Whenever I write an anniversary piece, I usually want to check if a game has either managed to be as good as my teenage mind used to think it was, or if the game was actually worth the hype if I had never actually played it before. I try to look at it with some semblance of logic and objectiveness. But there are exceptions to the rule. Sonic Heroes is now 20 years old (feeling old already?), and if you are looking for an article detailing how actually bad and overrated it was, you’ve stepped onto the wrong website, mate. Yes, I know Sonic Heroes, like most 3D Sonic games, is not exactly good. But I’ve replayed it, and I dunno how to explain. It still rules. I’ve asked some close friends, and they also think it rules. We don’t care it kinda sucks. Sonic Heroes simply rules.

What makes it so appealing? What’s the secret behind Sonic Team’s game design formula which makes us always look forward to one of their games when, objectively speaking, only one out of like seven games they develop can be actually considered good or polished? There’s some unexplainable mojo that made most Sega games from that era irresistible, even when they ended up sucking. When they were good, they were really good (see Crazy Taxi, Phantasy Star Online, Virtua Fighter 3). When they weren’t, we were still cheering for the little guy. “Oh, you kinda suck, but you’ve tried. Have a cookie”.

Being a sequel to Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes retained the art style seen in the first two Dreamcast titles. Character models looked great for the time, despite their utterly bizarre facial animations (Sonic Team made sure to add some FMVs in order to mitigate those sections, though). The voice acting is still that horrid piece of crap that has always plagued Sonic games, yet we would probably riot on the streets if they ever decided to remaster them with brand new voice actors. Yes, even Tails’ abysmal VA performances. The music is still handled by Crush 40, with the title theme being an absofreakinglute banger. Just mention the name “Sonic Heroes” to anyone around the age of thirty, and chances are said person will starting singing that theme song. It’s science.

What made Sonic Heroes stand out, at least back in 2004, was the fact you were controlling an entire team instead of just one character. Well, that and the fact it was the first original Sonic game to be released after Sega’s demise as a console maker. There are four teams to play as: the Sonic team, Shadow’s ultra-edgy and ultra-awesome bunch of misfits, Amy Rose’s girl (and Big the Cat) squad, and Team Chaotix, the folks from that one 32X game you have never played but swear you did back in 1997, “because a friend of a neighbor of a friend” had a system with it. In essence, they all play the same, with each team having a speedster (Sonic, Shadow, Amy, Espio the Chameleon), a flyer (Tails, Rouge, Cream, Charmy Bee) and a brawler (Knuckles, Omega, Big the Cat, Vector).

The level design is classic early 3D Sonic Team, as in, it kinda doesn’t work, but you really don’t care and still play it regardless. In essence, the game wants you to play each level twice. The first time is meant for you to reach the end goal as quickly as possible, or else you’ll be graded with a big fat E grade, which was demotivating in 2004, and is even more depressing now. The second attempt is meant for you to explore each level.

For as janky as each level can be (the amount of times I’ve fallen to my demise whilst running on a loop is too much to be ignored), there are lots of secrets and branching paths. We can crap on Sonic Team as much as we want (and should), but making each level replayable enough is something they have always excelled at. There is always a side area to explore, with more rings to collect or a key to give you access to the traditional bonus level you’d always expect from a Sonic game. The gameplay loop is the same for three of the teams included in Sonic Heroes, with Team Chaotix being the only one with different objectives in a level, such as collecting x number of macguffins. It’s a change of pace, as you are less focused on reaching the endgoal, and more on exploring right away.

Yes, the level design can be crappy at times, but those courses are still appealing to look at. There’s something about the moments when you are simply running like a lunatic in a predetermined path that makes a 3D Sonic game more entertaining than it should. The presentation has always been a strong point in a Sonic game, with Heroes being no different. It all runs well, in spite of the controls and camera. The combat is limited as hell, but it’s quite fun to see the brawler archetype demolish an army of robots with an overpowered attack. I think it’s all about how Sega has always nailed game feel over anything else. Even when the games aren’t particular good, they FEEL good.

Sonic Heroes is an enigma of a game. It is bad, in every technical aspect you can imagine. Upon replaying it for the first time in more than a decade, I did noticed how poorly it aged. Yet… I really don’t care. It’s the bizarre kind of charm featured in every single Sega game from this era. Call it nostalgia, call it game feel, Sonic Heroes is the kind of game you know you shouldn’t like as much as you do, but you couldn’t care less about that. It just takes a few seconds of listening to that adorable Crush 40 theme song for you to basically shut off the logical parts of your brain and proceed to enjoy this adorable jankfest with the biggest of smiles.