The general consensus when it comes to Sonic the Hedgehog these days seems to be that the series didn’t handle its transition into 3D as well as it could or should have. While Sonic Adventure 1 is in no way on the same level as either Super Mario 64 or Ocarina of Time, it also isn’t a bad game. In fact, both Adventure 1 and Adventure 2 were critically acclaimed on release.
It’s only in the past decade or so that Sonic the Hedgehog’s current day reputation has muddied the waters for older installments. Games like Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 which were considered to be two of the best 3D platformers of their time were suddenly being criticized more aggressively. Granted, the flaws fans point out were always there, but time has made it harder for the general audience to give Sonic the benefit of the doubt. A pity considering Adventure 1 and Adventure 2 still hold up in their own right. Here's why.
10 Adventure 1: Retains Classic Sonic’s DNA
Perhaps the biggest point in the first Sonic Adventure’s favor is the mere fact that it feels more in-line with classic Sonic’s DNA, both tonally and aesthetically. While SA1’s concept art formally introduced ‘modern’ Sonic, the game’s in-game engine rendered character models more or less similarly to how they looked in 2D.
More importantly, however, while SA1 places a greater emphasis on story, it still feels rooted in Sonic’s fantastical, almost myth-like world. Levels themselves resemble the Genesis Zones, and the music– for the most parts– comes off like a stylistic continuation of Sonic’s evolving sound– whereas SA2 would go for a more varied soundtrack.
9 Adventure 2: More Replay Value
When it comes down to it, there is simply so much more to do in Sonic Adventure 2 than there is in Sonic Adventure 1. Beyond the two story modes and the final mode, each stage has five different objectives for players to complete, with Green Hill Zone being unlocked for completing the game 100%.
Not just that, SA2 features more (and better) mini-games to play around with: there’s a racing mode, plenty to do in the Chao Garden (which we’ll touch on later,) and the versus mode is a ton of fun– arguably making better use of treasure hunting and mech stages than the actual main game itself.
8 Adventure 1: Better Level Design
Sonic and Shadow’s speed stages in Sonic Adventure 2 make up some of the very best levels in 3D Sonic, but the rest of the game is something of a wash. The treasure hunting stages aren’t poorly designed in terms of level design, but they’re poorly handled on a foundational level. Mech stages themselves tend to be linear hallways with little to no variety.
Not the case for Sonic Adventure 1. While characters like Big don’t lend themselves well to conventional level design, SA1’s stages aren’t nearly as linear as SA2’s, and they simply stand out better on an aesthetic level, making use of a varied color palette and unique settings. SA2 opts for a more grounded, restricted approach to level design.
7 Adventure 2: Improved Chao Garden
There are people who play Sonic Adventure 2 exclusively for the Chao Garden, and we can’t exactly blame them. As far as bonus modes go, SA2’s Chao Garden really takes the cake. More or less a creature simulator, players can raise Chao over the course of the game, unlocking new gardens, increasing their stats, and entering them in Karate matches & races.
It’s a time sink, but an incredibly fun one that rewards those with an affinity for grinding. In general, SA2’s Chao Garden is just a huge step up from Sonic Adventure 1’s, giving players more room for customization while also making the Chao Garden feel more like its own game than simply a piece of Sonic Adventure.
6 Adventure 1: Better Gameplay Balancing
Building off of Adventure 1’s better level design, the game also has better gameplay balancing. In Sonic Adventure 2, players pick one of two stories and then go through them literally, jumping from Speed, Treasure Hunting, & Mech stages as the story demands. Sonic Adventure 1 instead lets players pick one character (or one playstyle) and stick with that for the whole game.
This not only leads to a much smoother gameplay experience where players can actually build the skills necessary to improve at each playstyle consistently, but Adventure 1 just knows how to pace itself. Sonic and Knuckles’ have the most stages because they have the most engaging gameplay, Amy & Big have the least because they’d be the most intrusive with more than just a few stages.
5 Adventure 2: Better Story
Sonic Adventure 1’s story is commendable. It doesn’t try to overreach, it keeps Sonic the Hedgehog grounded in fantasy, and it just generally moves at an interesting pace. Characters like Tails even get development that sticks in SA2. When it comes down to it, though, Sonic Adventure 2 does have the better story – even if it’s ridiculous.
Everything surrounding Shadow is nonsense, but he’s a compelling character and his arc is solidly written all things considered. SA2 also released at a time where this style of storytelling was fresh for Sonic. The drama, the nonsense, and the shonen anime aesthetic all work in favor of SA2’s story.
4 Adventure 1: Actual Sense Of Adventure
Not everyone is a fan of Sonic Adventure 1’s hubworld. It could sometimes prevent progress if you didn’t know what you were doing, and it wasn’t a particularly expansive hub either. It didn’t even have the charm of Super Mario 64’s castle. At the same time, it didn’t need to. Sonic Adventure’s hub worlds exist as a means of immersion.
Getting lost in the jungle isn’t the most fun, but it’s a part of actually adventuring and exploring. Sonic Adventure 2 doesn’t capitalize on the “adventure” in the title whatsoever, whereas the first game makes it a core part of the game design. Adventuring is part of the process and while you may not love it, it makes for a richer experience overall.
3 Adventure 2: Better Boss Fights
Sonic Adventure 1 has a few good boss fights, but the majority are either pathetically easy to the point of being bad… or just bad. E-102 Gamma actually has a fantastic set of bosses, but the rest tend to blow. Big’s are a nightmare, and Sonic’s are all hit or miss. Not the case with Sonic Adventure 2.
While SA2 stumbles overall when it comes to level design, its boss design is quite good, with bosses making good use of each character’s unique play style. Not just that, boss arenas are much better this time around, giving players more than just empty fields to homing attack Knuckles in. SA2’s bosses also have actual difficulty curves. Always a plus.
2 Adventure 1: Better Music
We touched on the music earlier, but let’s finally expand on it. Sonic Adventure 2 has a very memorable soundtrack, but it’s also an inconsistent mess where you never know if the next track is going to be inexplicably amazing or slow, uncomfortable jazz. SA2’s OST, while great, is also more in-line with modern Sonic’s sound.
Sonic Adventure 1’s soundtrack sounds similar to the Genesis games in tone and energy. While that’s not inherently better, it’s unique as far as 3D Sonic games go. Sonic Adventure 2 kind of reset the stage after Adventure 1– not that it mattered considering how Heroes and Shadow played out.
1 Adventure 2: Better Ending
Hand in hand with the point about Sonic Adventure 2 having a better story, it works out that it also has a better ending. Sonic Adventure 1’s story isn’t bad, but it doesn’t pull off its ending when all is said and done. Station Square is destroyed, the day is saved, yet the pay off doesn’t feel in-line with most of the game’s build-up.
As Adventure 2 has a more traditional story, it’s able to build arcs & themes with greater ease across its two campaigns. Its final mode features every single playable character instead of just Sonic, a nice touch, and SA2 even allows Shadow to serve as the lead for the last act– letting the game reach an emotional conclusion that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.