Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is celebrating its 15-year anniversary today, October 7, 2025. Below, we look back at Sega’s uneven attempt to revive the classic 2D franchise, and how it ultimately fizzled.
There’s no denying the glaring flaws of Sonic the Hedgehog 4–the wonky physics, the blatant remixing (or one might even say “rehashing”) of classic levels and bosses from the first two Sonic games, and the soundtrack’s questionable and often derided soundfont being chief among them. But despite its problems, even 15 years later, I still find myself occasionally coming back to replay both episodes. Not only that, but dare I say, I enjoy myself.
The game certainly had its shining spots. I appreciate how, instead of every zone having the same hazards and obstacles scattered throughout, each act of each zone had its own distinct gimmick to help one stand out. For example, Casino Street Act 1 featured your standard pinball flippers, bumpers, and slot machine gimmicks. Act 2 shifted the focus to a new mechanic entirely: flipping around and racing across playing cards that act as platforms. The third act brings in colorful cannons that you can manually aim to shoot Sonic across the level. The game was darn pretty to look at, capturing the colorful aesthetic of the classic games with a modern sheen. And even though longtime Sonic composer Jun Senoue went a little too hard with the Genesis/Mega Drive synths for the music, it was still catchy as heck.