LEGO Ideas Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone Review

The LEGO Ideas Green Hill Zone is 1125 pieces, and will take you 2-3 hours to build. The process is fun, although a workout for your fingers given the abundance of 1 x 1 panel pieces. Some bricks have printed detail, and others will require you to use stickers.

There are no Sonic levels more iconic than Green Hill Zone, and this set is a loving portrait. The resemblance is unmistakable, even at a glance. You’ll instantly hear the mirthful and classic chiptune jingle in your head when you see the finished product. All the trappings are here. The trademark jagged foliage is present with the palm tree and flower. There is a flippable checkpoint post, floating rings, power-up TVs, and even a lever activated spring. What really does it though, is the checkerboard earth and grass. The colors and pattern are so precise that it’s hypnotizing; you could easily stare at it for hours. The way that the LEGO bricks mirror the blocky texture of pixel art is incredibly charming.

For characters, you get two badniks, Motobug, and Crabmeat, and a minifig of Sonic himself. They nailed Sonic’s sideways smirk, but his stomach could have used another coat of paint. You even get a rendition of Sonic’s eternal nemesis, water. Just kidding, of course we mean Dr. Eggman, complete with the Eggmobile! You can interchange the TVs with several screens. Ring, Shield, Speed Shoes, Invincibility, and Extra Life screens are all included. As a cherry on top, there is a life counter in the lower left corner; absolutely no detail was spared. The build itself even contains an easter egg. There are 7 steps and each one contains a Chaos Emerald. By the time you’re done, you’ll have collected all 7! From concept to completion, you can tell the designers of this set created this with love.