Sonic CD

Sonic CD brought one of the most elaborately designed entries of the early Sonic era to mobile phones, built around a time-travel mechanic – at select points in a level, the player could jump between the past, the present, and two versions of the future, good and bad, depending on how they acted at that moment. This unique layer on top of the classic ring-collecting and level-running gameplay made Sonic CD a more deeply crafted title than was typical for Sega's platformers of the nineties.

SEGA released the mobile port of Sonic CD in 2011 with updated high-resolution graphics and the option to choose between the Japanese and American soundtracks, a welcome detail for fans who had long argued over both versions of the score. Controls relied on on-screen virtual buttons, which for a fast platformer built on precise jump timing represented a noticeable compromise compared to a physical controller, even though the port tried to keep the layout as thumb-friendly as possible.

Translating precise platforming sequences to a touchscreen will never be perfect, but Sonic CD was among the better-executed ports of its era thanks to solid emulation of the original game and the care given to both graphical and audio details, rather than just a retitled repackaging of the same code. For many fans, it was also the first chance to try the game at all, since the original on the Sega CD had been a niche release with limited availability in Europe at launch.

Why play it: Fans of classic Sonic will appreciate the inventive time-travel mechanic, but should expect that virtual buttons can't replace the precision of a physical controller.