The Flawed But Amazing Sonic Game

Today I wanted to talk about Sonic the Hedgehog 1991.
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#sonic

[@mrm64]

One of the most important games of all time. It pushed Nintendo out of its stronghold in the market (MUCH better for consumers) and opened up the floodgates for the modern "console wars" we know today, pushing the boundaries of what a video game is and can do. Thank you, Sonic.

[@Sly88Frye]

Indeed. If it wasn't for Sonic I don't think there would be much competition in the fourth generation gaming. The SNES would probably have dominated. It's not to say that there aren't other good games besides Sonic on the Genesis but Sonic was the system seller. The best and closest console war. The Genesis succeeding really well especially in North America totaling 28 million units worldwide and the SNES totalling 49 million units worldwide. There has never been a closer console war for first place

[@mrm64]

@@Sly88Frye Exactly. Despite some short comings with Sonic's games and Segs's decisions (Nintendo can relate, especially with the Virtual Boy, lack of CD hardware for third parties to jump on, the GameCube, which I love, the Wii U and more), I will always praise Sonic and Mario as the faces of Gaming. Yes, more than Minecraft, despite it being the best selling video game of all time. There is no Minecraft without Mario and Sonic. They're like Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny. Superman and Goku. You can outsell them, but they will always be the most iconic. Also, my GAWD I didn't know it was THAT close in sales lol.. Sonic is really a power house.

[@maximyllion]

console wars are mainly pointless nowadays

[@mrm64]

@@maximyllion yeah they're not as prevalent as yesterday but they're still here. Competition still exists among gaming companies.

[@ssg-eggunner]

​@@mrm64idk man I don't think there'd be sonic and Mario without pong

[@RetroMango]

“Anything I like about marble zone?” “no.”

[@KLEJGaming]

That sudden cut really caught me off guard 😂

[@RetroMango]

@@KLEJGaming fr 😂

[@iwanttocomplain]

What I like about Marble Zone is how is starts you on a wavy surface. this is re-enforcing the core of the gameplay which is angled platforms. They slow the game down and don't allow to to progress until you truly master the controls and don't just hold down right. The angle of the platforms literally must be comprehended to traverse past a jump which requires avoiding a fireball and jumping from a platform with no flat point. As it moves. This is called 'teaching' anyone how to play the game properly. Or in the way the unique feature is put to use. The addition of physics compliments the underlying mechanic of angled jump physics that dwarf what Super Mario World did. The music is absolutely stellar and the artwork matches it. There's not many opportunities to speed apart from the first moving block you need to jump over platforms to stay up with unless you dare to jump them without the platform. After that, there is a 5-6 second period where you must wait on a block. I rate Marble Zone highly as an artistic accomplishment of theming and easy to understand but complex platforming. Oh and one last point: the alternate routes in Sonic 1 are for the most part a secret or only occasionally, a binary choice. Level 1 Sonic 1 offers perhaps too much choice. But I think speaks to the designers intending it as a sandbox more than anything.

[@iwanttocomplain]

Cope.

[@ssg-eggunner]

The presentation is probably the only best part Would've been even better if they kept the UFOs

[@DearMink_X]

What sucks about marble is that every single one of it's aspects is designed to make you wait. The lava and differently elevated platforms above the ground make you slower since you gotta keep jumping up and being careful, the cramped and blocky design indoors makes you have to jump a lot which is slower than running and jumping, the fireballs make you wait for them to not get hit, the lavafalls make you wait for them to clear, the breakable blocks make you wait while you break through them, the pushable blocks for either the switch or the lava rides make you wait, the collumns that go up and down and make you manuever between them make you wait, the spike platforms that fall down and slowly move back up make you wait, the moving platforms that stick out of the wall make you wait. The zone isn't even a challenge, it is just boring as heck. It's my second least favorite level, only above the original metallic madness. Labyrinth at least was a challenge, so I respect it more.

[@pjshurm]

wasnt a massive sonic fan growing up, but the quality of sonic videos on yt recently makes me get it

[@rafaelzavros4391]

I still really like Sonic 1 for what it is even though it's not my favourite of the classic games. Also imagine the stage layout being like this: 1. Green Hill 2. Spring Yard 3. Starlight 4. Marble 5. Labyrinth 6. Scrap Brain Also, Labyrinth zone and subsequently all future water levels would have been better if they had Sonic swim like Mario instead of slugging away at slow surfaces.

[@evolutioner8573]

yeah in terms of difficulty this order makes a lot of scenes!

[@ssg-eggunner]

It's funny how they changed the old level order, which was 1. Green Hill 2. Labyrinth 3. Marble 4. Star Light 5. Spring Yard 6. Scrap Brain To the Final One during Development but never thought of that

[@ssg-eggunner]

4:17 it's ironic how the whole idea of going fast from Yuji Naka came from the fact it's tedious to get back to the stage you were, and this is the game design decision that ended up in the game

[@2nkf]

The Classic Sonic trilogy is pure gold. Still love Sonic 1 even if half of the levels suck

[@FireBladesGameing]

Sonic 1 is a gem and always will be. Classic Green hill zone was and always will be an iconic zone.

[@30THMAN.]

I never really liked calling them a trilogy

[@Stickboy321Go]

Only labyrinth sucks for me, the rest are pretty good. Spring yard is quite a bumpy level but it balances the speed and gameplay too unlike *cough cough* Collision Chaos, marble zone is fine, a little slow but fine. Labyrinth is just terrible, starlight zone is cool and it has momentum, scrap brain zone is really good for a final level because it represents Eggman the most

[@ABUltra64]

*Quadrility cause ya know... Sonic CD

[@DevinOwens-wf6nk]

@@30THMAN.why…I think trilogy really fits them…the first one is always…well not good nor bad. The second one is always the shit…and the third one is always the GOAT

[@rfmerrill]

Honestly I subscribe more to the idea that old console games were made so difficult in order to cheaply add value. The people buying games back then were mostly parents, and the value of a game to them was how long their kid would play it before they got bored with it. Actually putting more content in a game is expensive, but making it extremely difficult cost nothing (as long as you didn't go too far and make the game so difficult it felt pointless to even try).

[@captainseg]

I still replay this game ALOT. It's a great platformer

[@Adamwinters]

My favorite thing to do in Sonic 1 is to get the extra optional hit on Robotnik's Egg-o-matic as he's trying to escape after being defeated in the Final Stage.

[@sunnyezemba7021]

That’s not optional, that only happens if you get all the emeralds

[@kingdedede5570]

@@sunnyezemba7021 it is optional and has no effect on the ending

[@thegooberian2241]

has it been two years already? I love this channel and his down to earth personality and I’ll always try to watch a new video

[@AffinityXP]

i was just watching your anniversary game video where you mentioned it was your 1 year. crazy it’s the 2nd year already!

[@kirotalksyt]

Oh wow, that’s a wild coincidence 😂

[@Sanicfan9192]

2 years? Nice brother! I’ve been watching you since the beginning, and seeing the growth you have made over the last 2 years is amazing!

[@generalsonic23]

same

[@Skystar884]

Congrats on the 2 years! Happy to have jumped on board this year and excited to see where you go from here

[@immortalgermanguy]

I just beat Sonic 1 on mobile. It's definitely flawed, but you can see brief moments where it shines and hints at more to come. Areas in spring yard, starlight zone, and green hill. It seems like they were a little hesitant on going full experimental mode and mostly kept things traditional.

[@ssg-eggunner]

The mobile version is automatically better because there's more reaction time thanks to widescreen Sonic 1 feels like it can't exactly make up its mind about what direction to follow

[@doggo3]

Thank you for always making me smile after rough times, your videos have been my go to for a while when i need a distraction, i hope your channel can grow even more this year.

[@maybefaith23]

Happy two years, man! I started with the video about disc art and you’ve quickly become one of my favourite KZbinrs. Your videos are just so chill, I love just relaxing and watching them. You can make any topic interesting, it’s great. Here’s to two more!

[@juanaedwards5981]

happy 2 years on youtube you've achieved a lot over the years

[@evolutioner8573]

NO WAY, i used to watched lots of your vids ( they came a lot in my recomend) but i never knew these where form the same channel, im gona sub now, awesome channel :D

[@vreenmario]

I've been watching since the very birth of the channel. It's nice to see how much you've grown since then! Congrats on 2 years!

[@Jimmietruck]

*_Happy 2 years man, i love ur content,have been watching you since you had 3-5 videos on ur channel. Crazy how you've gotten this far. Heres to another 2 years!:)_*

[@MentallyConfusedOgre]

been watching since the beginning; can’t wait to see where you go from here. you’re always making interesting videos.

[@kirotalksyt]

Thanks for sticking around so long!

[@darkhorse744]

If the core of a series is only really used in one game, I don't think it can be called a core.

[@mighty_king92]

2 years of kiro?? Feels like yesterday! Hope you channel continues to grow, your content is awesome

[@tylerdurden222]

happy 2 year anniversary! ive been subscribed for like a yr now your vids r actually goated

[@ErikMo96]

My jaw dropped when you said it’s been 2 years since you started, I’ve been subbed since your first video had like 500 views 💀, i hope you make it to a million subs bro

[@YourLocalTrash0]

Great video! Man 2 years already time really does fly!

[@bdhuffman42]

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that they don't like the Marble Garden's music. I respect your reasoning for the level design, though. Good job with the video.

[@JohnWolf2007]

I'm glad that the lower views didn't get to you. Your videos are always so different and unique compared to other channels that cover same topics! Also congratulation on 69 thousand subs😏

[@pranavjohn2571]

I really like the presentation in the vid, great job

[@queenmdaqueen]

Congrats on 2 years!! I love your channel and you are underrated!!! Sonic 1 is a truly unique experience and a great classic!!!

[@kirotalksyt]

Thanks for the support!

[@queenmdaqueen]

@@kirotalksyt you’re welcome

[@kultimate92]

I like the velocity Sonic has on this

[@lawanimationsgaming4157]

Happy 2nd anniversary and I was here since from the very beginning I’m not lying. I remember when you had like 2 videos 🎉

[@ABUltra64]

Wait you started your channel... 2 YEARS AGO?!

[@SonicTheBlueBlur15]

I play it along with sonic cd and superstars(i played sonic 2 and sonic 3 and k that i got bored of them)

[@SuperSonicPals-YT]

FIRST GAME OF THE SONIC SERIES IS PEAK!!!

[@fin--]

PEAK

[@FireBladesGameing]

Eventhough it was sonic 3 that got me into gaming (1st game i ever played was sonic)... I still love sonic 1. Its a gem of a game.

[@lylelylecrocodile2538]

Congrats on two years on KZbin!

[@Dfortblox]

even though sonic 1 has its flaws, its still a fun and good game! also happy 2 year anniversary!

[@Thiccster_OutTheWindow]

I love when the kiro guy enlights me with a blue hedgehog information

[@Buhhhdy]

Sonic's a fallen king.

[@inktendo]

The way you speak of Marble Zone is how I feel about Superstars bosses. Ironically enough, I don't mind Marble Zone that much

[@xonact8855]

Actually, making a game difficult did give them more money. See, renting games was really big back then, and the manufacturer would get a cut of the rent sales. In fact, the Lion King game was made super hard specifically so that people would have to keep renting it just so they could beat it

[@ssg-eggunner]

Aside it artificially increases playtime which makes the price more justified towards consumers

[@nightlydata2181]

Congrats on the journey.

[@NoshikiYT]

It’s been years since I played this game on my iPad 6

[@ssg-eggunner]

1:45 Fair but i think they still have another purpose Making the game replayable I mean just imagine someone in 1991, during a party event, then they finish the game with all chaos emeralds, everyone would be impressed

[@nukfauxsho]

Part of the reason i believe they made them so hard (in america) was to entice users to BUY the games instead of renting. Renting culture in the 80s and 90s was very large. Japan had laws restricting certain rentals. I like that you mentioned this!

[@swr.nezumi]

kiro is truly talking

[@tsrenis]

3:21 You're not considering rentals here, that was a significant factor that many devs have mentioned

[@jaydenc367]

Wait your channel is two years old?!? Man I remember when it first was a thing...I still haven't subscribed yet but imma do that now!

[@miyabi95]

a few months ago i gave this game a full playthrough (via the fan PC port). being able to go at my own pace certainly made the experience less daunting, but it still managed to give me more than enough of a challenge! tbh i would put star light zone at the bottom below marble zone - it feels very incomplete, and the explod-y guys are cheap. not even that, but for whatever reason the spikeball catapults were just not giving me enough height to progress?? i spent like 45 minutes on that section before standing in just the "right" spot to jump high enough. marble may not be much of anything, but it's was far less of a slog for me than star light. hell act 1-4 of labyrinth zone were actually pretty fun if not pleasantly frustrating! it felt rewarding to finally get passed all the traps, and i love the drill guys who pop out of the ground.

[@DevinOwens-wf6nk]

8:25 at least u were honest 😂😂😂

[@The_Birb]

no way its been two years

[@ssg-eggunner]

2:54 this also applies to the Famicom as well, as its hardware was supposed to be able to run DK

[@squarethinkingdude]

Kiro is coming back to talking about sonic. He cant escape Edit: About the video, it is great, it actually encapsulates my feelings perfectly, keep doing great videos!

[@Scrubber89]

I’ve just had a thought that I haven’t previously had. I would definitely approve of and support a ground up remake of Sonic 1 that made the other zones play like Green Hill Zone, instead of slow wait-a-thons. That would be cool. And I agree Labyrinth Zone music HITS.

[@oskarhasabeanie]

gee.... 2 YEARS?!

[@adamsfusion]

One of the reasons the rental reason is likely true is because many games were made harder when they entered the Western market. There's even an interview where a dev from Westwood Studios just admits it for The Lion King. It's one of the reasons I think Japanese Saturn games are just _that little bit_ better. (Hey, five max lives is just nicer to have than three. Looking at you Astal.)

[@mrtrollnator123]

I like this game a lot, despite marble and labyrinth zones' existence i still think its a great time

[@ssg-eggunner]

13:00 disagree, however i gotta mention that there's concept art of star light zone with mountains, 5 point stars, and baloons, so it could have looked better

[@ssg-eggunner]

6:27 well i guess you'll like CD a lot cause its level design is heavily based around using the stage to go fast

[@ssg-eggunner]

12:35 spitting facts 🗣️🔥🔥🔥

[@mattschehr163]

first time i played sonic 1 2 3 & knuckles was on sonic classic collection it was amazing

[@NotDoggiMations]

like many other sonic games it is a vibe! good feelin gaem to play from time to time. although not the best u can get still one of the most important games of all time

[@ssg-eggunner]

1:05 the S3K Blue Spheres ain't Bad The issue is when they speed up It quite suffers from the same issue as halfpipe where you have a lesser distance to see, altough it's not as bad I prefer the S1 Special Stage format because instead of having a drastically different playstyle, perspective and physics It's mostly the same thing as normal game, so it feels more natural, and since I'm used to the normal platforming movement, the stages end up being a good time

[@blake4590]

8:03 oh hell nah marble zone's music is awesome lol

[@Scroteydada]

Marble is my favourite. Watch a speedrun and you'll see how fast yet tricky it can be. There's only one part at the end of act 3 where you have to wait.

[@IPODsify]

I feel like people dont mention the biggest flaw of sonics underwater mechanic, so many times ive gotten to the air bubble... repository(?) and there just wasnt a bubble there and i died. Having to wait for the bubbles to cycle is so dumb, they should just start to appear when youre near them

[@ytekcil]

thank you kiro

[@kirotalksyt]

You’re welcome!

[@Sly88Frye]

I grew up in the '90s and although the very first video game I ever played was Super Mario world, I was playing the original Sonic the Hedgehog so much that that game is actually the very first game I ever beat even though it's definitely harder than Mario games besides the lost levels. Then again it does help that Sonic 1 is a pretty short game

[@kirotalksyt]

Oh yeah, you can finish Sonic 1 in under an hour. It makes for a pretty comfortable game to play in an afternoon.

[@mrtrollnator123]

​@@kirotalksyt fr

[@scrapbrainsinc]

Sonic 1 was sort of a original Mario Maker with Debug mode back in ol 91! Think if they actually allowed you to save modifications to the zones.

[@Oceane1803]

How dare you insult Marble Zone's vibe and music ??? (I'm kidding you think what you want, but I personally love these)

[@kirotalksyt]

To each their own, indeed!

[@ssg-eggunner]

Marble Got the Best Aesthetic along with Star Light It just needed them UFOs

[@Oceane1803]

@@kirotalksyt It's true that the gameplay sucks though. In fact I'm so bad at Sonic that I never got past Marble Zone. I haven't actively tried or anything but still.

[@brandonwilliams6119]

Overall Sonic 1 is alright for its time, it’s a very important game for starting the franchise, even if it’s rough in some areas. I don’t mind Marble and Spring Yard Zones. I do find it impressive how they managed to create the worst water level with Labyrinth on their first try then fix it with Aquatic Ruin in the sequel having an upper and lower path.

[@dustinwilcox5014]

You might not realize this, but arcade game manufacturers don't receive a share of the money generated by their machines. (The only exception: Subsidizing online infrastructure via revenue share.) It's nothing like the cinema business. Plus, most arcade games can be learned with time, skill, and patience.

[@kike6359]

W intro

[@kylespevak6781]

4:05 I actually have never thrown a controller because I always had a Game Boy as well as a Home console and I would treat the controllers how I treated my Game Boy

[@kubbiebonnie]

whats the game where you do intros

[@ssg-eggunner]

7:58 atleast it looks better than green hill Should've had UFOs tough Also don't dare dissing the music, atleast its instrumentation doesn't have that abnoxious snare

[@ssg-eggunner]

15:31 Agreed, def my fav style alongside S3K S2 felt like a downgrade of S1 in terms of art direction

[@bluetoyguy2022]

don't talk to me or my marble zone ever again

[@deadmeme739]

I personally like Sonic 1 more than most people, the only zone I don't like is Labyrinth Zone and Marble being my favorite lol

[@brovsbrogamingchannel6566]

I’m an og I was here when his first vid was uploaded

[@JustCallMeRaito]

*Then:* Genesis does what Nintendon't. *Now:* Genesis does what Nintendoes.

[@Collectors-Corner]

I honestly enjoy the first game more than the sequel. I have a bunch of moments in Sonic 2 where I question the level design because enemies just pop up out of nowhere and I lose my rings in zones like Emerald Hill, Aquatic Ruin, and Metropolis. Sonic 1 is just slow, but I can deal with that, Scrap Brain Zone is the only one I'm not the biggest fan of.

[@Max8421YT]

Nice

[@PowerShows1991]

I actually do like Sonic 2's half pipe a little mor than blue spheres.

[@JAPANESE_MAPLE]

pray you get bigger

[@Mankey619]

Greenhill Zone is the only level we love about in the first game, but as for the other stages. I can't say that I don't like them. Especially The Labrynth Zone. I hate underwater areas of that game.

[@ibitejawbreakers61]

That's so interesting. I adore this game but Marble is my favorite zone and Spring Yard is my least favorite

[@Derthop]

Kiro is underrated, just saying. 🙂

[@Tarquin23]

I have to fundamentally disagree with the core sentiment of this video. As a huge Mega Drive fan as well as one of Sonic, this game is a masterpiece for the console and blows any prior released platformer on the console - or other genre of game - out of the water for the time of release. Sonic isn’t meant to be about pure speed. It’s a platformer where speed is an element. You can still rush through Marble, Spring Yard, Labyrinth, and Scrap Brain Zones pretty quickly once you have the paths and jump patterns down. Sonic The Hedgehog straddled the era between arcade sensibilities and “Nintendo” difficulty, merging the two into a product that could be beaten in one sitting, but required multiple playthroughs to play better and increase score. The later games may have built upon the elements that people liked most in Sonic The Hedgehog, such as the focus on speed and speed-enabling levels, but that’s a natural evolution. Who didn’t play the game and want more Green Hill Zone? Who didn’t want Sonic to be able to go from standstill to 100 instantly? When reviewing the original, you can’t really ignore the historical fact that this game was a blast and people did love the entire package. The fact it was one of the most popular mobile apps in the early 10’s also helps show that it wasn’t just Green Hill that people wanted to play, and you leaned far too heavily into assuming that a lot of people just don’t like the later zones.

[@NessTheChosenOne]

I actually enjoy Marble Zone, and I will defend it till my last breath.

[@ssg-eggunner]

7:19 *INCORRECT LOUD BUZZER* star light is better

[@Jelly_shy_guy_man]

Master piece 7:24

[@Jelly_shy_guy_man]

Yeah it sucks 8:34

[@Jelly_shy_guy_man]

Labrith would suck, but marble is amazing and I hate how it would not be played faster 10:52

[@just-dashin]

woah

[@vicceskope7480]

I love you kiro

[@leechtealady]

Add a comment...

[@JJBox-]

No.

[@shadowopsairman1583]

Erm Sonic Running on a normal Track is from Sonic CD

[@shadowopsairman1583]

And Origins is way more flawed than the 1991-1994 Releases