SNK was a beast in the 90’s and were the undisputed kings of the arcades when it came to their fighting games. They would sometimes take things in a different direction how their games worked with other genres, but they did not usually handle platform games. When it came to the Neo Geo Pocket Color though, they collaborated with Sega to create something that would be truly incredible. Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure was a game designed and published by SNK in co-operation from Sega and was an adaptation of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 for the most part. For the most part, because the game also adapted concepts from the first Sonic The Hedgehog and Sonic 3. The game used the stage themes from Sonic 2, as well as the bonus stages, but the level layouts themselves were different here.
Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure stands out even more, with exclusive modes that SNK added. The game now has a time trial mode that ranks your speed on finishing a level, with a second time trial requires you to speed through the level while finishing with at least 50 rings. The game also had a save function, and you could replay any level already completed in the game. Another new feature was the puzzle mode that saw gamers gave to assemble pictures of Sonic by finding puzzle pieces that are scattered throughout the levels, giving the game a bit of a collectathon feel. If you managed to complete this mode, there was a special bonus as well that saw you unlock the sound test mode.
Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure also had another neat feature in the form of two-player modes. Two Neo Geo Pocket Color would link together via a link cable, and two new modes became available. One mode was a racing mode that had two players race against each other to speed run the level, while the second two-player mode has players race against each other to collect the right amount of rings. In these two-player modes, one player controls Sonic while the other controls Tails. These were great additions and helped Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure stand out more.
Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure may not have been made on hardware as strong as the 16-bit games, but that did not hold the experience back in the slightest. The game did not need to sacrifice speed for performance and the result was a game that would be a standout on any system. Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure is one of the best experiences on the Neo geo Pocket Color, and the game was the start of something legendary for the developers who worked on it, who would later go on to form the studio Dimps. If you have not played this yet, you should track it down if you can. It really is that good.
In addition, for access to an extensive variety of active retro gaming groups on Facebook, visit Retro Gamers Hub.