STAR WARS: Galactic Racer™
STAR WARS: Galactic Racer™
Game
Game2012
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Episode I
Developer SEGA
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I is a 2010 platform game developed by Dimps, with assistance from Sonic Team, and published by Sega. It is a sequel to Sonic & Knuckles (1994), following Sonic as he sets out to stop a returning Doctor Eggman. Like the Sonic the Hedgehog games released for the Sega Genesis, Episode I features side-scrolling gameplay, with movement restricted to a 2D plane. The player races through… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
281 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Nov 2, 2026 · last updated Nov 5, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
28
Rotten
61 positive · 157 negative
95% range 22–34%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 61 | 157 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 2 | 6 | 55 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Negative
895 of 2,649 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
28% recommend · 61 yes, 154 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 215 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Negative (1,552 of 3,915 positive).
Some players find the game overhated and enjoyable despite its flaws. [1][2][3] Many reviewers criticize the poor physics, level design, and graphics. [4][5][6] Several players recommend skipping it in favor of other Sonic titles. [7][8][6]
Liked
Representative posts
- [1]
I love this game. Here's my extensive review on it. Introduction I went into this game aware of all the hate and negativity around it. People treat this game like the hell spawn of this franchise and as one of the worst Sonic games. After actually playing it, I got an experience that I really enjoyed. I believe the hate is immensely overblown by bandwagons of people repeating (usually) youtuber opinions without …
- [17]
A miserable experience. Despite the beautiful art style and shading, the game itself is woefully short and uninspired. It feels more like a de-make of the original first game compared to a stand-alone product. The boss fights are tedious, the final level is a glorified boss rush, and the overall experience ends with a fizzle rather than a bang. I would not recommend this game to anyone who actually values their time.
- [5]
I knew this game was cheeks… but replaying it again really cemented that thought. It feels like a project made by some interns at Sega who had zero experience with Sonic games. My man Sonic literally feels like he has butter on his feet, constantly losing momentum on slopes, and the overall game feels very heavy and not fun to control. On top of that, the visuals look like straight out of a Bejeweled game. I’d say …
- [6]
"How bad could it be?" I thought, "I think I'd like a bad Sonic game over a lot of other mediocre games." Therein lies the problem: Sonic 4 doesn't feel like a Sonic game. It has the visual trappings of a 2D Sonic game. It has rings you can grab and loops you can run through, but it just doesn't feel right. Sonic's momentum is all wrong. He seemingly loses speed on a ramp down. His jumps feel mysteriously off. …
- [4]
This game just sucks. Any other review will say the exact same things I would. The game's advertised as a sequel to Sonic 3&K, but it's much closer to being a nostalgia bait remake of the first Sonic the Hedgehog game. It's not even a good remake of the first game, but that's evident considering the game was made for mobile. The physics are bad, the graphics are ugly, and there's nothing good I can even say about …
Summarised from 34 of the 284 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 12, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Episode I sits at 28% positive across 218 opinionated reactions from 2 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
According to review aggregator Metacritic, the Wii version received "generally favorable reviews", while the both iOS and other console versions received "mixed or average reviews". IGN's Hilary Goldstein gave the game a score of 8.0 and an Editor's Choice award, calling it "short but sweet and well worth downloading." GamesRadar+'s Justin Towell gave it a score of 9/10, calling it "deserving of the name, Sonic the Hedgehog 4." 1UP.com's Kat Bailey gave it a B rank, praising the game's speed while criticizing some occasional poor design, such as boss battles and puzzles. GameTrailers gave it a 7.5, calling it a worthy investment for Sonic fans. Digital Spy gave it three out of five stars,…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 281 · most liked firstWhat a game beautiful game, if you are blind great sound, if you are deaf great gameplay, if you are armless Overall a great game if you don't play it
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Tonight. In ONE HOUR. Wii RetroAchievements support is here. A TON of awesome, iconic video game titles from one of the most prolific consoles ever made are now given new life. And also Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I. Let's master the greatest game ever made. twitch.tv/therealyocow
neutral · AI labelView post →I love this game. Here's my extensive review on it. Introduction I went into this game aware of all the hate and negativity around it. People treat this game like the hell spawn of this franchise and as one of the worst Sonic games. After actually playing it, I got an experience that I really enjoyed. I believe the hate is immensely overblown by bandwagons of people repeating (usually) youtuber opinions without actually playing the game. However, I appreciate this game for what it is trying…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I will risk enraging the masses by saying that I think Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I is a pretty alright game
neutral · AI labelView post →1. Introduction I decided to play the so called Sonic the Hedgehog 4 - Episode I, the game that practically everyone who likes this franchise speaks ill of—even though I was already aware of that fact. Personally, I’ve never played it and have looked up very little about it online. And you know how the internet works, right? It exaggerates everything for the sake of comedy until that opinion becomes the truth. So, with the most carefree and innocent mindset imaginable, I bought and played…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A miserable experience. Despite the beautiful art style and shading, the game itself is woefully short and uninspired. It feels more like a de-make of the original first game compared to a stand-alone product. The boss fights are tedious, the final level is a glorified boss rush, and the overall experience ends with a fizzle rather than a bang. I would not recommend this game to anyone who actually values their time.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this is a hot take but i think that this might be a bit overhatted now before you put up your pitchforks up and burn me. It's not as bad as people make it out to be sure it might be pretty mid but a mostly negative is a bit too much what should be hated is team sonic racing that game is garbage. sure sonic 4 ep1 might have bad level layouts but if you know them it's not really that bad but i gotta admit there are some sucky stuff in this game but i just believe its not as bad as people make it…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game just sucks. Any other review will say the exact same things I would. The game's advertised as a sequel to Sonic 3&K, but it's much closer to being a nostalgia bait remake of the first Sonic the Hedgehog game. It's not even a good remake of the first game, but that's evident considering the game was made for mobile. The physics are bad, the graphics are ugly, and there's nothing good I can even say about the gameplay. Aside from that and on the positive side of things, the game isn't…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I knew this game was cheeks… but replaying it again really cemented that thought. It feels like a project made by some interns at Sega who had zero experience with Sonic games. My man Sonic literally feels like he has butter on his feet, constantly losing momentum on slopes, and the overall game feels very heavy and not fun to control. On top of that, the visuals look like straight out of a Bejeweled game. I’d say skip this one.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →if you think 06 is worse than this your head aint screwed on right. 06 is a broken rocket trying and failing to reach the moon. this is a slingshot trying to shoot a couple feet ahead but backfiring and hitting you in the eye. theres no reason something this creatively bankrupt, soulless, and unambitious should struggle this hard to meet its own lazy goals. totally worthless in a way games rarely are
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Somehow this garbage has 560 hours on my account??? I'm pretty sure that's because this game continues to run when you close the game on the Windows taskbar. 0/10 Play Sonic Mania instead.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't have anything new to add. Even if you've never played a Sonic game before, I think you'd still hate this. The controls are awful, the graphics are ugly, and the soundtrack sounds like a trashy genesis midi someone downloaded off of the internet. Play literally anything else lol
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →7/10 Contrary to the popular opinion, I actually like the art style of this game. I like weird 3D games and 2000s/2010s jank, so the sharp contrast and crunchy graphics bring a certain charm to me, even though it is a bit reminiscent of the infamous Sonic Blast. Also, as someone who generally struggles with the 2D Sonic platformers, I appreciated this one's lower skill requirement. I'm aware that may be a deterrent for some people, but this is just my experience. With all that said, this game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game was originally intended to be a mobile phone exclusive and it clearly shows. Almost everything is taken from previous Sonic games and it's executed worse. There are only 4 Zones and 12 levels TOTAL in this game (not counting boss levels and special stages.) The controls are terrible, the soundtrack is extremely forgettable aside from 2 songs being Splash Hill Zone and the boss music for every zone (mostly because the damn song is 8 seconds long and plays the entire time.) While the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is wonderful, I got this for my birthday and it makes feel way better about myself because no matter what I will never be as bad as this.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The physics are genuinely awful, enemy placement is sometimes unfair and the level design is terrible. Not worth it
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I honestly dont understand the hate for this game i like it
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is like THE worst sonic game u could play it will give u a headache with its abysmall level design and geniuenly eyestraining graphics
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode I (Steam) - Splash Hill Zone Act 1 in 0'59"18 - Music used is Pluto Raving, by strxwberrymilk Not the most optimized but I finally got that sub-minute I've been dreaming about #Sonic #SonicTheHedgehog #SonicActsUnder60
neutral · AI labelView post →#sonic posting anniversary post for “Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode I” Hi Blaze #art #sonicthehedgehog
neutral · AI labelView post →I don't care what over people say. This is a great game to just pick up and play.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"How bad could it be?" I thought, "I think I'd like a bad Sonic game over a lot of other mediocre games." Therein lies the problem: Sonic 4 doesn't feel like a Sonic game. It has the visual trappings of a 2D Sonic game. It has rings you can grab and loops you can run through, but it just doesn't feel right. Sonic's momentum is all wrong. He seemingly loses speed on a ramp down. His jumps feel mysteriously off. Honestly, I would rather go play Sonic Mania or Sonic Origins again, and that would…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game is lowk buns, i only bought it cuz of episode metal
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is atrocious. The artstyle is bland and ugly, the soundtrack is a mess, and the level design is just obnoxious. Easily one of the worst Sonic games.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →please dont get this even as a joke 😭
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →My father bought me this game for my birthday over ten years ago and I still haven't forgiven him for it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Leaving a positive review to counteract the other one that was posted earlier today. Sega was right to drop that streamer. There is enough hatred in the world already, platforming people who divide us further will only lead to more conflict amongst ourselves while those in power profit from our scrambling. The game is crap though, go play Mania.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Honestly, i don't get whats the hate about this game, i love this game, my 2nd fave sonic game, i played it through and enjoyed it all of what it had to offer. 8/10, wish there were more
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What is wrong with the top reviewer
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When I saw Sonic all oiled up, I was expecting him to strip naked man.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I did not have a good time with this game. The fact that SEGA is charging $10 USD for this is downright disrespectful. Also, the game is so old that it is non-functional on Windows. You will need to jump through a few hoops to get it working (by finding a custom launcher on github, and maybe a xbox 360 controller emulator, though I didn't need the emulator). The first byte of the save file (Sonic_vis_save.dat) is the number of lives you have. Do with that info what you will.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I marks a grand return to 2D after 16 years. The Sonic the Hedgehog series has seen at least eleven 2D platformers between the releases of Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I.
neutral · AI labelView post →This game is overhated. It controls very nicely, looks pretty good, its well optimized, and is generally fun to play. However it does have its faults. The game is short, you can choose where in the game you want to start from which might be a turn on for some people but not me, and theres an exit prompt and you have to configure your own controls and settings. Long story short if steam had a mixed review option this game deserves it and is not worth full price.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is absolutely the worst Sonic game I have ever played. At first, I thought the game would have been fun, but I slowly started to figure out the game isn't fun. The game cheats you out of the end level rings when you know you could have jumped into it, and when you're running, you start spinning in a ball for no reason, causing issues with dodging things from the boss. The placement of some of the enemies is just being cheap for the sake of being cheap. The flame puzzle thing was godawful…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →sonic, now in shovelware form! graphics are generic, and look like they got dipped in vaseline. sonic MOVES like he got dipped in vaseline, with how sluggish the movement is. level design is horrible. homing attack is cool but relied upon way too much. avoid.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Genuine Misery to Fully Complete and get your money's worth out of it. Also ♥♥♥♥ the 1000 enemy kills that you are supposed to get in one play session, which means if the game closes, you have to grind a full hour on average to get the achievement I see potential in this game, but what I thought were grossly overexagerated physics turned out to be even worse than stated. The special stages would be fun if you could control how much force you put in turning directions.. and also if the physics…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i really like this game tho i tried evrything to get it to run and i mean run the game like if u have to play this game to get it worked u have to install direct x and distributable c++ 2010 32 bit x86 and i think u need java i think...btw uhm direct x its on the official microsoft page while c++ 2010 is on techpowerup.com and install also java for it wich is on the official java page. btw i love this game is so beautiful to me i also like episode 2 but i like episode 1 a bit more its bc its…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i grew up with this game should've just stayed a mobile game. like it's OKAY but not really good as THE NEXT BIG THING for the sonic series. Marketing failure :/
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Sonic the Hedgehog series has been a wild roller coaster of peaks and valleys. It has been subject to all sorts of loud opinions and hyperbole on the internet, from the quality of the games themselves to the absurdity of Ken Penders' obsession with echidnas in the comics to "fan"works like Tails Gets Trolled and the prolific but strangely naive fandom of the series online. Sonic the Hedgehog contains multitudes though. For the most part though, the original Genesis games, at least the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm not recommending this not because of the quality of the game, but because it has the gaul to claim itself the objective sequel to Sonic 3. Plain and simple truth is, it isn't. Sonic 4 is not necessarily as bad but it really isn't a good game, basic things like gaining momentum while spinning are obsolete, there is no skillful platforming, no incentive to utilise your skills to kill badniks since the game does it for you, all the new mechanics feel janky and horrible to use, the special…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This was the only sonic game that was the most negative reviewed until sonic rumble came and then the reviews changed
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →for the record, speaking as one of SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 4 Episode I's only fans this review is dead fucking wrong
positive · AI labelView post →the fact that you need install java just for the launcher to work, even though the game doesnt even use it, is crazy... oh yeah, the game sucks btw lol, its better buying it on sale or just getting episode 2, which is better than this and youre actually not missing much if you dont play this one anyway.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →it's just mid also the Achievement "Enemy Hunter" had to be one of the worst achievements i have ever done, not because it's hard skillfully but it's just a insanely boring and massive waste of time.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game gets hated a LOT but it really is a good game sure their are issues mostly visual and momentum based and sometimes you clip through an enemy and get hit the achivments are also a bit unfair but its a good sonic game with original zones and gameplay.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →its so bad that it loops to being good, only to loop to being bad again only thing remotely positive i can say is that id prolly fw the artstyle a bit if it had better lighting MAJOR PRECAUTION IF YOU TRY THE GAME: when you close it, itll sometimes be open in the background and still increase playtime stats.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →playing this is genuienly a form of self-harm
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game killed my grandma
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →im not even gonna write a quippy review i just dont like this damn game
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →normally I don't do this, but yeah, game is ass, fun for a few, but still majority ass + brutal special stages
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sonic 4 has zero original ideas. It was interesting playing this back-to-back with Sonic Forces. That game had interesting ideas but flawed execution, and I would like to see a version of it with more development to fully realise its vision. Sonic 4, on the other hand, already has its fully realised version: it's called Sonic 2. There's no reason for this game to exist. It's a worse version of a game from 1992
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When it released, Sonic 4 Ep 1 was probably the worst PR SEGA has ever done for the franchise. "Sonic 4 as you imagined it" is absolutely hilarious when you realize this was originally a mobile game called "Sonic the Mobile" that SEGA felt brazen enough to release as a console sequel to the original trilogy. When Sonic 4 came out, I liked it as a kid and thought it was fine, but after the amazing Mania and alright Superstars, this game is a complete joke as a proper Sonic 4. Is it terrible?…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →In 2010 sega of america attempted to entice the buying power of the aged sonic fan by returning to their sidescrolling roots. The 3rd-party-contracted mobile game they were producing would, therefore, be rebranded and released on the playstation 3. If you like games that are not fun i think it may be for you.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →best graphics, xbox 360 keyboard binding is annoying ,but the game is still fun aslo on the iphone 4(IOS 7)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game doesn't stand out to me anymore. Sure, I played it a lot as a kid, but looking at it now years later, I finally see the mediocre side of this game. The visuals are mid, the physics suck, sonic looks all blurry (his jump animation is garbage btw), everything looks like plastic, and it's all uninspired. The only good thing about this game in my opinion is the music, but even then, some of the tracks are good while others are bad (Eggman's theme for example). Worst of all, Super Sonic…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you like this game, you need actual help
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →No, it's not a good game. Honestly, it's better off if you skip this game and play Episode 2 instead which is leagues better than whatever excuse this game is. This Sonic title can't even redeem itself from it's awful cel-shading, recreation of the classic era physics, and the OST. The level design also suffers when the game is very linear and the constant homing attack chains of 4-5 enemies. I even went for the 100% and the flaws that I listed above are very noticeable which saddens me as a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the worst Sonic game ever made! It feels like a group of SEGA interns were assigned this project during a school semester and given no budget or proper tools. it feels like they trained them improperly on purpose, as a joke. 'Here's a bunch of assets. Do whatever you want, because we don't care and won't play it before we publish it!' There are so many flaws with this game that it's hard to know where to start. The music is AWFUL and SO REPETITIVE!! Each song lasts about 20 seconds and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bad movement, bad level designs, bad art design, bad music. It's almost bearable if you just really wanna check another game off your Sonic checklist, but it's not something you need to play.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →1st and only game I've ever quit out of sheer disgust and crappyness, and holy have I played crappy games. Do not play, even with the expectancy of it being bad, don't.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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