Saturday morning 1993 to '94 Sonic the Hedgehog isn't really Sonic. He's highly stylized, with only a few needles on his back and blue skin, while every other Freedom Fighter is just a regular talking cartoon animal. That's also why they all blink correctly while the white of his single eye is never covered. Animators didn't know what else to do with that. Sega's designs always had actual eyelids. The idea of Sally's former kingdom being turned into Robotnik's city, as illustrated by the opening, is cool, but when they're carrying out their operations together it kind of just feels more like Star Wars. Only regular enemies being uniform stormtrooper-likes doesn't help. They changed Robotnik's design and made Tails a minor character to distance it from the video game aesthetic. World is obviously much more realistic than in the video games and Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.
At least he's not overpowered like in the other cartoon. His buzz saw roll with the saw sound is still there, but doesn't appear to cut anymore. Find the electric sound of his running overdone.
It's alright. I vaguely remember these first three episodes or can predict like I've seen it in the not too distant past, even though it's been a lifetime. Knew Uncle Chuck would lose himself again before they escaped. I remembered the theme that often plays when they're in Robotnik's city, partly because my big brother and I sometimes "sang" it, but it was more orchestral in my memories.