Netflix’s Sonic Prime is so good it should have been a game

Every new Sonic the Hedgehog installment release feels like tossing a coin. Either you get a game that doesn’t live up to the potential of one of its iconic characters. Of course, the franchise didn’t always have the reputation it has today. Classic Sonic games are beloved to this day, with gameplay and design that evokes a sense of speed and coolness, a story underpinned by subtle but important messages of activism and rebellion, or character-driven drama. is combined with Bring anthropomorphic creatures to life.

But Sonic’s ventures into other media have had a much higher success rate. Sonic Comics — Wild and crazy stories, incredibly deep lore, Game of Thrones Plots that feel small and have bizarre occurrences such as two joke characters all becoming powerful demigods have always worked well. The appearance of Sonic in the anime is also very loved by fans.in a medium that successfully captures the character’s essence and makes the most of his cartoonish look and speed. sonic prime, i was a little excited. Here’s your chance to delve into the world of Blue Blur once again to see what new fast-paced action we can pull from the franchise.

And it was good. Actually it was really good. And the biggest reason is sonic prime would have been TRUE good sonic game

sonic prime It’s not complicated at all. Co-produced by Sega, Man of Action Entertainment, and Wildbrain Studios, and animated by Netflix Animation, the series runs under the premise that viewers know the rough strokes of the franchise. Season 1 begins with Sonic and his gang battling Eggman for the latest MacGuffin, Paradox his prism, a stone containing an unknown power to use to conquer the world. Pretty standard setup, right? Sonic thinks so too, so in classic Hedgehog style he rushes into battle, ignoring warnings from his friends. why shouldn’t he? He’s Sonic the Hedgehog! But that cockiness leads to the shattering of the Paradox Prism and the multidimensional main his events.

By sending Sonic into the Multiverse, the creative team was able to use Sonic’s iconography, images and sounds from all eras, distorting and twisting them in various ways to create a feeling of familiar yet unknown. increase.all over the world Prime is a variant of the Green Hills Zone, urbanized, overgrown, or flooded, but with a few key set pieces, such as Green Hills’ iconic loop and the palm trees that line the backdrop of the franchise’s first level. is left. This premise also gives Sonic the opportunity to directly address the consequences of his actions in a world where Eggman has won or his friends are divided and fighting among themselves without his influence to guide them. Instead of simply speeding up to victory, each new multiversal zone actually forces you to slow down and seek change, to see the world around you and your role within it. increase. This is exactly the message-driven storytelling found in all great Sonic games. sonic the hedgehog 2 At Sega Genesis, sonic adventure Sega Dreamcast games, or even some well-received modern stories, sonic colors and classic throwback sonic mania.

Each time Sonic travels to one of these new worlds within the Shatterverse, his shoes and gloves change to his advantage in each world. sonic adventure 2In the overgrown Green Hills, these are claws for climbing and chopping down trees, and in the flooded world, they are Shadow-like hover boots to overcome and deal with Sonic’s fear of water. The twist gives each new world a self-contained story and design versatility that allows you to truly understand the differences between each version of Green Hill.

In contrast, modern Sonic games have fallen into the trap of feeling rather familiar, unlike shows that offer iconic images of Sonic in unique, alternative looks. Green Hill has appeared in over 26 games since the series’ inception, many of them blending into the same background blur. During the 2D game, the stages offered a multi-level design. This allows you to pick up speed in the upper sections or focus on the slower, more puzzle-based sections.These design elements are sonic adventure When Adventure 2, offering multiple routes or gameplay options, so every level felt fresh and offered something different to appeal to a wide range of players — but over time, the franchise has become more of these Removed various options. The same few zones every few years.

Image: Netflix

But the problem goes beyond level design. Sonic has been coasting from his past since his 2011s. sonic generations, The game is a loving tribute to the franchise’s history, combining both modern and classic Sonic into a story and taking them through some of the most famous stages in the franchise’s long history. Every game since then has featured some kind of throwback to the classic era. 2013 sonic lost world brought back a wisp from sonic colors (the best modern sonic game for many), sonic mania It was basically a sequel. Sonic and Knuckles. next game, sonic force, revived the classic-era Sonic, his gameplay from generationsWisp, When tied up sonic mania. This year’s sonic frontier It features small set pieces from the past with modern Sonics moves, similar to the . generationsbut the more time you spend in Frontier’s open world, the more they pass by so quickly that it’s a pain to get through them happily. sonic prime It’s a good time for the Sonic team of developers to honor the past and keep looking to the future.

sonic prime Don’t give up on what you did well in the game. From an aesthetic standpoint, the franchise’s use of iconic imagery, audio, and design relies heavily on classic games with modern paint jobs. As is often the case in articles, it leads to characters who are far from one tune.The reduced cast means Sonic can keep his ensemble, but so many that everyone feels left out. No. Shadow in particular has transformed from being one of the edgiest characters in Western media to a more focused and mature person, constantly resenting the hijinks of his blue counterparts. And as the team explores the multiverse, we get to see different versions of these characters. What stands out is not only Sonic’s influence, but also his failure.

Everything in the Sonic Universe seems possible in Shatterverse. It could very well be a multi-season epic story. I watch them with interest, but I also feel a little sad. It feels like it’s screaming that it’s the video game that finally brings Sonic back to life among the gaming greats. It took more than a decade for these characters to actually come to mind again for a game that allowed Sega and Sonic Team to keep what they were familiar with but finally try something fresh. The first story sums it all up. It’s everything I ever wanted in a Sonic game.