iPad App of the Week: Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 HD Speeds Onto the iPad

Remember when Sonic games were awesome? They made you the cool kid with the Genesis, and made for the kind of childhood memories you don’t want to repress. Then, Sonic got older, and he did not age gracefully. Weird friends we didn’t want and didn’t like starting making cameos. There were knights and genies and human love interests. Good times were not had by all.

Fortunately, Sonic is making a triumphant return to form in Sonic the Hedgehog 4, in classic side-scrolling style that will be instantly familiar to anyone who played and loved Sonic the Hedgehog 1-3. There are a few new gameplay elements and features thrown in, like a homing dash, but the core of the game mimics the originals, and that is in no way a bad thing.

Episode 1 contains 4 zones with 4 acts each, and brings back the special stages from the first Sonic the Hedgehog game, which means Chaos Emeralds and Super Sonic are in play. Also, just for iOS devices, there are two extra levels that use the accelerometer.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 HD is available now off the iTunes App Store for $1.99.