Thanks to Hamada for helping with edits.
Sonic the Hedgehog has cultivated an expansive résumé in the twenty-nine years since his inception. Some of his adventures are among SEGA’s most iconic works, from his groundbreaking 1991 debut to 2017’s acclaimed Sonic Mania. The twelve Master System and Game Gear outings, meanwhile, rest among the series’ less celebrated endeavors. It’s understandable why; they suffered from harsh technical limitations and were outshined by their more sophisticated, prolific 16-bit counterparts. Nevertheless, several titles in Sonic’s 8-bit oeuvre – sidekick Tails’ two spin-offs, the Sonic Drift duology, and Sonic Labyrinth – offered experiences unique to anything else the mascot sampled in the era. Of those, Labyrinth was the only installment helmed by Minato Giken, and it’s our subject for today.
Sonic Labyrinth is unrelated to the infamous Labyrinth Zone of yore, save for inheriting its name and being another thorough test of your patience. (Image: SEGA)
While ruminating over his defeats, Dr. Eggman had an epiphany: should Sonic be robbed of his defining speed, world conquest would become significantly easier to achieve. Some time afterwards, Sonic was enjoying a peaceful nap, oblivious to the intrusion of his nemesis. Eggman replaced Sonic’s sneakers with his newest masterpiece, the bluntly named Speed Down Boots, which the mammal slipped on upon awakening. The “Blue Blur” quickly realized something was amiss: the sneakers were unnaturally heavy, rendering him unable to run or jump, and he couldn’t take them off. Eggman then revealed himself, expositing how the Boots were made with Chaos Emerald energy and, consequently, only the gemstones can free Sonic’s feet. Continuing, the scientist gloated that he acquired and was sheltering the six artifacts within his fortress, a base the handicapped hedgehog now had no hope of overcoming. Unfortunately, Sonic couldn’t send Tails off in his stead, as the fox recently departed from South Island on a solo journey (presumably the same one delineated in Skypatrol). Our hero was far from hapless, however! The Doctor made a fatal oversight: Sonic could still utilize his Spin Dash technique.
Whereas Tails Adventure methodically decelerated the traditionally fast series’ pace, Labyrinth‘s an awkward crawl through four isometric dungeons, the Labyrinths of the Sky, Sea, Factory, and Castle. All four backdrops host four “rounds” each, leading with three stages and, in the final round, pitting Sonic against the region’s boss. Standard rounds house three keys and an exit apiece, and Sonic must possess the former or he’ll be barred from entering the latter. Suffering damage while holding any keys causes them to scatter about in Sonic’s immediate vicinity. If they’re not recollected quickly enough, they return to their original locations, forcing you to backtrack and waste time. Speaking of, time is Sonic’s greatest threat here; every level sports a strict time limit, and you’re out one life if it reaches zero (ironically, one of Eggman’s inventions faced similar impositions three years later). Getting hit shaves ten seconds off the clock, while destroying an enemy or collecting keys adds some (keys only bequeath extra time the first time they’re retrieved, however). Assisting Sonic is a humble assortment of power-ups, all of which are represented by color-coded triangles.
Goodies grant an extra life (pink), invincibility (red, seen above), time (yellow), destroy all on-screen foes (green), or give a temporary speed boost (blue). (Image: SEGA)
Walking and Spin Dashing – the latter of which can be revved up, with up to four arrows denoting its strength – are Sonic’s sole transversal methods. Stages regularly warp the hedgehog around through portals or springs, aiming to disorient players. Eggman’s neon courses impede Sonic more directly, too; they’re rife with environmental hazards, such as spikes and exploding platforms. Classic Sonic side-scrollers are built around their pinball-esque physics, something Labyrinth lightly humors; pinball flippers and bumpers are strewn throughout the stages, and Sonic often bounces across them hectically. A bevy of Badnik robots also populate the mad scientist’s base, though this ranks among his drabber armadas. But despite these elements, there’s nothing particularly labyrinthian about Labyrinth’s garish dungeons. They’re small in scale, rarely hard to navigate, and easily cleared within mere minutes. Between the Game Gear’s primitive hardware and aforementioned timer, these warrens simply can’t be very grandiose or complex. Labyrinth also hosts a “Time Attack” mode, but it’s hardly worth mentioning; it’s only a jaunt through a tweaked version of the second stage.
Labyrinth‘s four bosses are comparably underwhelming, though at least offer a brief change of pace. They begin with Sonic automatically rolling down a “Scroll Stage,” collecting Rings to serve as his health against the upcoming opponent. All the fights, however, prove to be simpler affairs than the rounds preceding them. They’re set within claustrophobic arenas without the restrictions of a timer, the bosses’ attacks are effortlessly dodged, and they then leave themselves vulnerable for retaliation. Besting each giant rewards Sonic with a Chaos Emerald, whereas Eggman drops the fifth while fleeing in the finale. Astute players will notice that leaves a sixth Emerald unaccounted for; completionists procure it by entering the Bonus Stage, an oubliette accessible from a secret portal in Labyrinth of the Sea’s third act. Clearing Labyrinth with five Emeralds gives a cryptic hint regarding the missing stone’s location, while doing so with all six nets a barely different good ending.
Eggman, borrowing one of Frank’s moves, shoots Sonic with loogies during his last stand. …Okay, he’s probably just firing a woefully inefficient laser. (Image: SEGA)
Sonic Labyrinth remains a weird, maligned curio within the franchise’s discography. Rolling and momentum are core tenets of Sonic’s flagship Genesis titles, strengths Labyrinth’s boards fail to capitalize on. They aren’t even memorable or engaging on their own merits. If anything, Labyrinth is akin to a paired-down Sonic 3D Blast, itself a boring excursion about collecting things along an isometric plane. Although dedicated Sonic fans are aware of Labyrinth and regularly stratify it among the series’ least reputable entries, there’s a saving grace: it’s an ignorable spin-off, not a franchise-defining, artistic disaster. Nevertheless, those curious enough to sample this clunker may easily do so. Several Sonic compilations dutifully feature Labyrinth, and SEGA likewise re-released it under the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console banner.
Some argue the 8-bit Sonic 1 eclipses its namesake, Triple Trouble‘s a respectable approximation of the Genesis platformers, and Tails Adventure is surprisingly nifty. I’d try them instead. (Image: SEGA)
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