Parents' Guide to

Sonic: Unleashed

By Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

The speedy blue hedgehog grows some claws.

Game Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 , Nintendo Wii , PlayStation 2 2008
Sonic: Unleashed Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

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age 11+

Based on 7 parent reviews

SuperSonicRobert
SuperSonicRobert Adult
September 30, 2020
age 12+

One of the most underrated Sonic Game Yet

This is for age 12 and up all because it's has too much violence all because of the werehog is scary it's sully but not goofy but I love the story gameplay is fun and the music is amazing and plus the cutsense is like a pixar movie which is a masterpiece even on 2008 if I were u just have fun with the game but it has some issues but I love it so play it

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Easy to play/use
Too much violence
EBS IV
EBS IV Adult
July 7, 2018
age 8+

Pros and Cons

Pros: Graphics Music Story Cutscenes Fast style of gameplay Cons: Overly difficult final level Slow style of gameplay Might have to replay certain levels to get collectibles needed to unlock the next level Repetive music at nighttime Quick time events
See all 7 parent reviews

What’s It About?

SONIC: UNLEASHED opens with a lengthy and spectacular CGI movie that wouldn't be out of place in a blockbuster disaster movie. It depicts the hedgehog's arch nemesis Eggman cracking open the planet's crust from the comfort of his spaceship in hopes of remaking the world into Eggman Land. Meanwhile, he turns our loveable blue hero into a strange and menacing monster, then kicks him out of the ship and sends him hurtling down to the world's fissured surface.
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So begins Sonic's adventure as a kind of werehog; a creature that exists as a super speedy hedgehog by day and as a ferocious (but in a good, evil-fighting way) monster at night. Levels are divvied up for these two personas; half take place in the sunshine and see Sonic sprinting at breakneck speeds over hills and through loops, while the other half occur in the evening, where Sonic's darker form battles evil robots and uses his stretchy arms and clawed hands to climb and swing around environments filled with treacherous crevices.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (7 ):
Kids say (54 ):

The levels that take place during the day recall Sonic's glory days, when the little blue furball zipped around the screen so fast that the player's greatest challenge was simply anticipating what came next and deciding whether Sonic ought to stay his course, slow down, or perhaps jump. They switch seamlessly between a rear perspective, which allows players to control Sonic's movement from left to right as he avoids various gaps and spiky perils, and a side angle that feels a lot like the perspective of Sonic games of old -- had the hedgehog been moving through them at five times the pace. It's fun, habit-forming stuff.

Unfortunately, the game drags when Sonic changes form at night. His alter ego is capable of doing pretty much the same basic things that game characters have been doing in platform games for ages, such as climbing posts, shimmying along precipices, and smacking around hordes of bad guys then collecting the bits of energy they leave behind. It's not that these traditional platform levels have been badly designed, but rather that they bring nothing new to the table. There will be times when players wish the game was composed solely of the speedier missions.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the game's sense of speed. Did you have a hard time controlling Sonic? If so, did the difficulty affect your enjoyment of the game? Did the game's designers do a good job of providing you with enough warning for upcoming obstacles and perils? You can also discuss Sonic's alter ego. Was he likeable even as a scary looking monster? Did you prefer playing as one of his physical forms over the other?

Game Details

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