3/5 ★ – RawMetal's review of SegaSonic the Hedgehog.

System: Arcade Started: April 13, 2023 Ended: April 13, 2023 Free Play Arcade Session - April 13, 2023: 11/12 SegaSonic the Hedgehog was my next arcade game I played. I was not aware of this entry from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and when I saw it at the Arcade, I had to do a quick research through my phone. This is an Arcade Exclusive only in Japan and it is only played with a Trackball and a Jump button. Sega did try to port this to home consoles as part of the compilation games like Sonic Gems Collection but due to the difficult implementation of the Trackball controls input via emulation and possibly the cost to mass produce these Trackballs for only just one game, it did not materialize. Plot of this game is straightforward as you are trying to escape from Robotnik’s Death Island as you go into seven different levels and Robotnik places traps to have you run straight forward while traversing obstacles as you use the Trackball to guide Sonic and friends to the end of the level. My absolute impression of this was the colorful graphics and cinematics. It reminds me of Sonic 3D Blast but more linear and better looking since it’s running on arcade hardware instead of the Genesis/Mega Drive. This is also where Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel debuted since they were featured as DLC characters for the expanded Sonic Mania Plus. This is a type of Sonic game that should be underrated, but I can see why this receives low to average scores. This game is frustratingly difficult due to the controls. As you use the Trackball, it can be tricky to use as you keep spinning in order for you to move. The faster you spin it in one direction, the faster Sonic, Ray or Mighty can move and can have difficulty stopping and seeing what’s ahead of you. You will stumble with its jerky movements, run into objects and enemies, and even off cliffs. It really makes it hard to maneuver that you’ll be spinning the Trackball in wild directions, so you have to get the feel of it like driving a car. I’m glad this was free play because if this game actually runs on credits or quarters, I would feel like the game robbed me since you are going to die a lot in this game. There is ring collecting in this game but it’s actually pointless unless you are playing competitively with the other two players to keep score. But since you die so many times, you couldn’t help but survive to the end of the level without getting a continuation. Lastly, the endgame task is similar to the Steel Gunner games I played earlier. By the end of the game, you are being timed to make it to the end goal and if you fail the task, you get the bad ending and the game is over. It took me three tries. Yes. Three tries to finally get the good ending and it took almost an hour of playtime for this and I finally made it by just one second. This game is short though, but I have to deal with its terrible controls and spending more time with this just for the good ending. I’m sure this game does sound good on paper if the Sega team wanted to use the Trackball controls for a Sonic game. However, its execution is lacking from the flaws I’ve mentioned. I would say check this out if you are a Sonic fan, but not the Chris Chan kind. You can try to emulate this game through PC but with the lack of Trackball controls. You might need to get a custom Trackball to give the authentic feel of the Arcade experience. This Arcade game actually deserves to be a home port anyways just for the graphics and Sega could try it again on porting this game and this time for the Switch since the joy con controls could work better as a Trackball input system.