While the console games have had mixed results, the handheld games forSonic the Hedgehoghave consistently been good. The handheld games stay true to Sonic the Hedgehog’s 2D nature and maintain a consistency that the 3D games have struggled to achieve for years.
Many Sonic the Hedgehog titles are relatively obscure, found on consoles like the Game Gear and Neo Geo Pocket. For gamers who enjoyed the original trilogy on the Sega Genesis, exploring Sonic’s library on handheld consoles is an unexpected treat
The Sega Master System was more powerful than the NES but couldn’t compete with the strength of the Sega Genesis. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 had to take a different approach, focusing on routes that encourage more exploration rather than trying to match the speed and visual flair of the console version.
Like most of the original 8-bit Sonic games, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is available on both the Master System and the Game Gear. However, the Game Gear’s small screen displays only about a third of the game, making it hard to see obstacles before it’s too late. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a well-made game on the Master System, but it becomes unfairly difficult on the Game Gear.
In the 90s, it was common to seedifferent games sharing the same name. While Sonic the Hedgehog put the Sega Genesis on the map, an 8-bit version was produced for the Sega Master System and the Game Gear. Sonic the Hedgehog for Game Gear was entirely original compared to its 16-bit counterpart.
The graphics and sprite design are the biggest charm of Sonic the Hedgehog. Compared to a Game Boy game, the colors and small portrayals of Sonic characters on the Game Gear looked next-gen. Both versions of Sonic the Hedgehog emphasize more methodical platforming than Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but the Game Gear adaption is noticeably faster-paced than the Genesis version.
8Sonic Chaos
The first two Sonic the Hedgehog games are among thebest titles for the Game Gear and Master System, so if you’ve played them, Sonic Chaos will feel familiar. What Sonic Chaos adds is a more ambitious art design for its stages and bosses.
Typically, Sonic games begin with Sonic traversing an empty Green Hill-type zone, but Sonic Chaos incorporates a lot of steampunk-inspired art. Mecha Hill Zone feels like what would happen if Robotnik transformed Green Hill Zone into his image. The bosses have more animal-inspired designs, with an armored sloth and a rocket-propelled penguin as highlights.
7Sonic Triple Trouble
Most of the Game Gear Sonic the Hedgehog games were ports from the Master System. However, Sonic Triple Trouble was a completely original experience. Since it was designed exclusively for the Game Gear, it doesn’t suffer from the squeezed aspect ratio of other 8-bit Sonic games, providing a clear view of the obstacles ahead.
Sonic Triple Trouble brings plenty of fanfare. Nack the Weasel makes his debut as the game’s boss, and players can choose to play as Tails, who can fly and has his custom submarine for underwater levels. Sonic Triple Trouble is one of the easiest Sonic games, but it offers a pleasant, smooth ride.
Sonic slows down the pace in Sonic Advance 3 to focus more on strategic platforming. Sonic Advance 3 introduces a tag system that allows you to switch between two characters, giving you a diverse combination of abilities.
You need to think critically about when to use certain abilities in Sonic Advance 3. With five different characters to choose from, Sonic Advance 3 offers more longevity and replayability than most handheld Sonic games.
Sega aimed to capture the vibe of Sonic Adventure in handheld form with the launch of Sonic Advance. Sonic Advance brings more attitude to its art design, depicting Sonic as an edgy adolescent rather than his chubby, kid-like form from the 90s. The first few stages have excellent pacing, with stage designs that let you build up speed and a well-positioned camera that allows you to react to obstacles while sprinting.
The last couple of stages in Sonic Advance introduces a significant difficulty spike. Springs often launch you backward into pitfalls, and enemies appear suddenly, with hit detection that isn’t always precise. For the most part, Sonic Advance is an easy game, but it feels rewarding to make it through the challenging final levels.
One of the best Sonic the Hedgehog gamesdoesn’t feature a Sonic—go figure. Tails Adventure highlights Tails’s strength as an intellect compared to Sonic, abandoning speed in favor of a platformer with strong Metroidvania elements.
The stages in Tails Adventure are large, with a sense of verticality. Exploring the ceiling of a stage is just as valuable as going east or west. Tails has nearly 30 items to use, including mechanized weapons that allow you to explore new areas of each level.
The original Sonic Rush brought the high-octane speed that many of the modern Sonic games had during the 2000s without being held back by significant glitches. However, Sonic Rush was deceptively difficult due to its excessive amount of pitfalls. Sonic Rush Adventure reduces the pitfalls and ramps up the difficulty gradually as you progress as opposed to having inconsistent spikes of challenging levels.
Unlike most Sonic games, Sonic Rush Adventure requires you to acquire materials to build vehicles before you progress, which means you’ll have to replay stages. For some, this may be a con, but the incentive to learn stages and thus be able to find new routes and complete them faster represents the essence of the original Sonic the Hedgehog games on the Genesis.
2Sonic Pocket Adventure
Easily the best game on the short-lived Neo Geo Pocket Color, Sonic Pocket Adventure plays like a remix of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Sonic Pocket Adventure’s use of Sonic’s spin dash and relatively short levels captures the perfect tempo that Sonic the Hedgehog games excel at.
Sonic Pocket Adventure also includes elements from Sonic 3 & Knuckles, featuring enjoyable boss fights against Knuckles. Playing Sonic Pocket Adventure on the original Neo Geo Pocket Color feels great, as the joystick on this small handheld is more responsive and satisfying than any other handheld that Sonic has appeared on.
Considered a handheld game via its launch on the Nintendo Switch, Sonic Mania was designed by a ROM hacker who specialized in making Sonic games, and it’s the ultimate love letter to the series and fans of the original Sega Genesis titles. Sonic Mania leaves behind all the edgy voice acting, melodrama, and the abundance of hedgehog characters that are common in modern Sonic, instead returning to the original cast and gaming concepts that ruled the 90s gaming world.
The game features many revisits and remakes of classic stages, ranging from the original Sonic game to Sonic CD, and even obscure titles like Sonic SegaSonic the Hedgehog. However, Sonic Mania’s best stages are likely its original works, with Studiopolis Zone and Mirage Saloon Zone standing out as highlights.
