Did Sonic Lost World SUCK?! Well... 

I've S-ranked every stage in Lost World's time attack mode, and it really exposes the best and worst of the game. Clearing the levels quickly makes them surprisingly more fun; having to beat them without dying makes them...not more fun.

I always loved the parkours idea of Sonic Lost world, parkours and Sonic is a match made in heaven. It's just that Lost world never seems interested in the parkours and just treats it like a side activity like the Wips, rather then the main attraction. The levels rarely make use of Sonic's parkours. Often I feel the level design was never made with Sonic's moveset in mind to begin with, and that's why the game is so stuffed to the brim with gimmicks to distract from the unstable core gameplay. It's one of the reasons I kinda prefer the 3ds version, way more tailored toward the Parkours moves. Altough the 3ds version has it's own issues and is not very good either. Oh well. At least I hear Sonic Frontiers is bringing the Parkours back, so maybe that will finally be it's chance in the sun. We'll see... Ah yes, that Interview. At the time, I didn't put much thought into Mr. Pontac's statement about not having played the games, i was more curious about whether a Sonic writing bible existed and what it said. I kinda assumed on default that Pontac and Graff were coming in blind. I mean, they were obviously hired to bring in a fresh new take on the character to begin with. My partner Alex immediatly ran with it to the news sites tough, while I was still editing the interview. The interview was meant to be a wacky joke video, a sort of epilogue to me exploring Pontac's writing history before. But with all the drama that broke out from the reveal, the more zany nature of the interview suddenly became unapproperiate and made it feel like it was more of a deliberate attack on Mr. Pontac. Very awkward moment that kinda haunts me to this day. Oh well, Pontac and Graff kept on writing for 5 more years after, so I'm glad I didn't get them into serious trouble. Even if I wasn't particularly happy with 5 more years of Pontaffian writing, but that's my problem. It's so frustrating that Sonic Team always borrows the wrong thing when they start stealing ideas from other IP's. Stealing from GTA? Great, plenty of valuable lessons to learn about freedom, creativity in world buiilding and mission design, effort and eye for deta...Or guns. Yeah, just put guns in there and make the atmosphere miserable and gray. Borrowing from Mario? Great. Go steal the physics system and agility of Mario from Mario Odyssee, love to see that in a Sonic game. But nooo. Instead, they just copy Mario's weakest parts, bland story, bland levels, bland everything. Meh. And now they're taking ideas from open world games. In particular, that most of them have very generic and bland locations and toned down dull background music. Great, thanks Sonic Team, that was indeed my biggest issue with your latest games, the locations and music were too interesting, glad you make them more boring. Thanks. One interesting note about the Lost Hex, I don't recall where it was mentioned, the Japanese version or earlier in development. Either way, Sonic Team referred to Lost Hex as the world of illusions, with the implication that the Zeti can change the nature of the land trough illusions. That probably explains why there's random candy levels and casino levels in the middle of nowhere, it's the Zeti tapping into Sonic and Tails subconsious or something. Regardless of intent, this concept was never brought up in the finished game so it's probably not canon anymore. Probably took it out because it was too complex for a Mario style game. And then they repurposed the concept of illusions with Infinite and the Phantom Ruby in Forces, of course. To this day, I wonder if the Metropolis level from Sonic Forces was actually meant for Sonic Lost world. Considering it doesn't look like an Eggman run city at all, and also has that Hexigon theme going for it. Then again, it doesn't really fit the simplicity of Sonic Lost World's artstyle, so I'm probably wrong. To me, the most frustrating part of the story is that it has 7 good stories in one. I LIKE the story beats in the game. Eggman struggling with creatures beyond his control, a mysterious never seen before continent, Tails and Eggman being rivals, Tails turning into a robot. All great story beats I love to see, in a vacuum. Problem is, none of these plotbeats have a full Setup- complications- Pay off story structure. All the story beats are either established and then peeter out with no resolution, or come out of nowhere for a dramatic reveal that isn't earned. See, I don't mind at all that Tails is having trouble with working with Eggman despite cooperating before. It's an interesting story dynamic. And the writers could have easily written a scenerio where the circumstances in which they work with Eggman, Eggman's behaviour and Sonic's attitude could have been different enough that Tails was fully justified in being concerned. They just didn't. They didn't set the scenerio up, nor did they pay it off with a proper conclusion. We just get the half-way point conflict of the scenerio out of nowhere and then it goes nowhere. The Zeti being enslaved and forced to do Eggman's will without their consent is an interesting story setup, but then it goes nowhere, the Zeti just continue being villains and they aren't even particularly focused on Eggman for their revenge, still continuing to go after Sonic. You'd think Zavok the master manipulator would have played up the fact he was enslaved against his will to try and get Sonic on his side, and then betray him later. But nope. Eggman is now angry and veangence focused on the Zeti. Instead of Eggman going "LOL, I'M THE BAD GUY ANYWAY, LOL" and just being a generic final boss, what if Eggman never betrayed Sonic, but is just so consumed by anger at the Zeti that he goes too far in trying to destroy them, and the final boss is Sonic fighting Eggman to save the Zeti? Or something like that. Would utilized the plotbeats established way more. Probably too dark tough. But hey, the game ESTABLISHED the whole "Eggman is a complicated guy" concept earlier on, so this would have been a neat if dark reprise of that idea. As it is now, the story just doesn't have any rhytm to it. Conflicts are established, then never elobarotated on. We see the dramatic highpoint of a storybeat that was never established, then immediatly fades away. Then we see a resolution where Sonic learns his lesson of a story concept that was never elaborated on. All the plotbeats are vaguely connected so it almost feels like they are connected if you don't really pay attention, but it just never feels satisfying in any way.

I'm not against Sonic having a slower speed option but he should have a walk button instead of a run button

the biggest praise i can give Lost World is the soundtrack. it’s massively underrated and a joy to listen to, i love it a lot. lots of jazzy and moody pieces, it’s wonderful

Collecting the RED Rings in this game was a pain in the ass. That snowball level and that casino pinball level gives me PTSD to this day😅

The thing that bugs me the most about the story is that WHY IS KNUCKLES NOT HELPING SONIC AND TAILS!? It was fine in Colours because it was assumed that he was guarding the master emerald but here, Knuckles isn’t even doing that. He’s just goofing around with Amy protecting the dumb animals.

One thing I find kinda funny about Lost World is it's implementation of "alternate paths." I remember hearing back in the day how "no no guys it's great this game has alternate paths like the classic games!" And then it's just 3 ten second straight lines on a tube. Not to mention, why would anyone want to take multiple paths when none of them are fun?

Something that also kills the game for me is the total lack of transitions between 2D and 3D. In unleashed, colors, and generations, you get a full camera shift as you go between 2D and 3D sections. But in Lost world the screen just fades to black and then when it fades back in you're just in a different area.

Sending hate or death threats is not okay,but it's also clear that Pontaff were a poor choice for the English localization of the 2010's Sonic games. And while someone doesn't have to be a mega fan of something,if it's an established IP with a long history, the least they can do is properly research the characters/world/lore justice to respect what came before. You can make a new spin on an IP, while still maintaining the spirit of why people liked it. Pontaff,didn't do that. Whether that's down to Sega interference or Pontaff not caring to put in the effort is something we won't know,but it's most likely a little of both.

OK, this game... I bought this back in 2014 (3DS Version). My first experience of this was actually the free Demo. Those Windy Hill Acts were honestly fun. I say the 3DS would be better if the pure 2D level design wasn't messy. As for the 3D design, just make Wisp Color Powers optional and definetely less enemy hunting. Avoid Frozen Factory 3 like it is Covid. I also have no idea how to get the last Chaos Emerald The boy that posted this comment actually beat the first 6 Special Stages.

Sonic Lost World is like that one cousin in your family that you love unconditionally, but they really missed the mark on the family photo/

It's like Sonic Xtreme finally came out. In one form or another.

Lost World is weird for me. I don't really hate it now and I do find myself coming back to it every now and then but, this is just a weird experimental game that's like an awkward fusion of Mario and Sonic in so many ways. There are highlights with some stages like Honey Comb Highway, Sea Bottom Segue, most of the Tropical Coast acts and hell I even like the first acts of Silent Forest and Frozen Factory (unpopular opinion I know). The game is super unfocused, the Wisps are shoe-horned in, stage gimmicks can feel like they have no rhyme or reason to them (snowball), Boss fights are painfully underwhelming (and also feel just random visually), and the writing is hands down the worst in the series but...I can't fully hate the game? I don't know...game's a weird mess.

As a big Mario fan, I can very confidently say this game tried to appeal to a very, VERY shallow version of Mario. The “Mario Mold” as I like to call it. Basic world presentation that barely goes beyond what the first NSMB game set. Enemies from the first couple games and nothing else. Koopalings as bosses because we can’t be bothered or don’t have time to think of new and unique bosses. Barely any story besides “Stop bad guy, save day.” SEGA wanted a Mario-Like game but didn’t want to put in the effort to dig deeper and figure out why the Mario series is so beloved, and why the Mario Mold monotony of around 2011-2016 is… not necessarily hated but not looked back upon fondly(aside from 3D World, Mario Kart 8, and the M&L games from this time). They wanted something quick and easy, so they just glanced at Mario and saw all the bland shit it was doing in this era and thought to themselves “Y’know we should make our mascot that was literally made to rival Mario into Mario that’ll work out just fine!” Instead of adopting Mario’s much more consistent, excellent game design of the best of his 3D games, they looked at how well the NSMB games were selling and just wanted that instead of anything with actual substance. It’s kinda sad honestly. Edit: I wanna clarify that the NSMB series, while pretty samey across all the games and bland in their presentation, are all good 2D Mario games. I kinda sounded like I didn’t like them much at all, but rest-assured NSMBDS is one of my favorite Mario games. But that also kinda proves my point. SEGA wanted something that LOOKED like a Mario game, but didn’t put in the effort to make it DESIGNED like one. If it was designed like one, Lost World could have been a fun and unique one-off take on Sonic to hold fans over until the next true Sonic game. What it is now is just a poor man’s Galaxy without any of the nuance that made that game as beloved as it is.

It's so sad how Sonic really has lost his way. He was never supposed to copy Mario, he's supposed to be the anti mario. Sonic was the cool action hero for kids, while Mario was the silly, happy, and laid back game series. Sega: "No one likes Zavok...let's put him in every game!" Unlike Zavok, Bowser is actually a cool and competent villain and also a good father. Zavok is just worse Bowser, there is literally no rebuttal. Whereas Bowser has a funny personality as seen in the RPGs of a powerful tyrant as well as a lovable goof with a superiority complex and being a loving supportive father of 8.

27:33 still doesn't change the fact that hiring ppl who know NOTHING about Sonic to write for sonic was a bad idea. Now that we have Ian Flynn, Sonic is already acting more like himself again in Frontiers

Regardless on what people think of Lost World I'm just glad to finally see your modern opinion on this game which pretty much kicked off your channel to where it is today, it may of been 10 months but the wait was definitely worth it.

Do you ever thought about doing a review of Sonic fan games? I know you said eventually you will do review of Sonic P-06 once silver stages are done, But there are more Sonic fangames out there than Sonic P-06. Like Sonic GT, infamous Sonic omens, and Sonic triple trouble 16 bit game? All these fan-games released not too long ago.

I think Lost World is the purest definition of confused. I think it has interesting, new ideas like the parkour, the tubular level design, and the addition of a run button. However, they are also have a bunch of other play styles that changed the gameplay so frequently that none of them really get fleshed out all that much. I mean, this game has pipe levels, 2D sections, mach-speed sections, stealth sections, auto scroll levels, labyrinth puzzle's, the wisps, and the God forbidden snowball and there is no thematic cohesion between them.

The thing about Wisps coming back after Colors was explained in Sonic Runners, where they mentioned that they really liked Sonic's world at the end of Colors and that they'd like to help him. Kinda weird to put such an important detail on a mobile game... but it's something (Great video btw)

I'm replaying it right now, and... it's actually a lot more fun than I thought. It's nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be. Zavok and Zazz are all pretty cool too, and I think we should see more of them. I also think the game has a pretty underrated soundtrack. I have my own problems with it, but in my opinion, it's quite alright. I agree with a lot of your criticisms, though.

While I personally still love this game, I can respect where you're coming from with your critiques here. Also THANK YOU! The amount of hate Pontaff and Graff were getting was so stupid because SEGA is the ultimate authority on the story of the games, and this was around the time those stupid writing mandates for Sonic started being put into place by SEGA as a result of Ken Penders from the Archie Comics being a huge jackass and suing SEGA and BIOWARE over Sonic Chronicles using ideas he claimed to be his. Pontaff and Graff are great comedy writers as evidenced by their work on MadWorld, and I hate seeing them get so much hate over one thing Pontaff said in an interview that probably wasn't responsible for how his writing in the Sonic games turned out. Criticism is fine in it of itself, but as you said, full blown harassment is just not okay.

I love your rant on the game’s story on the video “Why stories in Modern Sonic don’t work.” It’s still funny to me to this day. Also, I’ve played Sonic and All-Stars Racing: Transformed and it’s such a fun game. Try it.

At the very least, the fanbase is pretty united on one thing: Sega, PLEASE stop trying to make Zavok/The Deadly Six a recurring thing.

I know I’ve said it before, but this game and Bowser’s Fury revealed to me that every time Sonic tries to shallowly copy Mario surface level stuff, he flops, but when Mario takes Sonic staples, he comes out looking cool and innovative for stepping out of his comfort zone, on top of a new well designed game like always, it just shows how out of touch Sonic is with himself, and why the 2010s in general were a drag to sit through for my favorite franchises, but it seems this decade has brought a new frontier that might set things right...

If Sonic Lost World focused purely and only on the tubular level design and parkour mechanics, this game would be a lot more enjoyable with it not adding in random, stupid gameplay gimmicks that only appear for one level.

I remember playing this and literally returning this next day for a copy of all stars racing transformed. Best decision I've made. It's sad to see that the sonic games haven't really improved since then, seeing as some other Sega franchises got the attention and quality they deserved.

I was actually very satisfied by the controls of Lost World. Beside the snowball garbage, they're very responsive, at least compared to Forces.

It’s such a shame this game didn’t do great. As someone who has never played it, the concept and aesthetics look so cool. The Mario Galaxy-esque level design and parkour mechanics look so intriguing and perfect for Sonic, but it sounds like this needed more polishing. I hope they revisit these mechanics again, but implement physics and controls that make sense.

Fun Fact: Lost World technically created the drop dash

Finally a video were explain why they dislike it instead of just saying "it's a mario game" Also I disagree with the artstyle claim but I can see where you're coming from (Also its about time someone ecnolaged the amazing soundtrack) (And I can't wait for the lost world 3ds video)

As someone who only has experience with the 3DS version, I can safely say that is a HORRIBLE version of a game that people are already pretty divided on. The worst part is that it actually started on a pretty high note, but lost that momentum VERY quickly after the first world. The level design went from fun and interesting, to tediously unfair or boring. The worst worlds being the Snow World, because certain levels had an Invincible snowball that is constantly following you, freezing you in place, and growing in size. The Ocean World, because it brings back the Drill Wisp in 3D, and it controlls like shit. And the Cloud World because the levels take FOREVER and I specifically remember this world giving me the most hand cramps, and keep in mind Kid Icarus Uprising is my favorite game for the 3DS, and that game never gave me even the slightest hand pain. And yes the special stages suck too. I think that they're fine in isolation, as in: you're alone in your house, and you don't have the system strapped down with recording equipment or something. And even then that's assuming you don't get dizzy or motion sickness. I didn't have that issue, but I'm not susceptible to that stuff and I know other people have had those problems. The 3DS version is such an awful game that I don't recommend. I'm sorry to anyone else who got it and played it as much as I did.

Man, this is one of the most mixed games I've played imo. I actually really love the concept of a slowed down 3d Sonic more focused on platforming and what not, and there are pieces of Lost World that I really liked. But the bad stuff I remember is reeeeeeeeallly bad. I still think this format has potential, though.

Hey man I've been watching some of your videos for a week or two now, I just wanted to say I really like what you have going on here and decided to subscribe today : )

"but you don't trust Me to do it" and immediately in the next game, Kate Tails was no more

I remember playing this game so much back in 2014, it was such a fun game so with the parkour, the combat. And I remember my friend helping me get all the red rings to get Super Sonic. I have so much nostalgia for this game, and for that reason it’s in my top 5 Sonic games.

As a Mario fan whose first Sonic game was Lost World 3DS… Yeah, this one sucks. Coming out in the same year as Mario&Luigi: Dreamteam Bros which feels bigger, has more energy and actually establishes the world it takes place in certainly didn’t help its case for me.

This personally is my least favorite Sonic game out of all the ones I've played, I'm sure Free Riders or Rise of Lyric would change that. Nothing against you if you like it, but to me at least 06 was interesting. Lost world has dull and poorly put together levels, a garbage story, and in general is just forgettable Also while I liked Roger's Sonic performance in Color's and Generations, here he has weird inflection in his voice probably to make him sound younger, poor voice direction I know but it makes Sonic sound way more whiny

12:52 Oh yes, press triangle on the Wii U game, what a concept :0

I like Sonic Lost World a lot but it doesn't feel like a Sonic game. I actually tried playing this game without using the run button and it was more fun! (which i was surprised by since this is a SONIC game) it feels like the game should belong to a different franchise entirely. honestly I think this game could have worked as a Silver title, with the slower pace it makes sense. also throw enemies into each other with psychokinesis would be fun in this game

Good luck on the 3DS version, where you have to fight the final boss 4 times with the only thing unique being the increased health pool if you want to 100% the game

Looking forward to these Sonic vids. Great way to pass the time while waiting for Frontiers :))

I know you talked about them a small amount in the recap but since you have gone over basically every single sonic game and spin-off, I feel that the full retrospective would be a little incomplete without reviews of Sonic and Sega Allstars Racing, Transformed and Team Sonic Racing. I just really enjoy your content and would love to see similar reviews to the Sonic Riders trilogy you did for those games. If you don't wish to do them I respect that and hope you have a nice day :)

Damn! Your videos changed so much! I have been watching you for like 3 years!

I really wanted to love Sonic Lost World. But sadly I just wasn't a huge fan. I love the cutscenes, the graphics are pretty, and the voice acting is pretty cool, but I wish they would have handled the parkour gimmicks more better. Maybe someday they can remake it on the switch with a better control scheme I'd be all for that.

Tails not wanting to work with Eggman makes total sense and Sonic is an idiot for wanting to team up with him. Eggman in this scenario has absolutely nothing to offer them. He has no insider information that'll make turning off the energy extractor easier, he does not possess some mighty weapon to use against the Zeti, he is dead weight. The one use for him the story comes up with is that he can shut off the energy extractor, something Tails says he'd be capable of doing himself. While it might seem wise to keep Eggman around as a backup, in case Tails in indisposed, this falls apart on further reflection. Eggman is not some neutral party they can fall back on in a pinch, he's a lunatic who once attempted to blow up a city, who DID blow up the moon, and who has lied to advance his goals numerous times. Teaming up with Eggman is not only pointless, it's counterproductive. And Tails recognizes this, asking why Sonic is trusting Eggman when he could turn off the energy extractor himself. But we don't even get an answer as to why Sonic has shut off his brain and become a Robotnik simp. And what ends up happening? Tails is, as he said he would be, totally capable of shutting off the energy extractor on his own. And he does. Eggman, meanwhile, betrays them and potentially could have made all their work for nothing. Good going Sonic, you fucking idiot.

Love your RE2 shirt! It reminds me of my first profile picture :)

Had been a minute since I'd seen IRL J. Seems you've lost some weight. Which, as long as it was not the result of being sick or very stressed, I'm glad you are 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

I got this game for the Nights into Dreams content, a game which I one day hope to see you review!

I do like the parkour concept. How's about finetuning it for a future game?

Some things of note: -Roger van de Wiede did mention he regrets how he interviewed Pontac when looking back. -Pontac does indeed dislike the community as seen in his RebelTaxi interview. -Apparently there is a bible of sorts, if the localization of the game's script into Japanese is to be trusted. The localizers tried their best to make the script feel like Sonic. Perhaps Pontaff simply didn't look into it, opting for "original research". dunno about that.

Fun fact, the sound used when dashing as a Crimson Eagle is very similar, if not identical, to the Shadow Rifle from Shadow the Hedgehog.

Great review. I like how even though you contributed heavily to the "2000s Sonic good, 2010's Sonic bad" discourse with that Sonic stories video you have some self awareness unlike some other fans who are just obnoxious.

My thoughts on lost world and forces are pretty much the same 'Objectively probably a "decent enough" platformer on it's own gameplay merits and isnt as offensive as some folks make it out to be but it has next to nothing I like about a sonic game outside of the soundtrack. I feel nothing towards both of them and I personally think I have very strong opinions on things and me feeling nothing towards a sonic game is probably one of the biggest insults I could throw towards it'

Sonic Lost World may be a copy of Super Mario Galaxy but it also remind me of the Sonic Xtreme, the unreleased Saturn game. It looks similar with just a camera angle change. Small levels, no boost, more emphasis on slower walking.

Have you ever considered a video on the IDW comics? I know that kinda goes outside your typical video, but I’m curious what you think of Ian Flynn’s writing and characterization of the characters.

I’m interested on hearing your thoughts on Lost World 3DS because I really enjoyed that version of the game

This game is also kinda similar to Sonic Heroes. A game that changed the gameplay style right after 2 similar games that many people loved. A change that was ultimately not needed. And both were also met with less positive reviews scores than their predecessors. Though obviously Heroes is the better game.

I remember being so excited for this game coming right off the heels of Generations as a kid. After playing the demo on my new Wii U I left not really wanting to play more of it unlike every other Sonic game I had played before.

The one and only thing I truly love is how Eggman threatens the Zeti. It’s the one memorable cutscenes.

Oh god, he has to play the 3DS version next. I’m so sorry, J…

I only played this version of Lost World after the 3ds version, and I ended up enjoying the 3ds version way better for its mechanics and utilization of the same concepts, so in my mind it's just "Sonic Lost World" to me and I think of this version as the weird younger bother, like Unleashed where Dimps' version was what I played first but I still think of the 360 version first.

J's real face kinda reminds me of one of the guys from the movie West Side Story the 1960s version. And that was one of my favorite movies growing up!

You want to know the crazy thing? Gameplay stuff from Gamescom shows a tutorial of using boost in the air straight into a wall to cause Sonic to wallrun up it. Frontiers is, to some limited degree, bringing back a portion of the Parkour system, but segued into the overall movement options more fitting of a combination with base Boost design.

Zazz has such a cool character design and I hate that it was wasted on such a lame character.

I’m really interested to see your take on the 3DS version of lost world, the gameplay is a lot better on it but the level design is a lot worse. Also I REALLY want to see your takes on the Spark the electric Jester trilogy if you wanna see the parkour system (or atleast a part of it) in a much better game

Whoa J! You are lookin good man! Seems like you have lost a lot of weight since the first video where you were on camera that I saw a few years ago.

As a huge Mario fan, I immediately noticed the Galaxy-like gameplay, as well as the Deadly Six just being discount Koopalings. They completely forgot what made Mario Galaxy a great game: it's unique gameplay. Copying from another company and calling it a main feature isn't unique, and can ruin the whole game if done poorly. I know some stuff about Sonic characters, but I've never played a single game in my life, so thank you for your honest reviews.

I know a lot of people hate this game but for me, it will always have a special place in my heart for not only being my first Sonic, but being the game that made me realize that I even like video games. When I was a kid growing up I loved watching videos of other people playing video games but I could never find enjoyment when I played video games, for whatever reason. That was the same case when I got Sonic Lost World for my Wii U when I was little. I maybe got past the first world, but that was about it. Then, a couple years later I watched a video of someone playing Lost World and they briefly brought up the infinite spindash trick and I thought it was pretty cool, so I wanted to try it. You see I didn’t really own a lot of video games at the time. Some Wii U bundle games, Skylanders, Sonic Lost World, and Super Mario 3D World. I always thought Sonic was cooling then Mario, thanks to all the Sonic LP’s that I watched, so I wanted Lost World to be the game that I would actually complete for the first time. I started a new save and had a lot of fun learning the parkour mechanics along with the spindash trick. After I few days I had finally beaten a Sonic game. When that happened, I finally realized that yes, I do love Sonic games, but I also really loved video games. And with that, I began playing all the games that I owned, even convincing my older brother to get me some games on his Xbox so that I could play them, including the Adventure series. So yeah, I could never really bring myself to hate this game. I know it has its issues but without it I wouldn’t have discovered my love for other Sonic games, Mega Man, Mario, fighting games, etc. The only thing I found bad was collecting the Red Rings but I thought Super Sonic was really cool so I didn’t mind it. I wanted to put this comment out there since I know this video and comment section is gonna be pretty negative, which I totally understand why this game isn’t everyone cup of tea. I still wanted to have beacon of light for the weirdos like me who do enjoy this oddity of a Sonic Game.

I always hated Lost World, but I revisited it after playing Origins and actually learning about the exploration aspects of the classic games. I made my goal in this run to properly understand the parkour and collect all of the red rings. Through the combination of both I really really enjoyed it this time. On the subject of frustration with the rings, I would say that 2nd pool ball table in the snowball level due to the checkpoint you can't avoid, the pinball table, and lava mountain....2 I think? The one with the harder Zavok fight

8:38 this picture is AMAZING!!!

I definitely have a very different opinion on the gameplay of Sonic Lost World, but I do respect yours. Also thanks for the DLC Restoration shoutout, glad to see it used for the review.

I've always found the 3DS version of this game to be a lot more enjoyable of an experience honestly. It has its issues too which can put you off of it depending on who you are but overall I just feel like it executed on the core ideas of the game better and arguably one of the best final levels in the series in the form of Sky Road 3. Plus, I really like how ranks are in the levels, you get special stages (which are pretty fun once you get past how stupid the controls are) and there's a hard mode that unlocks after beating the game for every stage along with unlockable ones for each zone. This game in general really should've been scrapped and re-thought though. They already had a great idea with the parkour and for some reason they absolutely ruin it by making levels that run counter to it and then making half the game play to these gimmicky side ideas. It was a game that designed itself yet they chose to dive off the side of a cliff despite almost reaching the peak.

There's something kinda sad about this game not being that good. I kinda hoped it would be good, but it just never fleshed out it's ideas, relying on gimmicks.

Ayyyee great to finally see your face been watchin your vids for months now, def more face cam 🤝🏽😎

Hopefully Frontiers would do Lost World's Concepts more Justice

I like sonic lost world. It's not perfect by any means at all though. I do feel like the difficulty spike just pops out of no where and they don't prepare you for it, the wisp are not as fun as they were in sonic colors, Tails and Sonic were written poorly, the 2d sections get kinda annoying and tedious, and some of the gimmicks were irritating. All that aside however, the game was fun to play and the graphics were pretty.

This is literally the only game you have ever covered that I've never even heard of... I somehow feel thats not a good sign. Here we go--

I love the story. When it started off it was weak, but when eggman joined from that point on I loved it. It was actually pretty dark for a sonic game.

I played the demo of the game from Best Buy, and I didn’t enjoy it. I thought the controls were awkward and the tubular level design made me nauseous. So I skipped this game and picked up Super Mario 3D World which was a much better game imo.

What's wild is that I can point to a Sonic game I own and list one thing interesting about it. With Lost World, it just exists. Also, the bonus levels are not really that interesting, so you saved yourself some more boredom.

You been working out bro? (Or playing sonic free riders) you look great!!

17:32 it's funny how he says automation started in adventure, while showing a returning mechanic from sonic 2. always been there bud.

You should totally try out Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed, it's such a good racing game!! Hopefully you'll get around to reviewing it someday (maybe inbetween the Wii U Sonic spin-offs?).

I feel like lost world would have made a perfect spin off game

I remember when I first bought a Wii U, three games that I knew I simply had to own were Super Mario 3D World, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, and Sonic Lost World. And yet, Lost World was the one that I was the least excited about. 3D World and Tropical Freeze were both taking what worked with their previous games (3D Land and DKC Returns) and were expanding on them, adding in new playable characters, expanding their world and what they could do with their already established formula. Lost World on the other hand just felt like Sega were once again trying to redefine Sonic and appealing to haters, detractors, overly critical critics who have no idea what they're talking about, and for some reason, non-Sonic fans. There just seemed to be this very mixed feel to it, the same with Forces a few years later, like Sega are just always between a rock and a hard place when it comes to their ideas. This is what it feels like, to me at least. "Well if it's a Nintendo exclusive game then clearly it has to be less Sonic, more Mario!" No, who has ever thought that before? One of the reasons that the Sonic series is so popular is because it is unique from the Mario series! "We better put in some Classic imagery to keep the Modern Hating Classic Fans happy! Remember how they threatened us to boycott Sonic 4 when we put the wrong character design in it!" Seriously, this attitude really needs to stop! Classic imagery is just getting old and repetitive, and people are sick of it! And yet, even in the upcoming Frontiers game we've got Green Hill, Chemical Plant, Sky Sanctuary. It's like these Classic Fan Boys have caused irreparable damage to the Sonic series. Why is it that these kinds of people are ultimately dictating what can and can't be in a Sonic game? If these whiners keep getting their way, then it's only a matter of time until the next big Sonic game is just Sonic 2 again, but with maybe one or two unique levels thrown in, and the title "Sonic Mania 2 slapped on it to convince people to buy it. Oh, and Tails has been removed, "COS SONIC'S LAME-O FRIENDS, AM I RIGHT?" Speaking of which.... "Yeah, we'd better put Amy and Knuckles in this game to remind people that they exist, but we can't give them too much screen time since so many people find them annoying. Besides, what could they do to progress the story, they're just Sonic's useless friends! And we'd better make Knuckles look really dumb to make Sonic look cooler, since that's all he's good for!" Again, I find it amazing that Super Mario 3D World gave us playable Luigi, Peach, Toad and an unlockable Rosalina, and DKC: Tropical Freeze brought back Dixie Kong and gave us a playable Cranky Kong for the first time, each with their own unique abilities to change up the gameplay and add some variety in their respective games. But will Sega do the same? Will they bring back fan favourite characters, improve on their abilities and allow for some variety in the Sonic series? Seriously, why is this such a taboo to them? They do know that there are people out there who actually LIKE these characters, so there's clearly a demand for it. Are they STILL listening to the "Sonic's stinky friends" crowd who have bitched, whined and moaned about practically every single Sonic character ever since Tails came along? Again, why does negative feedback ultimately trump positive feedback? "The plot can have some stakes and serious moments, but we'd better throw in some wacky, goofy moments too so people can't accuse us of being edgy and emo and appealing to loser Weeaboos who think that Sonic should be an anime!" In fairness, I think that a mixture of light-hearted humorous moments and serious and character driven moments is actually what the Sonic series needs, and I will always give the plots of games such as Colours, Lost World and Forces some credit for at least trying that. There are some ideas that I do think are interesting, like Sonic feeling guilty about acting too brashly, and Sonic and Tails having trust issues. These ideas could work, but just weren't written very well. And yes, it does annoy me that people seem to think that because a story comes from the so called "meta era" that means that there is absolutely nothing good about it, and now there is magically nothing bad about the stories that came before it. Give me a break!

I would compare the parkour to Cat Mario's climbing ability in Super Mario 3D World.

Nice RE2 shirt. I'm on a Resident Evil binge particularly with RE2, original and remake. Fantastic games, I'll watch your video on those games after I'm done with them.

Wouldn't Sonic's speed negate the need for parkour? Being so fast he doesn't need to jump on them and all.

When is the time we have to talk about the 3Ds version, aka the only version I've played aka the best one imo. (Ok, I have played like, 5 seconds of the PC ver. but my PC crashed every time in the same section, because my PC is very bad, well, it WAS. If it was working now.) Obviously the soundtrack is awesome, is one of the best in the series, like yeah it's Sonic, what were you expecting? (IGNORE SONIC CHRONICLES PLEASE.) *Also the parkour is one of the best mechanics in the Sonic series, change my mind.* 💀

I don't know if anyone in the comments mentions this but the closest we get to explaining why wisps are in the game is in sonic runners game explaining they liked sonic's world and decided to stay. It's not much and the game came out like 1 or 2 years (and it also ended really quick) after lost world but any explanation is better than nothing

Love your shirt, bro!

Sonic Lost World was good imo. People hate on it mostly because it's not a boost game

I feel like Zavok, or for that matter the entire Deadly Six, could’ve fit better in a Ristar Reboot/Sequel. Think about it, “A Strange Planet nobody heard of full of strange environments, and is terrorized by Six Deadly Creatures nobody heard of, but have incredible power.” It could’ve been a good Kid Icarus Uprising esque Ristar Return. Not to mention aesthetically they look like they belong with Ristar more than Sonic, and couple that with refined Werehog Gameplay since Ristar also has stretchy arms and you got yourself a Superstar!💫⭐️🌟

I've always found this game amusing because it seemed like Sonic Team reacted to the surprisingly frequent posit that Sonic Colors was a Mario Galaxy rip off by making a game to demonstrate what a Sonic style Galaxy ripoff would actually look like. So I need to point out something that you seem to have not noticed and I find fascinating: in this game, Sonic goes faster side to side than he does forwards and rearwards. Another example of their throwing game design spaghetti at the wall and hoping something stuck. I'm not sure what was the point of this decision but it does make me suspect the root of this game was to try and turn the quick step sequences from the boost games into an entire game, even though the Mario Galaxy idea is probably funnier. There's also the rumor that Lost World took its story from one of the versions of Sonic Xtreme. For some reason, this game seems to have taken a lot inspiration from that work of sorrow.

I have a question, 31:17 do you feel that way about the desert level in galaxy?

Lost World is basically a Sonic game made for people who don't like Sonic, and it's not even good at being a non-Sonic game, it's almost completely worthless aside from the idea of the parkour mechanic. The idea, not the execution, so even that compliment is backhanded

Everytime i hear about the Wii U version of Lost World I was wondering how much different it is from the 3ds version i played and love to this day. I see the flaws in both versions about the story, the mario like level design, the run button which never annoyed me, but for me it's still a fun game to play and so i was wondering, J did you ever played or saw the 3ds version because after i saw the gameplay for Lost World U and i can say that the 3ds version didn't have so many dumb gimmicks. So my point is the Wii U version sucks and the 3ds version was fun to play so maybe you should look about that, but Im not forcing you. Your video was really good im hyped to see what you have to say to Sonic Boom Edit: When i say Wii U version i also mean the pc port with dlc mod

You just summoned a deeply buried childhood memory with that sega superstars reference

Out of all the games that Ken Pontac and Warren Graff worked on, this was the first (and currently only) instance where the two of them were given the opportunity to write the story and cutscenes of the game from the ground up, rather than being supplied the material by Sonic Team to translate like with Colors, Generations and Forces.