Sonic? In Sploder?!

Sonic in Physics is a game created by lavalinn

Hey there! It's been a while since I posted a review. However, I don't want to sit there and not do my duties as a reviewer. This is the second time I'm reviewing a game made by lavalinn. But why should that be a problem? He has some great games that deserve a review. This one didn't have one and I thought it is good enough to receive one. With that being said, let's get started, shall we?

First Look

Well, I have to admit, the thumbnail looks really eye-catching. It's Sonic himself! In Sploder! And he actually looks good! How often do you see a Sonic drawn THIS good in Sploder? The thumbnail itself really was a good reason to click on this game, tell my browser to turn on Flash and play. So, good job, lavalinn! You managed to get my attention!

Now... the real fun begins...

Okay, so we clicked that Play button that didn't really want to be clicked for some reason and even tried to escape. I won though, so take that you cowardly button! It's time to have some fun!

Level 1

Oh... well. That looks nice. Everything is made with the Physics Puzzle Game Creator's default graphics. No any user-made ones. Which means we have another game that proves that graphics aren't necessary to have a good and BEAUTIFUL game. As you can see, we have stunning mountains in the background and the platforms definitely give us that Sonic feel. There's one thing though. The NPCs. Sonic and the enemies don't really look like Sonic and the enemies from the original Sonic games. Instead, they give us that PPG feel. Which shouldn’t be really surprising, because the title of the game is literally "Sonic in Physics". Am I complaining? No. Absolutely no. Because that was sort of expected. What truly seems odd is the fact that... Sonic isn't really that fast. You see, this iconic video game character is known for his running abilities. But they just seem to be missing here. The enemies are done well though. You can definitely see that each of them behaves differently. Some act like our regular Baddies but some have the ability to fly or even shoot at us. To make the game more challenging, lavalinn had decided to give us the optional task to collect rings. I personally like that decision because the Physics Puzzle Game Creator doesn't really allow us to completely copy Sonic's ring system. As you probably know, Sonic collects them to stay alive. If he touches an enemy, all of them drop and he has to collect as many as possible, or he may end up dying on the next hit. In the Sploder version, however, the rings are just an extra challenge. You can try to collect all of them. Which is a good way to justify the missing mechanics. They also simply give the game more of that Sonic feel. We can also see trampolines and even that classic goal plate. Overall, the first level gives us good expectations for the rest of the game. I'd say... let's move onto the next level!

Level 2

Oh my! Is that… please tell me it’s not what I’m thinking of. These monkeys are gross! But are indeed a good way to make the game more challenging and interesting! You heard that right! There are monkeys which can make you feel “lucky” if you are impatient or not careful enough. Just like in the previous level, we have moving platforms but we still have something new! Slopes! It’s something I rarely see on Sploder games and I really wish I could see it more often! People often say they are hard to make or just too time-consuming, but I’d say you should rather spend some extra time on them rather than leaving your game look… bland. There are slopes in the original Sonic too! So you can tell that lavalinn put a lot of effort into making this version of Sonic as good as possible. Other than that, there isn’t anything new on this level. Same trampolines, same backgrounds, same scenery but still fun, enjoyable and beautiful. My guess is that level 3 is going to be different. Let’s check, shall we?

Level 3

Magma Zone? No wonder it’s so hot here! But my expectations were right! We are in a different place, with different scenery and enemies! We can now see the caterpillars which are one of the most creative enemies I have seen on this website. At first glance, they look like your regular enemy in a PPG game. But how often do you see them around? And how often they actually look good and work properly? You have to give props to lavalinn for actually putting variety into his game and make unique enemies! This time, we have lava and some really scary volcanos in the background! They give you that feeling of danger, especially after they are combined with this moving magma in the background. Even the sky looks red, the color that predicts something dangerous or even deadly. The atmosphere is just on point! Even the music is fast, which kind of reminds you that you should hurry up, even if the level doesn’t have a timer. The platforms are moving fast too, and you need to be really careful when you jump – just like in the real Sonic. Unfortunately for us, our best friend, the monkey, is waiting for us just at the end at the level! So if you want to get to level 4, you need to make sure you have some patience, good timing and a few extra lives – just in case…

Level 4

Just like that description says, these caverns are indeed spooky! And the level begins with a brand new enemy! That enemy is… well… literally… beam? Whatever it is, you should be really careful because once it hits you, you can kiss that one life goodbye. Luckily, there are some hiding spots and you have some time to get into them! You just need to hurry up and don’t play around. There’s one problem though. Sometimes, the beam may get stuck and you have no option but to just lose a life. All because of this issue. I’m pretty sure this occurs when you place each tile separately. It’s something that can be avoided but that simply isn’t the case here. So that’s one major flaw in the game. The good thing is that the level still looks really good. It’s not the most difficult level in the game though. The hardest part about it is avoiding that lava. Once you avoid it, you are good to go. That definitely wasn’t the most interesting part of the game but something tells me that this is just the calm before the storm…

Level 5

Oh my… when I said storm, I DIDN’T MEAN AN ACTUAL ONE! Yes, it’s EXACTLY what you’re (probably) thinking right now… an ice storm! You need to be extremely careful and precise in this level or… well, you are going to be swept by the falling ice. On top of that, I feel like I’m going to freeze! The falling snow and icy scenery are once again giving a completely new experience. Luckily, there aren’t any other dangerous or difficult to get through enemies! All you have to do is get through this storm of hail! The music of the level also gives me vibes of being almost done, that this is the beginning of the end! I have an idea! Let’s beat this level and see what the game has to offer!

Level 6

Exactly what I thought! It’s Eggman himself! And we will be kicking his… ahem… robot body on the beautiful sunset! Sadly, he is actually extremely strong! He shoots in almost every direction, so you have to be careful where and what you stand on. In order to defeat him, you need to use the trampolines and jump on his head once. Sounds easy, right? Well… no. It actually took me a lot of time to dodge the bullets, get on his robot body and finally jump! That moment was extremely awarding though! It’s rare to see fun and challenging boss battles in PPG games!

The End?

Well, lavalinn decided that defeating Eggman himself still isn’t rewarding enough. So he decided to give us… a derpy Sonic face! Got to admit, it looks funny and adorable! It is a nice reward! He also has a question for us: what’s our favourite level? It’s a personal question but since this is my review, I think it would be good to share my opinion on this: it’s the Magma Zone. It had the most intense and “igniting” feel. From the scenery to the enemies and the platforms, it was the level that truly showed the full potential of this game idea.

Final Thoughts

This is another good game from lavalinn! I rarely see people recreating their favourite franchises in Sploder that good! But this game was nearly perfect! The only thing I just couldn’t stop thinking about is the fact that Sonic… doesn’t move like Sonic. Sonic is fast and gets through obstacles that require insane speed. I’m not saying it’s a bad game. What I’m trying to say is that there’s always room for improvement and this game could have been even cbleep to the original, despite PPG’s limitations.

MUSIC

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The music was on the spot! Every level had the music that actually matched the events and scenery of the game!

GRAPHICS

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This game proves that a game can be beautiful without any user-made graphics. Props to that!

GAMEPLAY

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I’ll remove one star because of what I said earlier: it just could have been a little bit cbleep to the original…

OVERALL

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (and a half)