A New Era – The Bright Future of Sonic the Hedgehog

MotweraGaming1 Comment

Sonic is an IP that recently celebrated its big 25th Anniversary with a party that was buzzing with excitement. With the event, we got a few new announcements and they alongside announced content for Sonic happening earlier this year indicates the series coming back in a big way.

Sonic is back, starting with a grand new era for the series.

Before I talk about the new announcements, going to cover old ground first. Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice looks promising and I am hopeful Sanzaru Games takes the lessons learned from Shattered Crystal to make a game everyone is going to have fun with this September. After enjoying Shattered Crystal a lot personally, I hope that Fire & Ice will be a very solid 2D Sonic title.

Lego Sonic was shown off after his announcement of joining the large cast of Lego Dimensions not long ago. He looks to control very well, having his swift speed and the ability to homing attack alongside some melee moves lifted from Smash 4 & Sonic the Fighters. He even can use his spin-dash to cover a lot of grounding.

Sonic looks to have a lot of care in his Dimensions appearance and considering Travelers Tales (now called TT Games) had past experience with the Sonic IP, its really nice to see them grow over the years and revisit the Sonic franchise through there successful Lego titles.
Now, we can move on to the two big announcements; Sonic Mania & Sonic 2017. The former is the game I wanted since Sonic CD’s 2011 re-release and the later is something I am very excited about.

Mania is more or less Taxman, Stealth, former Sonic 2 HD developers and Tee Loops working as a team to make a really fun 2D Classic Sonic game with the end goal of having the ‘feel’ and ‘look’ of Classic Sonic down pat and…..that is the case. And I cannot be happier with that. With Sonic Team overseeing production and both the new zone having so much love put into it & Green Hill having a lot of revisions and changes compared to the original level designs ensures that the game will be fresh and new.
Sonic 2017 is the project that I can understand people being a bit ‘worried’ about, as it has a serious look, which can evoke memories of Shadow the Hedgehog or Sonic 06. But the series explored that direction well before those games throughout the Classic and Early Dreamcast Era; as long as there is a balance, things will be fine on that front. With Sonic Team outright stating ‘From the Makers of Colors & Generations’ really ensures that this is a return to the Modern Formula found from Unleashed/Colors/Generations.

I think the game will be a grand title not unlike Unleashed but with Classic replacing the Werehog sections. If anything, this ensures that the game will be fun and I can’t wait to see the original levels this title will offer.
Overall, Sonic is back and I feel a new era is born for the series. Sonic’s new titles are announced and we know about his future in 2017; it couldn’t be better. Sonic is getting new games that appeal to both Classic (Mania) and Modern (Sonic 2017) fans in addition to 2016 projects like Fire & Ice and Lego Sonic looking to have care & heart put into them that are coming soon.
Sonic is in good hands with SEGA now and this is amazing to see again. You all know I covered the entire series across its legacy, and it was one heck of a wild ride. Now, that ride is starting again with these announcements but I don’t expect to encounter speed bumps or the ride to fall apart midway through, and I am very happy I have this feeling.

Happy anniversary Sonic the Hedgehog and I hope 2017 will be one fun year for your new adventures.

One Comment on “A New Era – The Bright Future of Sonic the Hedgehog”

  1. Pingback: Sonic in the Gaming Press – The Spin Cycle of a Blue Blur – 3WIREL!

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