Sonic Lost World: IGN Preview & Screenshots

soniclostworld

IGN has posted the first details of Sonic Lost World as well as a small barrage of new screenshots for both the Wii-U and 3DS version of the game.

If you want the details, click that read more button.

  • Levels include ‘Wind Hill’ & ‘Desert Ruins’
  • Desert Ruins consists of a Cake, Candy and sweet themed environment.
  • Sonic builds up speed slowly, the player decides when he wants to go faster and then with another button decides when he wants to unleash the next level of speed.
  • Parkour system, designed to allow players to navigate objects at speed without coming to a dead stop.
  • Wisps are back, as are the wisp powers.
  • 2 player “support” mode confirmed.
  • Sonic is the only playable character.
  • Tails, Knuckles & Amy appear in the story, they are not playable.
  • The planet is called ‘Lost Hex.’
  • Rescuing animals will influence various unlockable content.
  • Red Rings are back.
  • Gold cannons are used to unlock secret/alternative paths.

IGN also notes that it didn’t get to ‘play’ the game, but rather watch a demonstration of three stages.

More details can be found at IGN, as well as a selection of screenshots.

IGN Preview

Screenshots.

 

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128 Comments

  1. man they gonna bring back tails knuckles omega and team chaotix as a playable characters i mean come on i know we all love to play as sonic so much in the games but what about the others

    1. Sonic Team chose to scrap all the awful extra playable characters, and that choice was one of the best decisions they’ve ever made for this franchise.

      1. To you, maybe. To me, it was a poor decision. I miss flying over huge chunks f a level as Tails, or smashing faces in with Amy’s hammer.

        Sonic and the Black Knight proved that extra playable characters with the same game mechanics can work. Sure, the game sucked, but that aspect worked well IMO.

        The Sonic Advance games proved that as well. They gave each character different moves, but the same gameplay. That increased playability by a lot.

        If you ask me, Sega listened to the wrong side of the fanbase when it comes to Sonic’s friends. They messed up big time…

        1. “Listened to the wrong side of the fanbase” Fucking excuse me?
          Both SATBK and Sonic Advance were on rail games meanning that the concept worked somewhat BUT that made the game greatly unbalanced. Resulting in the overpowerement of characters like tails and the suckage of amy. I also don’t want to play the fucking game 5 different time with slightly tweaked stats just to get to the real ending.
          Barrage of playable characters from the “good” Adventure days will never be back, and you’ll have to live with that.

        2. Multiple characters are NOT allowed until Sega PERFECT Sonic’s 3D gameplay. Which has yet to be done.

          1. Seriously? We’ve had such brilliant games as Colours and Generations, and people are still complaining that Sonic’s 3D gameplay “isn’t good enough”? Gaaah!

  2. Hey, you editors of Sonic Stadium! I’m curious to know what you all think of the game (from watching the trailer)? 😛

    1. *shrugs*

      It reminds me of Sonic X-Treme, which is booth a good and a bad thing.

      Good in that I always wanted to see what that would turn out like. =D

      Bad in that when the screen rotates and turns it makes me feel sick. =(

  3. HMMMMMMM… A sweet themed desert… gold cannons for alternate routes…? Now where have I… *looks at New Super Mario Bros. U again*

      1. That’s not what the screenshots tell me. But, what the heck, I can’t say anything about gameplay until I at least see some footage. Also, pardon me asking, but how is Generations 3DS on rails? Sure, it was strictly 2D, but you could still move around. When I think of an on rails Sonic game, I think of something more akin to Secret Rings.

  4. I saw new picture of Sonic lost world the graphic for wiiu looks HD wonderful IGN did it.

  5. Looking at the screenshots I find the art style rather jarring? especially after recent games.
    I find it a bit weird that they’re bringing back the wisps also…It sounds almost as if there’s going to be too much to cram into one game.

      1. It depends, Sonic Colours for example worked because the Wisps were the only real gimmick, even then they weren’t necessary in order to progress.

        With this game based on the information we have, there’s the parkour system (whether or not this is automatic or activated), shifts in speed (activate), rotating stages, wisp powers returning (more activating). At the moment it looks a little busy, I’m all for a shake up…just not all the gimmicks at once…

        I’m sure once gameplay videos and reviews start coming I can relax a little…

  6. The Wisps?! I liked using their powers in Sonic Colors, as well as the Planet Wisp and Tropical Resort stages in Sonic Generations, and it sounds fun to use them again, but how are they gonna get from their home planet back to Earth?!

    1. Relax, for all we know the Lost Hex itself is a planet. Maybe Wisps are natural there.

  7. You cannot be serious…. Sonic is the only playable character…. Yet again… I suddenly don’t feel as excited as before.

  8. Sonic being the only playable character = the games story will probably, once again, be relatively short…

    Yay for the return of the wisps; I actually really enjoyed them.

    The new running system sounds interesting, but the gameplay footage so far hasn’t shown much on it’s capability.

    overall, it still looks like a good game. But I’m still having mixed feelings about it…

  9. IGN, I think you mean Parkour? Honestly I’ve been waiting for them to implement Parkour into a Sonic game ever since I started doing it myself! FINALLY, THE WAIT FOR SONIC PARKOUR IS OVER.

  10. ugh Sonic is the only playable charectar again.
    I like the idea of the players being able to control Sonics speed like that.
    Its nice to have the Wisps back

    1. Okay, before, people complained that there were too many characters. Now they complain that there aren’t enough. *rolls eyes*

      Although I would like to play as Tails and Knuckles again. :O

      1. Except people were actually just complaining about how terribly implemented the playable characters were in the more recent games, and most people actually don’t mind having more than one playable character as long as they’re fun.

  11. – the concept of speed changing seems cool
    – thank god, the wisps are back
    – i would like the multiplayer to be a 3ds and wii u cross play thing
    – i hope this is the last time sonic is the onlt playable character
    – its about time the animals have a purpose
    – golden cannons remind me of new super mario bros

  12. Seeing the design of Wind Hill, I can see why Sonic is the only playable character. Those stages were meant for him. Tails and Knuckles would be too slow and I cannot picture them in the level designs seen in the trailer.

    And I have no idea why all you people are dissapointed about Sonic only. It’s not like the last 4 Sonic games have had Sonic as the only playable character, right?

    Sorry if I may be coming off rude, but it’s silly to have even had hopes for multiple characters. :/

    1. Actually sonic has only been the only playable character for the last 5 games,
      Generations
      Colors
      Unleashed
      Black knight (others were optional an basically the same)
      Secret rings
      This is brutal, I cannot stand not playing as other characters besides sonic! His gameplay is just getting flat out boring and repetitive in my opinion. I like those games, I actually love colors, but it’s about time sega brought back some tails and knuckles gameplay

      1. Couldn’t agree more, though I like Black Knight for the reason of optional characters I mean you don’t have to play as them but at least they are there.

        1. Finally!! Thank you sir!! Somebody among many who appreciate alternate character gameplay! You hear us sega! The people have spoken.

          1. Hey, I agree with you. I did enjoy Sonic’s gameplay in Unleashed through Generations, and I’m really glad they’re changing it up in Lost Worlds. but I miss the other characters. And really, the main reason many people say that “they suck” is due to the gameplay they’re associated with. I would love other characters, even if they’re optional; and they don’t have to have drastically different play-styles. Make Tails somewhat slower, yet able to reach short-cuts that Sonic cannot reach by flying. Make Knuckles slower and jump lower (like in Sonic 3 & Knuckles), but be able to bust through certain obstacles and access areas using his glide/climb abilities. I mean, Knuckles is my all-time favorite video game character, yet he has had no purpose in the main Sonic series since SA2. Heroes and 06 he was there just to be there (and 06 his gameplay wasn’t exactly great, and you barely got to control him), Unleashed he was taken out completely, and Generations I can’t complain, but the guy got bitch slapped by Amy Rose XD. I just miss him being there and actually having a purpose instead of either being Sonic’s dumb muscle, or being the butt of everyone’s jokes.

            Regardless, though, I’m at least glad he’s in this game, and I’m hoping he will have some significance. I still have my hopes up for a Sonic 4 Ep. 3, as that will hopefully have him playable.

            Regardless of characters, this game does look awesome! I’m just still very worried about the Guardians, as they look like they are REALLY directed toward a younger audience…

    2. That’s the point, Knuckles and Tails SHOULDN’T be slow. They used to be fast, and they should be again. ’06 just ruined them, but they were always fun, even in 3D. Bringing them back wouldn’t just mean different characters, but maybe also new ways to get through levels (flying, digging, gliding, chaos powers, psychic powers, fire spins, etc).

      1. They should be fast like in sonic 3&k and adventure, bring back the spindash and gliding for knuckles. He should have fast paced combat oriented levels that don’t break the sense of momentum like in 06 or sonic advance 2

  13. Just a quick question: Is that screenshot from the 3DS or the Wii U because I’m not particularly impressed by them if they are the Wii…

  14. I wonder if new info will still be out tomorrow since Sega has no updates up on the trailer or anything on their Facebook page or blog and all the info has been coming from ign so far.

  15. Is anyone else bothered by the fact that this looks more like a Mario game than a Sonic one?

  16. BUT WHY BRING WISPS BACK!? We have sonic colors and generations planet wisp for that….
    I will get over it eventually but seriously. WHYY

  17. I smiled when the IGN people said that this game continues after Sonic and Tails finding out that Eggman escaped from the white space from Generations.

    So from Sonic Colors>Sonic Generations>Sonic Lost World

    Is this a saga I smell?

    1. It’s Sonic Colors 2 essentially because of the Wisps returning and the continuation from Generations.

      Which means good ole Yacked is back with his demented language.

  18. Eggman? Not Eggmen? Are we supposed to forget that two Robotnika were stuck there? Maybe one Eggman got hungry and went all canibal on the other…

    1. Robotnik went back into the past to continue his earlier adventures. If he didn’t, there would be no Eggman to fight between the Genesis days and Generations.

  19. -Wisps added variety. They’ll find a way.
    -I don’t care about other characters, they were normally just padding anyway, maybe just as replay value…
    -It looks INCREDIBLE. Click on one of those full rez ones, absolutely HD 1080p TO THE MAX
    -This is what Sonic was supposed to be in 3D, It doesn’t even look like mario
    -I LOVE THE ART DIRECTION. It’s finally stylized!

    1. It actually does look like mario in a lot of ways, like the trees, the sky, the smoke sonic leaves behind, and the badnik explosions but mostly the trees, the trees just look plain wrong. Its like they just riped any old blob tree from a mario game and stuck it in. There are so many things that look to nintendo for sonics cool edgy style. Im not really sure what i think about a remake of sweet mountain or of sonic switching gears like a car…

      1. Agreed. It looks like SEGA/Sonic Team are rounding off everything, smoothing the landscapes and whatnot…it just doesn’t look as edgy as detailed as his last games.
        They’re continuing to appeal to kids way too much, and this worries me slightly.

        1. It doesnt even look as edgy or detailed as his FIRST game, and thats a little sad. Even in the classic games they tried to texture the enviornments realistically for example the water: http://www.sonicstadium.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/28019SONIC_LOST_WORLD_Wii_U_Screenshots_720p_1280x720_v1_2.jpg as compaired to:http://www.soniczone0.com/games/sonic3/hydrocity/s3-hz-appearanceimg2.png look at the water falling around him and in the background
          it just looks so much better and more sonical.

          http://gamingbolt.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/new-super-mario-bros-u_06.jpg I dont see any similarities…

        1. I and many other probably would regardless of what platform it fell on.
          The landscapes, characters and general art direction are just way too similar. They would have always got the “Super Sonic Galaxy” name thrown around, despite Sonic X-treme technically coming first…

  20. Other than Sonic as the only playable, I’m very pleased with this. Perhaps they’re going for a wider continuity (gasp) and showing Wisp origins with Lost Hex? The Guardians have a very Wisp-y design, if that makes any sense, so this is all tying together rather smoothly. Loving the stage design and look, the whole Parkor thing is something I’ve been anticipating for Sonic for a while now.
    And as for Sonic only /again,/ I can say I won’t mind it too much here, since this is turning out to be a very different Sonic than in recent games. Working out a single new formula and seeing how it functions is enough to worry about in making Super Sonic Galaxy. But this better be it and next game we get a little more base gameplay variety, since by then it’ll be inexcusable and just come off as bland.

  21. I feel so disapointed now. Sorry, but, aside from the beauty of the graphics, there’s nothing to interesting here. The game should’ve been called Sonic Galexy, because that’s what it looks like. And once again, Sonic is the only playable character…uh, we still want to play as Tails, Knuckles, Shadow and even Silver you know. It’s been over 6 years now, and no mainstream Sonic game with multiple playable characters. I get that after Adventure, SA2, Heroes and ’06, everyone was tired to all the clutter of characters, but again, it’s been six years. You can’t just keep going Sonic, Sonic, Sonic, Sonic, Sonic because it’s just going to get boring. Yes, we had the werehog, wisps, and Classic Chubby Sonic, but there’s no variety. It’s like having a Gran Turismo game where the only car is a Mercedes with a regular version, a monster looking version, a version with multiple power up and a small, classic version. It’s time for another blockbuster Sonic game, but sadly this isn’t it. I hope I get proven wrong. Please, Sonic Team, please prove me wrong and have this as a really great game.

    1. So lemme get this straight.

      Their hard work and dedication to finding a style that suits not only Sonic fans that are used to going fast, but fans that could enjoy the game who aren’t exactly speed demons, and the interesting art direction that the game is taking is all fruitless…………….because of a few extra characters?

      1. I find the gameplay defined as the one gameplay finally suited for the Sonic franchise… It’s the fact that Sonic is the only one there… But then I do not want ALL characters to be playable, cause that will be too much… I was just hoping for the one character who can very closely duplicate Sonic’s gameplay, just adding his own abilities and moves and his own missions, be in this game… I’m talking about Shadow the Hedgehog…

        1. All Hail Shadow!

          Seriously, Sonic Team needs to bring back 2 player race mode and make Shadow and/or Metal Sonic and/or Blaze the other playable character(s).

          If you have all of those characters, put them to good use. Don’t just use them as foils for Sonic in the cutscenes or as filler characters in spin-offs.

  22. I think I’m the only one unimpressed after watching the trailer. The games style and feel is to close to Mario Galaxy, and while change in pace can be good, it’s not what I was hoping for. When they first announced 3 exclusive titles I was really bummed out, (I’m a PC gamer). But after seeing the trailer, I don’t feel like I’m being robbed of anything. This game gets my lowest expectations, and I truly hope this is a spin-off title.

  23. Seriously!? Why do you want to play as Sonic’s friends? They were so awful that even SEGA themselves mocked them, don’t you remember? Project Needlemouse, character countdown? No more of Sonic’s friends? The entire gaming journalism industry was happy. Gamers were happy. The only ones complaining were some of the Sonic fans.

    “It sure was fun to play as Amy in SA, and don’t forget the awesome emerald levels! Man, that random robot had such a remarkable design! Oh, don’t forget fishing! Random mech arcade shooter? Count me in. Even MORE emerald digging, this time with rap songs in the background? YEAH! Cream the Rabbit? Totally necessary character.”

    Nobody (except some of the Sonic fans) wants to play as Sonic’s friends. And I salute SEGA for listening to us.

    1. Then make them optional, you know for the people that want to play as other people, you don’t have to touch them.

      1. Games like Adventure 1 and 2 forces the player to play other characters. I don’t wish to see that again.

        1. But games like Sonic Advance and Sonic Rush gave you the choice. Why ne them like that?

          1. Advance and Rush had the least problems. Even though they played nearly the same, at least they weren’t that much of a train wreck.

        2. Black Knight is a good example of having optional characters

          – They are not in all stages, only the ones after the first credit roll
          – You have a choice to pick, and you can still pick Sonic, and its not forced

          Also the advance series to heck do it like Sonic 3 and K

          1. But without Other characters the games are shorter, boring and repetitive with ZERO replay value. I never go back to play generations or unleashed… Why? Because it was so short and forgettable that frankly I don’t care. At least in advance, rush, and black knight they were optional. it is has the same monotonous gameplay we’ve had for the last 3 games, boost, hold forward, jump, that’s it. A little flying with tails would be a breath of fresh air, knuckles with fast paced, combat oriented levels would be a dream come true! But no no no, sega won’t do that because it was a problem for some fans to sit through other gameplay besides sonic. I’m not saying all the characters are good, but variety wouldn’t kill anyone. Sega, you let me Down big time, and I hope we get tails and Knuckles back soon

  24. The only other people that seems disappointed by this is fan sites like TSSZ. Little that they know no games after Adventure 2 ever did multiple characters right. Heroes was marred by bad level design and rpg elements. 06 was marred by Sega’s dumb idea to ship the game unfinished. Adventure 1 and 2 was pretty much chores to play as, but they somehow got worse. This is apparent in party titles and within games like Secret Rings. Multiplayer in Sonic games usually ends up in a disaster. Adventure 2 was alright, but most of the bad design choices carried on from the main game. In games like the advance series, all the characters nearly play the same as Sonic; it doesn’t help that it’s THE SAME LEVELS.

    Sega needs to hire better people or playing as Sonic is the only option to go.

  25. They’re bringing back Wisps? Ugh, I don’t like the sound of this. I hope the levels aren’t as slow-paced and boring as Colors’.

  26. Fuck the wisps. They ruined the flow of Sonic Colors by begin forced to use and made the game NES blocky. I just hope they’re more optional here.

    1. Agreed. They slowed down the game and made it feel like an average Platformer rather than a Sonic game. For all the flak Unleashed gets, I enjoyed its daytime stages much better than Colors.

    2. And since when were you force to use them in Colors? They were mostly for optional path so I have no ideal what you are ranting about.

    3. The wisp were only forced in a few sections, that wasn’t really a problem and Since they were a gimmick you can’t blame them for making the level design blocky that’s just stupid.

  27. Everything looks fine… But only Sonic playable made me greatly disappointed… I was expecting this game to be bigger than Sonic… At least make Shadow playable, since he is the closest one to copy Sonic’s gameplay… Who is perfect for having a very near similar gameplay as Sonic, just giving his own moves and abilities… It doesn’t really matter if he doesn’t fit in the game, makes it actually better to give Shadow a self unique feel, and seen…

  28. NOT ENOUGH people have mentioned Sonic X-Treme here. That was the FIRST thing I thought of when I saw this.

  29. The Wisps returns?! This is too awesome!! Somehow I get this feeling that Orbot and Cubot will return XD

  30. Wow~…after seeing this trailier, I can say that I’m glad this isn’t comming out on Xbox One or PS4. This is nothing but a Sonic version of Mario galaxy. Plus the villians look realy childish.

  31. “Sonic is the only playable character.”
    So it’s not the new awesome reborn game of Sonic Iizuka said.
    So, why not a nintendo exclusifs. But we want our new Sonic Next Gen. Real Next Gen…

    1. YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT SONIC BEING THE ONLY PLAYABLE CHARACTER MEANS THAT ITS NOT-*breathe* calm *breathe* collective *breathe*……..where am I, who am I

  32. before I forget… did anyone notice that Sonic’s running in his Super Peel-out style? Last time I’ve seen him run like that was in Super Smash Bros. Brawl

  33. While they may not be playable, at least some of Sonic’s friends appear in the story. I just hope it is not like the DS version of Colors where the characters just happen to be there to give missions but don’t really do anything to help.

  34. They partnered with nintendo so they could rip off mario galaxy I see. I’m sure it’ll be fun, but man it’s really getting tiresome not having a sonic game with substance. I could care less about multiple playable characters, but I haven’t been really into a game since the Adventures some 10 years ago, which had multiple characters/a divided experience & was still better than any “focused” game since.

    1. You guys realize the concept of Sonic Xtreme was before Mario Galaxy right? Mario galaxy riped off the idea from a cancelled game. Google up Sonic Xtreme.

      1. The first line was meant to be a joke haa. I’m well aware of sonic extreme. I even still have the shirt they sold to advertise it in the states.

    2. I highly doubt Nintendo copied Sonic extreme. I dont think Nintendo steals other companies ideas thats what Sony is for lol jk

    1. Sega can barely make the gameplay fun for games with just sonic, how do you expect them to fare with multiple characters too? We’ll see if they ever get back into the hang of things.

      1. Sega has had more than enough time to start developing this game, it been a while. They better make sonic fun to play as, this seems sort of gimmicky In my opinion. But they seem to want to make sonic more fluid with his gameplay and be able to attack and explore things without killing the sense of speed and momentum. It could go either way for me.

        1. True… Besides, I have feeling this is the gameplay that will define Sonic gameplay… Why not test this kind of gameplay with another character who doesn’t entirely change the gameplay, or to be more clear, who is right to have a very close game play as sonic and put him in sonic lost world… I’m talking about Shadow, since he is the closest to sonic in gameplay. Why not make him playable here with the same gameplay as sonic, just giving his own abilities and power ups…

  35. I really hate the look of those 6 guardians, its like theyre out of spyro skylanders or something, otherwise i think the game looks fantastic. If they were to include new enemies they should go back to how it was in sonic 3 and knuckles where eggman would place a mega badnik at the end of the act and then face eggman at the end of every zone.

  36. Best example of additional characters wasn’t even Black Knight. Advance 3 (and to a lesser extent, Rush Adventure) had you unlock the extra characters in the main story while streamlining it into one big story where you play whoever you want because other characters had unique abilities that allowed you to progress as you saw fit.

  37. Let me just point out a few things.
    For those of you complaining about multiple playing characters:
    Sonic team has had issues lately with sonic gameplay alone in the last few titles (I.e. strange gimmicks, too short, rough control when boosting). Do you really want sega to shift their focus from good, balanced sonic fast and platformy (which was how sonic was in the first place) to having many characters to focus, tweak, and balance for the levels? Remember Sonic 06? Yeah. I’d rather have one good and balanced character rather than have many unbalanced and hard to control characters or different skinned copies of sonic. Although I like playing as the other characters in the classics, I always preferred sonic over the others anyway.
    For those complaining about this game being too “childish” or much like super mario galaxy:
    Why is childish a bad thing? For those who have been around since the first sonic game on genesis, you were probably kids when you played that. Cartoony graphics and the such remind me of such good old times and I find it very welcoming to new gamers (kids) and older ones for the nostalgia (if done right. Of course there isn’t enough footage of the game yet).
    As for it being similar to Super Mario Galaxy, I don’t care. No one seems to complain when FPS games do the same old run around, shoot people, shoot more people, call of duty repetitive bullshit. Having similar styles to another game isn’t copying it or stealing from it per say. Try to remember the old days where all games seemed similar due to their design. Sure technology has changed over the years, but that doesn’t mean we have to hate games that LOOK similar. Aren’t all racing games similar in a way? You race on a track with other cars, and that’s the majority of them.

    In other words, what Im trying to say is stop complaining about small issues when the big ones are being taken care of. People didn’t like boost gameplay, so we have some more platform heavy obstacles just like the classics. Just be glad it’s an improvement over many other sonic titles and that sega is moving in the right direction. No one has played the game yet so why review what hasn’t been experienced yet? Wait till it’s released and then critique it.

    1. Also, in mario games nowadays, you only play as mario (or mario clones) and no one complains about this why?

  38. To the Sonic Stadium editors… How do you feel about sonic being the only playable character? Just out of curiosity.

  39. Gamers: the Wii U has no 3rd party support so therefore it sucks!

    Sonic lost world is announced its only for Wii U and 3ds

    Gamers: why only nintendo!!!!!!

    seriously the Wii U just got an awesome new exclusive and you guys are complaining. Just buy the system!. Isnt the reason we buy systems is to play the games that are only for them?!?!. Oh and if you cant afford one then just save up its not coming out untill the end of the year

      1. @ScourgeGhost

        You make it sound like it’ll be easy for people to save up for the system but that’s not the case for everyone. At first, I actually considered in getting the game but I have no interest in getting a Wii U and even if I really wanted the game, I wouldn’t buy the console just for one game.

        I haven’t forgotten about the 3DS version but at the same time I’m not getting my hopes up. It will probably be a watered down version.

        1. Yeah, I was slightly disappointed to see that the 3DS version would essentially have the same gameplay as the console version, whereas with Colors and Generations, the handheld version had unique gameplay (and in the case of Generations, levels).

          Does this mean no more 2D Sonic games (except Sonic 4)? 🙁

  40. That main screen of baddies really reminds me of the scrapped badnik enemy artwork from the original Sonic the Hedgehog.

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