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Sonic Labyrinth

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For other uses, see Labyrinth (disambiguation).

Sonic Labyrinth (ソニックラビリンス Sonikku Rabirinsu?) is an isometric puzzle video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series that was developed by Minato Giken and published by Sega for the Sega Game Gear. It was initially released in October 1995 for the United Kingdom, and November of the same year in the rest of the world.

Labyrinth's gameplay takes place in an isometric field. The narrative centers around Sonic travelling through Doctor Eggman's Super Labyrinth while being forced to wear the Slow Down Boots, which severely slow him down. As such, the gameplay is much slower-paced than most Sonic games. The player must find a set of keys scattered across the level to beat levels and progress.

At launch, Sonic Labyrinth was received with mixed-to-positive reviews, being compared positively with Marble Madness and considered an innovative Sonic game in the Game Gear library. However, the game was panned by critics in retrospective reviews. Its main points of criticism were the screen crunch, lack of speed, and the controls.

Plot[]

Spoiler warning: Plot, ending details or any kind of information follow.
Screenshot of the Sonic Labyrinth title screen, featuring Sonic at the bottom, giving a thumbs up to the viewer, in front of a series of gray checkered paths in a green checkered background. The game's logo appears at the top.

The title screen of Sonic Labyrinth.

Frustrated by Sonic the Hedgehog's constant foiling of his plans, Doctor Eggman creates the Slow Down Boots using Chaos Emerald energy to sabotage Sonic's speed. Sonic absentmindedly puts on these shoes after waking up from a nap. Upon learning of his success, Eggman constructs his newest fortress: the Super Labyrinth, a maze-based Eggmanland, on South Island. In his pride, he incidentally announces that the Slow Down Boots can only be removed with the six Chaos Emeralds, which he has stored in the Super Labyrinth. Gathering his resolve, Sonic heads to the fortress to retrieve the Emeralds and foil the doctor's plans.[9]

Sonic fights his way through the Super Labyrinth's various contraptions and Badnik guards. Along the way, he also manages to find all but one of the Chaos Emeralds. After eventually defeating Eggman in a final battle, the hedgehog drives him out of Super Labyrinth and reclaims the last Emerald, which the doctor drops during his escape. With his speed restored, Sonic leaves the stronghold.

Spoilers end here.

Characters[]

Image Character Biography
Sonic the Hedgehog The world's fastest sonic-speed hedgehog. This time, Dr. Eggman's evil plan has prevented him from using his prized legs. But don't worry, he's got a rolling attack! He'll be able to spin around and take out Dr. Eggman in a matter of seconds... maybe.[10]
Dr. Eggman He is an evil genius scientist who is planning to take over the world today and tomorrow. He thinks that Sonic is his eternal rival. This time, he plans to target Sonic himself for his evil scheme. Will Dr. Eggman's plan succeed? He'll probably fail again anyway... maybe.[11]

Gameplay[]

SLabyrinthLoSky

Labyrinth of the Sky, the first Zone of the game.

Sonic Labyrinth is an isometric perspective action and puzzle game. In the game, players control Sonic the Hedgehog, who is much slower than usual due to him wearing the Slow Down Boots. However, he can still perform the Super Sonic Spin Dash, a technique where he curls himself into a ball and launches himself at high speed. Sonic Labyrinth features four Zones, each divided into three stages along with a fourth, shorter stage with a boss fight.

The main objective of Sonic Labyrinth is to get through the Zones before the time runs out. To do so, the player needs to find three Keys in each level to unlock the exit door. In the game, the player will fight Badniks, and if hit by a Badnik the player will lose all their Keys and some time. When the Keys are dropped, the player has a few seconds to collect them before they disappear and return to their original locations. If the player does not have any Keys and gets hit by a Badnik, ten seconds are removed from the timer. Destroying Badniks, along with collecting Keys and Hourglasses, add some extra time to the Timer. Should the time run out, the player will lose a Try or get a Game Over if they do not have any Tries left.

The gameplay is slightly different in the fourth stages, such as not having a Timer. Every fourth level starts with a giant ramp that takes the player to the boss room, with Rings appearing along said ramps. Similar to previous Sonic games, collecting one-hundred Rings will give the player an extra Try. During boss battles, the Rings also protect the player from the Boss' attacks; if the playable character is hit by the Boss while having at least one Ring, they will stay in the game without losing a Try. However, if Sonic is injured by a boss without having any Rings on him, the player will lose a Try. Upon defeating the boss, Sonic is awarded a Chaos Emerald.

A Perfect playthrough requires two additional tasks beyond beating the final boss. In 2-3 you must use the cannon to enter the Bonus Room, and you must complete 4-2 with at least two minutes left on the timer. If you accomplish these additional tasks, after Sonic grabs the final Chaos Emerald but before the credits role, the game will note that your run was "Perfect" and provide you with the level select code. If you do not accomplish these two goals, the game will provide a hint on what to do next time.

Controls[]

Button formation  Movement[12]
Directional buttons Move
1/2 Spin Dash
Start Pause

Objects[]

Items[]

Gimmicks and obstacles[]

Characters[]

Playable characters[]

Non-playable characters[]

Enemies[]

Bosses[]

  1. Mecha Gorilla (Labyrinth of the Sky) (only appearance)
  2. Kani Pearl (Labyrinth of the Sea) (only appearance)
  3. Needle Man (Labyrinth of the Factory) (only appearance)
  4. Smiley Bomb (Labyrinth of the Castle) (only appearance)

Zones[]

  1. Labyrinth of the Sky
  2. Labyrinth of the Sea
  3. Labyrinth of the Factory
  4. Labyrinth of the Castle

Bonus Stages[]

Main article: Bonus Stage (Sonic Labyrinth)

Sonic Labyrinth features one Bonus Stage, which can be accessed through a special door in 2-3. Accessing this door is one of the requirements to receive a Perfect ending, alongside completing 4-2 with at least two minutes left on the timer.

Reception[]

 Reception
Review scores
Publication Score
Electronic Gaming Monthly 4.75/10[3]
Famitsu 22/40[1]
GamePro 4.125/5[13]
Mean Machines Sega 76%[5]
Nintendo Life 4/10 (3DS)[14]
Sega Power 82%[15]
Sega Pro 59%[16]
Mega Fun 59%[17]
Sega Magazine 81%[4]

Sonic Labyrinth received mixed critical reception. Mean Machines Sega said that "you can get through each level with a bit of practice but you're left wondering how you did it".[5] Electronic Gaming Monthly disliked the game's isometric perspective, stating that it contributed to the problems with controlling Sonic around.[3] GamePro wrote that the small camera made it difficult to see upcoming obstacles.[13]

In a more positive review, Mega Fun thought that Sonic Labyrinth featured innovative gameplay,[17] while GamePro and Famitsu compared the game to Marble Madness.[13][1] Sega Magazin thought that Sonic Labyrinth was challenging with its sophisticated level design.[4] GamePro said that it was one of the most interesting Sonic games in the Game Gear library.[13] One reviewer at Mean Machines Sega thought it was a good puzzle game to play in short segments, and may be worth the time for fans of Sonic games, pinball, or puzzles. However, another critic from the same magazine thought the game was frustrating and repetitive.[5] Electronic Gaming Monthly also thought the game became repetitious after a few levels and would be boring for more experienced players, although Sonic fans may enjoy it. They concluded their thoughts writing: "This title overall tried to mix the standard side-scrolling Sonic game with a worthless pinball title and failed. In turn, this one just comes up short in both playability and enjoyment, causing boredom after the first few stages".[3]

In retrospective, Sonic Labyrinth was panned by critics, some considering it one of the worst Sonic games ever made. In their retrospective review, Nintendo Life gave the game a "poor" 4 out of 10. They criticized the controls and level design, as well as the start-stop nature the game had. They also thought that Sonic's lack of speed was "baffling" for a Sonic game.[14] USgamer called Sonic Labyrinth "a poor man's version of Marble Madness, taking the worst of that game and the worst of Sonic and cramming it into one title. Absolutely dire".[18] Nintendo World Report called the game a worse version of Sonic 3D Blast, noting similarities with the isometric view.[19] Official Nintendo Magazine thought that Sonic Labyrinth was "a dreadful game with an identity crisis" and concluded by calling it "one of the worst Sonic games ever".[20]

Re-releases[]

Sonic Labyrinth is also playable in Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut on the PC and Nintendo GameCube, along with on the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC editions of Sonic Mega Collection Plus. A demo of the game that features the ending can also be played in Sonic Gems Collection on PlayStation 2 in Europe and Japan, and Nintendo GameCube in all regions.

Sonic Labyrinth was also released on the Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console on 28 June 2013.

Sonic Labyrinth was once re-released again along with all the other Sonic Game Gear titles on Sonic Origins Plus, which was released on 23 June 2023 for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch, & PC.

Image Game Platform Description
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut Nintendo GameCube
PC 		Featured as an unlockable mini-game in Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut in 2003. To unlock it, the player must collect 80 Emblems.
Sonic Adventure 2-Pack Nintendo GameCube Featured as an unlockable mini-game in Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut.
Sonic Mega Collection Plus PC
PlayStation 2
Xbox 		Released in 2004.
Sonic Gems Collection Nintendo GameCube
PlayStation 2 		Released in a compilation with several other Sonic games in 2005.
Sonic PC Collection PC Featured as an unlockable mini-game in Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut in 2009.
Nintendo 3DS Released in 2013.
Sonic Origins Plus PlayStation 4
Xbox One
Nintendo Switch
Xbox Series X/S
PlayStation 5
PC (Steam, Epic Games Store) 		The Game Gear version was added to this re-release of Sonic Origins, which released on June 23, 2023.

Trivia[]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "New Games Cross Review - ソニックラビリンス" (in Japanese). Famitsu (362): 31. 24 November 1995.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 ソニックラビリンス (Japanese). Sega (JP). Archived from the original on 28 October 2012. Retrieved on 24 February 2022.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Review Crew: Sonic Labyrinth 48,78 (January 1996). Archived from the original on 10 August 2018. Retrieved on 10 August 2018.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Review: Sonic Labyrinth" (in German). Sega Magazine (26): 83. November 1995. Archived from the original on 10 August 2018.. Retrieved on 10 August 2018.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Game Gear Review: Sonic Labyrinth". Mean Machines Sega: 88. November 1995. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016.. Retrieved on 17 August 2016.
  6. ↑ Sonic Labyrinth. Nintendo (US). Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved on 10 January 2022.
  7. ↑ Sonic Labyrinth. Nintendo (UK). Archived from the original on 12 August 2019. Retrieved on 10 January 2022.
  8. ↑ Sonic Labyrinth. Nintendo (FR). Archived from the original on 12 August 2019. Retrieved on 24 February 2022.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Sonic Labyrinth (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pgs. 4-7.
  10. ↑ Sonic Labyrinth (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 8.
  11. ↑ Sonic Labyrinth (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 9.
  12. ↑ Sonic Labyrinth (Sega Game Gear) United States instruction booklet, pg. 4.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 "ProReview: Sonic Labyrinth". GamePro (78): 112. January 1996. Archived from the original.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Review: Sonic Labyrinth (3DS eShop / GG). Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved on 10 August 2018.
  15. ↑ Mortlock, Dean (December 1995). "Sonic Labyrinth". Sega Power (73): 57. Archived from the original.
  16. ↑ Pilkington, Mark (November 1995). "Review: Sonic Labyrinth". Sega Pro (51): 68. Archived from the original.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Text Mixed: Sonic Labyrinth" (in German). Mega Fun: 72. January 1996. Archived from the original on 10 August 2018.. Retrieved on 10 August 2018.
  18. ↑ Gotta Go Fast: Ranking All of the Sonic the Hedgehog Games. USgamer. Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved on 7 August 2018.
  19. ↑ Grinding Game Gears: An Overview of Sonic's Portable Origins. Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved on 10 August 2018.
  20. ↑ Sonic Labyrinth review. Official Nintendo Magazine. Archived from the original on 27 July 2012.
  21. ↑ BumbleKast Mini! for April 26th, 2023 - Ian Flynn Q&A Podcast. YouTube (26 April 2023). Retrieved on 27 April 2023.
  22. ↑ ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ【公式】 (13 July 2022). 【特別企画】音速！一問一答 ソニックアンサー動画まとめ (2022//6/24実施) (Japanese). YouTube. Retrieved on 6 December 2022.
  23. ↑ Keepin' on Bumblin' | BumbleKast LIVE! for May 1st, 2023 - Ian Flynn Q&A Monthly Stream. Youtube (29 April 2023). Retrieved on 18 May 2023.
  24. ↑ Ian Flynn on Twitter. Twitter (16 May 2023). Retrieved on 18 May 2023.
Sonic Labyrinth
Main article · Manuals · Credits · Gallery
Playable characters Sonic
Non-playable characters Eggman
Zones Labyrinth of the Sky · Labyrinth of the Sea · Labyrinth of the Factory · Labyrinth of the Castle · Bonus Stage
Enemies Aroro · Beroro · Dragogo · Flowawa · Gabubu · Gaikoko · Kabutoto · Kibaba · Mukaka · Nyororo · Ototo · Peppepe · Puyoyo · Robototo · Takoko · Toriri · Yadokaka
Bosses Mecha Gorilla · Kani Pearl · Needle Man · Smiley Bomb
Gimmicks and obstacles Cannon · Flipper · Iron ball · Spring
Items Chaos Emerald · Triangle (? Item, 1-Up, Invincible, Power Sneakers, Time Bonus) · Key · Ring
Other Life · South Island · Slow Down Boots · Super Labyrinth · Spin Attack · Spin Dash · Time Attack · Water
V·T·E · Category
Sonic the Hedgehog handheld games
Sega Game Gear Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) · Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992) · Sonic Chaos (1993) · Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (1993) · Sonic Drift (1994) · Sonic Spinball (1994) · Sonic Triple Trouble (1994) · Sonic Drift 2 (1995) · Tails' Skypatrol (1995) · Tails Adventure (1995) · Sonic Labyrinth (1995) · Sonic Blast (1996)
Game Boy Advance Sonic Advance (2001) · Sonic Advance 2 (2002) · Sonic Pinball Party (2003) · Sonic Battle (2003) · Sonic Advance 3 (2004) · Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis (2006)
Nintendo DS Sonic Rush (2005) · Sonic Rush Adventure (2007) · Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (2008) · Sega Superstars Tennis (2008) · Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (2008) · Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (2009) · Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (2010) · Sonic Classic Collection (2010) · Sonic Colors (2010)
PlayStation Portable Sega Genesis Collection (2006) · Sonic Rivals (2006) · Sonic Rivals 2 (2007)
Nintendo 3DS Sonic Generations (2011) · Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (2012) · Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (2012) · 3D Sonic the Hedgehog (2013) · Sonic Lost World (2013) · Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (2014) · Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (2014) · 3D Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2015) · Sega 3D Classics Collection (2015) · Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (2016) · Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice (2016) · Sega 3D Fukkoku Archives 3: Final Stage (2016)
Nintendo Switch Sonic Mania (2017) · Sonic Forces (2017) · Sonic Mania Plus (2018) · Sega Ages: Sonic the Hedgehog (2018) · Sega Mega Drive Classics (2018) · Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018) · Team Sonic Racing (2019) · Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 (2019) · Sega Ages: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2020) · Sonic Colors: Ultimate (2021) · Sonic Origins (2022) · Sonic Frontiers (2022) · Sonic Origins Plus (2023) · Sonic Superstars (2023) · Sonic X Shadow Generations (2024)
Other Sonic Jam (1997, Game.com) · Sonic Pocket Adventure (1999, Neo Geo Pocket Color) · SonicN (2003, N-Gage) · Sonic X (2007, Leapster) · Sonic the Hedgehog (2008, LeapFrog Didj)
V·T·E | {{Mainline}}, {{compilation}}, {{mobile}}, {{browser}}, {{spin-off games}}, {{scrapped}}
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