Sonic Colours review (Wii)

Formats: Wii, Nintendo DS
Format Reviewed: Wii
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sonic Team
Made2Game Sonic Colours Wii review score: 8 out of 10

Clearly realizing they are finally onto a good thing, Sonic Team offer us yet another 2D Sonic game and whilst taking the same name as the DS game which we reviewed recently, Sonic Colours on the Wii has an altogether different feel to it.

The story is identical to the DS version, after years in the making, Eggman's Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park is about to open. For all intents and purposes Eggman is now on the level but Sonic thinks he is still up to his old tricks, so just before the grand opening Sonic and Tails take to a space elevator to see what Eggman has been up to all these years.

It is not long before it is obvious that Eggman is in fact up to his old nefarious ways, trying to capture a race of strange beings called Wisps and harness their powers. Sonic and Tails manage to save a Wisp called Yacker from being captured by two of Eggman's hench-bots, Orbot and Cubot, two rather inept robots, the Wisp then merges with Sonic, giving him even more powers and then the three begin an adventure to save the rest of Yacker's friends.

Each of the main Amusement Park areas are split into Acts and Boss fights. The Acts are the main areas of the game and continue the story thread, offering varying lengths of levels from ones that take a minute to a proper 5 min speed fest. The level layouts are classic Sonic involving the usual loops, twists, gold rings and grind rails with each area culminating in a huge boss fight, with most of them filling the entire screen, with you using Sonic to jump around on platforms and dodge enemies to get to the weak spot which is usually clearly marked.

The now standard lock-on jump returns along with a few others, like a double jump and stomp attack, but there is one shocking omission - Sonic's spin charge. No longer can you hold down and press jump to activate this move and it really feels missing, it’s like having Mario without the power mushroom.

In each area Sonic meets a new Wisp which then unlocks the corresponding Wisps through all of the levels,  granting him special powers, and this is where a large amount of the level design and replay-ability comes into play, some areas are only accessible by using a specific power, thankfully the Wisp that is required is usually never far away. There are 6 different coloured Wisps to unlock plus one which is always with you. The White Wisp allows a temporary speed boost; the Blue Wisp changes blue gems into blocks, allowing Sonic to traverse to dangerous areas; the Orange Wisp turns him into a rocket, firing straight up until you get hit or run out of fuel and then slowly ascend back down to terra firma; the Green Wisp allows Sonic to hover; Pink Wisps give Sonic Spike power, allowing him to climb walls similar to Knuckles; Purple Frenzy  Wisps allow Sonic to destroy certain obstacles; the Cyan Wisp turns Sonic into a laser that you can aim and finally the Yellow Wisps turn Sonic into a powerful drill. Each one can only be used for a limited time, depending on how much special power you have left and offer a bit more replay-ability from each level, allowing you to adventure away from the main speed areas and locate hidden rings.

Sonic Colours Wii is an interesting mix of 2D and 3D, with most levels starting from behind Sonic, steering left and right and jumping and hitting some crazy loops, with the game seamlessly shifting into the more classic 2D view and then back again. It feels very natural and there is a fair balance of both views that they always feel fresh.

A small bad point with the 2D sections is that Sonic is far too small, although it allows plenty of reaction time, when going at full speed it is so small you feel  you a missing a lot of the action and finer detail. There is also a problem with the 3D mode, at certain points the game will take complete control, showing Sonic run through lots of lovely colourful loops and all you can do is watch, the game will then sporadically gives you control, but all you can do is shift left and right to dodge, making it feel far too on-the-rails, and when you do regain full control it is usually when you are plummeting to your doom and a quick lock-on jump is required, miss it and you have to play it all again.

Away from the main story you also have Eggman's Sonic Simulator, where you play as a robotic Sonic (solo or co-operatively) and race through virtual levels which you unlock by collecting special rings in the main game. Rather than give us the 2D Sonic we are all craving from Team Sonic, instead they have gone half way, still keeping the 3D elements that have plagued Sonic games for the past few years, but also giving us classic Sonic platforming. Sonic Colours is what Sonic Team should have done a long time ago but next time stick to 2D and make us all happy.

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