When the series first came out in 1991, Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog rose to become one of the most influential video game series of all time, and still is today. Fast-paced, way past cool, and thrill-seeking action, a variety of Funny Animals with unique traits, an adventurous and Science Fantasy atmosphere, and continuous battles between Sonic and Eggman are what make Sonic lovable. Sonic even led to many "copyhogs"! With plenty of games to play already, a humongous fandom, and a loaded-out franchise with comics and cartoons, there's no signs of the blue hedgehog stopping, even when drops of quality are met.
This article will list the core components that make Sonic the Hedgehog, as well on tips on making either a work inspired by Sonic, if you're a fan of sci-fi colorful animal action.
(NOTE: Still under construction)
Necessary Tropes
- Super-Speed: The very first game marketed itself almost entirely on the sheer speed of the game's blast-processing. Since Sonic's primary super-power is being able to roll-around at the speed of sound, much of the game's level design is centered around our protagonist running great distances very quickly, being able to either avoid or plow through enemies
Choices, Choices
- Evil Is Not a Toy: A recurring trope employed in the games involves Dr. Eggman coming up with an Evil Plan that hinges on either a partnership with other villains or trying to use powers beyond his comprehension. His partnership with the likes of Chaos, Shadow and the Deadly Six, his use of the Eclipse Cannon, freeing Dark Gaia, enslaving and corrupting the Wisps, discovering and commandeering the Time Eater and practically every other time he tries collecting the Chaos Emeralds or the Master Emerald. If it doesn't end with Dr. Eggman nearly blowing himself up failing to contain such power, than it will usually end with his partner trying to stab him in the back out of either a Hidden Agenda or revenge for their mistreatment.
Pitfalls
- Be very wary when going down the Darker and Edgier route, as the Sonic series has experienced with several times. While some attempts are successful, such as Sonic Adventure 2, some, such as Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Forces, fall flat and become Narmfests instead.
- While many fans have their favorites among the large cast the franchise has accumulated over the years, a common criticism of the franchise is that the accumulation of these characters and the tangled web of lore they add to the world can overly-complicate what is, quit-frankly, a rather cartoonish premise. Try to keep it simple, or at least really think it through if you want to make the story any more complicated than "Sonic runs after Eggman and breaks his robots."
- Do not lose sight of the fact that most people play Sonic games is to go really fast. If your level design draws away emphasis from this (Sonic Adventure, Sonic Unleashed) or if the mechanics are unable to cope with it (Sonic Labyrinth, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)), this would be the first thing critics will attack.
Potential Subversions
Writers' Lounge
Suggested Themes and Aesops
Potential Motifs
Suggested Plots
Departments
Set Designer / Location Scout
Props Department
Costume Designer
Casting Director
Stunt Department
Extra Credit
The Greats
Official Sonic Works- Sonic Colors: While the post-Sonic Adventure games of the franchise have always been polarizing, a common consensus among Sonic fans, causal gamers and Yahtzee Croshaw is that Sonic Colors is one of the better examples. It trimmed the fat of the massive cast the franchise had accumulated, made creative use of both 2D and 3D gameplay, provided enough variety in gameplay mechanics without taking away from the primary gameplay (like fastness and the gotta-going of), Awesome Music, made Dr. Eggman the de-facto villain instead of a wannabe who keeps forgetting that Evil Is Not a Toy and a simple story (Eggman enslaves aliens, Eggman tries trapping and killing Sonic with aliens, Sonic beats Eggman) without overcomplicating the game-world's lore.
Fan Works
Original Works
The Epic Fails
Official Sonic Works- Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) is the prime example of why you don't try to rush a product's development in time for the holidays, especially when the development team had been split in half and an important member left mid-production: an unfinished mess of a game plagued by bad controls/physics, Loads and Loads of Loading, and a convoluted, poorly written story, among many other issues. This game alone destroyed the Sonic series' reputation as a gaming icon and is something both Sonic and Sega will never live down.
Fan Works
Original Works
