Tails Adventure

Is there a version of Sonic where you are in no hurry at all? Yes - and it is called Tails Adventure. This Game Gear spin-off from 1995 took the fastest hedgehog in video-game history, set him aside and cast his two-tailed friend in the role of the main star. And then it did something even bolder: it slowed down. Instead of frenetic running from left to right, here you get an interconnected world that opens up gradually depending on which equipment you currently own.

And that is precisely where the game's charm lies. Tails Adventure is, by its cut, far closer to a metroidvania than to a classic Sonic platformer. You explore islands, collect bombs, items and gadgets, and with each new piece of equipment areas become accessible that were previously out of reach. Tails can also fly and hover with his tails, so vertical exploration plays just as important a role as sideways movement. The game rewards you for curiosity and for returning to previously visited places.

Development was handled by the studio Aspect, Sega's go-to team for handheld Sonic titles on the Game Gear. Aspect had a number of handheld hedgehog games under its belt by then and knew well how to squeeze legible graphics and smooth gameplay out of the eight-bit hardware. Tails Adventure, however, is their boldest experiment - instead of copying the successful formula, it went against it.

In its day it was a title that got a bit lost in the shadow of the big Sonic games on the Mega Drive, but with the passage of years it gained a cult reputation. Many fans today call it one of the most interesting and most distinctive offshoots of the entire Sonic franchise, precisely because it was not afraid to be different. It is a calmer, more contemplative experience that shows even the hedgehog universe can bear a slower pace.

If you grew up on speed and loops, Tails Adventure may throw you off for the first few minutes. But give it a while - and a small, carefully assembled adventure game will reveal itself to you, one that has far more in common with discovery than with reflexes.

Why play: An unconventional, calmer Sonic spin-off with a metroidvania soul that rewards exploration and collecting equipment instead of speed.