Parents' Guide to

Sonic: Unleashed

By Chad Sapieha, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

The speedy blue hedgehog grows some claws.

Sonic: Unleashed Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 11+

Based on 7 parent reviews

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
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

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.

Game Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate