• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Is Sonic Lost World that bad?

Lingitiz

Member
Sonic Lost World is currently $10.19 on Steam for the weekend... Is it really that bad compared to Generations? I really enjoyed that game on PC and still come back to it every now and then. What's the consensus on LW and is it worth it at that price?
 
It's actually okay. Not that good, but it isn't as bad as some make it out to be. The main problems are the level design in the 2nd half of the game (it's really hit-or-miss) & the boss fights. So in short....
  • The Wii U/PC version is somewhat decent. I assume that the PC version has the patch that the Wii U version got, so I'd say it's a 6.5/10.
  • The 3DS version, in my opinion, is hot garbage.
 
It's a 6/10. It has the potential to be a good game but it's buried by some questionable design choices. As a curiosity it's worth checking out but at the end I found it a frustrating experience because it ultimately could have been so much more than what it was.

FWIW I feel like it's the mid-late portions of the game where things start to fall apart. At the beginning I was thinking it wasn't that bad, but by maybe world 4 was when the exhaustion started to set in.

Also the plot and dialogue are bad even by Sonic standards. Not even ironically bad like Shadow's game or Sonic Riders, it just feels half-assed.
 
No it's a very good and an enjoyable platformer. It focuses less on speed and more on actual platforming which is really what I've wanted from a Sonic game since the original Adventure titles. It's heavily influenced by Super Mario Galaxy in it's level design and it's mostly for the better. My only real issue with it is the Deadly Six, they often interrupt levels which not only kills the flow but it also kills replayability.

The Wii U version is the one to go for as the Zelda and Yoshi levels are pretty special. It's a great game regardless as long as you know that there's a run button (certain reviews didn't seem aware in their video reviews).
 
It's certainly not a Sonic franchise low or anything (it's nowhere near as atrocious as a Sonic 06 or anything), but it's a step back from the last few games before it in some significant ways and has some really awkward controls and bad level designs.
 
I know I'm not in the majority, but it's my favourite Sonic in over a decade.

The story is trash but the gameplay is a lot of fun to me honestly.
 
I got to the snow levels and gave up on it. Was okay until then, no more, no less. But those snow levels were truly awful and I hadn't enjoyed enough of what I'd already played for it to feel worth it to push through.
 
I personally can't recommend it because it fails at the most basic things a platformer should get right: controls, physics and level design. It's super pretty, has a great soundtrack, some good parts and they had the right idea, but the execution was pretty bad.
 
It's ok. I'm an Adventure/3&K fan tho and the way it's designed is like the polar opposite of what I want from Sonic, so I fucking hated it honestly. But whatever if you like Mario then you'll probably find it ok.
 
I personally can't recommend it because it fails at the most basic things a platformer should get right: controls, physics and level design. It's super pretty, has a great soundtrack, some good parts and they had the right idea, but the execution was pretty bad.

Were controls really a bad part for you? I found them pretty precise and the level design seems aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the control scheme. The parkour system could have done with a tutorial or some forced explanation but it's not hard to pull off when you know how.
 
Physics reminded me of Sonic 06 bad. The gameplay itself was not as fun as Unleashed/Colors/Generations either. Controlling Sonic in particular feels like a chore. The 3DS game, made by a different developer, did the gameplay better.
 
I thought it was pretty bad overall.

The latter stages of the game are terrible, its just complete trial and error where random shit happens that you could not have possibly done anything about...so you die
 
It isn't bad as Boom or Sonic 06 but it's nowhere near as good as Generation as the game has far too many problems like

-Needing to hold down the run button to make Sonic run, this makes jumping in the 2D section a pain as there is no build up in speed it's either slow or fast.

-The tubular level design just doesn't gel well Sonic's "speed"

-Parkour isn't taught well nor do any level take advance of it till the final world

-Some level just recycle levels designs.

-The grinding level is just annoying

-The Snowball level is mega annoying

-The game is less of a Sonic game and is more of a New Super Mario Bros game.

-The story is not well explain,
you don't find out what Lost Hex is or what the Zeti are or what happen to them after you defeat them.

-Wisp are underused and just shoehorned in for no good reason. Nor are they explained why they are back.

-Ice staking in the snow level is annoying.

-Sonic is weaker in this game.

So if you're looking for a fast pace Sonic game you won't find it in Lost Worlds, it's a slow pace game with the gameplay just screeching to a halt at times.

Personally I say just pass on the game.

It's got some good music.

Meh, I only liked 3 songs throughout the entire game.
 
Actually enjoyed the game, believe it or not. There are a few levels that are harder than they should be, due to weird game design, but it's actually pretty good. It's a 7/10 for me.
 
As its own Sonic game it is not bad, quite good actually. Have it on Wii U and 3DS.

It is different to Generations inconcept, controls, etc. Which is why I don't compare them.
 
Its one of the better 3D Sonics on the market.

The game has issues with its level design towards the end and its controls can be hit and miss to some people (Ex: People either love or hate the run button).

But from what I saw of the game, its a good game :).

The visuals look great and pop, the music is great like most Sonic OST's, the core gameplay is a nice mix of SA1 and Sonic Unleashed, the levels look like they were ripped from the Genesis era and a good deal of the level designs are strong.

Its just that after Frozen Factory, the quality starts to drop and as a result, people either start hating the game or feel underwhelmed.

Lava Mountain is a case of a really weak final world for example: one boss rush, a harder version of Tropical Coast Act 3, another boss rush mixed with a platforming level, then a weak final boss (ripped right out of Sonic Colors). That leaves a bad impression but the game as a whole is good.

The game isn't great like Colors or Generations but its still a solid game. In many ways, its like Unleashed if you didn't have the Werehog; you have a game that experiments and tries new things frequently but the games core is still present, not hindered with unneeded gameplay changes. You still get those gimmick levels, but they take up one/two spots for each level.

Overall, Lost World is a good game that has a few issues but due to being a step down from Generations and Colors, people have a harsher tone toward the game.
 
I'm weird in that I actually preferred the 3DS version, but thats because I enjoyed the variety and more responsive controls.

The Wii U/PC version had controls I hated. They were overcomplicating something which should have been far simpler. (Its Sonic FFS)

They're both still mediocre Sonic titles though. Generations was spot on.
 
Still my favorite 3D Sonic game by a country mile.

As for trial and error design, is everyone referencing that one stage with
the robot dragons that pop up as the screen scrolls?
.

Snowball stage is shit, though,
 
I really enjoyed it, especially the music, but the difficulty is too dependent on that the controls are hard to master/are a bit bad.
 
It's not bad, but it's not particularly good either. It's a bit above average I'd say.

Music is good though but that's a given.
 
Were controls really a bad part for you? I found them pretty precise and the level design seems aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the control scheme. The parkour system could have done with a tutorial or some forced explanation but it's not hard to pull off when you know how.

It's been a while, so I'm don't remember the details, but the way he handled and jumped felt really bad, turning, accelerating, keeping momentum, it was all pretty bad. Oh and the lock-on was atrocious. It just didn't feel right and I honestly didn't think the levels were made with it in mind. Parkour was OK I think, nothing special. Oh and those fucking powers, good lord. what a pile of shit.

They fixed the life system at least.
 
Does anyone have experience with both the Wii U and PC version? I'll pick this up for $10 if it looks considerably better than it did on Wii U.
 
I really enjoyed it lol. Bought it despite reviews because I thought it looked fun on video and it was. Really like the way Sonic moves. Great presentation too.

Final boss was a poor man's version of Sonic Colors though.
 
Does anyone have experience with both the Wii U and PC version? I'll pick this up for $10 if it looks considerably better than it did on Wii U.

It looked pretty damn sharp on Wii U and had Nintendo themed DLC levels for free. I can't imagine it being much better on PC.
I really enjoyed it lol. Bought it despite reviews because I thought it looked fun on video and it was. Really like the way Sonic moves. Great presentation too.

FInal boss was a poor man's version of Sonic Colors though.

For sure, was really disappointing in that regard.
 
I played it at a Eurogamer a couple of years ago, and I was left with no desire to ever play it again.

To me, there's little difference between a mediocre game and a shit game. I don't have time for either.
 
It's a pretty garbage game, no matter what you play it on. Sluggish mechanics, poor controls and a "me too" planetoid gimmick makes for some bad execution gameplay wise. It hasn't even got anything worthwhile in the story and the soundtrack is meh at best.

Is it the worst game? No, far from it as we've already witnessed with 06 and Boom, but there's significantly better 3D Sonic games already out.
 
Its pretty bad. The controls sort of work well in the first few levels designed around them, but then the level design falls off a cliff
 
It's a 6/10 scenario. Think Sonic Unleashed.
When the game does something good, the game does it really well. When the game does something bad, holy shit it's BAD.

The good:
The difficulty is pretty high, most of the time it's the good kind.
The music as with most Sonic games is pretty darn good.
Visually pleasing, plenty of variety in the settings.
Level design is mostly consistent.
Parkour system isn't perfect but a nice addition.

The bad:
Wisp powers are shoehorned in pretty badly.
Gimmick levels are terrible (Snowball level, Stealth level)
Some of the worst boss fights in video game history
Forget the story, skip all the cutscenes.
 
It's a 6/10 scenario. Think Sonic Unleashed.
When the game does something good, the game does it really well. When the game does something bad, holy shit it's BAD.

The good:
The difficulty is pretty high, most of the time it's the good kind.
The music as with most Sonic games is pretty darn good.
Visually pleasing, plenty of variety in the settings.
Level design is mostly consistent.
Parkour system isn't perfect but a nice addition.

The bad:
Wisp powers are shoehorned in pretty badly.
Gimmick levels are terrible (Snowball level, Stealth level)
Some of the worst boss fights in video game history
Forget the story, skip all the cutscenes.

Considering how latter patches fixed the former (no more forced motion controls) and the latter can be skipped (like you said), the issues mainly stem from the gimmick levels and the boss fights.

The gimmick stages could be worse (snowball is sorta like Monkey Ball, the flying levels (as odd as they are) could control a lot worse, and the stealth level isn't too bad (as the controls are still the same)) and the boss fights are way too easy (or to hard, with Sky Road Act 4 highlighting how the game badly doesn't explain its mechanics well).
 
Depends on what is meant by that bad. It's not 06 bad. It's not good though. Daytime Unleashed, Colours and Generations are leagues better than Lost World.

It's nice and colourful though with a nice piece of music or two and the story is actually pretty entertaining. It's was just a chore to play through though. The entire parkour like system didn't really flow and felt clunky and Sonic felt super slow even when holding the "run" button.

It's better than Adventure, Adventure 2, Heroes, Shadow, 2006, Episode I, and Boom.

Didn't play Boom but out of those listed I'd say it's only better than 06 and Sonic 4 ep1 (and ep2 for that matter).
 
Top Bottom