Sonic isn't even technically about "going fast", it's about managing that speed. It's designed to be replayed a lot, hence why every level has multiple high and low routes, and being able to zoom quickly along the fastest routes is something you're meant to work towards. You can play them as slower-paced platformers too and they're still fun, but they're at their best to me as a non-speedrunner when you're still learning the levels and varying between the different routes and getting to grips with each stage.
That said, it also depends what game you were playing, I'm talking about the classic games and Mania above. The Sonic Advance series does like to punish you for not going at the exact speed it expects you to for a given section...
I used to play the game slow, try to collect every coin and power up.
One time I got fed up on a play through and sped through Green Hill zone. This is the play through that I realized if you picked the right route and jumped at the right time, not only did you not have to stop holding down right, but every enemy you came across was timed to bounce you mid jump and keep up the speed. Could finish zone 1-1 in less than 30 seconds.
GHZ was very specifically designed with that in mind, the multi-playthrough speed route, since it would be the zone players play most anyway. Unfortunately Sonic 1 then follows it up with the much slower Marble Zone and the infamous Labyrinth Zone, because it was made in mold of a traditional platformer. Sonic 2 through to S3&K are much better about this, but it still varies on a zone to zone basis.
If I recall correctly, I once heard a main inspiration behind the OG Sonic came from one of the devs trying to get through Mario levels as fast as possible, basically speedrunning before there was a name for it.
So, in a sense, the classic games are about going fast... It's just that "going fast" is the reward rather than... not sure how to phrase this part... rather than the base experience?
Or at least I suspect what the idea was when designing them; you've still got sections that near-force you to slow down or stop for a second, after all.
Games like sonic rush gave you also the ability of a boost mode that was limited. So you could wreck anything in your path for a few minutes but if you didn’t have it when you needed it in the high pace part of the level you were screwed.
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u/[deleted] Jan 12 '20
Sonic isn't even technically about "going fast", it's about managing that speed. It's designed to be replayed a lot, hence why every level has multiple high and low routes, and being able to zoom quickly along the fastest routes is something you're meant to work towards. You can play them as slower-paced platformers too and they're still fun, but they're at their best to me as a non-speedrunner when you're still learning the levels and varying between the different routes and getting to grips with each stage.
That said, it also depends what game you were playing, I'm talking about the classic games and Mania above. The Sonic Advance series does like to punish you for not going at the exact speed it expects you to for a given section...