Sonic The Hedgehog Is So Back

 I absolutely adore Sonic the hedgehog, which will come as no surprise to anyone in my class. I've made it abundantly clear. The blue blur and his colorful pals have been with me pretty much as far as I can remember, so today I want to talk about what Sonic is, why I love him so much, and also the bright future ahead for the franchise (I'm so excited for what's next)

I dare you to try and find every snealy references I place in this article (might even make an article on these, since there's so many XD) 

First of all, what is Sonic the hedgehog? 

1-SONIC:ORIGINS 

the fastest thing alive was created in 1991 by Hirokazu Yasuhara, Naoto Ohshima, and the most famous, Yuji Naka (sometimes refered to as Yu2 by fans, I'll explain why later). These three were tasked to create for SEGA (SErvice GAmes) a mascot who would rival with Nintendo's very popular Mario. The main goal of SEGA was to showcase the speed of their consol, the Mega Drive (aka SEGA Genesis) compared to Nintendo's hardware, so they quickly knew they wanted a fast character. The original concept was a Rabbit, which remains unnamed to this day, but they decided at the last minute a hedgehog would look more dynamic with it's sharp quills. "But why is Sonic blue?" I hear literally none of you asking! Well, simply, because SEGA's logo is blue! And now I don't hear you asking "But then, why isn't it the same shade of blue as the logo?". The answer is simple once more: Sonic was simply not visible enough against the blue sky of the game, so they made him darker. Fun fact, Sonic's name was originally Harinezumi, or Mr. Needlemouse in english.

↓ the unnamed rabbit who would become Sonic and other concept art by Yuji Naka

A screenshot of Sonic The Hedgehog (1991) ↓

 

 

In the next decades, Sonic went through major changes, like switching to 3D, and a change in design. He also gained more allies and foes with each game, each more lively and colorful as the next. His first 3D game (if we ignore Sonic 3D blast, which we will) was Sonic Adventure in 1998. This game brought more to Sonic that just 3D:it brought Yuji Uekawa (the second Yuji which gave Yu2), and with him a new artstyle which would change the franchise forever:the well named Uekawa Sonic. This design has so much personality and swagger, it stayed until modern days (even though it's been slightly updated), and the name is still deeply respected in the community

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Part two, why I love Sonic

2-Vivid sounds and hybrid colors
Sonic has a lot of reasons to be likeable. So many I don't even know where to begin.
Let's begin with the general esthetic and atmosphere of the games (wow I'm more organised on this than on Ms Choffrut's essays, I should get my priorities straight if I wanna stay in this section)

Sonic in general is quite a 'feel good' franchise. It's all about freedom and friends, facing whatever comes with a smile and maybe a couple pals. This is a part that's always appealed to me, along with the bright colors of the cast and evironments. Some places are colorful, pretty, or dazzling, while others are straight up gorgeous 

 
Studiopolis Zone Act One, Sonic Mania (2017)  ↑ Sunset Heights, Sonic Forces (2017) ↓

Ouranos Island, Sonic Frontiers (2022) ↓

 

 

 


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Another part that pushes further into this 'feel good' vibe is the music. One thing that's always been consistent throught the ups and downs are the soundtracks accompanying the games. I always love listening to these upbeat and fast paced songs, and they are so varied, you're guaranted to like at least one
Here is a quick top ten instrumental tracks for those curious enough to give it a listen
 

10-Arsenal Pyramid (Sonic Forces)

honorable mention:Arsenal Pyramid - interior
9-Sunset Heights (Sonic Forces)

honorable mention(last one I promise):Gate:Sunset Heights (Shadow Generations)

8-Aquatic Base -Level 2- (Sonic The Hedgehog 2006)
7-Second Wind - Sonic Mvt. (Sonic Frontiers:Final Horizon)
6-Last Judgement (Sonic Forces)
5-That's The Way I Like It... for Metal Harbor (Sonic Adventure 2)
4-Flame Core -Volcano- (Sonic The Hedgehog 2006)
3-End of The World (Sonic The Hedgehog 2006)
2-Mortar Canyon (Sonic Forces)
1 -Palmtree Panic "B" mix (Sonic CD)

But Sonic doesn't resonate with me only with the sheer joy of its speed, heartfelt moments of kinship, and blissful endings
What all we Sonic fans adore above all
Is
The

AURA FARMING

the 'cool' factor has always been present in Sonic games, at least ever since Sonic went super against Perfect Chaos in Sonic Adventure and the absolute banger Open Your Heart started playing. But it's never been more present than it is now, and especially since Sonic Frontiers, where each Island had a boss worthy of being any game's final foe, each one more gigantic than the last, but each destroyed the same in an epic clash against Super Sonic accompanied by the glaring vocals of Kellin Quinn roaring in the background... Absolute cinema. These bosses were playable AMVs.

 

Super Sonic throwing with his (gloved) bare hands a literal titan wyvern robot into a mountain, if that's not aura 
farming what is  

 

 

Sonic really has a way with looking cool.

 

  To wrap this up, I'd like to talk about Sonic in a more personal way: I know Sonic isn't exactly popular (although that is changing in the recent years, yahoo), but it's always been something I've loved. And to be honest, that's gotten me a lot of mockeries... But I found in Sonic a second family, among the mass of fans. This is probably the warmest community of fans I've ever seen, and some of the most talented people, thousands of artists, VAs, gamedesigners, modders... And before you start listing other communities that are more of a family than Sonic, note this: the main reason everyone gets along so well and are so nice to one another is because we basically all went through the same thing growing up as Sonic nerds, and we all know what it feels like being left out for being quirky (also, a little fact: a great portion of Sonic fans are autistic, which must've also been hard to live growing up.. These people say the main reason why they love Sonic is the heartwarming community, and the message of freedom and "be who you are" from the entire franchise. some of you may find this corny but I entirely agree with it) 

The future of Sonic is looking bright, with Sonic the movie 4 in 2027, other Sonic Cinematic Universe projects rumored for the next years, support planned on Sonic Racing Crossworlds for the next couple of years, and probably new games on the horizon for the 35th anniversary of the franchise

Sonic has been getting much more love in the recent years, and nothing could make me happier than sharing that love with you 

Overall, Sonic is amazing in so many ways, most that you didn't even think of, and I hope that those who read this article to this point will understand Sonic and me better than before, and perhaps even want to play some! Say so in the comments if that's the case please so I can stalk you and loan you my Sonics (whatever consoles you have, it'll work, I have games for PS2, PS3, Switch (1/2), Wii...)

Thank you so much for reading this! I'd like to close it off with some of my favorite Sonic quotes (because I can't possibly choose just one)

“What you see is what you get! Just a guy who loves adventure! I’m Sonic the Hedgehog!” – Sonic Adventure 2

“I’m not fast because I run. I run because I’m fast!” – Sonic Frontiers

“I don’t need anyone to tell me who I am.” – Sonic Prime

 “A hero never runs from danger. He runs toward it.” – Sonic the Hedgehog

 “The journey matters more than the destination.” – Sonic Frontiers

 "I’m wet, I’m cold, there’s a fish on my head, and I realize that I can’t do this on my own." - Sonic Movie 

 "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog, and I have no master, except for the wind that blows free" - Sonic And The Black Knight 

ps I have no idea why the text went berserk at the end