The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog review: way better than it needs to be

Imagine if they killed Mario.

Imagine it actually. you can? I mean it: can you really Does it look like something that could go through Nintendo, given the go-ahead by all the necessary departments, across a complex, multinational corporate structure? Appears to be released and shipped? And is it free?

because that’s what sega did Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog.

it’s so easy to be cynical Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog on the critical and creative side. It’s tempting to think that what’s here is simply a glorified infomercial meant to capture the attention garnered on social media and use that attention for positive brand awareness. Such a view is justified when the structure of the game is equally cynical. So a hastily thought out game meme made with no love and only IP enhancements in mind.But both postures can only be considered before actually playing Murder of Sonic the Hedgehogwhich is better and more generous than it needs to be.

The premise of the game is simple. Amy Rose threw his birthday party and, being a true crime podcast fan, decided to book his party on Mirage Her Express Murder Mysteries. You played as a new character, quickly named “Sanik” when given the option. It takes a cynical stance towards the game, but more on that later.

“Saniks,” or as you choose to call them, are the new recruits of the Mirage Express. Today is actually my first day at work. As Sanik, you have a clear role. To ensure that Amy Rose, Sonic, Tails, and the rest of the group are satisfied during their Mirage experience. You receive this task from the train conductor, an affable gentleman who happens to retire after this last trip.

Things move fast. Too fast, in fact. The train moves so violently that Tails, Amy, and the player are trapped in a small room, where they solve their first riddle. It’s not a hard problem. Filing A large chunk of her cabinet is missing, and near Amy is the handle of a huge, broken hammer. Amy swears she didn’t do anything before you and Tails woke up. You then present her with the evidence you’ve collected, piecing it together via a platforming mini-game you play in “Sanic’s Dream Gear”, or whatever you happen to name your character.Amy then surrenders: yes now she remembers — she bottom Hit the filing cabinet with a hammer.

This is the crux of the gameplay loop. Enter the room, collect evidence, and interrogate the Sonic character for an alibi. It’s a loop that immediately gives narrative significance after just a few minutes of a two-hour game. sonic was killed.

Image: SEGA via Polygon

Amy is an avid true crime fan and takes the news with glee. “Someone murdered my beloved Sonic!” The party goes off to the races. It’s all for fun. or is it? As Sanic gets closer to Sonic’s body (please name a better name than me, dear reader), we know that Sonic is either a convincing fake or something serious is going on. .

The question of whether Sonic is truly dead or playdead depends on how long the game is running, so I won’t spoil it here. Is this the world’s most original game plot? Disco Elysium and thesis please? no. Were there any complaints about its simplistic linearity or the sudden rise in difficulty of the Dream Gear minigame towards the end? But in the face of the sheer improbability and quality of this game, does it matter?

Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog It features a moving denouement to a series of jokes about rummaging through trash cans for clues, and a reflection on the nature of retirement and its relationship to work that comes to define our lives. I’m very serious now. I didn’t need to have these things, but I have! In fact, the game is so ironic in its approach to its ridiculous concept that I named my character “Sanik” , I immediately felt like a complete donkey, as if I was better than nothing.

for every possibility, Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog There’s a more honest script than you’d expect from 99, which was released for free on April 1st. This is a fun game with genuine laughter, great art, a killer soundtrack, and you don’t have to pay a dime to play it. We can quarrel about minor things if we want, but all in all, I’m glad it exists, and not only does it exist, but that it’s this much fun.

So kill Mario, you coward. do not have Won’t cut it in 2023.

Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog Released March 31st on Windows PC. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not affect editorial content, but Vox Media may earn commissions on products purchased via affiliate links.discoverable Additional information on Polygon’s Ethics Policy can be found here.