Honestly...I'm not so sure if I do recommend the original Sonic 1 or not. If I ever go back to Sonic 1 - I usually do it to play the plethora of ROM hacks for this game, from simple changes like adding the spindash or huge changes like revamping the entire game, I'd be hard-pressed to tell you that I replay the original 1991 release very often. It's because this game feels dated to play.

Don't get me wrong - I acknowledge that this game was incredibly revolutionary for its time. This game birthed one of my favorite franchises of all-time and the influence it had on making Sega a powerhouse in the 90s can't be overstated enough. But when there are so many better Sonic games out there - Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic Mania, heck even the Sonic Advance games - the only merit I'd see in playing Sonic 1 is either for the ROM hacks like I've mentioned (I highly recommend the spindash ROM hack or the Super/Hyper Sonic in Sonic 1 ROM hack) or for those seeking to see how the blue blur's humble beginnings looked like nearly 30 years ago.

There is a better version of this game out there, however it's relegated to mobile platforms, being a total remake by Christian Whitehead which adds a whole bunch of quality of life changes to the game, like the aforementioned spindash and even a much better level select. If that were the version released on Steam (as Whitehead's version of Sonic CD is), I'd probably recommend it. But as it stands - I'd highly recommend playing other Sonic games than this if you're not interested in Sonic's history.

Influential for its time, definitely, but has aged like milk. When your best zone is the first zone - you know you have a problem, in my opinion.

Honestly...I'm not so sure if I do recommend the original Sonic 1 or not. If I ever go back to Sonic 1 - I usually do it to play the plethora of ROM hacks for this game, from simple changes like adding the spindash or huge changes like revamping the entire game, I'd be hard-pressed to tell you that I replay the original 1991 release very often. It's because this game [i]feels[/i] dated to play. Don't get me wrong - I acknowledge that this game was incredibly revolutionary for its time. This game birthed one of my favorite franchises of all-time and the influence it had on making Sega a powerhouse in the 90s can't be overstated enough. But when there are so many better Sonic games out there - Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic Mania, heck even the Sonic Advance games - the only merit I'd see in playing Sonic 1 is either for the ROM hacks like I've mentioned (I highly recommend the spindash ROM hack or the Super/Hyper Sonic in Sonic 1 ROM hack) or for those seeking to see how the blue blur's humble beginnings looked like nearly 30 years ago. There is a better version of this game out there, however it's relegated to mobile platforms, being a total remake by Christian Whitehead which adds a whole bunch of quality of life changes to the game, like the aforementioned spindash and even a much better level select. If that were the version released on Steam (as Whitehead's version of Sonic CD is), I'd probably recommend it. But as it stands - I'd highly recommend playing other Sonic games than this if you're not interested in Sonic's history. Influential for its time, definitely, but has aged like milk. When your best zone is the first zone - you know you have a problem, in my opinion.