Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast)

Since his debut on the Sega Genesis in 1991, Sonic the Hedgehog made a splash with speed-based platforming, almost matching Mario in mainstream appeal and popularity, and spawned a successful multimedia franchise that continues to this day. During the series’ infancy, it dabbled in other gameplay styles, including a 3D isometric view with Sonic 3D Blast in 1996, which would lead to the blue blur’s first full 3D game, Sonic Adventure (SA) developed by the one and only Sonic Team. SA would launch in Japan in 1998 as one of the earliest titles for the Sega Dreamcast, but notably came over to the US as a launch title for the system on 9/9/1999 to critical acclaim and would become the best-selling game for the system. Due to its success, with 2.5 million copies sold, and the direction the franchise would take afterwards, this makes SA one of the most significant games in the series.

As for my own history with this game, I had always wanted a Dreamcast as a child, but never got to own one until several years later when I had started collecting retro consoles and games back in a time when that was easier and more affordable. This included buying a copy of SA, though a number of newer and older titles distracted me from playing past the first stage (as I write this, I’m sensing a pattern with how I’ve played other series-defining releases). Despite that, I still found myself obsessed with Sonic the Hedgehog growing up, which included watching most of the cartoons (and the OVA) and playing a number of the games, plus I did see an adaptation of SA’s storyline through the 4Kids dub of Sonic X during its original US airing.

Fast forward to now and the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog 3 film, which takes influence from Sonic Adventure 2, gave me the motivation to finally give SA an honest try on the original hardware, warts and all. I even went through the effort of buying a second copy (the “Not for Resale” version) when my original disc stopped functioning right before an early Stage. After going through all of that effort, I must say that although the game feels janky nowadays, especially when compared with more modern game design, I still felt like a kid again and enjoyed myself the whole time.

While in Station Square, Sonic runs into Chaos, a mysterious being made of a blue liquid. Sonic defeats Chaos, who retreats into the sewer as Doctor Robotnik aka Eggman watches in delight. When Sonic later meets up with Tails, who possesses one of the seven Chaos Emeralds, he fights Robotnik, but can’t stop him from stealing the emerald. Robotnik feeds the emerald to Chaos, who grows stronger and retreats. Sonic and Tails must now obtain the remaining Chaos Emeralds before Robotnik can to prevent Chaos from growing even more powerful.

It all begins with Chaos.

Before I get into the story, I’d like to discuss the gameplay as shared between all of the characters. As the first full 3D entry in the series, SA takes advantage of the extra dimension with a different gameplay structure. Rather than a linear series of levels, it divides itself between Adventure Fields and Action Stages. Adventure Fields are free roam settings where the player can access Action Stages, as well as locate hidden “Level Up Items” that permanently enhance a character’s abilities. Characters may also need to complete certain tasks within Adventure Fields before they can progress, like finding and placing some sort of key. Players may also periodically fight bosses or access minigames in these areas. Action Stages are more varied in gameplay style depending on the character, but contain familiar gameplay elements from the classic games, including Point Markers that act as checkpoints, Item Boxes that contain helpful powerups and the persistent rule of earning a bonus life for every 100 rings collected. Players can also collect one of 120 Emblems by completing Action Stages and minigames or finding them within Adventure Fields. Each Action Stage can also yield up to three Emblems, as they each have three unique goals you can complete through repeated plays (though advancing the game only requires completing them once). If you lose all of your lives, you get a fresh set of four, but must begin the current Action Stage again from the beginning.

Although I’m familiar with the gameplay of some later 3D Sonic titles, I didn’t mind the gameplay loop as presented in SA. Despite their free roam nature, Adventure Fields are manageable in size and have enough hidden areas that discovering something new feels satisfying without having an overwhelming number of secrets. Plus, the characters each have very simple move sets that complement their unique gameplay styles. On a technical level, I liked the additional rumble support, as it makes certain moments a little more immersive, though I found the camera a little odd. Always following the player is a good thing, but the lack of a second analog stick means you can only pan the camera with the L and R triggers and you can otherwise only look around with the D-pad while standing still. Although characters can interact with objects, including carrying, shaking, waving, throwing or setting them, the button for starting the interaction is a little particular, as you have to stand right next to the item or else you’ll just attack, which becomes more of an issue when trying to pick up Chao (more on that later).

With that out of the way, since SA splits its story between six different Adventure Mode campaigns, each with a different perspective of the same events, I’ll discuss the remaining story and gameplay the same way.

Sonic’s story follows the main conflict, where he must prevent Eggman from evolving Chaos to its full potential. This storyline is pretty easy to follow and rather enjoyable, although it’s clear by how the different campaigns intersect with his that you aren’t getting the full picture right away. Considering the short length of the campaign, however, it’s not as big of an issue as it would feel in a game like Resident Evil 6, due in part to how playing this campaign unlocks all of the others. Although this story ends on a high note after a climax, it’s obvious that the story isn’t over quite yet, incentivizing playthroughs of the other campaigns out of curiosity rather than obligation.

Coming off of more modern Sonic games, it’s fascinating playing through Sonic’s Action Stages and witnessing the roots of further attempts at placing the traditional gameplay in a 3D space. These Stages have a linear design with elements that evoke the Classic games even in larger spaces, but with unique platforming gimmicks that could only work in a 3D space, like hitting mirrors with beams of light to illuminate platforms or earning rings through a pinball game. Stages are also designed around him retaining his Spin Dash and Spin Attack while introducing a Homing Attack that would become a staple for future games. Both the Adventure Fields and Action Stages also take advantage of the newly introduced Light Speed Dash, obtained through a Level Up Item and rewarded in some later games in a similar manner, which lets him fly through a trail of rings, but without overdoing it.

What I found most interesting was the difficulty balance. For the most part, I found the Action Stages had a good balance of difficulty, not too difficult but not without challenge, but Stages 9 and 10 gave me a harder time due to the unique stage gimmicks and cheap shots from certain enemies. That said, the bosses were mostly a joke aside from the campaign’s final boss, which caught me off guard a couple times and led to a loss of life. Interestingly, the Casinopolis Stage proved perfect for farming extra lives thanks to its lack of enemies in favor of collecting a certain number of rings before reaching the goal.

Tails’ story runs parallel with Sonic’s, with most cutscenes retelling the story from his perspective while the Adventure Fields hit some of the same beats. The latter portion of the story, however, takes a more personal turn, as we get a brief glimpse of how he and Sonic first met as part of a character arc where he grows less dependent on Sonic for saving the day. This arc does come a little late, and the glimpse of his earliest memory with Sonic isn’t much, but it’s a neat addition that helps set Tails apart and give more meaning to his final boss encounter. During this time, there’s also a new intersection with another campaign and a hint at another storyline that occurs before the main campaign.

While linear like Sonic’s campaign, Tails’ Action Stages introduce a different gameplay style where he races Sonic or Eggman to the goal. Although these Stages certainly aren’t free of enemies or obstacles, they do feel a little more “beginner friendly” in their relative simplicity, but have a rewarding sense of exploration with shortcuts that Tails can fly through for an advantage in the race. These shortcuts can also make Tails’ campaign pretty speedrun friendly, though the camera angles can make landing on certain platforms a little difficult if you can’t gauge your distance very well. Naturally, these Stages are designed around Tails’ flight ability, though the Jet Anklet makes up for his limited flying time by letting him fly faster. He can also attack with his tails, but the Rhythm Badge helps a lot by letting him spin continuously. The recycled story content also applies to his boss encounters, though thankfully he has a different final boss with a climactic context.

 

Knuckles’ story starts a little before Sonic’s, with the destruction of the Master Emerald, which releases Chaos and makes Angel Island plummet to the ocean below, where it merges with Mystic Ruin. Although he does his part to help stop Eggman and fight Chaos, Knuckles is more concerned with restoring the Master Emerald and returning to his sacred duty as the lone guardian of Angel Island once it’s in its rightful place. His characterization remains consistent with the Classic games, including his gullibility and his dedication to his duty. At this point in the game, his interactions with Mystic Ruin add the most depth to the events that occurred before Chaos was unleashed, though the player still doesn’t know the full extent of it.

Unlike the other characters, Knuckles’ gameplay involves more open Action Stages where the player must find three shards of the Master Emerald while tracking them with a radar at the bottom of the screen (like playing a game of Hot/Cold). As in the Classic games, he can glide through the air (for as long as A is held mid-jump) and climb walls, plus he attacks with his fists (the Fighting Gloves give him a charge attack). He can find emerald shards out in the open or inside enemies and objects, as well as underground once he obtains the Shovel Claw. Playing as Knuckles felt like an interesting change of pace, as his gameplay style suits his abilities and feels in line with his goal, not to mention it’s very speedrun friendly (just memorize locations). He does fight a few of the same bosses, but he’s also the only one who fights Chaos 2, adding a neat sense of exclusivity. The only thing about the environmental obstacles he faces is that he can get hit by cars in his first Action Stage, which can make navigation just a little more difficult on your first try.

Amy’s story begins early in the main story as the Egg Carrier passes over Station Square. While she’s out and about, a Flicky, Birdie, falls out of the Egg Carrier and lands on top of her. She notices that Birdie is wearing a pendant and finds herself protecting him while ZERO, one of Robotnik’s robots, gives chase. Although Amy does meet other playable characters, her story is mostly disconnected from Sonic’s, though that does mean she has more independence from him, something she expresses desire for near the end. It’s interesting going back to an earlier characterization of Amy where she’s madly in love with Sonic, with all of the wacky hijinks that follow, but at the same time she does have nice character growth, culminating in her taking direct action against ZERO instead of running away. Later interpretations of Amy may have done more with her character, but it’s still neat to see that she still had some depth even back in SA.

As for her gameplay, it could have used some work. For most of the game, her Action Stages have her running away from ZERO until she can grab a balloon and escape. The only other rules are that she cannot destroy ZERO, only knock him over, and she can evade him by hiding behind environmental objects. While the idea of evading a pursuer can make for some fun gameplay on paper, the execution leaves something to be desired. For one, Amy can defend herself with her hammer, which also has utility with the rather high Hammer Jump and a useful Jump Attack, plus a Spin Hammer attack with the Warrior Feather, but she has a very short range. The Long Hammer can increase that range, but she can only obtain it near or after the end of the game (depending on the player’s actions).

On top of that, she only has three Action Stages and one boss (ZERO). To the game’s credit, each Action Stage does try something a little different with her gameplay style, but they can get rather frustrating in their execution. Twinkle Park isn’t as bad, as it has this neat mirror section that messes with the player’s perception of space while providing a good puzzle element with avoiding traps shown in the mirror, as well as an odd survival horror vibe with the mostly empty hallways and atmospheric music (my closest comparison is Haunting Ground due to its emphasis on evading pursuers). Hot Shelter, on the other hand, is unnecessarily difficult thanks to puzzle sections that slow the pace to a crawl, sometimes while also making Amy avoid ZERO’s grasp at the exact same time, not to mention how the camera can get stuck on the level geometry during crucial platforming sections. The worst part, however, is her flashback section, which does add more to the game’s backstory, but also does a very poor job of communicating where to go and can lead to several minutes of fumbling around aimlessly if you don’t know to just go through the door behind you. At least the final boss fight with ZERO isn’t too bad, as she can easily dispose of him as long her hammer connects in the right spot when he’s vulnerable.

Of all the playable characters, Big the Cat has the simplest storyline. Early in the main story, Big’s best friend Froggy swallows a portion of Chaos, as well as a charm that Big owned, grows a tail and hops away. Big chases down Froggy throughout the rest of his campaign, stumbling across other characters until he ends up contributing to the creation and defeat of Chaos 6. Although there isn’t much to this story, even with the extra detail in his flashback scene, and Big himself is less intelligent than everyone else, I didn’t mind him all that much. In fact, he actually grew on me by the end and his simple motivation made him oddly endearing, plus he actually contributes to the main story at the end.

Then there’s his Action Stages, which boil down to a series of fishing minigames that end when Big catches Froggy. Every upgrade enhances Big’s fishing capabilities, with Lure Upgrades letting him catch bigger fish, the Power Rod increasing his casting distance and the Life Belt letting him float above the water (where he can still cast from). Once you cast the lure, you can wiggle it around until it hooks a fish or Froggy, then, once you press down on the analog stick, you can reel the target in at different speeds depending on which action button you press. However, the target’s resistance and how fast you reel it in put the stress on the line and Big loses a life if it snaps. Outside of fishing, Big also has a Lure Attack against enemies and he has one boss fight, Chaos 6.

Despite what I had read online before playing through Big’s campaign, I found his Action Stages by far the easiest, as I beat them all rather quickly without losing a single life, plus the fight with Chaos 6 lasted under thirty seconds. Perhaps it helped that I had read the in-game instructions before starting his campaign and that you can always find Froggy in the same spot. That said, although Big’s gameplay is very easy once you know how reeling in fish works, there isn’t much else to it, at least when just catching Froggy, and it can get tedious if you try casting your lure from far away. The only real difficulty I came across was in Ice Cap, a large level with small casting areas underneath weak parts of the ice, because it took three tries to successfully catch Froggy thanks to how the ice interacted with Big catching him.

In contrast with Big the Cat, E-102 Gamma has the most complex story. Dr. Robotnik created the E-100 series of robots to do his bidding, in this case obtaining two animals that are key to his plans for Chaos: Froggy and Birdie. Although Gamma successfully captures Froggy, his attempt at capturing Birdie leads to him gaining free will, enough that he not only erases Robotnik as his master from his programming, but decided he must free his fellow robots by destroying them. He remains dedicated to his mission all the way to his rather tragic and emotional ending that not only feels earned, but ties back into another character’s story in an unexpected way that changes how you view it. I’ll admit that this story brought me close to tears, which I didn’t expect from a Sonic game of all things. Although Gamma never appears in later games, I certainly won’t forget his time in the spotlight.

Gamma also has the most unconventional gameplay apart from Big in that, unlike other characters, he uses a gun equipped with homing missiles that can lock on to multiple targets. His Actions Stages register as cleared when he defeats his target, but he also has a time limit, which he can increase for every non-target enemy he destroys along the way (tracked in the upper right and boosted by the number of enemies destroyed at once). His abilities and upgrades help smooth over the otherwise rough controls brought on by the Dreamcast controller’s layout, with the ability to move and lock on at the same time still built around the system’s limitations. He’ll also enter a Rolling Mode after running for a few seconds, floats above water, can slow his descent with the Jet Booster and fire in a wide pattern with the Laser Blaster.

Like most other characters, however, Gamma’s Action Stages typically don’t take that long and have pretty easy fights at the end, with the exception of the rather lengthy Hot Shelter. It not only has a tight time limit, but has a comparatively tougher boss fight at the end before the more difficult final boss. Hot Shelter’s length is also how I learned that if you lose a life because you ran out of time (and exceeded the small grace period afterwards), you’ll respawn at the last checkpoint you passed with one minute on the timer, regardless of what the timer previously read. This difficulty spike at the end doesn’t take away from how fun the game is, but does feel brutal compared with what came before.

After completing all six campaigns, the player gains access to the true ending, where they fight Perfect Chaos as Super Sonic. The buildup to this fight does a great job at tying all of the storylines together, including the flashback storyline present in each, leading to a satisfying conclusion, even if it may feel a little sudden after defeating the main threat. As for the fight itself, the main strategy isn’t that difficult, though Super Sonic needs enough speed and a steady supply of rings, as his ring supply automatically starts at 50 and continuously drops.

Once you complete the Adventure mode, that doesn’t mean you’re done with the game. You can replay any Action Stage at any time through the Trial mode, which also lets you easily earn many additional Emblems that you didn’t get before (at least those tied to the Action Stages) and can even view a chart of the Emblems you still haven’t obtained. Collecting Emblems doesn’t unlock anything special, however, so it’s more for those who want 100% completion. I’ll also mention that any lives you had in the main game don’t carry over to Trial mode, as each Action Stage here will start you off with the default four.

The Station Square Chao Garden.

The majority of SA’s replay value, however, comes from the Chao Garden, where you can hatch and raise Chao from eggs you found throughout the world, kind of like a Virtual Pet simulator. Chao will hatch naturally if you wait in the same room for a few minutes, or you can speed up the process, though this will alter your Chao’s behavior. While in the Garden, you can tend to your Chao by holding them or feeding them fruits from trees, as well as alter their behavior and appearance by giving them small animals you’ve rescued throughout the game. Keep in mind, however, that you can still harm your Chao, whether intentionally or accidentally, which will affect their relationship with you. There are three Gardens, each of which can hold up to eight Chao, with excess moved to another Garden. If you’ve found the other Gardens, you can warp between them with ease. The only other available actions are participating in a Chao Race or transferring a Chao to a VMU so you can “take it for a walk” by playing Chao Adventure.

For the sake of this review, I transferred a Chao to a VMU with enough free space and tried out Chao Adventure, which feels like playing a classic Virtual Pet minus some of the complexity (you also don’t need Sonic Adventure save data on the same VMU). The base gameplay consists of your Chao walking through different environments, but there is still some complexity. Every so often, your Chao may have an accident or fight a Bully, in which case you help it out by pressing A, the latter by timing the button presses with a bar at the bottom of the screen. Winning a battle lets you open a chest, but your prize is randomly determined by which nondescript option you choose, including none at all; you can also open chests if your Chao finds one at random. On occasion, your Chao may also reach a crossroads and ask you for the next direction it heads.

By pressing A at any time during the walk, the player has a few more active options. Apart from renaming Chao, you can also view its Stats, change certain settings or connect two VMUs to Mate or Battle with another Chao. Since I didn’t have a second VMU with enough space at the time, I only tried the solo Game mode, which lets you earn an item by completing a memory game within three attempts (the number of mistakes you make plays a part in what random item you obtain). Afterwards, you may feed your Chao in the Item option, boosting its stats for a Chao Race in the base game while recovering some HP. After certain events, including feeding a Chao or winning a battle, your Chao may communicate with you or ask you certain personal questions that will fill out your profile (you may decline an answer).

The memory game in action.

Although I only played Chao Adventure for about an hour, I did find myself getting into it, especially the memory game, and got attached to the Chao. The only real difficulty I faced was getting used to the VMU itself. The D-pad isn’t the best and can sometimes make you miss your intended spot in the memory game, which requires some adjustment on the player’s end with how they touch it. The timing for the battles also felt odd at first, but I got the hang of it once I realized you need to press A slightly before a circle highlights the correct part of the bar.

I’ll also mention that when you transfer your Chao back, it will also bring back any items you had left in your inventory at the time. This not only lets you actually see the fruits of your labor (in more ways than one), but lets you feed the fruit to other Chaos if you wish (just don’t feed them any Lazynuts that followed your Chao).

All of your hard work culminates with the Chao Race, the main minigame your Chao can participate in. Starting a race is quite simple, as you just need to select one of your Chao from either the VMU or from any of your three Chao Gardens. Once you select a course, your Chao will automatically move forward and you can change which one you observe. The only other action you can take is cheering it on when it flashes by pressing one of the action buttons (ABXY), which helps it run a little faster. For those who dedicate their time to raising Chao, the ultimate goal is winning the Jewel course, which grants you the Jewel Pendant.

Although the original Dreamcast version of SA may look dated compared with modern Sonic titles, it still holds up nicely. It helps that this game redesigned the characters for the first time and their appearance wouldn’t really change much from then on (discounting the Sonic Boom subseries, of course). There’s even a nice reference to the Classic designs in Casinopolis, as well as a shoutout to Nights into Dreams, another Sega IP. That said, the cutscenes are showing their age, with some clipping, exaggerated facial animations (especially Sonic’s) and some odd decisions as a result of technical limitations, like showing Robotnik caressing Chaos Emeralds when he’s holding them up. There’s also some noticeable draw distance, though not enough to make the game unplayable, and you sometimes fight the camera in tight spaces, which lead to certain phenomena like seeing under the level geometry at least once while playing as Knuckles (within Mystic Ruins). Although locking the game to 30 FPS isn’t that bad, as many older titles played this way, I did notice that the Twinkle Circuit minigame, which takes place in a void, runs buttery smooth by comparison.

The only other notable thing was a typo where “running” is rendered as “runninig” in E-102 Gamma’s instructions. Not a deal breaker, of course, but still too interesting to not mention.

When you have to resort to taking a picture of your TV.

What did hold up very well, however, was the audio. The voice acting may not sound as good overall as later games, depending on who you ask, but these voices did define the characters for a good while and match them fairly well. Most notable among them is Jon St. John voicing Big the Cat, as it provides a hard contrast with his most iconic role, Duke Nukem (St. John would later admit that he didn’t like the voice he gave Big, but he loves the character). Of course, it’s sometimes hard to enjoy the voices when some of the cutscenes have bad sound mixing by default, drowning out some of the deliveries with music. At least the music is pretty good and memorable and I like that each character has their own distinct theme (plus the sound design is great).

Despite its age and the jank that comes with it, Sonic Adventure’s memorable story and characters, plus its unique gameplay, still makes for a solid experience that I would recommend to any Sonic the Hedgehog fan or those looking for a solid title to add to their Dreamcast collection. It’s a shame that not as many people can easily access the game in its original state now, but if you manage to get both a Dreamcast and a copy of the game that works, you won’t regret it.