Forgotten Gaming- Sonic Pocket Adventure

Platform- NeoGeo Pocket Color
Developer- Sonic Team/SNK
Publisher- Sega/SNK
Released- November 1999

Many believe that Nintendo’s GameBoy Color ran unopposed in the handheld gaming market from 1998-2001. However that is not the case. SNK, the company that brought the world the acclaimed NeoGeo arcade machine and home console, also tried their luck with handhelds. The NeoGeo Pocket (quickly followed by the Pocket Color) was designed to one-up the GameBoy (Color) in every way, and from a technical standpoint largely succeeded. Featuring a digital control stick (a first on a handheld), impressive sprite capabilities and incredible battery life, the NeoGeo Pocket Color *could* have dethroned the almighty GameBoy. Unfortunately SNK’s daft internal management, combined with a niche game library, destroyed any market potential the Neo could have had. By 2001 the powerhouse GameBoy Advance was on the shelves and SNK was shamed into bankruptcy. So long, Neo.

Although the Pocket Color’s game library was as niche and obscure as the arcade NeoGeo’s, that’s not to say the games weren’t worth playing. The Neo has one of the most solid, quality game libraries you will find, with every game taking full advantage of the handheld’s capabilities. Several games were adaptations of original NeoGeo arcade games, such as Metal Slug and Neo Turf Masters, while others are original offerings such as SNK vs Capcom: Cardfighter’s Clash and Match of the Millennium. The Neo was also oddly prolific for casino games, from slots to poker to baccarat. There’s a lot to like on the Pocket Color, especially one game that unfairly got swept under the rug: Sonic Pocket Adventure.

I love Sonic's sprite in this game, he looks so cute!

Sonic Pocket Adventure released in the same month as Sega’s Dreamcast and its flagship launch title, Sonic Adventure. Despite the similar title, the two games share nothing in common. Right off the bat, it’s a little confusing. Here’s a major Sonic game on a non-Sega console (a first), with a name that echoes Sonic Adventure, looks like Sonic 2 and uses music from Sonic 3 & Knuckles. So what is it? It can’t possibly be a port. And what is this… NeoGeo Pocket what? Ah screw it, I’ll just get Pokemon Yellow for my GameBoy. Neither the game nor the handheld could catch a break. It’s a shame too, because Sonic Pocket Adventure happens to be one of the best 2D Sonic games ever released.

Sonic Pocket Adventure is essentially a ‘best of’ that combines the graphics, audio and gameplay of the Genesis Sonic series into one unique game. It is comprised of six zones of two acts each, along with a final and extra zone. Starting in Neo South Island (a dead ringer for Emerald Hill), the game progresses to Secret Plant (aka Chemical Plant), Cosmic Casino (Casino Night), and Aquatic Relix (Aquatic Ruin) which ends in a cameo of Hidden Palace. After a brief cutscene, the game continues to a remake of Sky Chase and Wing Fortress (awesomely renamed as Aerobase). Lastly you fight Robotnik on his ship, the Gigantic Angel (Metropolis/Scrap Brain) with a final fight in Last Utopia (Death Egg (S&K)). After collecting all the Chaos Emeralds, a bonus zone known as Chaotic Space (Doomsday) allows you to fight the true final boss as Super Sonic. 

Graphics are about two notches above GameGear but one notch below Genesis.

It is important to note that although levels look extremely reminiscent of stages from past games, their layouts and bosses are completely different. This truly is a brand-new Sonic adventure that merely *looks* like past games. By mimicking fan-favorite zones such as Chemical Plant and Casino Night, it almost acts as fanservice, giving players new acts in their favorite tropes. As for audio, all of the music in Sonic Pocket Adventure is adapted from Sonic 3 & Knuckles (with the exceptions of Neo South Island Act1, which is from Sonic Jam, and the Special Stage theme, which is unique). Though the song choices seem almost random (Angel Island music in Secret Plant, Desert Palace’s theme in Gigantic Angel), the songs are remixed beautifully for the NeoGeo Pocket Color’s sound chip. Neo games all have a distinct soundfont, and these classic Genesis tracks sound great through it. Some tracks even take on a completely different vibe, keeping things familiar but refreshing.

Probably what makes Sonic Pocket Adventure so enjoyable is how uncompromised it feels. Yes, the graphics took a major hit in their transition from Genesis to Neo, but everything else is still there. Transport tubes in Secret Plant, slot machines in Cosmic Casino, even the breakaway wall setpiece in Aerobase are all in here, all with the series’ trademark sense of speed. Unlike previous handheld Sonic games on GameGear, Sonic Pocket Adventure really gives you a Genesis experience. Even the Special Stages, which are remakes of Sonic 2’s iconic 3D chute, look and play just as well as the originals, if not better. It also helps that the Neo’s razor-sharp screen keeps the game images crisp, with none of the ghosting or smearing that was notorious on 90s handhelds. 

Liked Chemical Plant in Sonic 2? Well here's some more!

Another place Sonic Pocket Adventure shines is in replay value. With only 12 main acts and two final boss acts, the game itself is rather short. The stages don’t take more than a few minutes to get through, and the difficulty curve is relatively tame. You could blaze through this game within an hour easily. However you will keep coming back for the ‘Rooms.’ At the title screen you can start the game, continue where you left off, or cryptically ‘Go to Room.’ These rooms (read: menus) are extras that extend the life of the game considerably. In the Trial Room you can time-attack stages you’ve beaten. For probably the very first time in Sonic history, you will be ranked on your time taken. However instead of the letter ranks like recent games, you are graded from bronze to platinum. Getting platinum on every stage is no easy task and requires expert memorization of the stages. If a basic time attack wasn’t enough, there’s also the ‘Advanced’ time attack, which only counts a run if you finish with more than 50 rings. Based on the stage layout, this can change your strategies considerably.

The Duel Room hosts the game’s 2-player modes, where you can link two Neos not unlike GameBoys and race head-to-head in either races or ring challenges. Fun, but also obligatory. Lastly is the Puzzle Room, which really sets Sonic Pocket Adventure aside from all the other Sonic games out there. Scattered throughout the game are scores of puzzle pieces (seen in-game as yellow diamonds). Through your playthroughs of the main game, all of the pieces you find go here to be assembled. Completed puzzles show unique stock images of the Sonic crew, fresh with their Sonic Adventure-era redesigns. The puzzle mechanic requires you to explore every inch of every level, in turn having you appreciate how nice the level designs actually are. While speed is always the name of the game, slowing down to hunt the puzzle pieces gives the game a whole second life.

Those scorned by Sonic 4 will be pleased to know the physics here are fully intact.

If the NeoGeo Pocket Color even remotely interests you, you owe it to yourself to also get a copy of this game. It’s a showcase of what the Neo was capable of, and is a fine example of how good extras can give a quick game such replayability. Sonic fans, especially of the classic series, will *love* this game, while those who just appreciate a solid 2D platformer will enjoy  it as well. Of course you can always emulate, which I don’t not condone =P; with the quality of Neo emulators out there today for computers, tablets and phones your experience won’t be compromised. Perhaps this game will do for you what it did for me, and introduce you to the fine library of Neo titles also released. Who said the GameBoy has to have all the fun?