Sonic: Lost World First Look (Nintendo 3DS, Wii U)

Sonic Generations was a pleasant mix of past and present platforming, with a style that drew fans into Sonic’s universe.  Last year’s Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed was a great improvement upon the original, with more drivers, tracks and multiplayer options.

Now Sonic speeds his way back to platforming with the forthcoming Sonic: Lost World, which has been confirmed as an exclusive for Nintendo’s Wii U and 3DS.  He’ll run through spectacular looking 3D worlds as he sets out on his quest to stop the Deadly Six, a group of legendary adversaries who threaten the Lost World. Sonic won’t be alone, as he’ll team up with his longtime nemesis Dr. Eggman, who tried to stop the Six on his own and came up short.  

This is still Sonic’s show, and he brings a number of new abilities that compliments his speedy style. You can now activate a second burst of speed to make Sonic run faster than ever before.  You start by building momentum.  Then you can tap a trigger on the GamePad or 3DS to make him go even faster.  Thankfully, you retain a great deal of control over Sonic as you make your way across platforms and through the traditional loop-de-loops.

On top of that, Sonic is now able to parkour, meaning he can run along walls and other obstacles.  You don’t need to do much, aside from guiding him along and making sure you don’t fall into the world below.  Just keep up your speed and you’ll be fine.

Sonic: Lost World also has some bonus goodies to check out.  You can take advantage of Red Rings at certain points to unlock new content in the game, such as bonus stages.  Along the way, you can also seek out gold cannons that enable you to unlock secondary paths for extra rings (collect 100 and you’ll score an extra life), along with power-ups and other items.  Finally, rescuing animals has more of a benefit this time around, as you’ll earn new content throughout the game – hopefully those adorable Chaos from Sonic Adventure will make some kind of return.  

Fans of Sonic Colors will appreciate the return of the Whisp-based Color Powers.  You’ll be able to use either the Gamepad Touchpad or the 3DS touch screen to activate these Whisp abilities, enabling you to open up even more paths in the game.  Not all of the powers have been revealed yet, so we’re not quite sure how many will be taken from Colors and how many will be brand new.  

The game features a 3D style similar to Super Mario Galaxy, but with Sonic in mind.  You can see the Green Hill Zone in the opening stages, complete with grassy pathways and checkerboard tiles.  You’ll have to navigate through certain parts of a stage as the world rotates, which is a cool effect.

Last but not least, Sega will include an interesting multiplayer option for Lost World.  While it won’t offer direct competition like Sonic the Hedgehog 2, it does put an interesting twist on things.  The player with the GamePad can activate Support Mode, which lets someone with a Wii remote and Nunchuk jump in and help Sonic.  However, Sega didn’t clarify which character would earn the starring role.  Perhaps Eggman will receive his chance to shine.

With its dynamic 3D level design, combination of old-school and new abilities and the return of the Color Powers, Sonic: Lost World holds tremendous potential. We’ll see how the game fares when it ships for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U later this year.