Sonic Labyrinth
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 Looks like Sonic is too slow this time.
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Sonic Labyrinth is an isometric puzzle video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series that was developed by Minato Giken and published by Sega for the Game Gear. It was released in October 1995 for the United Kingdom, and November of the same year in the rest of the world.
Plot
Frustrated by his latest defeat, Dr. Robotnik sneaks into Sonic's house while he's sleeping and replaces his shoes with special "Slowdown boots" that make him unable to run. Sonic is then taken to Robotnik's labyrinth where he needs to find the Chaos Emeralds to get rid of the boots.
Why It Got Lost in the Labyrinth
- The reason why this game is so infamous is because of the sluggish speed, which makes the game very tedious to play and also quite boring.
- In fact, this is so bad that the painfully slow speed ruins the game; if it wasn't that slow, then the game could be decent (or at least average).
- Nonsensical and bad story: Dr. Robotnik sneaks into Sonic's house and replaces his shoes. This makes no sense: If Robotnik really wanted to defeat Sonic, he would've just killed him, even though that might not sit well with the Sonic fans.
- The controls are terrible, as the Spin Dash is hard to control and Sonic cannot jump at all. This makes the game tedious to play and can even be another reason why the game is ruined.
- They also tend to be a bit unresponsive when you want to walk, and Sonic doesn't respond at all, which can be a problem.
- Although it might not have had the stiffer controls in a game, the controls are quite stiff, which is also the reason why they can be unresponsive.
- While the soundtrack is decent, it is forgettable compared to most Sonic games at the time.
- In a level, it's possible to find two teleport portals that connect only the top and bottom of a ramp, which can make you get lost.
- There are rings, but you can only collect them in boss battles or the Bonus Stage.
- Sonic can only move in four directions in an isometric game if the player selects "Slant" from the controls menu.
- You have to collect keys to finish a level, which become repetitive very quickly, and it can make the game even more tedious to play due to the keys sometimes being poorly placed. This also doesn't help with the bad level design of the game.
- The game is too short, even for a Game Gear game, as you can beat it in only 30 minutes or even less. The length of this game is a major downgrade compared to most Sonic games on Game Gear when they are short but are a bit longer than this game.
- Influxes of flashing effects when picking up Invincibility/Speed Shoes that can potentially cause a seizure. However, this wouldn't be an issue if you're not triggered to seizures since the Game Gear's screen is a bit small. Thankfully, it was fixed in later releases.
- The graphics, although they are not bad for a Game Gear title, look very dull, as there are some levels that have very bland colors. Other Sonic games on Game Gear, such as Sonic Drift or Sonic the Hedgehog 2, look nicer and a bit more vibrant.
- Repetitive grid backgrounds can cause you to get confused about where you are in the level.
- Incredibly underwhelming final boss. After the final slide, Sonic falls into an arena where he must dodge falling Robotnik bombs after a few seconds, Smiley Bomb spawns in and all you have to do is spin dash into Smiley Bomb 10 times for it's body to pop and then another 10 times to destroy Smiley Bomb and get the last Chao Emerald.
- Every stage has a very tight time limit, kind of like Asterix and the Great Rescue. Fortunately, you can use the yellow triangle power-up to increase your time, making the game a bit easier to complete.
Redeeming Qualities
- Unlike Sonic 3D Blast, where the flickies move around when scattered, the keys stay in one place. Also, there are only three keys per act, as opposed to ten or fifteen flickies per act.
- The soundtrack is catchy and decent, despite being forgettable at times compared to most Sonic games at the time.
- Even if the graphics are generic, they're still good for a Game Gear title.
- Despite a lot of flaws present in the game, some people could actually like the game or even love it, especially those who are just regular gamers who don't really know a lot of Sonic games.
- This game actually has a decent concept, but unfortunately, it's poorly executed due to the sluggish speed and the fact that Sonic can't jump in this game.
- Due to the gameplay being similar to Sonic 3D Blast, this game could feel like it's an alpha version of that game, and it's like it's actually spawned that said game, which was a much better game that is actually decent.
Reception
 "What were they thinking?"
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Sonic Labyrinth received mixed to positive reviews at the time of its release, but as time went on, it became more negative, and the game now received mixed to negative reviews, especially from the fans, who were very negative about the game and criticized the sluggish speed of the game and the controls.
Off this day, this game is considered to be the worst Sonic game on Game Gear and even one of the worst Sonic games of all time.
Trivia
- Sonic Labyrinth is playable on Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut and on the PC, PlayStation 2, and Xbox versions of Sonic Mega Collection Plus.
- This is one of the three isometric platformers in the Sonic series, the other two being SegaSonic the Hedgehog and Sonic 3D Blast.
- This is one of the few Sonic games to not feature Tails at all, with the only others being the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Blast, Sonic the Hedgehog (Didj), and Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I.
- Previously, Ian Flynn claimed Sonic Labyrinth was non-canon, despite Sonic acknowledging the events of the game in a Sonic Channel interview.
- Flynn would later clarify that this was due to the canonicity of the game apparently being changed after he had initially been told it was non-canon. He also firmly stated that the game had returned to being considered a canon entry in the series.
- According to the Japanese manual, it is possible that this game takes place during Tails' Skypatrol.
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