@@SholverUnleashed left a mark, has many qualities, while still being difficult and divisive. Can’t believe Unleashed is top 3 boost games, after all these years.
Windmill Isle act 2 feels like speed therapy. The contrast of the calming location with the fast pace gameplay is fun, even when speed-running. AND the music? Everybody loves this stage.
Windmill Isle is, I feel, the PERFECT first level for Unleashed because it feels like you're in vacation just admiring the sights and the town, which translates in the level design as that easy gameplay you are just having a walk around and enjoying the arquitecture and the sea (well, whatever a "walk" means to Sonic) Having such a bright and inviting place to start sets up the idea of travelling the world, if this place is so cool to see, what else is in store for us? This is the start of your vacation and you're here to enjoy it, but be prepared for what's coming next, as it won't be this easy! I also find it very cool that the first area is a coastal town, and the last area (ignoring Eggmanland) is also a coastal town, yet they give two different feels, one is guided, the other is dangerous, one is confined, the other has you running through places you really shouldn't, and the difficulty reflects that perfectly I feel like the qualities of Unleashed's levels can be divided by gameplay and vibes, both it and Rooftop Run being the prime examples of the latter, which is why I think Windmill Isle is the perfect opening stage because, as you said, it really is a "vibes tutorial", showing you what the game can do and how good it feels, setting you up for the following challenges Great analysis is always! Can't wait for every main level to be covered (I'm still hyped for Jungle Joyride even if it's coming last), tho I must say that you being willing to cover the DLC stages is crazy to me, there are so many you will be here all decade
I never considered that both the first and final level (minus eggmanland like you said) are coastal towns, you’re so right. Also funny to note that you never run on water in Apotos, just grind over it. But in Adabat you run through the most water in a single level. Also Adabat and Apotos both start with A, AND share the same amount of letters, I’m sure that was planned (jk). Regardless, nice pull, didn’t even think of that. It also does feel specifically like a vacation / tourist destination, a great first pick for a “travel” game. God, what a level. (Also I’m planning to go through just Apotos’s bonus acts next vid, not every single one lol, I think I’d crumble to dust if that were the case)
Once again, an absolutely phenomenal analysis!! The jokes in this were also insanely good and genuinely made me laugh. This compliments your previous videos extremely well and has taught me alot about game design and even media analysis believe it or not 😂😂!! I still think Cool Edge is the best day stage, however, this made me appreciate Windmill Isle every bit more!! (I explained my Cool Edge preference in the Skyscraper Scamper video). Keep up the absolute immaculate content!!
The best thing about watching your videos is that you can notice things that I've never seen at all before Highlighting that "Sonic's boost changes color when hitting things" was a "Wait, really?" moment for me
Found your channel yesterday and came off a binge of every level analysis far too late into the night, and now another drops during the day as a sign it was worth it
I love all of the arrstyle The small details in animations and all feels amazing We need the crawl of shame back We also need this art direction back And that smile sonic has
dude... this is one of the most immersive sonic levels ever, in fact, I think it's the first level in the entire series to make you actively FEEL like sonic. (mostly) everyone loves a good vacation, plenty of people have gone out to go somewhere chill and just take a breather for a while, so sonic team took one of the most pretty and recognizable islands on earth, dropped sonic in it, and said "just go wild!" and it WORKED. the boost titles in the sonic franchise get a lot of flack for being too simple and yadda yadda yadda. personally, I think the boost games are the closest sonic team has gotten to making the player and sonic feel connected through gameplay and spectacle. It's incredibly unique and hella fun! Windmill Isle is THE big showcase level of this style and has stuck with me for a long long time. banger video as always, looking forward to that Bonus Isle video!
Agreed, Unleashed is one of the rare times where I legitimately feel like Sonic. I can see how a lot of the cinematics would be obtrusive for other players, and how some people hate how it abandoned a lot of the old Adventure platforming, but I'm a cinematics guy haha, it's right up my alley. This is always how I envisioned Sonic's speed feeling as a kid. I think Act 1 is a perfect example of this, excited to show you how next week! Thanks man! 👍
windmill isle is one of the levels that feels both chill and rewarding to do quickly at the same time, its a nice level aaand it made me associate every picture of that one city with sonic unleashed rather than the real place
33:40 look gary there I am! can't wait to see the bonus acts, as for how windmill isle makes me feel? gotta say competent! you pull off tricks with ease, just how sonic would!
I love these analyses to pieces, but the humor is just as great lmao "we gotta tell Alan!", the visual gags, the comedy "stories"... You consistently make me laugh, multiple times per video, with genuine hilarity.
Windmill Isle Act 2 makes me so nostalgic; I remember playing the demo on PS3 so much when I was, like, 9 or 10. That sense of speed, the gorgeous presentation, and the exciting, kinetic gameplay is what solidified me being a Sonic fan(which for the record, I was made aware of the series because of flash games and stuff). When you consider Unleashed being a 3D translation of the gameplay of Sonic Rush, I think it's interesting that the first "zone" of Unleashed has a lot of visual similarities with Water Palace. The white architecture and blue shadows, and the background even having a Greek-styled village in the background; it's like they looked at the background of Water Palace and thought "hey, let's make THAT a level for Unleashed!" I love having the first level being purely white with accents of colors, it's like you're starting off with a white canvas. Speaking of white architecture; now that you've rebeaten Forces, I would like to see a video on the thirteenth level of the game, Capital City! I feel that in the grand scheme of things, that level has the most "interesting" things to talk about; if not its level design(which, y'know, it's Forces), then its for the moments it has. With how much your analysis of Unleashed and Generations levels showcased all the fine details, I'm curious to see how much Forces compares. Up to you, though!
Literally been going through Rush right now, I always knew about Water Palace but playing through it I was getting massive Apotos vibes lol. It's kind of the way I envisioned Blaze's dimension looking, in my brain. It really does feel like an open canvas. ALSO, funny thing about rebeating Forces, Capital City was the STANDOUT level for me, in terms of something I'd want to dig into. That game has a lot of problems but I feel like they pulled off a lot of fun things in that stage, it felt more thrilling than the final battle lol. I might have to focus on the Shad Gens comparison first, but for an individual level from Forces, that was my top pick.
This is probably one of my favourite levels in any game EVER. It may not be the most difficult, the most explosive, the best moment but it’s just has the best vibe. Unleashed nails the feeling of “Sonic happening to the world” (The world existing before Sonic blasts through it) that I love so much. If there’s 1 place I could live in, from any game: it’s Apotos. Maybe it’s me being from a fishing village, but I can just smell the ocean salt as Sonic blasts through. 10/10. Dammit, now I gotta buy the extra DLC levels.
Apotos is my #1 vacation destination. Trap me in a hub world, and it's that seaside veranda. btw CAREFUL with those DLC levels, they don't mess around.
Windmills Isle has always been one of my favourite sonic levels. The fact that the music feels like sonics feet hitting the floor, the combo of it being an opening city AND tropical stage, the true feeling of Sonic running through an urban environment, the absolute euphoria of blasting through it perfectly as is with Unleashed in general.
Excited for the Act 1 analysis! I still think it's probably the greatest Sonic tutorial level ever made, if not one of the best tutorial levels ever made period.
Gushing about the environment made me realize that Unleashed was Sonic Team's last attempt at making Sonic games that tried to take place in the "real world" which they were doing in all the mainline games since Adventure (with Heroes being an exception). Even when you were zipping through space ships and stuff, it still tried to be detailed enough to pass as a location that could theoretically exist. But then the next game took place on another planet, and after that was more of a cartoon bend for a while. Even Forces and Frontiers was less focused on taking place in "our world" and more a realistic fantasy land.
Oh yeah I never thought about that. Only game I can think of recently is like Shad Gens which explicitly hints at and hinges on a planet co-habited by humans. They never tried to force Sonic to run through our spaces anymore, he's running through a world that always had him and his critters there, kinda crazy
9:05 Wow! Even after playing this game for dozens of hours and even 110% it I never noticed the yellow blast effect on Sonics boost when he hits something! I love your video analysis’ of these Sonic levels and this one especially, Windmill Isle is my favourite Sonic stage ever, and a huge part of that has to do with the aesthetic, it’s so beautiful and bright, the colors are vibrant and the music is so amazing! Excited for the next one!
Only discovered it while making this video! I was like "what the hell is exploding underneath that patio, it's just chairs- OOHH" rofl. Thanks for the comment dude! 🙌
30-60 minute long competent, thorough breakdowns of my favourite Sonic the Hedgehog levels is a such a particular niche corner of TH-cam content that I am so so glad to have found ☺️😎❤️
I love this series so much! Taking a microscope to the level really lets you get a sense of how much thought can go into a level. That little hint ledge you mentioned I had never understood why it existed, but it makes so much sense why it's there now. This is the FIRST level in the game, and it shows off incredible complexity. Hope you had a wonderful holiday, and look forward to the war crime analysis for the bonus levels.
Windmill Isle is just so fun. It's such a perfect opening level cause it shows you what the fun of the game is without you having to actually know what you're even doing. And also, act 1 flows so well into act 2. Starting in that grassy area until getting on that bridge that takes you over to the city act 2 is in. It almost feels like they're the same level, like there should be a couple boost pads at the end of act 1 that put you at the start of act 2. There's even a staircase at the end of act 1 that it feels like you could just walk up and enter act 2.
Totally agree, the further you go in Act 1, the more you get Act 2 architecture, until it feels like you're right outside the city gates. Always loved that. We're gonna talk about Act 1 in a couple days so GET READY
Man I love these videos so much. Excellent analysis of amazing levels delivered with such humourous charm. 10/10. Someone could make analyses of your analyses to point out why they're so good.
He's So Back! Love the Analysis!!! One small thing I love to point out about this Stage as a music nerd is that the music for this stage is the first Sonic stage song over/at 200bpm! making this the fastest tempo sonic music at least to my knowledge. It really helps capture Sonic's new transition to the "Almost too fast" Boost formula!
These videos made me realize that I want more countries and cultures to have the unleashed treatment, imagine going through mountains in Russia, fighting robots in Madagascar or running around Mexico (where I'm from), it would have a lot of potential.
I am once again amazed by how you manage to catch so many little details. Like I played unleashed hundreds of times as a kid and I only just now noticed stuff like the doors and rails in the background changing from blue to red or sometimes green. I also feel like more games need a "Vibe" tutorial. A good example of a game that does this well is probably the Katamari Damacy games. The games give you a basic tutorial of the controls and after that it just throws you into a level and simply tells the player "Just grow". You figure out the overall gameplay loop and strategies for a level by simply just messing around and playing in the level. If you haven't tried them, give them a shot, they're fun.
I always wanted to play Katamari as a kid, but never ended up doing it... idk why I don't just play them rn LOL, should I just start off with the first? Also thanks for catching and enjoying the video! Appreciate it 👍👍
If Eggman knew what he was doing, he would fill his lairs with those tiny almost invisible trip hazards just before his spike traps and bottomless pits.
I love these videos man, I'm currently a stage designer for a sonic game in the adventure style, and now the stages and set pieces have rhyme and reason!
Another fantastic video man! Windmill isle is THE level I think of when I think of Unleashed (aside from the warehog) It's beyond iconic and beautiful for me, and it's certainly a level that deserves to be "slow run" through to take it all in! I'm sure Alan would love it!
It was the first level I ever completed boostless just to take in the vibe. It's so relaxing. We gotta tell Alan, anyone know where Alan is, any Alan's in the house? Raise your hand if you're Alan.
the feel of windmill isle for me always made wonder is this what sonic feels like when he's having fun rather than running to a destination because he needs to get there to progress the story
It is kinda like the one stage in Unleashed that Sonic basks in before the story really kicks off and he goes to Spagonia. In my mind, this is him running for fun
I have to say, out of all the "starting" levels in any sonic game, for the longest time my answer for the best one would always go towards this. It's just such a simple level to play through and not only that but enjoy it as well, for everything in it like the layout and the gameplay itself, honestly pretty much everything you said in this video, you worded it perfectly! I started watching your channel a while ago when I came across it just enjoying unleashed related things and I have to say that I love all of these videos. I hope you are able to continue making these because you're analysis videos are extremely enjoyable and run deep with their explanations which I love :D
The "best starting level" debate is so difficult, but Windmill Isle is absolutely up there, such an immediate blast of pure energy and speed. Thanks for following along with the videos, I can't wait to make more! 🙏
Love these analyses! Sonic games are naturally fast paced but it’s nice to admire the intentionality of design and animation techniques in these levels, they deserve appreciation! And your humor, pacing, pointed out details all are so fun to listen to! Thanks for always sharing these!
Always stoked to see you upload. Really appreciate the effort you put into these, man. Windmill isle means a lot to me. Seeing the passion they were pouring into the series after the let down of 06 was so refreshing at the time. I played the demo to death until the release of Unleashed.
You can tell they really REALLY tried with this game: soundtrack, level design, graphical fidelity. They might have even overshot and got too risky (werehog and medal collecting lol) but I always salute the effort, they gave it their all, that is NO lie
I've been watching since the rooftop run video and I must say, you and bickuribox are really fresh and enjoyable creators to see in the sonic space. I genuinely look forward to new videos and all the neat details I'll learn about these levels I've loved for so long (like seriously, I never noticed the ascent at the start of the level changed the gate colors to red). Your observational skills honestly continue to impress me, and I adore how fun you make breaking it all down to the viewer. Genuinely top notch stuff, please keep it up
What another great video! You're so good at analyzing these stages and I'm so glad I discovered your channel! Unleashed is my favorite sonic games and one of my fav games period. I'm so escited to see what fun you'll bring to the next video!
23:57 I actually like that first ledge! You're practically guaranteed to run into it which is the first thing in the level that really makes you want to replay it later. Now that you know it's there and that you need to jump you can play it again without losing speed there. PS: Not sure about everyone else but I've always pronounced it aah-puh-tose. Not sure what the CORRECT pronunciation is. Now I just have to make sure I comment on the second video...
Love seeing a bit of optimism for the ledges because you WONT get it from ME AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. We need more ledge-lovers out there to beat me up. But I see your point! 👍 And be sure to watch the next vid! (i am NOT asking)
Another banger as expected. I love the fun energy you bring into your analysis, and I always end up appreciating the levels in a deeper way, even after replaying this one so many times. PEAK analysis for a PEAK level ksjdks
this, this is GOOD stuff. love wondering what other level you'll do next, because you just make it all interesting to leave running and listen to and occasionally look at what you're yammerin' on abour
I love these videos, They make me appreciate all of these levels so much more than I already did, no matter how much of the stuff pointed out is intentional on sonic teams part or not, it still just makes me want to play these games again. Also I love the funny commentary and drawings lol
I love how positive you are, listening to you talk about all this stuff is how talking about things I love to other people feels, its so feel good Plus you have a great eye for detail, i never even noticed the colour changing fences in that opening segment and ive played this level hundreds of times Always walk away from these with newfound appreciation
OMG I FINNALY FOUND YOUR CHANNEL!! I had seen your level analysis on my tv when i lost my phone and i was looking EVERYWHERE and now i found you and your AMAZING videos.
man, windmill island is just so cool! Im so glad we got around to it this early, its just such a fun stage. I think a really cool comparison video for the future (albeit a little more difficult to tackle) would be a comparison of shadow generation's chaos island vs the original in sonic frontiers! It'd be a pretty wild undertaking no doubt, but i bet there's lots of room for interesting analysis there. Either way, cant wait to see next week's video! Getting these analysis videos monthly in my notif box is like christmas coming early, its so good.
I really wanna attempt Chaos Island, SOMEHOW. It seems huge but I think that would be such a fun vid. Might save it for end of the year, but it is so on my radar. Happy to deliver some Sonic Yap Material every month, always appreciate the comments dude! 👍
@@Ajakes i dont blame you for wanting to save something like that until later, talk about a crazy undertaking! Always happy to leave a comment, especially if it means i get to talk with the dude behind the peak!
Gotta be honest, it's my favourite Unleashed level and it's one of my most loved Sonic levels of all time. I love Rooftop Run but the atmosphere of Windmill Isle and the smoothness of it is just incredible.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WINDMILL ISLEEEEEEE Dude really though, I love the content, it’s genuinely insane how much effort is put into these and you can see it in every moment. I’ve been loving these level recaps. Sonic unleashed is my favorite Sonic game, glad to see Windmill Isle!
Thank you! 🙏 The VIBES™ were a lot stronger than I thought, surprised I survived this one. Very excited to release part 2, should be out in a couple of days!
@Ajakes speaking of vibes, I've got to say, I've been playing a LOT of Shadow Generations lately (it's my first Sonic game in a while and I'm kind of obsessed). And I know that Radical Highway has become a bit of a meme in the last few weeks but that game really has its own set of Vibes, and I feel them a LOT in that level. Something fascinating about Sonic and Shadow gameplay is that while Sonic plays really airy and the speed comes effortlessly, a lot of Shadow's speed and maneuvering is done through both bouncing through combat combos but also through conservation of the boost/chaos control meter. Like, there are points in radical highway (especially when you don't have Doom wings turned on) when you really feel yourself being strategic about the boost and about which enemies to go for. It almost feels like character work - like, Sonic's speed is effortless and second nature. Shadow "Air Shoes" the Hedgehog *can* go fast, but only through fighting, strategizing, and working smarter. Also, I'll say it is very funny going back and forth been Sonic Generations and Shadow Generations. Sonic is reliving the good times and high-fiving seaside dolphins, and Shadow is growing new bones and facing the ghosts of his past in hell. Going back and forth is a very funny whiplash.
@@hanahyperfixates YES I thought the exact same thing about their different playstyles too (If you look at the Kingdom Valley video I made, around 34:46 I got into detail about this, how Shadow goes fast through ACTIONS). Like, moments where I was just boosting on the ground felt slower than Shadow's teleportation attacks, I would end a boost TO homing attack enemies, because it made me feel faster. And I love how the doom powers play into that: it's not just homing, you will have to Doom Spear openings, or Doom Blast to reach new heights. I really like how things all come together at Chaos Island (Morph pissed me off at first, but then I had to go online and figure it out because the game doesn't explain it well lol. Once I got it, I really ended up loving that level). Honest-to-god, I almost think it's a disservice to Radical Highway that they let you Doom Wing through it on the first go, because it's SO well designed for on-foot actions. I understand narratively it was a fun choice, but when I went back to play without them I was like "oh shit, I was SKIPPING all this???" It's so clever and fun. And yeah, the tone between the two games is hilarious, even from just the title screen it look's like Sonic's Birthday VS Shadow's Funeral. Poor guy needed a hug when they warped him back to the party rofl. Do you have any thoughts on the bosses at all? I typically don't care much for Sonic bosses, but I loved them here. Both mechanically AND narratively lol, the Metal Overlord fight almost feels playful, and the Mephiles one is downright cruel by the end.
@@Ajakes I was just rewatching that Kingdom Valley vid earlier this week, and you totally get it right. Shadow's navigation through these levels is so much more active in a way I REALLY dig, and it feels so engaging. And you are absolutely not alone when it comes to Doom Morph - they did very little to explain that slingshot effect, and that is a such a big part of the fun of it. Once you DO understand the technique, tho, it is SO FUN to slingshot around Chaos Island. The hub world, I think, was also very effective as a big practice zone for you to play around with the morph, etc, and get the timing down. At this point I'm still digging around for the last few rocket parts, but I've gotten all the chests in the hub and had a blast doing it, in part because of all the variety it offers. Re: The Doom Wing, I had so much fun with it, but I completely get what you mean about it skipping over a lot of level. Radical Highway Act 1+2 with Doom Wing turned off was the most difficult and rewarding S Rank I've ever gotten. You literally can NOT fuck up once. It took me hours. But it was worth it because navigating that fucked up inside out Cronenberged Radical Highway is SOOO Radical. And the BOSSES omg, don't even get me started on them. My first go with the Mephiles fight took me 10 minutes (I am not a Capital-G Gamer, pls no one laugh). But the second time i fought him, after I finished playing through and I started attempting to S-rank after mastering the morph/other moves, I got an A rank and really surprised myself with how fun it is. I actually started wishing the part in the air with the goop balls was LONGER than only one phase. It only took another attempt to get the S. But it was so COOL. The Mephiles fight could definitely use its own video, since the mood is so interesting. He's hidden away in the sewers, and his door even needs MORE keys. Like he isn't even supposed to be here, you know? and the music in the area around the door is SOOO GOOD. AAAA. And then how he is like "i just want to exist!!!" and Shadow is like "lol no" - honestly, it was insane. But it also felt fitting to give Mephiles one last go at it. He was genuinely creepy in Sonic 06, in a great way, despite the game's many many faults. I dont think we need to get him back full force, but he deserves a sendoff. The Metal fight was SO fun. I didn't realize you get different cut scenes depending on which points you chaos control, or that you can skip the part where you jump over his tail swipe if you focus more on hitting debris at him, until i played it a few times trying to S Rank. and I was like "There are OTHER methods?" It was so fun and it lets you experiment! I think that's a big part of what made him feel playful (in your words). Also the ending with Shadow at the party is so absurd in retrospect. He was just CRYING and now they're shoving a plate of chili dogs at him and turning up the music. There has been a lot of talk (some reactionary, and some warranted) about the line changes in Sonic Gen's new cutscenes. But there is ONE that I think is a great call. Originally, when the friends show up to cheer Sonic on, Shadow says "You got this, Sonic :D" which is very silly, but at least it fits the vibe of Sonic Gen, so it's whatever. But in the NEW sonic Gen, he says "On your feet," in a serious tone. And that is much better suited, not only because it is more in character, but because Shadow just got back from fighting the Devil (from the Bible) in hell (from the Bible). If I just got back from hell and mourning my family twice over and saw my buddy laying face down on the floor after a little tussle during his grand adventure, I would also tell them to get up so we could get this all over with. I'm planning a video for my own channel based on how it feels to Get Good at Shadow Generations, and about the excitement of discovery and getting the hang of these things, and why I think that is. Like I said, this was my first Sonic game in years that I actually played and didn't just watch a playthrough/vid review on. And playing it alongside Sonic Generations really opened my eyes to the growth curve. The increased difficulty made it so much more engaging to learn how to reach those speeds that in Sonic Gen feel so effortless, which made me reach for Shadow gen MORE then Sonic gen, as someone who not used to either game's playstyle. When i make that vid i will definitely cite your channel when I talk about Kingdom Valley - that level was the first level I chose to keep grinding for an S Rank, for a lot of the reasons you mentioned. (Also sorry for such a long reply, I just have a song in my heart I guess)
@@hanahyperfixates YO NEW VID HELL YEAH. Excited to see it, I think it'll be a fresh perspective hearing from someone whose been outside of the games for a bit. Honored to be a citation 🙏 Also you are absolutely a Capital-G Gamer, because even I haven't S ranked the Radical Highways yet lmao. I've been busy with vidz but if I ever get a chance I wanna go back and conquer them, because just running through them normally was a blast. And yeah, that Mephiles fight was fantastic, I was sad it was so SHORT lol, it forces you to use all your mechanics for a boss fight (of a similar size too! not a giant metal dragon!) but you beat his ass so damn fast lol. Maybe that's just indicative of the Ultimate Lifeform tho. Idk if you watched the trailer leading up to the game, but they revealed Mephiles in the final one. And seeing the way his "area" is structured, I can only imagine how great it would've felt for players to discover that on their own. Slinking down into the sewers, finding the purple goop and hearing the ominous music... if people had no clue he was in there, the reveal would've been incredible. Also funny enough, I hadn't even seen the new ending lines for Sonic Generations because I literally beat the game up to the Time Eater and then didn't wanna do the final boss fight lmao 💀(i had bad memories from before) So I had to look it up online. They really should've just had Shadow bracing himself by a tree at the party, gasping while staring at the floor, brutally exhausted. Maybe Amy gives him a slice of cake or something. Btw I watched your Movie Sonic retrospective while drawing for the next video, it was fantastic! You brought up so many things I didn't even consider. ALSO I absolutely have to mention: the biggest laugh I got out of the movie was after the massive fight in Tokyo with Shadow. Sonic and friends sit at a pastel table in a happy Chao cafe, and then fucking Olive Garden guy slides in (IN FULL REGALIA) and says "Sonic, thank god you're all okay, I'm sure you have questions." It was just so damn casual, and then all the happy characters glare (Sonic literally puts his elbow on the table and gets serious) and prepare for Shadow's brutal backstory. My friends and I had to stifle laughter in the audience, it was so good. We are no longer surprised at blue hedgehogs, the movie universe is FULLY integrated with the games, it's fanTASTIC i love it
Absolutely one of the best opening stages in the series, up there with the original Green Hill Zone and City Escape. This is my warm-up and cool-down stage when playing Unleashed, as well as the stage I boot up when I just feel like vibing with my good pal Sonic. As always, love these videos. Excited there's more coming next week!
Both this and Modern Green Hill are such outlier levels to me They are such easy levels yet are still so replayable, something future games struggle with. Great video as always, Allen!
The replayability on them is such a huge factor, they're quick, simple bursts of adrenaline. They might not have the same massive setpieces as other levels, but they ALWAYS get a run whenever I start up a session of Gens or Unleashed. Modern Green Hill honestly gets slept on too much, I think if that level didn't have the Green Hill aesthetic, people would gravitate to it more lol
This is easily one of my favorite Sonic levels, and honestly i would've picked this over Rooftop Run for Generations. I think you capture the feeling of these levels perfectly in your videos. I always look forward to em
WHOA. man that feeling when a good youtuber dosent immedietly stop uploading right as you subscribe to him. amazing video the quality has not dropped one bit please keep going i love these ❤!
@@Ajakes hell yeah. i havent gotten the same feeling watching youtube vids since like patmac or smthg. been just rewatching all the previous ones while waiting for this one to come out. truly evergreen content 🙏
Windmill Isle is a perfect vibe. It's pretty much "Summer Vacation's just beginning and now it's time to bask in the neighborhood!" except put into a Sonic level. The Hedgehog Engine REALLY put that into effect with just how everything is so _sunny._ Which is perfect for Unleashed's opening act, as it basically tells YOU the player, "Get ready, cause this is just the beginning of your journey!" Also, the usage of bookends is great considering Sonic comes back in the ending shots of the game. Really tells you "Your journey is done, now you're back home".
And what better place to go back to when the journey is complete, right? Love that they drop you there in the ending cutscene, and then Sonic gets to run along the coast with the Tornado :)
I played the demo of unleashed ALOT when I was a kid, playing windmill isle over and over, this stage is BAKED INTO MY BRAIN, it hits a dopamine my adhd brain LOVES, I believe it's the best "level 1" of any sonic game, it's easy, bit it's all about the buttons, it's a rhythm, stomp, boost, stomp, HA, stomp, it keeps the pace flowing and I LOVE IT, Amazing editing btw! Your videos have gave me major inspiration to just talk about sonic, thanks!
Sonic yappers UNITE. I do love how, even when you are just going straight in Windmill Isle, the game still bounces you around like crazy. For example right after the Harbor Grind, that first rail you take curves, cuts off, sends you into a LOOP, then onto a rail with ANOTHER loop. The camera jumps around with every change, it's so wild haha I love it.
I need this game to get ported so badly. Amazing video too these unleashed videos are teaching me this game has alot more depth than I thought it would
WOOOO, FEELIN GOOD! 🗣🔥🔥🔥🦔 Always happy to see more jammin videos from Ajakesyt... The personality combined with the fun drawings and chill game design analysis just make these so fun and interesting to watch throughout. There's just love for the game itself and Sonic as a whole that just makes them all wonderful watches. :) I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on things that aren't just Sonic some day if you ever want to branch out... I'd watch those too! Anyway, before I write another Paragraph. S! S Rank I say! **ESS**
I'd love to branch out to other games eventually! Many I'd like to do, although they vary WILDLY from Sonic rofl. I'll stick with the blue hedgehog for now, but once people start to trust that I can make whichever ol' video entertaining, maybe I can dip my toes in the water. Thanks for the comment dude! 👍
Man, Windmill Isle is so good. It's a great showcase for how the presentation of Unleashed elevates the feel of its stages. You just feel so much faster here than you would playing this stage in other games. I wonder if the purpose of the final 2D section is to show you how Accelerator Guns can be used to reach optional alternate pathways? The first one doesn't want you to progress until you do it correctly, but the initial one in the final section puts you on a punishment path rather than stopping you completely. I don't remember what stage you start seeing the more hidden Accelerator Gun paths, but it could be an early introduction to that idea.
Windmill Isle is like concentrated SPEED firing you down narrow alleyways, I LOVE IT. Also I think you're right on the money with that theory, the more I talk to people the more I realize that Accelerator Gun is the first time it lets you take a different path FROM the choices.
Lets go! Love ur videos keep up ur good work cant wait for the greatest level in all gaming history 'Eggman Land' and would love to see Chaos Island Act 1 but im still gonna watch all your content always have to get a tonne of food when i see a new vid
*HE’S ANALYSING WINDMILL PEAK THE MAGNUM OPUS OF LIFE ITSELFFFFF*
Hey bubble
The level/gamr that Critics be hating until it's time to choose background music
when I finally played Unleashed and walked into the hub world I was like "ooOOOOHHHH THIS IS WHERE IT'S FROM!"
Same @@Ajakes
@@AjakesUnleashed was my 2nd 3D Sonic game and I never understood why it became popular all of a sudden 💀
@@SholverUnleashed left a mark, has many qualities, while still being difficult and divisive.
Can’t believe Unleashed is top 3 boost games, after all these years.
PFFFFFF ikr
This is why we need unleashed remaster
Everyone needs this masterpiece
so true
@@Ajakeswould you consider yourself as the biggest unleashed fan?
Yes!!! If only SEGA would release it on Steam! Then I'd be happy.
@@Noiseisnumber1 actually erm im the biggest one
Deep down, we're all the biggest.
HERE WE
GO
Oh, by the way? The original sample they used for Windmill Isle is "Playing Hard To Get" by Bluecat.
I didn't know that!
@@KSword007 WHOO! FEELING GOOD!
@@knoxb-lt9pgHYEAAAAAH
@@knoxb-lt9pgOOOOUUUHHH
Windmill Isle act 2 feels like speed therapy.
The contrast of the calming location with the fast pace gameplay is fun, even when speed-running. AND the music? Everybody loves this stage.
SPEED THERAPY, thats great
Windmill Isle is, I feel, the PERFECT first level for Unleashed because it feels like you're in vacation just admiring the sights and the town, which translates in the level design as that easy gameplay you are just having a walk around and enjoying the arquitecture and the sea (well, whatever a "walk" means to Sonic)
Having such a bright and inviting place to start sets up the idea of travelling the world, if this place is so cool to see, what else is in store for us? This is the start of your vacation and you're here to enjoy it, but be prepared for what's coming next, as it won't be this easy!
I also find it very cool that the first area is a coastal town, and the last area (ignoring Eggmanland) is also a coastal town, yet they give two different feels, one is guided, the other is dangerous, one is confined, the other has you running through places you really shouldn't, and the difficulty reflects that perfectly
I feel like the qualities of Unleashed's levels can be divided by gameplay and vibes, both it and Rooftop Run being the prime examples of the latter, which is why I think Windmill Isle is the perfect opening stage because, as you said, it really is a "vibes tutorial", showing you what the game can do and how good it feels, setting you up for the following challenges
Great analysis is always! Can't wait for every main level to be covered (I'm still hyped for Jungle Joyride even if it's coming last), tho I must say that you being willing to cover the DLC stages is crazy to me, there are so many you will be here all decade
I never considered that both the first and final level (minus eggmanland like you said) are coastal towns, you’re so right. Also funny to note that you never run on water in Apotos, just grind over it. But in Adabat you run through the most water in a single level. Also Adabat and Apotos both start with A, AND share the same amount of letters, I’m sure that was planned (jk). Regardless, nice pull, didn’t even think of that. It also does feel specifically like a vacation / tourist destination, a great first pick for a “travel” game. God, what a level. (Also I’m planning to go through just Apotos’s bonus acts next vid, not every single one lol, I think I’d crumble to dust if that were the case)
Act 1 and Act 2 are great levels! (Imo)
I LOVE THESE LEVEL ANALYSISES please never stop
10 minutes after the vid went up, I lost power!! ⚡️ Apologies if I can’t get back to comments right away, got bad cell service but will do my best 🙇
At least it didn't go out mid-upload
@@SnaksiXD always remember to schedule your videos folks!
YO! I’M THE ONE THAT TOLD YOU ABOUT THAT ONE IDEA THINGY FOR THIS LEVEL!!! (About the near miss thing)
Btw, pretty sure it’s pronounced Ap-oh-tohs
Should definitely do a sunset heights from Shadow Generations,
LET'S GO 🗣️🗣️🗣️🔥🔥 MORE PEAK CONTENT TO LISTEN TO WHILE DOING HOMEWORK 🗣️
I SEE AN A+ IN YOUR FUTURE 🔮
@@AjakesWhy not S grade man
@@Sholver theres always room to grow
Once again, an absolutely phenomenal analysis!! The jokes in this were also insanely good and genuinely made me laugh. This compliments your previous videos extremely well and has taught me alot about game design and even media analysis believe it or not 😂😂!! I still think Cool Edge is the best day stage, however, this made me appreciate Windmill Isle every bit more!! (I explained my Cool Edge preference in the Skyscraper Scamper video). Keep up the absolute immaculate content!!
YO! Thank you for that! 👍 I'm hearing more and more people bring up Cool Edge, I'm getting hyped to DRAW ON IT soon
Oh shit, the only guy to like Unleashed more than me just uploaded
get in line bucko
@@Ajakesbuckaroo
Uhm Ackshually I am the BiGgEsT uNlEaShEd FaN. ☝️🤓
Is this a competition bout who likes unleashed the most cuz if so I should participate
I gotta play this game, I wanna get in too!
The best thing about watching your videos is that you can notice things that I've never seen at all before
Highlighting that "Sonic's boost changes color when hitting things" was a "Wait, really?" moment for me
Thanks! 🙏 I only caught it while making this video!
Found your channel yesterday and came off a binge of every level analysis far too late into the night, and now another drops during the day as a sign it was worth it
Eyyy, just in time!
Damn it! No Radical Highway… YET. Good vid, keep going, don’t die!
radical highway waiting room
@@Ajakes Please wait while Black Doom has enough vacancy to transport you to Radical Highway Unsafely
@@knoxb-lt9pg Black Doom that you?
@@knoxb-lt9pgBro wants to see the suspension cables go fwwoooosssh and the springs go bwong bwong
@@Ajakesdon’t worry we’ll wait patiently mate
I love all of the arrstyle
The small details in animations and all feels amazing
We need the crawl of shame back
We also need this art direction back
And that smile sonic has
The crawl of shame is too powerful
dude... this is one of the most immersive sonic levels ever, in fact, I think it's the first level in the entire series to make you actively FEEL like sonic. (mostly) everyone loves a good vacation, plenty of people have gone out to go somewhere chill and just take a breather for a while, so sonic team took one of the most pretty and recognizable islands on earth, dropped sonic in it, and said "just go wild!" and it WORKED. the boost titles in the sonic franchise get a lot of flack for being too simple and yadda yadda yadda. personally, I think the boost games are the closest sonic team has gotten to making the player and sonic feel connected through gameplay and spectacle. It's incredibly unique and hella fun! Windmill Isle is THE big showcase level of this style and has stuck with me for a long long time.
banger video as always, looking forward to that Bonus Isle video!
Agreed, Unleashed is one of the rare times where I legitimately feel like Sonic. I can see how a lot of the cinematics would be obtrusive for other players, and how some people hate how it abandoned a lot of the old Adventure platforming, but I'm a cinematics guy haha, it's right up my alley. This is always how I envisioned Sonic's speed feeling as a kid. I think Act 1 is a perfect example of this, excited to show you how next week! Thanks man! 👍
ayyy, great minds think alike!
windmill isle is one of the levels that feels both chill and rewarding to do quickly at the same time, its a nice level
aaand it made me associate every picture of that one city with sonic unleashed rather than the real place
if I see vacation photos of cafes in Mykonos, my brain only registers patio destruction
@Ajakes do not visit greece i doubt you can be trusted
33:40 look gary there I am! can't wait to see the bonus acts, as for how windmill isle makes me feel? gotta say competent! you pull off tricks with ease, just how sonic would!
easy AND breezy, he's a NATURAL
I love these analyses to pieces, but the humor is just as great lmao "we gotta tell Alan!", the visual gags, the comedy "stories"... You consistently make me laugh, multiple times per video, with genuine hilarity.
We gotta tell Alan! ALAN! ALAN!!
Haha thank you so much! 🙏 I'll have to send my regards to Alan
Windmill Isle Act 2 makes me so nostalgic; I remember playing the demo on PS3 so much when I was, like, 9 or 10. That sense of speed, the gorgeous presentation, and the exciting, kinetic gameplay is what solidified me being a Sonic fan(which for the record, I was made aware of the series because of flash games and stuff).
When you consider Unleashed being a 3D translation of the gameplay of Sonic Rush, I think it's interesting that the first "zone" of Unleashed has a lot of visual similarities with Water Palace. The white architecture and blue shadows, and the background even having a Greek-styled village in the background; it's like they looked at the background of Water Palace and thought "hey, let's make THAT a level for Unleashed!" I love having the first level being purely white with accents of colors, it's like you're starting off with a white canvas.
Speaking of white architecture; now that you've rebeaten Forces, I would like to see a video on the thirteenth level of the game, Capital City! I feel that in the grand scheme of things, that level has the most "interesting" things to talk about; if not its level design(which, y'know, it's Forces), then its for the moments it has. With how much your analysis of Unleashed and Generations levels showcased all the fine details, I'm curious to see how much Forces compares. Up to you, though!
What about Act 1?
@@Hyp3rSonic It wasn't in the demo I played
@@rocketrifterI just really love Act 1 😅
Literally been going through Rush right now, I always knew about Water Palace but playing through it I was getting massive Apotos vibes lol. It's kind of the way I envisioned Blaze's dimension looking, in my brain. It really does feel like an open canvas. ALSO, funny thing about rebeating Forces, Capital City was the STANDOUT level for me, in terms of something I'd want to dig into. That game has a lot of problems but I feel like they pulled off a lot of fun things in that stage, it felt more thrilling than the final battle lol. I might have to focus on the Shad Gens comparison first, but for an individual level from Forces, that was my top pick.
@@AjakesI really love the final boss of Forces, actually!
This is probably one of my favourite levels in any game EVER.
It may not be the most difficult, the most explosive, the best moment but it’s just has the best vibe. Unleashed nails the feeling of “Sonic happening to the world” (The world existing before Sonic blasts through it) that I love so much.
If there’s 1 place I could live in, from any game: it’s Apotos. Maybe it’s me being from a fishing village, but I can just smell the ocean salt as Sonic blasts through. 10/10.
Dammit, now I gotta buy the extra DLC levels.
Apotos is my #1 vacation destination. Trap me in a hub world, and it's that seaside veranda. btw CAREFUL with those DLC levels, they don't mess around.
thanks!
Windmills Isle has always been one of my favourite sonic levels. The fact that the music feels like sonics feet hitting the floor, the combo of it being an opening city AND tropical stage, the true feeling of Sonic running through an urban environment, the absolute euphoria of blasting through it perfectly as is with Unleashed in general.
Excited for the Act 1 analysis!
I still think it's probably the greatest Sonic tutorial level ever made, if not one of the best tutorial levels ever made period.
BASED
Gushing about the environment made me realize that Unleashed was Sonic Team's last attempt at making Sonic games that tried to take place in the "real world" which they were doing in all the mainline games since Adventure (with Heroes being an exception). Even when you were zipping through space ships and stuff, it still tried to be detailed enough to pass as a location that could theoretically exist. But then the next game took place on another planet, and after that was more of a cartoon bend for a while. Even Forces and Frontiers was less focused on taking place in "our world" and more a realistic fantasy land.
Oh yeah I never thought about that. Only game I can think of recently is like Shad Gens which explicitly hints at and hinges on a planet co-habited by humans. They never tried to force Sonic to run through our spaces anymore, he's running through a world that always had him and his critters there, kinda crazy
9:05 Wow! Even after playing this game for dozens of hours and even 110% it I never noticed the yellow blast effect on Sonics boost when he hits something! I love your video analysis’ of these Sonic levels and this one especially, Windmill Isle is my favourite Sonic stage ever, and a huge part of that has to do with the aesthetic, it’s so beautiful and bright, the colors are vibrant and the music is so amazing! Excited for the next one!
Only discovered it while making this video! I was like "what the hell is exploding underneath that patio, it's just chairs- OOHH" rofl. Thanks for the comment dude! 🙌
I think these are my absolute favorite sonic videos ever!!!
Agree
Dude, i randomly picked your video while searching for something to watch while drawing and holy moly you are so entertaining to watch/listen to
Thanks dude! Put me on the side of your screen, ill yap for hours lol
30-60 minute long competent, thorough breakdowns of my favourite Sonic the Hedgehog levels is a such a particular niche corner of TH-cam content that I am so so glad to have found ☺️😎❤️
Appreciate that, thanks for watching them!
Closer immersive camera makes unleashed stand out from all the other boost games.
Unleashed is still the best 💙
How did you manged to put a permanent smile on my face for 30 minutes? Is this the power of Unleashed or just my Childhood love to this game?
BOTH
I've been playing through the sonic games in order of supposed "goodness" and this video is truly testing me, this looks like heaven
GET YOUR ASS TO APOTOS DUDE, THE ISLE NEEDS YA
You deserve every bit of praise that comes your way
i was literally just thinking "man, i cant wait for ajakes' next video"
so like. hell yeah.
yo. hell yeah.
I love this series so much! Taking a microscope to the level really lets you get a sense of how much thought can go into a level. That little hint ledge you mentioned I had never understood why it existed, but it makes so much sense why it's there now. This is the FIRST level in the game, and it shows off incredible complexity. Hope you had a wonderful holiday, and look forward to the war crime analysis for the bonus levels.
Gonna have to hold on for dear life for this next vid, those bonus acts are no joke. (thanks for watching!)
Ayyyyy, the one i was waiting for!
Windmill Isle is just so fun. It's such a perfect opening level cause it shows you what the fun of the game is without you having to actually know what you're even doing. And also, act 1 flows so well into act 2. Starting in that grassy area until getting on that bridge that takes you over to the city act 2 is in. It almost feels like they're the same level, like there should be a couple boost pads at the end of act 1 that put you at the start of act 2. There's even a staircase at the end of act 1 that it feels like you could just walk up and enter act 2.
Totally agree, the further you go in Act 1, the more you get Act 2 architecture, until it feels like you're right outside the city gates. Always loved that. We're gonna talk about Act 1 in a couple days so GET READY
Man I love these videos so much. Excellent analysis of amazing levels delivered with such humourous charm. 10/10. Someone could make analyses of your analyses to point out why they're so good.
oh god, at that point I think my brain would explode (out of happiness obviously)
Your enthusiasm for this is delightful. I love your drawings highlighting each section!
He's So Back! Love the Analysis!!! One small thing I love to point out about this Stage as a music nerd is that the music for this stage is the first Sonic stage song over/at 200bpm! making this the fastest tempo sonic music at least to my knowledge. It really helps capture Sonic's new transition to the "Almost too fast" Boost formula!
Jesus christ that's fast lol, I had no idea. I def hear it in those drums though!
man your analysis is allways made to such a profesional level of detail, really looking into every nook and cranny. i love it
I swear the number of interesting things you find to talk about in these levels is impressive.
These videos made me realize that I want more countries and cultures to have the unleashed treatment, imagine going through mountains in Russia, fighting robots in Madagascar or running around Mexico (where I'm from), it would have a lot of potential.
An Unleashed 2 would be so sick, there’s so much great potential
I am once again amazed by how you manage to catch so many little details.
Like I played unleashed hundreds of times as a kid and I only just now noticed stuff like the doors and rails in the background changing from blue to red or sometimes green.
I also feel like more games need a "Vibe" tutorial.
A good example of a game that does this well is probably the Katamari Damacy games.
The games give you a basic tutorial of the controls and after that it just throws you into a level and simply tells the player "Just grow". You figure out the overall gameplay loop and strategies for a level by simply just messing around and playing in the level.
If you haven't tried them, give them a shot, they're fun.
I always wanted to play Katamari as a kid, but never ended up doing it... idk why I don't just play them rn LOL, should I just start off with the first? Also thanks for catching and enjoying the video! Appreciate it 👍👍
@Ajakes i recomend starting with Katmati Damacy Reroll. It's a remaster of the original and man it is FUN!
If Eggman knew what he was doing, he would fill his lairs with those tiny almost invisible trip hazards just before his spike traps and bottomless pits.
guaranteed way to keep ME out
I love these videos man, I'm currently a stage designer for a sonic game in the adventure style, and now the stages and set pieces have rhyme and reason!
Sounds fun! If you make some nice progress on it, lemme know! 👍
Please never stop these videos they honestly bring me so much joy lol
Another fantastic video man!
Windmill isle is THE level I think of when I think of Unleashed (aside from the warehog) It's beyond iconic and beautiful for me, and it's certainly a level that deserves to be "slow run" through to take it all in! I'm sure Alan would love it!
It was the first level I ever completed boostless just to take in the vibe. It's so relaxing. We gotta tell Alan, anyone know where Alan is, any Alan's in the house? Raise your hand if you're Alan.
the feel of windmill isle for me always made wonder is this what sonic feels like when he's having fun rather than running to a destination because he needs to get there to progress the story
It is kinda like the one stage in Unleashed that Sonic basks in before the story really kicks off and he goes to Spagonia. In my mind, this is him running for fun
THESE ANALYSIS ARE SO FUN, really got me back into sonic, looking forward to more unleashed levels!!
I have to say, out of all the "starting" levels in any sonic game, for the longest time my answer for the best one would always go towards this. It's just such a simple level to play through and not only that but enjoy it as well, for everything in it like the layout and the gameplay itself, honestly pretty much everything you said in this video, you worded it perfectly!
I started watching your channel a while ago when I came across it just enjoying unleashed related things and I have to say that I love all of these videos. I hope you are able to continue making these because you're analysis videos are extremely enjoyable and run deep with their explanations which I love :D
The "best starting level" debate is so difficult, but Windmill Isle is absolutely up there, such an immediate blast of pure energy and speed. Thanks for following along with the videos, I can't wait to make more! 🙏
Love these analyses! Sonic games are naturally fast paced but it’s nice to admire the intentionality of design and animation techniques in these levels, they deserve appreciation! And your humor, pacing, pointed out details all are so fun to listen to! Thanks for always sharing these!
Always stoked to see you upload. Really appreciate the effort you put into these, man. Windmill isle means a lot to me. Seeing the passion they were pouring into the series after the let down
of 06 was so refreshing at the time. I played the demo to death until the release of Unleashed.
You can tell they really REALLY tried with this game: soundtrack, level design, graphical fidelity. They might have even overshot and got too risky (werehog and medal collecting lol) but I always salute the effort, they gave it their all, that is NO lie
I've been watching since the rooftop run video and I must say, you and bickuribox are really fresh and enjoyable creators to see in the sonic space. I genuinely look forward to new videos and all the neat details I'll learn about these levels I've loved for so long (like seriously, I never noticed the ascent at the start of the level changed the gate colors to red). Your observational skills honestly continue to impress me, and I adore how fun you make breaking it all down to the viewer. Genuinely top notch stuff, please keep it up
Bickuribox is one of the GOATs, love his stuff! I appreciate that 👍👍👍
What another great video! You're so good at analyzing these stages and I'm so glad I discovered your channel! Unleashed is my favorite sonic games and one of my fav games period. I'm so escited to see what fun you'll bring to the next video!
Oh, and I love the animations you do, it adds so much to the video! Thank you for all that extra effort and visual fun!
thank you! glad you liked the intro 🙏
23:57 I actually like that first ledge! You're practically guaranteed to run into it which is the first thing in the level that really makes you want to replay it later. Now that you know it's there and that you need to jump you can play it again without losing speed there.
PS: Not sure about everyone else but I've always pronounced it aah-puh-tose. Not sure what the CORRECT pronunciation is.
Now I just have to make sure I comment on the second video...
Love seeing a bit of optimism for the ledges because you WONT get it from ME AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. We need more ledge-lovers out there to beat me up. But I see your point! 👍 And be sure to watch the next vid! (i am NOT asking)
EYYYY
THERE'S MY FAVORITE SONIC TUBER BACK AT IT AGAIN!!! :D
WE'RE BACK BABBYYYYY :D
@@Ajakes YAAAAAAY!!!!! :D
Love these videos, always gets me in the mood to boot up Unleashed!
Windmill Isle makes me feel globally illuminated
christ dude, you're glowing
Another banger as expected. I love the fun energy you bring into your analysis, and I always end up appreciating the levels in a deeper way, even after replaying this one so many times. PEAK analysis for a PEAK level ksjdks
Oh wow, thank you! ❤️
this, this is GOOD stuff.
love wondering what other level you'll do next, because you just make it all interesting to leave running and listen to and occasionally look at what you're yammerin' on abour
I love dropping little hints 😉 (although there was no hints on this one lol)
I love these videos, They make me appreciate all of these levels so much more than I already did, no matter how much of the stuff pointed out is intentional on sonic teams part or not, it still just makes me want to play these games again. Also I love the funny commentary and drawings lol
I love how positive you are, listening to you talk about all this stuff is how talking about things I love to other people feels, its so feel good
Plus you have a great eye for detail, i never even noticed the colour changing fences in that opening segment and ive played this level hundreds of times
Always walk away from these with newfound appreciation
best part about talking about things you love? its VERY easy!! Appreciate the comment dude 👍
Magnificent,
once again this is excellent can’t wait what you do next after finishing up your sonic level analysis series
YO, thank you. Gonna keep it mainly Sonic this year, but eventually wanna branch out to other games!
Nice I do have a ton of games on my lot to talk about
And tv series if you like
OMG I FINNALY FOUND YOUR CHANNEL!! I had seen your level analysis on my tv when i lost my phone and i was looking EVERYWHERE and now i found you and your AMAZING videos.
DID YOU FIND YOUR PHONE??
@Ajakes Yeah i found it, thank god! I'm glad i dint have to get a new one or use another device lol
I BARELY STARTED THE VIDEO AND I ALREADY LOVE IT
TYSM KEEP DOING THESE THEYRE GREAT
Your content is so well presented and crafted. Keep up the amazing work!
Thank you!!
Hell yeah, new Ajakes!
That's always something to look forward to.
man, windmill island is just so cool! Im so glad we got around to it this early, its just such a fun stage. I think a really cool comparison video for the future (albeit a little more difficult to tackle) would be a comparison of shadow generation's chaos island vs the original in sonic frontiers! It'd be a pretty wild undertaking no doubt, but i bet there's lots of room for interesting analysis there. Either way, cant wait to see next week's video! Getting these analysis videos monthly in my notif box is like christmas coming early, its so good.
I really wanna attempt Chaos Island, SOMEHOW. It seems huge but I think that would be such a fun vid. Might save it for end of the year, but it is so on my radar. Happy to deliver some Sonic Yap Material every month, always appreciate the comments dude! 👍
@@Ajakes i dont blame you for wanting to save something like that until later, talk about a crazy undertaking! Always happy to leave a comment, especially if it means i get to talk with the dude behind the peak!
Gotta be honest, it's my favourite Unleashed level and it's one of my most loved Sonic levels of all time. I love Rooftop Run but the atmosphere of Windmill Isle and the smoothness of it is just incredible.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA WINDMILL ISLEEEEEEE
Dude really though, I love the content, it’s genuinely insane how much effort is put into these and you can see it in every moment. I’ve been loving these level recaps. Sonic unleashed is my favorite Sonic game, glad to see Windmill Isle!
The mad lad did it! He dissected the Vibes(TM). Great video as usual. I can't wait for the next part.
Thank you! 🙏 The VIBES™ were a lot stronger than I thought, surprised I survived this one. Very excited to release part 2, should be out in a couple of days!
@Ajakes speaking of vibes, I've got to say, I've been playing a LOT of Shadow Generations lately (it's my first Sonic game in a while and I'm kind of obsessed). And I know that Radical Highway has become a bit of a meme in the last few weeks but that game really has its own set of Vibes, and I feel them a LOT in that level. Something fascinating about Sonic and Shadow gameplay is that while Sonic plays really airy and the speed comes effortlessly, a lot of Shadow's speed and maneuvering is done through both bouncing through combat combos but also through conservation of the boost/chaos control meter. Like, there are points in radical highway (especially when you don't have Doom wings turned on) when you really feel yourself being strategic about the boost and about which enemies to go for. It almost feels like character work - like, Sonic's speed is effortless and second nature. Shadow "Air Shoes" the Hedgehog *can* go fast, but only through fighting, strategizing, and working smarter.
Also, I'll say it is very funny going back and forth been Sonic Generations and Shadow Generations. Sonic is reliving the good times and high-fiving seaside dolphins, and Shadow is growing new bones and facing the ghosts of his past in hell. Going back and forth is a very funny whiplash.
@@hanahyperfixates YES I thought the exact same thing about their different playstyles too (If you look at the Kingdom Valley video I made, around 34:46 I got into detail about this, how Shadow goes fast through ACTIONS). Like, moments where I was just boosting on the ground felt slower than Shadow's teleportation attacks, I would end a boost TO homing attack enemies, because it made me feel faster. And I love how the doom powers play into that: it's not just homing, you will have to Doom Spear openings, or Doom Blast to reach new heights. I really like how things all come together at Chaos Island (Morph pissed me off at first, but then I had to go online and figure it out because the game doesn't explain it well lol. Once I got it, I really ended up loving that level). Honest-to-god, I almost think it's a disservice to Radical Highway that they let you Doom Wing through it on the first go, because it's SO well designed for on-foot actions. I understand narratively it was a fun choice, but when I went back to play without them I was like "oh shit, I was SKIPPING all this???" It's so clever and fun. And yeah, the tone between the two games is hilarious, even from just the title screen it look's like Sonic's Birthday VS Shadow's Funeral. Poor guy needed a hug when they warped him back to the party rofl. Do you have any thoughts on the bosses at all? I typically don't care much for Sonic bosses, but I loved them here. Both mechanically AND narratively lol, the Metal Overlord fight almost feels playful, and the Mephiles one is downright cruel by the end.
@@Ajakes I was just rewatching that Kingdom Valley vid earlier this week, and you totally get it right. Shadow's navigation through these levels is so much more active in a way I REALLY dig, and it feels so engaging. And you are absolutely not alone when it comes to Doom Morph - they did very little to explain that slingshot effect, and that is a such a big part of the fun of it. Once you DO understand the technique, tho, it is SO FUN to slingshot around Chaos Island. The hub world, I think, was also very effective as a big practice zone for you to play around with the morph, etc, and get the timing down. At this point I'm still digging around for the last few rocket parts, but I've gotten all the chests in the hub and had a blast doing it, in part because of all the variety it offers. Re: The Doom Wing, I had so much fun with it, but I completely get what you mean about it skipping over a lot of level. Radical Highway Act 1+2 with Doom Wing turned off was the most difficult and rewarding S Rank I've ever gotten. You literally can NOT fuck up once. It took me hours. But it was worth it because navigating that fucked up inside out Cronenberged Radical Highway is SOOO Radical.
And the BOSSES omg, don't even get me started on them. My first go with the Mephiles fight took me 10 minutes (I am not a Capital-G Gamer, pls no one laugh). But the second time i fought him, after I finished playing through and I started attempting to S-rank after mastering the morph/other moves, I got an A rank and really surprised myself with how fun it is. I actually started wishing the part in the air with the goop balls was LONGER than only one phase. It only took another attempt to get the S. But it was so COOL. The Mephiles fight could definitely use its own video, since the mood is so interesting. He's hidden away in the sewers, and his door even needs MORE keys. Like he isn't even supposed to be here, you know? and the music in the area around the door is SOOO GOOD. AAAA. And then how he is like "i just want to exist!!!" and Shadow is like "lol no" - honestly, it was insane. But it also felt fitting to give Mephiles one last go at it. He was genuinely creepy in Sonic 06, in a great way, despite the game's many many faults. I dont think we need to get him back full force, but he deserves a sendoff.
The Metal fight was SO fun. I didn't realize you get different cut scenes depending on which points you chaos control, or that you can skip the part where you jump over his tail swipe if you focus more on hitting debris at him, until i played it a few times trying to S Rank. and I was like "There are OTHER methods?" It was so fun and it lets you experiment! I think that's a big part of what made him feel playful (in your words).
Also the ending with Shadow at the party is so absurd in retrospect. He was just CRYING and now they're shoving a plate of chili dogs at him and turning up the music. There has been a lot of talk (some reactionary, and some warranted) about the line changes in Sonic Gen's new cutscenes. But there is ONE that I think is a great call. Originally, when the friends show up to cheer Sonic on, Shadow says "You got this, Sonic :D" which is very silly, but at least it fits the vibe of Sonic Gen, so it's whatever. But in the NEW sonic Gen, he says "On your feet," in a serious tone. And that is much better suited, not only because it is more in character, but because Shadow just got back from fighting the Devil (from the Bible) in hell (from the Bible). If I just got back from hell and mourning my family twice over and saw my buddy laying face down on the floor after a little tussle during his grand adventure, I would also tell them to get up so we could get this all over with.
I'm planning a video for my own channel based on how it feels to Get Good at Shadow Generations, and about the excitement of discovery and getting the hang of these things, and why I think that is. Like I said, this was my first Sonic game in years that I actually played and didn't just watch a playthrough/vid review on. And playing it alongside Sonic Generations really opened my eyes to the growth curve. The increased difficulty made it so much more engaging to learn how to reach those speeds that in Sonic Gen feel so effortless, which made me reach for Shadow gen MORE then Sonic gen, as someone who not used to either game's playstyle. When i make that vid i will definitely cite your channel when I talk about Kingdom Valley - that level was the first level I chose to keep grinding for an S Rank, for a lot of the reasons you mentioned.
(Also sorry for such a long reply, I just have a song in my heart I guess)
@@hanahyperfixates YO NEW VID HELL YEAH. Excited to see it, I think it'll be a fresh perspective hearing from someone whose been outside of the games for a bit. Honored to be a citation 🙏 Also you are absolutely a Capital-G Gamer, because even I haven't S ranked the Radical Highways yet lmao. I've been busy with vidz but if I ever get a chance I wanna go back and conquer them, because just running through them normally was a blast. And yeah, that Mephiles fight was fantastic, I was sad it was so SHORT lol, it forces you to use all your mechanics for a boss fight (of a similar size too! not a giant metal dragon!) but you beat his ass so damn fast lol. Maybe that's just indicative of the Ultimate Lifeform tho. Idk if you watched the trailer leading up to the game, but they revealed Mephiles in the final one. And seeing the way his "area" is structured, I can only imagine how great it would've felt for players to discover that on their own. Slinking down into the sewers, finding the purple goop and hearing the ominous music... if people had no clue he was in there, the reveal would've been incredible. Also funny enough, I hadn't even seen the new ending lines for Sonic Generations because I literally beat the game up to the Time Eater and then didn't wanna do the final boss fight lmao 💀(i had bad memories from before) So I had to look it up online. They really should've just had Shadow bracing himself by a tree at the party, gasping while staring at the floor, brutally exhausted. Maybe Amy gives him a slice of cake or something. Btw I watched your Movie Sonic retrospective while drawing for the next video, it was fantastic! You brought up so many things I didn't even consider. ALSO I absolutely have to mention: the biggest laugh I got out of the movie was after the massive fight in Tokyo with Shadow. Sonic and friends sit at a pastel table in a happy Chao cafe, and then fucking Olive Garden guy slides in (IN FULL REGALIA) and says "Sonic, thank god you're all okay, I'm sure you have questions." It was just so damn casual, and then all the happy characters glare (Sonic literally puts his elbow on the table and gets serious) and prepare for Shadow's brutal backstory. My friends and I had to stifle laughter in the audience, it was so good. We are no longer surprised at blue hedgehogs, the movie universe is FULLY integrated with the games, it's fanTASTIC i love it
Insanely underrated. Your level analysis videos are done so well keep it up!!
Ur videos have taught me how to analyze things like readings its js looking at the little things and seeing how they relate to each other, thanks man!
No problem!
Absolutely one of the best opening stages in the series, up there with the original Green Hill Zone and City Escape. This is my warm-up and cool-down stage when playing Unleashed, as well as the stage I boot up when I just feel like vibing with my good pal Sonic.
As always, love these videos. Excited there's more coming next week!
It's almost always in my level rotation whenever I boot up Unleashed, since it's so fast and fun. Thanks!
I'm so exited to see this series progress throughout the year! Amazing video as always and I'M in it??? again????? The Occasion! It's Joyous!
Jubilant I say! (thanks for the suggestion friendo 👍👍👍)
Both this and Modern Green Hill are such outlier levels to me
They are such easy levels yet are still so replayable, something future games struggle with. Great video as always, Allen!
The replayability on them is such a huge factor, they're quick, simple bursts of adrenaline. They might not have the same massive setpieces as other levels, but they ALWAYS get a run whenever I start up a session of Gens or Unleashed. Modern Green Hill honestly gets slept on too much, I think if that level didn't have the Green Hill aesthetic, people would gravitate to it more lol
It's time to watch another amazing video. This was my first sonic game, and man, this level means a lot to me. Glad to see you cover it.
I dont know why, but the "Mapping the Save me button alongside the rocket Launch ignition." Made me laugh so hard.
it doesnt even bother me anymore but we gotta think of the new players sometimes Sonic Team, we have to
This is easily one of my favorite Sonic levels, and honestly i would've picked this over Rooftop Run for Generations. I think you capture the feeling of these levels perfectly in your videos. I always look forward to em
Windmill Isle was always my 2nd pick for a Gens feature in my brain, but I wonder if they got nervous with so many starting levels lol.
Dude your storyboarding and telling has improved so much it’s unbelieable
Eyy, thank you!
Windmill isle feels like a place to run and relax
WHOA. man that feeling when a good youtuber dosent immedietly stop uploading right as you subscribe to him. amazing video the quality has not dropped one bit please keep going i love these ❤!
2025 is gonna be a fun year here, you hopped in at the best time!
@@Ajakes hell yeah. i havent gotten the same feeling watching youtube vids since like patmac or smthg. been just rewatching all the previous ones while waiting for this one to come out. truly evergreen content 🙏
ur the reason I look for secret routes in sonic games! ❤❤
ALWAYS BE SLEUTHING 🕵️ (ty)
hell yes, new level analysis
Windmill Isle is a perfect vibe. It's pretty much "Summer Vacation's just beginning and now it's time to bask in the neighborhood!" except put into a Sonic level. The Hedgehog Engine REALLY put that into effect with just how everything is so _sunny._
Which is perfect for Unleashed's opening act, as it basically tells YOU the player, "Get ready, cause this is just the beginning of your journey!" Also, the usage of bookends is great considering Sonic comes back in the ending shots of the game. Really tells you "Your journey is done, now you're back home".
And what better place to go back to when the journey is complete, right? Love that they drop you there in the ending cutscene, and then Sonic gets to run along the coast with the Tornado :)
These videos bring back memories, perfect timing with the new shadow gens
One of my favorite youtubers drops a video on one of my favorite levels from one of my favorite games on my birthday. This is amazing
Hey! Happy Birthday! Hope you have a great one! 🥳🎉🎊
The reveal at end was the greatest thing ever. I can hardly wait
I played the demo of unleashed ALOT when I was a kid, playing windmill isle over and over, this stage is BAKED INTO MY BRAIN, it hits a dopamine my adhd brain LOVES, I believe it's the best "level 1" of any sonic game, it's easy, bit it's all about the buttons, it's a rhythm, stomp, boost, stomp, HA, stomp, it keeps the pace flowing and I LOVE IT,
Amazing editing btw! Your videos have gave me major inspiration to just talk about sonic, thanks!
Sonic yappers UNITE. I do love how, even when you are just going straight in Windmill Isle, the game still bounces you around like crazy. For example right after the Harbor Grind, that first rail you take curves, cuts off, sends you into a LOOP, then onto a rail with ANOTHER loop. The camera jumps around with every change, it's so wild haha I love it.
The way I gasped when I saw this video, and then the sonic rush adventure theme started playing. And I cracked the biggest smile.
☀️✌️
I need this game to get ported so badly.
Amazing video too these unleashed videos are teaching me this game has alot more depth than I thought it would
perfect timing man, i really needed this today
yep no, you are my favorite sonic youtuber, i absolutely adore your content, its fan-fricking-tastic, thank you so much for making these
Appreciate it! ❤️ Colors is on the docket for this year!
My favorite thing about Windmill Isle is the color scheme of it.
The white and blue tones feel very relaxing.
WOOOO, FEELIN GOOD! 🗣🔥🔥🔥🦔
Always happy to see more jammin videos from Ajakesyt... The personality combined with the fun drawings and chill game design analysis just make these so fun and interesting to watch throughout. There's just love for the game itself and Sonic as a whole that just makes them all wonderful watches. :)
I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on things that aren't just Sonic some day if you ever want to branch out... I'd watch those too!
Anyway, before I write another Paragraph.
S! S Rank I say! **ESS**
I'd love to branch out to other games eventually! Many I'd like to do, although they vary WILDLY from Sonic rofl. I'll stick with the blue hedgehog for now, but once people start to trust that I can make whichever ol' video entertaining, maybe I can dip my toes in the water. Thanks for the comment dude! 👍
Man, Windmill Isle is so good. It's a great showcase for how the presentation of Unleashed elevates the feel of its stages. You just feel so much faster here than you would playing this stage in other games.
I wonder if the purpose of the final 2D section is to show you how Accelerator Guns can be used to reach optional alternate pathways? The first one doesn't want you to progress until you do it correctly, but the initial one in the final section puts you on a punishment path rather than stopping you completely. I don't remember what stage you start seeing the more hidden Accelerator Gun paths, but it could be an early introduction to that idea.
Windmill Isle is like concentrated SPEED firing you down narrow alleyways, I LOVE IT. Also I think you're right on the money with that theory, the more I talk to people the more I realize that Accelerator Gun is the first time it lets you take a different path FROM the choices.
I never played Unleashed, but I am SO down for these level deep dives. Keep up the good work and take breaks, dude!
Lets go! Love ur videos keep up ur good work cant wait for the greatest level in all gaming history 'Eggman Land' and would love to see Chaos Island Act 1 but im still gonna watch all your content always have to get a tonne of food when i see a new vid
Yo I love “mealtime” vids, I watch most of my TH-cam vids while I’m eating lol
Even the animations are getting better and better i want to be you Mr APeaks🙏🏾🦔
You are TOO kind my friend 😭 (also THANK u, been working more on these intros now, loving how they’re turning out!)
ok can I just say I literally love this series SO GODDAMN MUCH NEVER STOP😩😩😩
Windmill isle is my most replayed level. Though it's easy, I never feel bored.