Sonic The Hedgehog 1 Cover Art (Game Gear)

At the time of its introduction, the greatest appeal of Sega Game Gear was its full color screen. which rival Game Boy’s single color screen was pale in comparison to. The biggest appeal of Sonic the Hedgehog 1 was the increased speed of game play versus its rival game Mario on Game Boy. Increased speed naturally was preferred, as quicker response time between input and output of an interface is universally considered a player benefit in the age of electric speed. This increased speed was also fitting for the subject matter of the game, a supersonic fast hedghog super-hero. Although the pack-in game for Sega Game Gear was Columns, Sonic was one of Game Gear’s most popular games due to its already established popularity as the pack-in game for Sega Genesis. Martin’s use of airbruch strokes captures the motion of Sonic’s dashing speed within a beautful, vibrant, irridescent oasis dreamscape. The cool, cartoon aesthetic leaves much to be filled in by the viewer’s imagination, priming the brain for an escape to the totally involving world of virtual game play.