If you were a child in the 90s or are a fan of video games in general, you no doubt know who Sonic The Hedgehog is. The Blue Blur raced onto the video game scene in 1991 as Sega’s answer to Nintendo’s jumping plumber. The original entry “Sonic The Hedgehog” dripped with attitude and snark, touting speed and bumping beats as players dashed over platforms and rolled their way past the spinning finish sign.
The fun didn’t stop at the first game. Sonic 2 was a much needed improvement to the first game, adding the iconic spindash and even the lovable sidekick fox named Miles “Tails” Prower. Sonic 3 and Sonic and Knuckles are still beloved entries in the series.
The leap to 3D Sonic games is widely where the fun stopped. While there are a few exceptions, Sonic’s 3D adventures have been disasters. Many of the games have been rushed out before development finished leaving the games with many game-breaking bugs. Notable standouts like the reboot Sonic The Hedgehog (also known as Sonic ’06) and Sonic Boom are widely known as being nearly unplayable. Many other entries have gimmicks that fail to stay interesting for very long such Sonic’s talking sword in “Sonic and the Black Knight” or the infamous Werehog from “Sonic Unleashed.”
Because of his downfall, Sonic has widely become a running meme online; his reputation crushed because of his many flops over the last decade. While Sonic still has some very dedicated fans who buy every release, many gamers have felt the best days were behind him.
“Sonic Mania” proves there’s still plenty of chili dogs left in the tank for Sonic. The game is a true love letter to the original games, even referencing itself as a fourth entry in the original saga. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles all control perfect, just like they did on the Genesis in the 90s. The bosses are as interesting as ever as the game has some of the most creative baddies Sonic has ever faced. Classic levels from throughout the series make triumphant returns with new twists that keep them fresh and new. The game is also jam-packed with bonus levels which unlock bonus content. Did I also mention there’s a competitive 2-player mode?
The genius of the game takes the best of the originals, expels most of the bad, and gives the players a bomb of nostalgia. Even those who only know the disappointing games are in for a treat. “Sonic Mania” is easily the best Sonic game released in a decade and a half. The fan service alone makes the game worth a look. Not to mention the love and care that went into the special edition which I happily threw money at a year ago. Look at the love that went into crafting it.
But what makes this game different from all the other failures Sonic has endured over the years? The answer is simple: love. Many of the 3D games have felt hollow and lacking in passion. The games felt less like solid attempts and more like a ploy to cash in on the character, leaving gamers with a yearning for better. Even “Sonic Forces” which comes out later this year nearly parallel to Mania’s release feels like more of the same 3D fluff gamer’s have grown accustomed to, this time adding create-a-character modes as the main selling point.
As stated earlier, “Sonic Mania” was originally a passion project by Christian “Taxman” Whitehead, a developer well known for his fantastic work on ports of “Sonic CD,” “Sonic The Hedgehog” and “Sonic The Hedgehog 2.” Both Headcannon and PagodaWest Games were chosen to help move the game along due to their acclaim in the fan game community. “Sonic Mania” truly became a game by the fans, for the fans, setting it apart from the missteps leading up to its release.
Sega and Sonic Team have been sorely out of touch with the fans. The team working on Sonic Mania worked to rectify that as fans themselves, achieving what they perceived as the new game they wanted to play. Where Sega has given gamers strange narratives and gimmicks not fully fleshed out, Whitehead and the team gave fans what they truly wanted: blinding speed and solid platforming.
That leads me to the entire point of the article. Sega, stop making Sonic games and let independent developers make new entries for you. Who better to make new entries than the biggest fans of the series?
In the past decade, only a couple of standout games have been salvageable from the pile of bad games released. I believe it is time to take a step back from development. Give Sonic Team a break for a while, and let them come back in a few years with some fresh ideas. In the meantime, let fans come to you with their ideas and let them rent the license to the Sonic name. Many of them have great ideas for Sonic games that they want to see. Will every title be a hit? Most likely not. But can it really be any worse than the state of Sonic before this year?
“Sonic Mania’s” release proves that there are still good ideas to be had in the Sonic universe, even if this release was a few tweaks on the existing formula. Sega, if you want your most iconic character to stick around for decades to come, you need to take a step back and let some new blood work on the franchise. The fans will thank you, and the developer community will thank you.
Tech2Dump 