Sega just released the first trailer of Sonic Lost World for the Wii U which gives us our
first actual look at the game--and what a look it is.
So of course we're going to do what we do best and analyze the hell out of it to see
what secrets it might be hiding.
And to do that, we've again enlisted the help of our resident Sonic expert, Derrick Bitner,
to help get tot he bottom of it it all.
And with that, let's get right into it.
So the first thing the trailer shows off are a group of adorable woodland creatures animals,
right before the come under attack.
But they're not just any woodland creatures.
All 3 types--the pig, chicken, and bird actually all actually first appeared in the original
Sonic the Hedgehog.
Back then, they were used to power Dr. Eggman's robotic minions, and you could actually see
them escape after smashing the Badniks to bits.
And it looks like the cuddly animals will be put to work for similar nefarious reasons
here as well, because if we slow down this scene, we can see them escaping as Sonic smashes
up the enemies
And if we slow down another similar scene, we can see what appears to be some kind of
fish animal escaping.
So it's pretty cool to see the game returning to its roots by bringing back the animal friends,
but it's far from the only classic Sonic element that's returning.
Let's take a look at the enemies that hold those animals captive, for example.
In the gameplay, we get a close-up look at the Choppers that made their debut in Sonic
1, but there are a few others that make a blink-and-you'll-miss it appearance too, such
as the Motobugs here.
And if we freeze this clip, we can the Snail Blaster from Sonic 3 is here as well, And
he just happens to be the only enemy who didn't make an appearance in the original game
But that's not all.
In this scene, we can see a projectile of some kind emerge from behind the wall.
THough we can't tell who--or what--created it, it looks very similar to the projectile
shot by the Buzz Bombers also from Sonic 1, which suggests they might be back too.
And beyond the enemies, we can see the return of several other classic elements as well.
Of course, rings are back, but so are the Springs that launch you sky-high, and the
checkpoints allow you to restart from there if you die.
In fact, as you probably have already noticed, all of the gameplay shown so far appears to
take place in a level based almost exclusively on Green Hill zone from the original Sonic
the Hedgehog.
I mean, just look at the floor pattern.
Or the fact that, if we pause this clip, we can see that the background Totem Poles return
too.
And the throwbacks don't end there.
In this clip, we can see that Sonic can again roll into a ball, which has only been used
in specific instances in most of Sonic's recent 3D adventures.
This won't be the case in Sonic Lost World however.
According to an IGN interview, this is how Sonic will look when blasting around at full-speed.
And thanks to that same interview, we now know Sonic will be the only playable character
in the game, just like Sonic 1, though Tails, Knuckles and Amy will all be appearing in
some form.
As you've probably noticed, the core gameplay looks similar to Sonic Colors, with both 3D
and 3D sections, there's even more of Colors here than might seem at first glace.
Take this clip for example--Based on the fact that there are three boost-pads here, which
likely means the track-switching gameplay of Colors is back too
Then if we slow down this scene, we can see that the rings are actually being pulled to
Sonic, suggesting some form of the boost mechanic will be back as well.
And if we pause this scene, we can see some diamonds littering the course, very similar
to ones that also appeared in Sonic Colors.
And in another clip, if we zoom in on the background, we can actually see a Wisp container
too, which were basically power-ups in Sonic Colors
In this case, it looks to be the Cyan wisp, which allowed you to fire Sonic like a laser
beam in Sonic Colors.
Maybe it'll work the same way here?
So since at least one of them's back, does thta mean the rest are too?
Thankfully, that same IGN interview sheds a little more light on how the Wisps work
this time around.
For one, there will again be several different types, with each one granting a different
power that you'll control using the GamePad's touchscreen.
And it seems their primary use will be to gain access to otherwise unreachable areas.
Okay moving on, as you've probably noticed, the entire game bears just a slight resemblance
to Mario Galaxy, with its levels made up of platforms freely floating in air.
Only this time, all the action appears to take place above the surface of an actual
planet instead of in space.
And the gravity appears to work just like in Mario Galaxy as well, with the nearest
surface being the one you're pulled too, instead of the planet below exerting any actual influence.
You can even see the camera here dynamically shifting to keep Sonic level with gravitational
pull
Even thelevel design itself shares some similarities, such as this halfpipe scene that mimics a
slide found in mario Galaxy 2.
Though we do have to give credit that Sonic 2 technically did the half-pipe thing first
And actually we should also mention that the game as a whole does bear some similarities
to the never-released Sonic Xtreme game for the Saturn, but we're pretty sure this is
more coincidental than anything.
So clearly Sonic's going to be maneuvering around these environments a little different
than before, and that extents to his move-set.
For one, we can see that Sonic can now grab hold ledges and pull himself up if he can't
quite clear it with a jump.
And it seems he'll now be able to run along walls too, complete with the nifty motion-blue
effect.
Which apparently is part of a new parkour system, as Sonic also exhibits that same effect
when effortlessly climbing this ledge
Finally, we can see Sonic using some kind of kick to take out enemies, instead of his
usual homing attack which looks to appear elsewhere in the trailer.
What's the difference?
Alright, and that about covers it for the gameplay for now, what about the story.
Well, according to that same IGN interview, Sonic stumbles across a mysterious planet
called "Lost Hex" while chasing after Dr. Eggman, and it's here that he meets a new
group of baddies, known as the Deadly 6.
Okay, and that's really all we know at this point, but we can infer a few additional from
it, but first, let's bring up the image of the World that Sega released during the recent
Nintendo Direct.
So here's Planet Hex...which we're guessing is short for Hexagons, as the entire planet
appears to be made up of 6-sided tiles.
And speaking of 6, that's also the amount of new villains.
So it seems like the number 6 plays a pretty major role
So we're going to take a wild guess and assume that you'll encounter one of them per each
region, which assuming that's the case, means there are at least 6 regions in the game.
And if we take a close look at that map, we can pinpoint what all 6 are going to be.
Of course, we have he grassy plains shown in the trailer, which according to IGN is
known as Wind Hill.
Then there's a desert, which also according to IGN is known as Desert Ruins.
And then we also have an ocean based region, an icy area, a forest-region, and of course,
a lava world
Now if you'll allow us to partake in some stereotyping, we might be able to guess which
region each of the villains will represent based on their color.
So the yellow one might be from Desert ruins, the red one could be the lava area, green
might be the forest, and blue and purple may represent the water and ice worlds respectively.
So that would leave just the Pink one left, But an IGN screenshot shows that you'll apparently
be taking him on in Wind Hill.
But it seems that you might have to chase him down first, if the screenshot is any indication.
And what's with that yellow planet-like object he's holding, which if we flip the image upside
down, appears to have a face on it.
Weird!
And how does Dr. Eggman fit into all this?
Is he working with the deadly 6?
We know he'll be in there somewhere thanks to both the interview and the sound of him
laughing at the very end of the trailer.
Okay, we're just about done here, but as usual, there are just a few final details left.
For one, you can see a golden bell appear at a couple of points in the trailer.
What could this be for?
We think they might be linked to the Gold Cannons IGN mentioned that blast you to alternate
paths.
Perhaps you need a certain amount of rings to activate them?
Speaking of alternate paths, the IGN interview also mentioned there will be branching routes
will appear throughout the game, and we can see proof of that in this scene, with the
boostpad path in the center flanked by an alternate route
And if you look close at this clip, you can see Sonic passing by a bunch of sheep.They
don't appear to be robotic, so what are they about?
That same IGN interview did mention that the game will track the amount of animals that
you save--maybe you have to save these sheep too??
And did you notice at several points in the trailer, the ground appears to be collapsing
behind Sonic?
Maybe that plays a major role in the game--it would make sense givent the levels appear
to all be floating
And finally, did you catch these flowers that form the shape of three arrows pointing where
to go?
Perhaps Sega's trying to make the signs of where to go a little more natural than past
games?
And with that, we're done covering everything we could dig up on Sonic Lost World.
As always, let us know if we missed anything by posting in the comments.
Thanks for watching and make sure to stay tuned to GameXplain.com for more on Sonic
Lost World and other things gaming too.