GuestLog in

I just started getting into this Sonic.exe story, you'd think that Sega woulda jump on this and make a full game outta Sonic.exe, I know for a fact it would make money.

After looking into a few Sonic.exe videos, I saw this hack on YouTube so I hadda try it out for myself.

This is really put together, when Sonic.exe chases me when I'm in the other dimension puts me on edge, and I love it.

This hack'll give you a challenge, I made it up to Act 3 in the first world, and I plan on beating this hack.

Everyone should give this a try, if you like dark things and you like to be challenged play this hack.

I really hope that the author will give Sonic 2, Sonic 3, and Sonic and Knuckles the .exe treatment down the road.

The jump scares are gangsta. :D

Played this for a couple of years, but was never able to flip it. Closest I ever got was the first labyrinth zone. My little sister would sometimes watch me play and then join in afterwards, it's been nothing but giggles and laughter from me and my other sister watching her play because of how fast .exe catches her. the furthest she's got was Spring Yard Zone Act 2 and that's where she fell.

Getting a Game Over results in a jumpscare shortly afterwards, so just a heads up to those who don't do well with them

The enemies are invincible in the other world, but it's really annoying because it seems from my experience that they can squish you because of your recoil from jumping. The f**king drill enemies on labyrinth are the worse! They somehow get in the way of your jumping making you go to the ground and trying to jump over them is not the best course of action but the only one you got.

When they come from the ground and land, and your jump ends up hitting them from below, it's an instant kill if they land where you are which has happened to me SO MANY TIMES!!! It's unfair!!!

Despite the .EXE.Bullcrap, I still enjoy this hack, I guess because it's different. I don't really care for the .EXE lore, but this hack made me look into it a bit more at one point.

The game over deaths were the only things noteworthy from my research.

for not enough 2 zones in this hack.

However, despite this, the hack with a share of HARDCORE. New sensations will be waiting for you immediately if you delay. If you do not have time to break the monitor for a certain time - consider that you have lost your life.

Be precise in your actions, because the hack will not forgive you for mistakes.

Fun, interesting and unusual. Oh Yes, how not to mention it: "Sonic.exe recommends" and I also recommend this hack.

NOTICE!!! Please Read Before Playing.

• Before I start this review It is my duty to inform you that there is a jump scare at the sonic retro screen. It is skippable by pressing start but don't hang around if you don't want to see the blur blur bloody mug shot.*

Introduction

During the 16-Bit era, it was common knowledge that sega wasn't afraid of offering mature content. Sega's line up alone caused a big stir in the gaming with such titles as Mortal Kombat, Night Trap and Lethal Enforcers receiving the ire of multiple senate hearings in late 1992 and lead to the creation of the ESRB in 1994.

However for a game like An Ordinary Sonic ROM Hack, All bets are off. Yes sir, no refunds, no cash on delivery, and most importantly no turning back.

Gameplay After you digest and address my warning at the top of this page you are treated to the title screen. Next thing you know it transforms into it's otherworldly counterpart.

Soon after you begin the game! The goal is still the same, run right and get to the goal post as you traverse the original levels of the first Sonic The Hedgehog! Easy right? Not today punk; We are playing with house rules! Twelve Seconds (Randomly decided after your first visit!)after you begin you will be transported and you goal changes from traveling to survival.

In this "Dark World", every enemy you encounter is invincible, all rings turn red and deduct from you total with each ring collected, even the timer is going insane ticking through random numbers, finally there is Sonic.EXE. This may take a few minutes but let me tell you about this piece of rotting carrion haunting your genesis in greater detail.

Who is Sonic.EXE?

A quick background on him, supposedly he is an eldritch incarnation of sonic with his origins unexplained. His god complex causes him to toy with victims (Both Virtual and Real according to the story) before slaughtering him using sudden appearances during chases and even sending creepy texts to the player using various fonts from the sonic games. Almost like a ransom note, sonic has you hostage from the moment you encounter him. His killed victims stay with him in his realm where they are spend an eternity of torture.

TLDR:He's Bad News!

Back to Gameplay In game exe will appear after about 5 to 10 seconds from when you entered the dark world. You will know when he is coming as a dark reprise of the drowning theme will start blaring like an air raid siren to warn you of your impending demise. If he gets you, you will be treated to his ransom note texts accompanied by 1 of 6 randomly generated cackles he can make. They are brief but off putting given the sudden nature of your off screen death.

Good news and bad news. Good News is you have lives where you may return to a goal post in the light world as an extra shot at freedom! Bad News is you get only a few and due to the red rings described above, you will have a hard time collecting 100 and 1up boxes may still be present but will be your only life line from here on out.

Given you are in the light world for only 12 seconds, it may seem rather farfetched to hunt a 1up in such short time. How will I ever get back once I go in? Simple, monitors. Dead Serious, hit a monitor and static hits. Welcome back to the realm of the living! Be cautious as you can randomly go back as soon as a second after you return. Thankfully the counter start anew before EXE finds you.

To wrap up this section it is very important to inform you that this is a DEMO. Levels up to labyrinth zone are playable however I am terrible at the stage so either way, you will die sooner or later. Whether this was by design or the game is pending it completion and entered into the Sonic Hacking contest this fall, I could not tell you. I will add that if word comes my way that it is finished, I will gladly revise this review or give a follow-up. Yes, it will be just as detailed.

Sound

Most the series' mainstay sound effects are present here. The Dark World's presentation necessitated this section's conception however the is a small bit to talk about. The music is a haunting disasterpiece, this eerie theme does its job well at making you feel uneasy as you traverse the red, barren land. Unfortunately it is the only track in the dark world, even for bosses (Have Fun!). When you collect red rings, a lower pitch ring sound plays to notify you that you should not have done that. The drowning jingle forever scarred in our collective childhood is given a dark reprise to make you panic even more when EXE comes to collect on your very soul. As previously mentioned, there are 1 out of 6 sound EXE will make if he nabs you, they aren't really decipherable but I think that is the point to him. We don't understand him and we will never live long enough to be able to. True Lovecraftian horror at its finest!

Replay Value After you traverse all of there stages, there is only the challenge of topping your final scores which you can find at the title screen. Beyond this, it is a bare bones release. Forgivable as this was originally a contest submission. However in a future release I would like to see various things such as options to adjust difficulty and various rules for a different experience from the vanilla game. A Time attack to see who is the cream of the crop when it comes to being prey. Finally an option to turn off the jump scare (Bonus points if setting and progress are saved to sram.). I could wish for a million other things (Let me play as EXE!!!) but my job here is not to be act like The Doritos Pope but to provide you with actual journalism!

Conclusion

Making no bones about it, Sonic.EXE is a frightening breath of fresh air. Even when the genesis has offered such surprisingly brutal titles such As Technocop, The Immortal or even Eternal Champions, An Ordinary Sonic ROM Hack stands on a pedestal all on its own. It glimmers a foreboding red hue.

Unfortunately the game nail biting hard if you are new to sonic and the multiple frights a minute may put you off from playing any sonic game all together. The sound may leave a bit to be desired and its an unwinnable demo(Like Nazi Zombies, only you get curbstomped for the game's duration).

The Positives to this game are that it revamps a 20+ year old game with new concepts. It immerses you into Sonic's world as you are challenged with escaping his ghostly doppelganger, as if you were sonic himself. The game breaks the fourth wall by taunting you. Finally it could make for a good prank if you actually burn this to a cd with an auto launch command for kega and send it to your friend(Just like the original story).

To conclude this review I will state that this game needed to happen. It is rare that a game from so long ago and a series synonymous with being cool in the minds of kids can be shaken up to make even men break down in sheer terror. They could have made the whole game multiple jump scares but through presentation and creativity you are brought to the forefront of a terrifying new landscape.

Welcome To The Next Level Indeed.