Sonic Rush - Sonic Was Always Good 

One interesting quirk about the boost meter Once the infinite boost runs out, your boost meter drops from full red to full yellow. However, if you never boost while the infinite boost mode is active, then when the infinite boost runs out, you'll remain at full red.

Also one thing I never see people talk about with Blaze's gameplay is how she technically gets *less* out of her boost gauge because she moves slower than Sonic; if you look at all the WR times for this game, you'll notice that Blaze's times are always noticeably slower than Sonic's. But to make up for that Blaze's trick jumps give her *way* more distance, meaning that (combined with her hover) there are certain shortcuts she can take far more easily than Sonic.

Rush was not only my first Sonic game, but the first game I remember playing. I hardly remembered anything about it when I went back to play it a few months ago, and I was greatly surprised at how well it holds up. It's genuinely really damn good. Mind you, not all of its levels are hits, but when Rush is good, it's great. Definitely up there with the classics in the Advance games, even if it's merits are in different places than them. Though I struggle to say it's on-par with the best of them, particularly because of the fact that it goes so far to simplify the gameplay with the boost. Although, Rush doesn't completely do away with the physics platforming, you still have plenty of opportunities to take advantage of the terrain for platforming opportunities, it's just that now it can't become an obstacle. Momentum is still at play, but rather, inertia has been left behind in the wake of the boost. The most obvious example that comes to mind is those platforms in Water Palace that tip over when you stand on a given end, which can become ramps as Sonic weighs them down on one side, allowing you to skip over the slow platforming sections by sending Sonic flying over it all. My favourite thing about Rush is definitely the trick system and how it integrates with the ring on the tension gauge. It builds on the directional air dashes introduced in the Advance games and turns what were already really smart additions into a risk/reward mechanic. Now whenever you get the chance to, you need to weigh your options as to whether you want to get back to the ground as quickly as possible to keep moving forward, or keep tricking to build up the tension gauge. That ring and the mental gymnastics it forces upon the player in utilising it effectively does a lot to mitigate the adverse impact the boost itself has on the physics, to where I'm not nearly as salty about it, since that trade off gave us something interesting to play with via the trick system, especially since now the directional air dashes act as combo finishers and have been streamlined to activate immediately upon pressing the buttons rather than having a split second delay. It really helps with keeping your flow going that they compound on what momentum you already have rather than setting it to a set level as in the Advance games. The 3D boost games could really benefit to take notes from Rush. There's also a neat thing I've noticed where Sonic becomes much more maneuverable mid-air when the boost is active, like he's literally a rocket all of a sudden. I swear there's a segment in Deadline Act 2 where you're grinding up a rail and if you jump off it and do a u-turn while Sonic is gaining air, you can use the boost to get into a pathway which you're only meant to access when gravity is flipped above where you came in the room, allowing you to completely skip all the upside down platforming in the next room and immediately head for the exit now that you're on the ceiling. So the boost does give you some neat new mechanics to play with here and there. Rush is also the only game in the entire series to my memory where the homing attack carries your momentum, but there are maybe 2 instances in the entire game where it's actually useful. One in Water Palace Act 1 and one in Deadline Act 1 Also sometimes Blaze will just get shit luck and die on automatic setpieces like those rolling ball chase moments because of her lower top speed. Also also; note that entering a special stage takes exactly one full bar of the tension gauge to enter, which is probably why it has three levels of being full in the first place. Side note: Rush is one of the only modern Sonic games to my memory to really do anything to evolve the classics' aesthetic, particularly in all its menus. it merges the pop-art sensibilities of the classics with a Y2K touch that goes really well together. And of course, the music. Side side note: totally agree that the bosses suck ass to fight, but they've also got some of my favourite robot designs in the series, so personally, I don't mind just watching them fuck around for a while because I just like looking at them. Not really a good defense or anything. I just like cool robots. tbh it's kinda nuts how people tend to throw the Advance and Rush games under the bus so hard when talking about good Sonic games, because in general, most of them are totally worthy of standing alongside those. Advance 2's still better ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contrary to what most people say, the Homing Attack IS actually in Rush. If you're near an enemy or some select objects, you can use the right back trigger (R button).

This was my first sonic game. Love sonic rush, such an underrated gem in the sonic series.

Oh God. It's my favourite game again. No seriously his is actually my favourite video game of all time. Played it for the first time at 7 years old and well... the rest is history tbh. XD

Everything you've explained here, especially how the bosses could be improved, is exactly why I want a new Sonic Rush game. I haven't even *played* rush 1, just the Colors DS game which reuses its assets and mechanics, and my experience with that likely inferior version already has me wanting more.

You've put into words exactly why Rush is my favorite Sonic game. It's classic Sonic gameplay made accessible and enjoyable to someone with little patience for things like stopping to do a spin dash or getting stuck on a slope. Until you get to the bosses, in which case it asks you for all of the patience in the world.

Ah Sonic Rush. Your description couldn't be more applicable to my experience. This was also the game that got another one of my friends into the series for exactly as you said. The mechanics are more simplified and intuitive. I wanna go ahead and THANK you for the entire bit about how the Boost while mechanically monopolizing the game still adheres to the core principles of Sonic. It's something I often find myself having to explain in conversations as there is an unfortunate tendency for people to simply view the mechanic as a misunderstanding of Sonic game design as opposed to a deliberate design choice made with intent. The entire concept of the boost exists as an upkeep system. This means that while the player is technically at top speed at the push of the button, mechanically there is is still maintenance to be had so that the player can continue to do so. In fact, the player is even punished in certain instances for failing to do so. In this respect, it solves fundamental issues with design that existed in the Classics, as the Classics always had the unfortunate design limit caused by 2D where the limited view real estate made it difficult if not impossible to have the game be fast AND active at the same time. In game such as the classics, there is a division between what people refer to as "platforming sections" and "speed sections" because the player can't be expected to react to things as they come when going full throttle in sections the devs expect you to. So because of this, it is generally seen as a design flaw to have notable hazards or enemies in these sections. The Boost then turns this dilemma on its head. Now when someone runs into an enemy oir hazard in these sections, it is now not an oversight of the develops in regards to level design, but a failure of meter management on the player's behalf, and in that respect, it's quite ingenious. Of course, this does mean the game is simplified compared to past games, but as you said, not in a way that feels completely braindead or unfun. Sonic Rush is a game i like quite a lot, though I do very much prefer it's sequel as I feel it does a good job reining in a lot of the more rough aspects of the game, as you yourself mentioned. The Ring system for bosses is something I really don't understand why it did not stick as a standard. It's a logical addition and I don't see why it was not made standard. Special Stages are very much among the best in the series, and prior to Mania I likely would have claimed them to be my favorite. Very much a top example of the touch controls enhancing a game for the better rather than being tacked on and annoying on top of the entry method being great and tying in seamlessly with the games' mechanics. Although I will admit, on my first playthrough of Rush, I didn't even know those were for special stages. I jumped back and forth between Sonic and Blaze and was confused when Sonic had no Emeralds, lol. As an additional, I'd like to thank you for making the distinction between the Boost and the BoostState/mode from Advance 2. I keep repeatedly seeing people treat one as an evolution of the other when they aren't at all. To the point that the latter exists in Rush itself alongside the former. It's just that like many aspects of the games, the Boost kinda trivializes it. :P Btw, this was actually the game where I learned the handheld game shad the homing attack at all, and while it often gets a bad wrap for implantation in 2D, (which I partially agree with since it isn't necessary), I do think it is valid as an off button correction tool the way it is applied to Sonic's moveset in Rush. Where I get annoyed is with it being made into a core part of the level design like in...certain later entries. Despite my preference for the games without boost to the ones that do, It's still a very fun and valid way to approach Sonic game design and it's unfortunate the Sonic fandom isn't notably keen on having measured evaluations of the mechanics in these games. Great watch! Looking forward to your video on Rush Adventure! Sorry for the late post btw. I was busy at work the day this dropped.

One of the best Modern games. Ironically, Geek Critique just did a retrospective on Rush himself recently, so that's a nice coincidence.

Regarding the parts of special stages where you have to tap the numbers - the game actually lets you hold down the stylus (or, well, the mouse) and drag on the screen from number to number, instead of tapping each individual number.

How are you doing this. Three videos in one day?

3 videos in the span of like 2 days?? Hell yeah! Always love watching your in-depth gameplay analysis and story videos.

Before watching this I'd like to point out that the ending cutscene was disastrously mistranslated. "This is from me." was originally "That's what I mean.", a direct continuation of Sonic's final flashback monologue line: "You understand what I mean, right?" Should be responsible to keep in mind for the story video.

So much content to watch from you lately 👀

pro tip if you play this game play on easy instead of normal, it makes the bosses have 6 hp intead of 8, and that's all it changes. the fights will be around 25% faster and make them a whole lot more bearable

Wow you’re really pumping them out this week, respect the grind

I'm very interested in hearing your thoughts on Rush Adventure. I played both Rush games pretty recently and to my surprise, I found Rush Adventure to have even better level designs that I think address the issue of terrain identity that this one has, and much improved bosses overall. But then of course there's a the draaaagging story and dialogue, the meh special stages, and boating/submarining everywhere. Considering everything, I honestly can't choose my favorite between them, they have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Definitely felt the bit about Boost games teaching people the fun of time attack - for me it was fucking Forces that finally made it click, with the timer requirements to unlock costume parts, and Frontiers 1-2 has definitely made a lot of people aware of how this stuff works

One of my favorite games for sure, i have to say i'm impressed you talked so well of some bosses aspects like the rings scatering further each hit because most people hate that but i always believed it had potential to offer more challenge if the bosses were better designed.

I always figured this was one of the most universally liked Sonic games. Even during that period of time where the "Sonic was never good" mindset was at its peak, this one (along with Sonic Advance) were still pretty well liked along with the Genesis games. I guess the simplified gameplay really did resonate with some people, that and the soundtrack which is one of the most unique and memorable parts of the game.

Sonic Rush was the very first Sonic game I ever played, and to this day it's still one of my favorites in the series such a blast to play.

you put these videos out so fast :) tnx they are all realy good. hope you are better from that injury

Keep them coming I’m loving it

What I like about your videos in particular, is that you consider the games from all angles. You're a veteran with more experience and skill than most, so that's where your opinions start, but you also consider the perspectives of newcomers and how they might approach the game. That's adding onto other viewpoints, like the climate the game released in, how it compares to other games, how it stands on its own... etc. It sounds like a standard basis for thorough analysis, but also, it's rare to see. Especially for a franchise as easily dismissed as Sonic.

This is a great video! Though one interesting fun fact about the bosses is that there's an 'easy' mode in the settings, and to my knowledge literally all it does is make all the bosses have 6 health instead of 8. Still incredibly tedious, but it’s a much better way of playing the game on repeat playthroughs. Also early footage shows that the bosses only had 4 health origingally, indicating that making it 8 was a late decision.

embarrassingly, I never figured out how to enter the special stages until the last stage, so then I accidentally did the last special stage first. I failed horribly. Thankfully after doing them in order and actually learning the mechanics naturally I managed to get the chaos emeralds. On an unrelated note, I personally really liked the bosses. The downtime didn't bother me and I liked how they have actual difficulty. On the final boss it was very satisfying figuring out strategies for dodging the attacks, like spindashing to avoid the instakill 2 arm smash, or just threading the needle in the electric barrel following you attack.

To any new players who want to play this game: One thing he didn't mention in the video about the boost is that it's not just the one button. In order to activate it, you must also press a direction. It's not much, but requiring a bit more player input really helps with interactivity in the gameplay. Also the fact they brought it back in Sonic Frontiers is so cool i didn't expect it and was ecstatic when i found out mid gameplay day 1 I've been begging for that to appear in a 3d game for ages and it works so well!

Thank you for finally correcting the whole banana situation ;) The rest of this video was pretty nice, I liked the thoughts about the boost system, pretty neat stuff here, take care pariah.

@36:23-.-I love the design of this bird boss just FYI.

This is one of the games I've been waiting for you to play The second one is unleashed

Bro stop making so much content I gotta go to bed!

Great video. This Is a really peak & underrated game with one of the best characters tbh

I enjoy playing this game from time to time!

bro this mans on the grind

MAXIMUM OVERDRIVEE with the uploads

Oh yes, I've been waiting for this one

41:33 that describes a LOT of things in sonic

I love the Sonic Rush series (Sonic Rush, Sonic Rush Adventure, Sonic Colors DS), it's my favourite style of 2D Sonic (besides Sonic CD). I can't really choose which of these games I like the best, because each one does something different - Sonic Rush is the most speedy and stylish, Sonic Rush Adventure gives me a sense of, well, adventure, and Sonic Colors DS focuses a little bit more on the platforming and gimmicks, but as a whole it is just pure fun, and, as a big fan of the Wii version, is a different take on something I love. Can't wait for more reviews, you're doing a great job, keep it going!

I could not for the life of me beat this game as a kid and I think that was because of the boss fights but I replayed Rush 2 years ago and I absolutely love it. The game feels a little BS at times but the music and whole aesthetic is so stylish I can't get enough.

im getting an energy rush seeing this video!!

I think your points about the bosses have triggered some bad memories for me. I remember loving Sonic Rush but damn, those bosses were a huge annoyance for me as a kid. Especially that jet eagle one, and the non-Super final boss.

Speaking from personal experience, once you know the level design well enough there's pretty much never a point where you have to "conserve boost", you just blast forward fast enough that you're always able to get to the next scoring area faster than your boost meter goes down, still allowing for pretty regular infinite boost without having to be the slightest bit conservative. ... And those autoscrollers at the literal ends of the desert levels are a shame, because goddamn the rest of the level is really fun, and Act 1's sorta unique where the lower path is actually the faster one. This has to be my absolute favourite Sonic game overall.

my small preteen brain appreciated the slow paced boss fights ngl 😅 I really enjoyed them

It's great that enjoy time attack, but not playing with the intent to time attack isn't playing the games incorrectly. It's one of several play styles that are intended by the devs. As someone who enjoys the exploration style more, I'm not really as big a fan of the boost games, personally.

THE SONIC OVERLOAD PARIAH 😭

Looking forward to the Rush Adventre video, I felt that game did much better on boss fights

Such a missed opportunity to make vertical video.

What the hell is Banana Bonus?It's called Wumpa Bonus!!!!

I know it's kinda hard to figure out screen real estate for this game, but I'd suggest placing a gap between the two screens to accurately guage what actually playing the game is like. I know that the screens are kinda small when it's like that, but I suggest it anyway. But yeah, the Boost is probably both my favorite 2D and 3D Sonic mechanic (I know only 2 2D games used it, but yeah). I know it gets a lot of flack, but I think it works well. I genuinely do believe that you gotta use the insane bursts of speed in just the very right way, so that it works in your favor. It isn't just "Boost to win", you gotta use it exactly right, you gotta master it. It actually takes a lot of work to get just right. It ain't just Boost to win. And there are a lot of other compelling elements to them too. I don't mind autoscrollers that much because they don't last very long. I didn't mind the bosses that much. And you say that the special stage access is the best in this game, but S3&K is pretty much the same. But yeah, this game and its sequel led to the creation of my favorite game of all time, so it deserves some cred there.

It's funny, I've not played through Sonic Rush in 12 years at least, but I remembered getting pretty frustrated at some of the latter special stages and quite enjoying the bosses (although struggling with some of the QTE button-mashing parts in some of the later ones). I wonder if I'd feel the same now, guess I have an excuse to go back to and see...

Great video about a fantastic game, although I do have a disagree about one boss fight specifically. Sonic's final boss is one of my favorite boss fights ever, because I found it super daunting and the grind to being able to beat it was super satisfying. It scratches the same itch as getting a really hard S rank, but for a different kind of gameplay. The problems that apply to the other boss fights don't apply to this one for me since in order to get him to do the attack that lets you hit him, you just have to dodge/counter one attack, and also there's (relatively) very little downtime between attacks. That being said, I can totally get disliking the boss, it's not really in line with the core gameplay and it can be a huge difficulty spike. The electricity attacks also can go to hell lmao

Oh man, look at you go! I like Rush Adventure much better, but the OST slapped in both!

Accessibility is something I tend to think about a lot in terms of game design. Personally, I prefer more complex games, not only because of the sense of accomplishment but because it adds more content by giving the player more ways to play the game. For me the best games are the ones that are accessible for a vast majority of players while still having a tons of stuff for expert players to sink their teeth into. However accomplishing this is a really tough balancing act. If you make a game that's too easy, players are likely never going to engage with the more complex mechanics because they don't need to. However if you force the player to engage with more complex mechanics, a lot of players are going to run into a brick wall and not experience all the content the game has to offer. With competitive games it's different because you're comparing yourself to other players and not trying to beat a game. However a lot of novice players are turned off from playing these games because they're likely going to have their butt handed to them online. Also the sheer multitude of rules and mechanics that those games just throw at you are also very daunting for new players. Whereas with a platformer, regardless of how deep the jumping mechanics can be, if you see a pit you know you have to jump over it.

Classic Sonic is about earning and maintaining speed Modern Sonic is about maintaining and earning speed

What emulator man melonds or desmume?

Are you going to talk about the story of Rush and Unleashed?

I love this game, it’s my favorite game ever Sonic Frontiers will probably be my favorite 3D game like how this is my favorite 2D game

How about Tiara Boobowski character mod trying to rescue both Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles Prower?

sonic rush is very underrated game series

I like how you keep coming up with names for the circular thingies, just to not call them what their name is, and how it takes time to actually get what word do you use this time for those

Sonic steals bananas from donkey kong!

Idk about anyone else but I actually like the bosses in this game

Sadly we didn’t get another 2d Sonic game like this

Positively talking about the boost system? I didn’t think I’d live to see it. But yeah rush is great. I don’t really get how modern games like Forces, mess up the system so badly. Especially when the 3D always want to switch back to 2D, mid level.

Weird how you say these bosses are pretty terrible when many other people say these are some of the best in the series. I understand your points on these and i understand other people's view points on these on how they aren't taken down in 5 seconds and they have spectacle ig. I'm interested in what you have to day about the bosses in sonic and the secret rings cuz I think that game has at least 2 decent bosses especially the erazor djinn one, sonic unleashed has some good bosses and especially sonic generations.

i loved this game so much i would play this so much when i was younger the soundtrack and the bosses are so memorable

YEAHHHHHHH

Let's Go

Next video is either Rush Adventure or the story of Rush. Blaze has always been a fan favorite, but I have seen members of the community dislike her because they like her better than Amy; because she is "bland" and just a cool character without much Depth. I'm curious what you Will Say, as I have My own (positive) opinions.

If you keep up this pace you might actually get to frontiers in time haha

Blaze

Are you using desmume or melonds?

It could be great.

im not sure if anyone else mentioned it but i also dont like the bosses in this game because their attacks are on RNG. changes the timing on some bosses

I guess no game mods here.

ds videos just gota b uploaded vertical at least they would look good on phones xD

If they are ever gonna port this game it would probably have to be mobile so the special stages will work.

I thought Sonic Rush was fine. Nothing too great, but fun. Though the bosses really do take an unnecessary amount of time to beat. One thing that I know seems to put me in the minority is I find that most of the music sucks in the game. It's very annoying. But overall, Sonic Rush is a fine game.

This game is kinda similar to Advance 3 for me: great gameplay, great visuals, great story, but the levels _suck_ . I think it's still the best version of the boost system though. Also this game has Blaze so it's automatically better than the Advance games

Speed>Momentum

Honestly I really find the Rush "trilogy" interesting, however I must confess there is one thing I cannot stand in this game. 2 Screens. It always makes me feel dizzy and so I end up dropping the game everytime. I really wish there was someone in the community that could make both Rush and Rush Adventure run all in one screen like Temzy did with Sonic Colors Ultimate DS.

Dude, you need to calm down with these uploads, I’m still on the Sonic Battle story video-

I would go over the story, since I'm not a fan of how this game characterizes the cast, namely Cream, Amy and Knuckles. Cream is a weird one because she shines in her interactions with Blaze, but is out of character at points.

Bananas? But...what are you gonna do when you talk about Super Monkey Ball and Donkey Kong Country?

Im one of the people that doesn't like the boost gameplay, but i can't say it was badly done on the rush games, i think the rush games are peak what the boost gameplay should be. Generations and Unleashed are also good... But they are also on that peak and it's not something i would like to play on the 3D envoriment, i find that 3D Sonic has already enough streamline design and needs less of that.

Can you do modern games? Story video and your over analyzing thing

I wonder how many people got mad at you saying banana bonus instead of ring bonus

Or maybe it should be Sally Acorn instead.

I honestly thought you wouldn't like the boost when you said you don't like run buttons in games.

I'm not gonna lie I played every boss on easy mode just so they had less health

Wierd question but, do you like thomas and friends ?

I think you make some good points but there's one thing I disagree with That being that you don't think Boost was made as a substitute since DIMPS already knew how to make accurate Sonic physics, and that the simplicity of Boost is a deliberate choice I think you misunderstood what people saying that were trying to say exactly Boost wasn't *created* as a substitute, it was created out of the desire to create the Fastest Sonic Game Of All Time™️ and sorta just ended up the way it is in Rush due to what consequences it would have on the gameplay It started getting used as a crutch in Unleashed, when a simpler and flashier gameplay style (boost) that was easier to make was used as a result of ST failing to create a proper Sonic game with 06, which resulted in Unleashed (Unleashed only had 18 months of dev, 06 had around 2 years of dev time. Boost was likely chosen for ease of game making)

How I hate those bosses

Yeah the flow of the boss fights are exactly why I immediately stopped watching dragon ball super.

I love your content but plzzz mute the clips

Good vid but... I don't think irrelevantize is a word.

OH COME ON, sonic rush have the best bosses you can see in any 2d sonic game, man your so picky 😐😐😐 + some of the bosses you can defeat them quickly if your good enough like the Night Carnival's one, so is not that bad actually + why you didn't talk about the soundtrack of this game?

6:33 "The vast majority of the playerbase doesn't know how to play your game correctly." Dude, we know you like time attack. Don't act like you're better than everyone else and that that's the only right way to play and enjoy Sonic because of it. It's very pretentious of you.

The Rush games are better than the classics