Tails Adventure

"Move over, Sonic; Tails is in town"

Introduction

Some people on GameFAQs would probably call me a Tails fanboy. Tails is my favourite Sonic character - maybe my favourite video game character of all time, and I was rather pleased at his getting his own game.

Gameplay - 8/10

It's very, very different from a regular Sonic game, but it's still good. This game is far from linear, starting with a huge overworld, with Tails getting a choice of levels to go to, and a gradually increasing choice of worlds and items to take with him. Kind of like a 2D version of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Rings appear, but not in the usual way. Tails starts with ten rings (the total is increased whenever you get a chaos emerald - yes, those appear too), and these decrease when you take a hit. When all rings are lost, the game is over, but it is easy to continue, using passwords (no more starting from the beginning).

To progress in this game, you must get through the levels you opened, using items, to progress to new ones. You get various bombs to use, and a small robotic version of Tails that you use to get items the regular Tails can't reach. You have to deal with enemies, naturally, all of which have a variety of attacks. Tails can fly, too, and he's not difficult to control.

The only real annoyance I had with the gameplay is that Tails' movement is a little annoying to control at times, with him sometimes doing things you don't want (climbing up steps when you don't want him to, for example).

Another addition here is Tails' submarine, which becomes available after a while, and allows you to access a wide variety of attacks, as well as otherwise unreachable levels.

Boss fights often look a bit tame, but some are actually very cool, including a bad guy who chases you around in a shaft, attempting to knock you out of the air - just for the sole purpose of getting a chaos emerald.

Overall, the gameplay is very fun. It's particularly enjoyable playing through levels again and getting items you couldn't before.

Story - 6/10

This is a prequel to Sonic the Hedgehog 2, set before Tails met Sonic the first time. There's no Doctor Robotnik either, as he has been substituted by an invading army of ducks. It seems a bit weird, but it's actually very fun, even though I don't quite understand the motivation of these bad guys.

Graphics - 10/10

Incredibly good for the Game Gear - the graphics are nearly on a par with the standard for the Sega Genesis. Tails is very nicely drawn, and well animated. Nice backgrounds, too - even though there is one level which looks a bit too much like Sonic 3's Angel Island.

Sound - 7/10

The music is pretty good; none is great, but there is a nifty radio item that you can use for changing the music if you are so inclined.

Play Time/Replay Value - 8/10

This game should keep you occupied for some time, and - unlike many other Game Gear games I could mention - this is actually worth playing again.

Final Verdict

If you have a Game Gear, and you can actually find this game, I would recommend buying this. You can also get it to unlock with Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut but you're going to have to do a lot of work to actually get this gem. This is one of the best Sonic related games on Gamegear.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/06/05