have often many paths. Graphics are nice and clean, framerate is smooth.

I think they should have removed the Wisps. They really weren't needed here. Boss fights were pretty bad too.

3DS game was awful, hated it. Level design was incredibly chaotic. Dimps was not up to the task.

Sonic Team's Lost World on Wii U is another solid Sonic game to me.

I kinda liked Lost World on WiiU, the ost especially was damn good. It's a typically undercooked Sega game though; good idea, decent at best execution. More development time or a proper sequel would have done wonders for it but alas, this is what we get.

Maedhros said:

You always have fun with every Sonic game you play, maybe it's time to admit that your opinion is very biased, as you really loves this series.

Sonic Lost World 3DS demo made me sell my 3DS XL, as I thought I wasn't having any fun with any of the games the system offered. Played all the Zeldas and sold it.

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I did hate Sonic Blast and Sonic Genesis, but you make a good point, I tend to be biased with the series XD!

I call BS when I see it though and I personally think Lost World 3DS isn't horrid, just bad at points. But everyone has their opinions and stuff, and I don't mind being wrong on this one .

Since I only have a 3DS, just played this version (bought it on eShop during a sale at E3 2014, I think). Absolutely loved it: the 2D stages, the 3D-speed stages, and the "Mario-3D-Land-esque" stages too (except the snow one, rolling snowballs around were the worst). Even the Special Stages are fun - despite spinning like a crazy around on my room, lol.



It's sad to see cloud saves aren't a thing on Nintendo systems (and neither homebrew save-backups at that time), so this Miiverse pic from August-2014 is the last reminder from my old 3DS save, before it broke.
Maybe one day I'll aim to rank A-S everything again

Still my favorite 3D Sonic. Love the finesse-like touch to the double jump. The run button is a welcome addition as is the much maligned parkour system, even though it can be a little obtuse at times. Definitely a game that I would love to see Sonic Team get a better handle on, sans the power up gimmicks. I didn't care for them in Colors, I don't really care for them in Lost World. Great soundtrack, too.

Snowball stages are complete doo doo, though.

RK128 said:

Sonic has a slower and a faster running speed, triggered using the shoulder buttons

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I fucking hated the fact that they went and gave Sonic a fucking run button, not only was it a stupid idea but it ruined the game play as Sonic didn't gradually build up momentum which made it tricky to jump in the 2D section.

I do not want the run button to return ever, I am playing a Sonic game not a Mario game.

Anyway Sonic Lost World is basically Sega attempts to make a Mario game starring Sonic and the game is just flat out boring because of that.

-The tube levels don't mesh well with Sonic speed.
-The Parkour system isn't explained well nor is the player required to master them till the final level.
-Boss rush sucks.
-The games flows at a much slower pace causing me to get bored.
-Wisp are poorly done compare to Colours
-The story is riddle with plot holes, What is the lost hex, who are the Zetis, what happened to them after Sonic defeated them and why were the Wisp back? None of this is ever explain or addressed.
-The Zetis were a pathetic knock of the Koopaling.
-Music was meh, barring Frozen Factory zone 1, Desert Ruin Zone 3 and Sky Road Zone 1.
-Level designs were boring and recycled
-Good lord that Snowball level sucked
-The Donkey Kong knock of levels were boring and dumb, why was grinding locked to it own level.
-The game was trying to be Super Mario Galaxy, Donkey Kong County and New Super Mario Bros something that I didn't want to see in a Sonic game as if I wanted to play Mario and Donkey Kong I would play those games instead.
-The Bonus levels just flat out suck
-What idiot thought it was a good idea to put the tutorial message on the pad instead of the screen?
-Sonic is weaker in Lost World as he needs to charge up is homing attack, again slowing the game down and making some boss fight hard.
-Getting all the Red Ring didn't feel rewarding or was using Super Sonic improved the game.
-The final boss just sucks, especially if you're trying to get the red ring.
-The DLC levels were boring, again I didn't want play Sonic traveling through Nintendo world I wanted a proper Sonic game.
-The game just felt more of a tech demo that got bumped up to a retail release.
-The game just did not give me a sense of a grand adventure, something that Unleashed, Colours and Generation gave me.

I was excited to play Sonic Lost World as I had faith in Sonic Team after delivering three solid Sonic game and I felt that they finally got how to make a good Sonic game but I did not enjoy Sonic Lost Worlds as the game is an unfocused mess trying to be a Nintendo game with Sonic in it instead of being a Sonic game.

On the positive side graphically the game looked good and was polished with little glitches, plus I did enjoyed the Parkour system and I wouldn't mind it returning in future Sonic games.

Just don't ever try to make Sonic into a Nintendo game, because that is not what he is, don't bring back the tube level design, never map Sonic run speed to a button, only bring back the Wisp if the story requires it and the level is built around them like Colours and if you're going to a story in the at least make sure that you fully explain everything with no lose threads.

As for the 3DS version, it's garbage. The special stage suck, the levels drag on forever, the level pops in and the 3DS version of Sky road is just awful.