Sonic: Lost World

 3DS
User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 188 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 70 out of 188
  2. Mixed: 64 out of 188
  3. Negative: 54 out of 188
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  1. budwheizzah
    Nov 18, 2013
    4
    While the game looks great and has that awe inspiring bright Sonic color scheme, the game play is terrible, the auto aim control does whatever the hell it wants and the flow gets frustrating after a very short amount of time. I truly despise games that ask more of the player than the mechanics of the game can afford. The camera is possibly one of the worst recent implementations of aWhile the game looks great and has that awe inspiring bright Sonic color scheme, the game play is terrible, the auto aim control does whatever the hell it wants and the flow gets frustrating after a very short amount of time. I truly despise games that ask more of the player than the mechanics of the game can afford. The camera is possibly one of the worst recent implementations of a camera in a 3D environment I have ever seen.

    All in all, avoid this title.    … Expand
  2. MisterNoodles
    Dec 29, 2013
    3
    This sonic game in my opinion is the worst I have ever played (I have never actual player Sonic 06. SO DON'T GIVE ME CRAP ABOUT IT!) and I was hoping it would live up to the legacy of Sonic Generations or Sonic Colors. But this game feels all clunky and confusing. Sonic can move pretty fast in this game, but you'll run into an obstacle like a closed door very often. Plus the gameThis sonic game in my opinion is the worst I have ever played (I have never actual player Sonic 06. SO DON'T GIVE ME CRAP ABOUT IT!) and I was hoping it would live up to the legacy of Sonic Generations or Sonic Colors. But this game feels all clunky and confusing. Sonic can move pretty fast in this game, but you'll run into an obstacle like a closed door very often. Plus the game continuously tries to bring in ideas from other platformers, like Mario. Though none of these ideas fit or work, and they only seem to make the game more clunky and slow. It just seems to miss the one thing that makes a Sonic game a Sonic game, and that's going fast. But when they continuously put stupid obstacles like closed door or mini bosses, that only happen to slow you down. Than the entire point of this game get's ruined. Plus some of the levels are just confusing and somewhat random. And don't bring up those godawful special levels. The only real positives are the nice graphics and amazing sound track. I mean I use to really love Sonic the Hedgehog games, but I think it's time Sega either get's their act together or let him die off. 3/10… Expand
  3. MissedTheArk
    May 25, 2014
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First off, I'm a huge Sonic fan. In my book, Sonic beats Mario any day. And typically, that alone is enough to make me enjoy a Sonic game, purely from a loyalty standpoint and for love of the character.

    But man… this one just isn't good.

    One of my least favorite parts of any Sonic game is any section that has no "floor"; jumping across platforms that you can just fall off of into nothingness and die. In the best Sonic games, though, those sections are usually few and far between, inserted to offer up some fresh challenge before moving on to the next level. However, in Lost World, an overly-large percentage of the game consists of precariously running/jumping around on floating surfaces and trying to avoid falling off the sides. For me, too much of that is just not fun.

    Some have complained that this game is too slow, but really, I don't think it's necessarily too slow (I mean, Sonic can still move quickly if you want him to) so much as that lots of the levels are just too long. It feels weird for me to be saying that as a complaint, since one of the things I usually LIKE about Sonic games are levels that are good and long and urge a lot of exploration. But in this game, the longest levels are just excruciating and boring. (A few have time limits of up to 24 MINUTES.) For instance, one level has you pushing snowballs around until they get bigger and bigger and then depositing them in holes. Another level has you pushing giant apples around and then depositing them in holes. (???)

    And on that point: there's a storyline that runs through the course of the game via cutscenes, and yet it has virtually nothing to do with the gameplay. (WHY am I pushing apples around? Beats me.) For example--and here's a storyline spoiler--later on in the game, Eggman captures Tails and enslaves him to do Eggman's bidding. What a cool opportunity for some in-game conflict, right? I'd have loved to play a level--or at least a boss fight--where I'm up against Tails and his gadgets! But that's not to be. That conflict exists and gets resolved only in the cutscenes, and shows up nowhere in the gameplay. What a wasted opportunity! It's a shame; in fact, at times, I found myself more interested in the cutscenes than I was in the gameplay. That is NOT a good sign.

    I give this game a 3 because it's not all bad. Every world has a few side-scrolling levels in addition to all of the running-forward-in-3D-and-trying-not-to-fall-off-the-edge levels, and these levels are what I was hoping the entire game would be. Unfortunately, even these levels somehow feel like they should be more fun than they actually are, and they aren't enough to save the game as a whole.    … Expand
  4. Rtheom
    Jan 26, 2014
    3
    I've been a Sonic fan since day 1 and this game is pretty trash. They controls are clunky, the mechanics are dumb, there are faaaaaar too many instant death pits, and its just beyond frustrating.

    I couldn't recommend this to anyone when we have so many better Sonic titles out there like the re-release of the classics that keep coming out, the Sonic Rush series and even the Sonic    I've been a Sonic fan since day 1 and this game is pretty trash. They controls are clunky, the mechanics are dumb, there are faaaaaar too many instant death pits, and its just beyond frustrating.

    I couldn't recommend this to anyone when we have so many better Sonic titles out there like the re-release of the classics that keep coming out, the Sonic Rush series and even the Sonic Generations 3DS game. Go pick old copies of those up. They capture the good stuff that is real Sonic.    … Expand
  5. JossCard
    Feb 18, 2014
    4
    I recently went to Mexico to visit my wife’s family. For the trip I went out and purchased Sonic Lost Worlds for my 3DS. I couldn’t get past the first level before realizing I’d made a huge mistake.

    I had also brought along Mario 3d Land so I could kind of compare the two, since both of them are astoundingly similar. Both are platformers, both run on the “get to the end of the level”    I recently went to Mexico to visit my wife’s family. For the trip I went out and purchased Sonic Lost Worlds for my 3DS. I couldn’t get past the first level before realizing I’d made a huge mistake.

    I had also brought along Mario 3d Land so I could kind of compare the two, since both of them are astoundingly similar. Both are platformers, both run on the “get to the end of the level” mechanic, and both incorporate power-ups and collectables in the games.

    Sonic LW had the issues of control. It was too slow if I wasn’t running, and it got unweildly if I ran for too long. I discovered that a lot of the collectables I’d have to go back and replay a level for which I didn’t much care for. Replayability isn’t about forcing your player to go back and replay the game if they want 100% completion. It’s about encouraging them. When in the first few levels I ran into several bubbles that were greyed out indicating that I hadn’t gotten what I’d needed yet, it made me frustrated because I was all, “Did I miss something?”

    The different gravity idea was pretty neat, I have to admit. Seems like Sonic Xtreme finally got some sort of debut after all, but it still didn’t do away with the endless pits that have plagued 3d Sonic games since Sonic Adventure.

    The controls, aside from twitchy, weren’t well thought out. If I have a double jump AND a homing attack, and I have 4 buttons near my right thumb alone, why the hell are they both on the jump button? I can’t begin to count the amount of times I died trying to double jump only to homing attack or vice versa. The game isn’t very clear what it wants me to do a lot of the time either. In world 2 I encountered an enemy that kept hurting me when I tried to use a homing attack. It also kept hurting me when I used a spin dash. When I finally figured out that the spin dash did do something to it, it took me too long to figure out that after the spin dash I needed to do that ultra-homing attack, despite the target being in spin-dash range. (The enemy also had no rebound, so when I’d do the spin dash, half the time I’d stop right inside his hit box and get hit instead of bouncing off like most enemies.)

    The bonus levels were novel, I have to admit, but I was extremely disappointed while on the plane to discover that I couldn’t use the control stick at all. I had to move the entire 3DS, which in a normal situation at home wouldn’t be a problem, but any time I’m traveling makes it next to impossible to play. I eventually figured out that there was a “hold” button which would let me, effectively, recalibrate the 3DS’ position letting me essentially keep swiping with my 3DS instead of trying to turn 360 degrees in my cramped seat on the airplane.

    Compare this to Super Mario 3D Land that incorporated the large star coins that were findable my first time through and added a slight level of challenge to each level. The controls never felt awkward, twitchy, or irritating. Any gimmick that the 3DS brought to the table, be it 3D or the gyroscope, was a bonus instead of required. The levels were fun to explore without being over-punishing. And the levels were all short enough for a quick pick-up and play. Sonic Lost Worlds failed this on all regards.

    While I get that it’s just a port from the Wii U, and a portable one at that, I had higher hopes for this game after playing Sonic Generations. But this game is just too hard to control to make it worth my while. Definitely wasn’t worth the cash I’d paid for it.    … Expand
  6. StriderKiwi
    Oct 30, 2013
    3
    A sonic game where sonic can't even run fast is like a racing game where the cars cap out at 20mph. The game is nauseating, boring, the camera is horrible and will make you miss a lot of jumps, it's a shameless and horrible bastardization of Mario Galaxy. The only reason i'm not giving it a 0 is because the graphics both ingame and during cutscenes and the 3D are actually prettyA sonic game where sonic can't even run fast is like a racing game where the cars cap out at 20mph. The game is nauseating, boring, the camera is horrible and will make you miss a lot of jumps, it's a shameless and horrible bastardization of Mario Galaxy. The only reason i'm not giving it a 0 is because the graphics both ingame and during cutscenes and the 3D are actually pretty impressive. Everything else about Lost World, however, is not. I'd say just get the WiiU version but from what I'm hearing, that one is having a lot of the same problems too.… Expand
  7. Tokyochuchu
    Nov 24, 2013
    3
    I love Sonic and I always have. I remember staring google eyed at the first game in my local game store when I was eleven years old. And so the love affair began. Sonic 1,2,3, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Advance... All great classic titles that fill me with joy and nostalgia. Of course, there have been some truly hideous Sonic titles sent out there too. Although it's belovedI love Sonic and I always have. I remember staring google eyed at the first game in my local game store when I was eleven years old. And so the love affair began. Sonic 1,2,3, Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Advance... All great classic titles that fill me with joy and nostalgia. Of course, there have been some truly hideous Sonic titles sent out there too. Although it's beloved by a certain contingent, I felt the rot got semi-started by Sonic Adventure 2 which was buggy and poorly made. And then it got worse; Sonic Heroes, the Sonic Rush series, the Sonic Advance sequels, Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic Unleashed and... Possibly the worst game OF ALL TIME, take a bow Sonic '06. But the blue blur has bounced back in recent years. Sonic Colors pulled Sonic out of the crapper and games like Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing, Sonic 4: Episode II and the sublime Sonic Generations kept him out. And now we have Sonic: Lost World on 3DS. Which is... Unbelievably bad. The unfortunate trait of forcing in mechanics that don't work or belong has been pushed into overdrive with this game. Sega has thrown everything and anything at the wall to see what sticks. Here's a hint, Sega; NONE OF IT DOES! Infuriating design choices, limited actual 'platforming' levels (the kind of which are unhindered by awful gimmicks), a crazy amount of trial and error... It's just bad heaped upon bad. And it's really unforgiving to boot. That's such a shame because the demo was tons of fun. Why can't they make a game like that without messing it up with all kinds of annoying additions? I sincerely hope that the WiiU version is better because this awful title represents a real stumbling block for the franchise. Basically; avoid this game at all costs!… Expand
  8. tdebug
    Jan 19, 2014
    3
    You will like it only if you like 3D platformer games. Even though I love original Sonic series, 3D versions of those give totally different experience and basically those are totally different games.
  9. Karples
    Mar 17, 2014
    3
    I actually am confused to why some people are giving these games 10's. IGN said this was a Mario Galaxy ripoff- thats dumb. That's not why I hate this game. The reason I hate this game because it is a broken one. Soundtrack: Compared to the rest of the lineup from Sonic games, (hell, even '06 had pretty good music!) the music was nothing to write home about. Pretty standard, a little jazzI actually am confused to why some people are giving these games 10's. IGN said this was a Mario Galaxy ripoff- thats dumb. That's not why I hate this game. The reason I hate this game because it is a broken one. Soundtrack: Compared to the rest of the lineup from Sonic games, (hell, even '06 had pretty good music!) the music was nothing to write home about. Pretty standard, a little jazz during some of the boss fights that I appreciate, but that's actually all I can remember about the music. Sonic moves slow, and thats okay. I could easily forgive that because people do complain about his speed in reviews almost always, so that was SEGA trying to appease in some ways. However, I cant forgive because of the horrible level design. Sonic moves slow, and you can tell here. Even Sonic Rush, a fully 2-D game gave me a better sense of speed. But thats always apparent as he trudges through the levels, which is a pretty acurate description of what you'll be doing. Remember Unleashed and those nigh stages that took hopefully less than seventeen minutes to complete? Some of the levels in this game have time limits of 20 minutes. 20 minutes, for a character solely based on speed. Levels include misdirection of what you're supposed to do - for example, there's a move that sonic has to preform to stun enemies is not well implemented, so only by pressing buttons at random will teach you how to beat enemies, which I learned through tiring trial and error. Sonic's homing attack locks onto other enemies, so trying to hit one will end up sending you flying into 5 other ones, possibly one that can only be killed using the stun attack, leaving you with a dead sonic for soemthing the game forced you to do. Overall, the parkour was not impresive. I was one of the few actually looking forward to all the things that Sega could do with it...in reality sonic gets a rainbow trail and can run up walls and on walls. This isnt anything new, really, not only for the way that the parkour is presented, but also by sonic game standards.The graphics look nice, which is why I'm giving it a 3 instead of a 2. However, i've seen some people praising the cutscene graphics. The cutscene graphics are mauled and look pixelated. Compare that to the graphics of Fire Emblem, a much longer, better-looking, content-filled game, which has cutscenes that look absolutely gorgeous. But compare the release dates. Fire Emblem was released on April 19, 2013, while Lost World was released on October 22, 2013. Laziness? Yes. Which is sad to think that this game was co-created by DIMPS, creator of Sonic Rush, possibly the most solid Sonic title to date. The Zeti characters are nothing special, mostly just stereotypes. There's the fat one. He likes food. There's the girl. She's angry that she 'chipped a nail'. THis isn't anything groundbreaking, and often the plot introduces things that are nonsensical. There's a mgic conch that causes them to be unable to use their powers? I think? The writers from Sonic Colors are back and while Sonic Colors can be tolerable and alright at times, it's horribly forced here. Tails becomes whiny about Sonic not believing he can fix something, and that becomes a secondary plot line...just...stupid. Eggman has some alright lines and the voice actor has a great performance, as does Roger Craig Smith, but a terrible script and plot can't save anything. Something else I'd like to add (although I havent even covered everything) is the special stages. The worst implementation of gyroscope that I have ever seen, you'll twist and turn like a dunce for an hour, leaving you with a feeling of actual nausea. Avoid this title. It's aggravating with horrible controls and camera, horribly designed levels that strip Sonic of his speed and make him push around apples and snowballs for a couple hours.… Expand
  10. PizzaSlapper
    Nov 10, 2014
    4
    I hate the fact that I hate this game, since it actually has a lot going for it.
    Beautiful graphics, and actual 3D Sonic game on a handheld, good intuitive free-run mechanics.
    But than it has so many things wrong with it that keeps me from fully liking this game. The first couple of stages are great, and it made me believe that this game would be something different. Something great.    I hate the fact that I hate this game, since it actually has a lot going for it.
    Beautiful graphics, and actual 3D Sonic game on a handheld, good intuitive free-run mechanics.
    But than it has so many things wrong with it that keeps me from fully liking this game.

    The first couple of stages are great, and it made me believe that this game would be something different. Something great.
    But than they start to introduce new mechanics, partnered with some terrible level design. And it just starts going all downhill. Especially when they force you to use the Wisps. These are the worst addition to this game. Sega felt the need to try and make every level feel fresh by forcing you to use Wisps, instead of actually designing their stages around the free run mechanics and the fairly fast platforming.

    For instance; in the first of the Forest levels (I forgot the name of the zone) they make you use a "stone wisp" which you have to roll around with the gyroscope in the 3DS. There's no way to break, and no way to turn back. The only thing you can do is steer, which is really disorientating. Especially when you have to push a switch. Roll over a set of platforms. Make a weird jump onto a switch and than somehow not fall off the too small platform that the switch is one.

    Or the water level where you have to use a wisp to navigate. You use this wisp more than 90% of the level and there is no way to do it without using the wisp. Did I mention that it controls like **** and that you're basically dead whenever you touch something?

    Oh, and the 2D levels, there are a couple of them and they feel glitchy and unfun. Sega has to learn to let 2D Sonic go. They did this in Generations too, where the 3D parts where fantastic, but the 2D segments just felt unnecessary and they really took me out of the action. Though they weren't close to as bad as they are in this game, they were still enjoyable enough to ignore.

    But than they have some levels which are great! The, as previously mentioned, first couple of levels were great and there were some levels that were also fantastic, like the first stage in Frozen Factory Zone, which managed to use the electric Wisp in a fun way, even though it also had a terrible snowboarding segment at the beginning.

    This game really disappointed me. There were some really great levels, incredible graphics for a 3DS and a great soundtrack. But SEGA managed to screw it up by forcing me to use some really sloppy mechanics.    … Expand
  11. saxo27
    Mar 6, 2016
    4
    Well, like most games I have reviewed, I am a few years late. I decided not to trust the reviews, for they may not truely represent the game. However, this game is rubbish. Only a handful of time do I feel like I wasted my money on a 3DS game. Read the negative reviews below and you shall see some of the salient problems. Noteably, the boring levels. Absolutely boring with no place in aWell, like most games I have reviewed, I am a few years late. I decided not to trust the reviews, for they may not truely represent the game. However, this game is rubbish. Only a handful of time do I feel like I wasted my money on a 3DS game. Read the negative reviews below and you shall see some of the salient problems. Noteably, the boring levels. Absolutely boring with no place in a game where the character is meant to be fast (really, pushing apples and then being punished by falling down a well of water. Really, really!?!?1). Don't waste you money, unless it is under 10 dollars. I bought it on the eshop and am quite pissed. Stay away and enjoy something else!… Expand
  12. Panzsho
    Jun 25, 2020
    2
    Se ve bien y suena bien, pero más allá de eso, nada de donde agarrarse. Tiene partes en que los enemigos son bolsas de vida y otras donde se pierde la sensación de fluidez. Sólo he jugado esta versión, pero tengo entendido que la versión de Wii U es más jugable.
  13. VoltageElekid
    Jun 21, 2015
    1
    The game looks good no doubt about it but once again sonic fails to appeal me what happened to sonic? Can't sega for once make a good sonic game? this game is trash its garbage the levels are so boring and it is not fun very bad game I do not recommend 1/10 :(
  14. shadowhedgehog
    Sep 22, 2016
    2
    i really dont like this game i got to level 3 and got bored of it i still havent touched it since and i have no intention of its too bad what were u thinking sega
  15. IndieCrit
    May 12, 2018
    3
    This is from the perspective of an individual who has never played Sonic 2006 and Wii U Sonic Lost World. Face it. This game is bad. The controls are clunky and levels are poor and uninspired. Sonic is too slow and a lot more is wrong with this (like the Deadly Six). That's right. This game is very bad. I made this review really late, too.
  16. BurtKocain
    Jun 9, 2021
    3
    When it comes to Sonic Lost World, few games fail so spectacularly at executing the most basic aspects of gameplay. Whether it's the awkward control system that works against the player at every turn, the frustrating level designs which frequently overshoot their own ambitions, the anticlimactic boss fights, or complete lack of flow or momentum in its design, nothing about this game everWhen it comes to Sonic Lost World, few games fail so spectacularly at executing the most basic aspects of gameplay. Whether it's the awkward control system that works against the player at every turn, the frustrating level designs which frequently overshoot their own ambitions, the anticlimactic boss fights, or complete lack of flow or momentum in its design, nothing about this game ever quite adds up to a satisfying experience. The 3DS version also frequently struggles to hold an acceptable framerate, and is further burdened by atrociously compressed FMV cinematics and bonus stages which make infuriatingly poor use of the system's built-in gyroscope. All in all, a tough sell even for the most die-hard Sonic fans and best avoided by nearly everyone else.… Expand
  17. Fireyoshi779
    Nov 25, 2021
    3
    The game looks ok,the graphics are like sonic colors on 3ds but that's not a big deal.The thing that is bad is that levels can be to long,to way too easy or hard or annoying.And it feels like it took a few months to make with a crappy story,has uninspired bosses that look like discounted koopaings and boss fights are too easy and the wisp are very useless.

Awards & Rankings

52
#52 Best 3DS Game of 2013
14
#14 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2013
22
#22 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
59

Mixed or average reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 34
  3. Negative: 6 out of 34
  1. Gaming Nexus
    Dec 13, 2013
    65
    While Sonic Lost World isn’t a terrible game, I feel as though Sega missed the mark quite a bit here. The controls are very touchy and at times downright horrible, the auto-target feature can get you into trouble with the homing attack, and the novelty of the Special Stages wears off quickly.
    Read full review
  2. Games Master UK
    Nov 27, 2013
    49
    Great potential squandered by unimaginative level design and cheap mechanical failings. [Christmas 2013, p.82]
  3. Cubed3
    Nov 25, 2013
    80
    While some infrequent instances of poor game design prevent the game from being an absolute success, it's still a very worthy entry in the Sonic franchise that can keep up with and, in some areas, even surpass its home console counterpart.
    Read full review
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