#Sonic frontiers prologue: divergence

[biolizardboils]

[The following is a transcript of a ramble Mardiculous, aka Matt The Owner Of Tails’ Channel, went on after watching Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence. I transcribed it because he touched on a very real pain that’s hard to describe, and also because it’s long and I’m tired of listening to it even at 2x speed.

If he or anyone close to him asks me to delete this post, I will do so.

The ramble begins at the 6:30 mark. Some stutters and filler words have been removed for readability. Bold and italics were added by me for emphasis.]

———

So, I’ve gotta—I’ve gotta say something.

So—you know—I am crying. I’ve been a mess lately. I’m really hyped about Sonic Frontiers, but there’s a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes that I can’t really talk about right now. But [...] it can be kinda summed up with ‘seasonal depression.’ That’s kinda why I don’t look as [well-kept] as I usually do.

But... I’ve been waiting so long for this. It’s simple, right? It’s just—It’s action shots, it’s detailed, it’s the characters being in character.

...You guys wanna see the characters on-screen. Let me get the characters on screen here.

Yeah, so, the references to Sonic Adventure—yes, I’m biased. I love the game, okay? I love Sonic Adventure a lot. But I love Sonic Adventure because it was the first time that they could come out and have the characters speak, and tell you about how they feel about certain things. They had dedicated theme songs to each character.

And so—Let’s not even talk about the game, right? Because we’re talking about the story here. Adventure just—really—when you’re a kid that loved the Classics already, it just opened the floodgates to understanding these characters you already loved on a deeper level. And it’s just been so long since it mattered.

[Silence for 8 seconds]

[sigh] I don’t even know if I should post this. [sigh] Because this is just Knuckles. This is just Knuckles in this. And it’s new, but it’s also familiar, which is what we’ve been asking for. It’s so simple.

[Silence for 21 seconds]

After years of being ridiculed for being Sonic’s friends, right? Like, here’s a whole special about one of Sonic’s friends, and it’s excellent. ...Why am I so emotional, bro? I wasn’t even like, this upset before—like, I’m not upset! It’s just...

Flickies are there, right? And like, Lost World had Flickies, but like, it was just Flickies. So it was just Classic Sonic stuff, with Modern Sonic there, in a game that looked like Mario. It still felt ashamed of what it was. This is... everything.

[Silence for 14 seconds]

I’m in a weird place with Sonic right now, where, like I said at the beginning—Well, no, I didn’t say it. Um...

Frontiers isn’t gonna be perfect, doesn’t look perfect, has flaws. And the people on the outside are not gonna understand... not gonna get it.

[Silence for 10 seconds]

There’s so many people who loved Sonic, that were like, alone. And I was growing up when Sonic was ashamed of itself. And I had to just keep focusing on what I loved, hoping... hoping that it would matter at some point. And for the longest time, it felt like it would never matter. And the reason that this is so powerful is that I know that Tyson Hesse played a hand in this. Fans... know... what people like I’ve been through, what fans have been through.

And, again, this is not insane. This is not, like... There’s better animated shorts out there, yeah. And the fact that I even have to say that sucks, because I’m here experiencing pure joy. But that’s how the Internet is. I have to conjure up fake, totally real people to answer to, and rob myself of enjoying this thing I’ve waited years for. And the thing is, I’ve waited years for so little. ...They didn’t cut away right when the action came in. It’s the Modern cast, it’s fully voiced, it’s connecting to new lore but it’s using previous lore to give us something truly beautiful.

I didn’t even think I’d see Tikal floating around. Like, what’s that, Tikal still floats around and guides Knuckles? Like, I didn’t even know that that was still a thing, but now it matters. Sky Sanctuary is actually seen near Angel Island. Like, that was disconnected, even in Sonic Adventure. And now it’s all connected, and Knuckles is still thinking about his responsibility, right? Like, he hasn’t talked about this since Adventure 1. He just shows up and it’s like, “where’s the Master Emerald? Oh, you’re carrying it with you now?” Like, they just haven’t done anything.

They’ve done nothing with Knuckles, because of what happened—the way the games were received. Every single time they tried to focus on the other characters, the sentiment at the time was like, “I just wanna play as Sonic! I just wanna play as Sonic!” But like, the fact that people’s review of it at the time was so shallow! It’s common sense—not even just Sonic—it’s common sense that a supporting cast is a supporting cast! It makes your main character better! 

How could it have to come to the fact that, “Oh, shut up about the other characters and just focus on Sonic”? What does Sonic have going for him without his friends? It’s about the impact he has on his friends that makes Sonic special. And that’s, like, common sense in writing. You’re gonna have a character by itself the entire time, having zero impact on the people and their environment? You’re gonna have zero respect for iconic locales. You’re not gonna have iconic locales return, so that people who have been following your series for years are invested, and can go around and free-advertise your product!

Finally, they’re doing... what you do. And they couldn’t do this stuff, because they were ashamed of who they were, because they listened to reviewers who were so wrong because they didn’t care, because all they saw was a cartoon character. Which, I will add, is unique that it has deep lore. But that’s why I loved it. Because I can’t find this anywhere else. Unless you wanna talk about Kingdom Hearts, maybe?

Kingdom Hearts has cartoon characters and a deep lore. But the weird part is, the cartoon characters just kind of exist, and then there’s a bunch of humans to kind of really carry that dark lore. Right? Like, Goofy and Donald aren’t going, like, “Why am I here? What’s my responsibility?” But Knuckles is, right?

And what’s cool about that is that anyone can plug into Knuckles, because he’s an animal. It doesn’t have to look like you, with this. You can see yourself in Knuckles because you share traits with him. It’s about who he is, not what he is.

And that’s what Sonic was to me, and to a lot of people! Which is why it mattered—Sonic’s impact on the supporting cast! And why it mattered to have iconic locales return, and hear what the characters think about what they have to do all the time!

This actor does a wonderful job, and—I’m not even going frame-by-frame on this, because I just want to enjoy what it is.

[Silence for 10 seconds]

And it ties to the beginning. He likes to do things on his own... “But sometimes...” This part? [sigh] That’s well-written. I don’t know what else to tell you guys.

This is—there’s a contrast, right? There’s dark and dreary; Knuckles, depressed, thinking that he has to... pay for what he didn’t even do. But also, light! There’s darkness, but there’s also light! The light starts shining, and Knuckles goes to help. The Chao [sic] are happy, and we see Knuckles helping people.

[Silence for 8 seconds]

We actually see him use his abilities. Do you know what I’m saying? I shouldn’t have to say that shit, but like... When in Lost World do you see Knuckles fly around? Rather, when even in Sonic Heroes did you see him fly around? Did he glide around? Did he climb? No. And like, the Chao being different types of Chao, just in the environment? It’s basic stuff, sure! But the fact that it’s finally here?

[sigh] My inner kid can’t handle it, because... I thought this dream was dead. I thought this would never happen.

[Silence for 11 seconds]

I don’t know what to tell you guys. Um... I’ve been going through a lot lately. And this... I don’t know if I want to post this, but I think I should. Because, I mean, what’s the point of doing a reaction video, right? Like, there’s so many reaction videos where it’s just like, “Wow!” And I’ve done them too, where it’s like, “Wow, like, let’s look at this.” But what are you actually looking for? You’re looking for the reactions where somebody was truly, truly changed by what they saw, and I was!

It blew my expectations completely out of the water. I knew that Tyson Hesse was good at what he did. I saw Sonic Mania Adventures, I saw TSR: Overdrive, but still. And I could figure that this would be the tone... but... I think it’s the writing, it’s... everything coming together. I don’t know what it is.

But you clicked on a reaction video; you got my reaction. And whether it’s seasonal depression, whether it’s what’s going on behind the scenes for me... or whether it’s been years that I’ve waited for just Sonic to be proud of what it is, enough to do something new that feels like it’s from the series that I know as Modern Sonic and not “Modern Sonic ashamed of what it was and trying everything it possibly can to be something that it isn’t” ...when I was a Sonic fan because there was nothing like it. And all this time it’s been gone, there’s still nothing like it. And you can still argue that, “play other games.” But why are we a Sonic fan if not because we’re a fan of what it brought that was unique.

And to contextualize, I was a fan of everything. Sonic 1, aaall the way until like, Sonic ‘06, Sonic Unleashed—I was still hanging on. Like I would consider myself [a] hardcore fan. But something was shifting, right? After ‘06 and Unleashed, something was shifting, and there are people who loved what happened after, but... it was ashamed of itself. I don’t think there’s much arguing of that.

And the best part is, if you liked what happened after? I don’t necessarily think you’re gonna lose what you loved, either. These characters can still be funny, they can still do jokes. But there will be a variety, which is more inclusive. There will be light and darkness. The jokes will be funnier because they won’t be constant.

The Boost gameplay doesn’t have to go away, just needs to evolve, right? For me it’s like, Boost can still—I mean, some people will debate whether it’s like you gotta slowly build up your speed, or you can earn it with a button. But like, really, that’s not what it’s about; it’s about just being able to experiment with the mechanics. I think the rigidity of Boost is my problem with it, that’s all. You know? Like, there’s a compromise in there! I’m not about to tell you I know everything! But it’s about making a compromise, which is what this is. This feels new; this feels like people who liked Modern Sonic after Unleashed and on can still participate. But now I feel like I can truly love what it’s doing now.

And it’s changing how I react to Sonic news, because it’s not just a gig anymore. I’m a fan again. And it changes the way I press Record when I start these reaction videos. I wanted to watch this alone, like I did when I was a kid. And it hasn’t been like that for years.

[Silence for 9 seconds]

This was truly special. Thank you, everyone. I know, I’m a creative too, and I know how hard it is to convince people who don’t understand quite as well how much work goes into this. I know how hard it is to convince investors that this is important. Because it’s just animals doing action stuff. Like, why is it important, right?

[Silence for 8 seconds]

But shit is hard right now, for a lot of people. And sometimes this is the escape. And like... for a couple minutes, all that stuff didn’t matter.

[Silence for 8 seconds]

Sonic, you’re so fucking cool.

[Silence for 7 seconds]

[smack] Thank you, everyone. Thank you, everyone who pushed to make this happen, but not just that. Just... [sigh] everyone who pushed to bring Sonic back. And when I say “Sonic back,” I mean the heart. Not being ashamed. Sonic fans don’t deserve to feel shame. You can say we’re eating up mediocrity, but no one deserves to feel shame for what they love, like... especially when it’s a video game.

There are people who definitely deserve to feel shame. And you’re gonna target someone who likes this? ...No.

This is an escape. This is just... for a couple minutes in the day... we can just enjoy an imaginative world that’s not like our own. And there’s lore to talk about, so we can escape more with our friends... theorize what’s next in Sonic Frontiers, and what’s next for the next game. As opposed to just theorizing what the gameplay will be like, now we get to theorize where the story’s gonna go next, and how it’s gonna build off what’s established here. Shit that anyone else can do with their games. [sniff]

[A dog barks in the distance]

Well, I think, uh, Opal’s got it right. I should probably wrap this up. Um... thank you all for supporting Tails’ Channel for as long as you guys have. I know I said I was gonna keep grinding out content, but... if you couldn’t tell from this video, it’s been rough. No pun intended [laughs]. Um... but things will be okay. Don’t worry about me. Especially with stuff like this coming out, I’ll be okay.

[End of transcription.]

[pccyouthleader]

Love what this person had to say about Knuckles and the Divergence Prologue!!!

What did you think of Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence? And more generally, what do you think of the other Sonic the Hedgehog animated shorts?

It was cool getting a chance to see Knuckles sort of in his element. A lot of games incorporate him as the "stranger in a strange land" guy who spent all of his life isolated and alone, and a lot more games ignore that entirely and just have him be a zero-personality "guy" that tags along for no reason.

Divergence showing Knuckles thriving on Angel Island, doing what he knows how to do, giving us a taste of his day to day life, and showing us he's more than just dumb comic relief. And then giving him another moment to show his combat skills and that he can be more than just angry, too.

It makes Knuckles a person again, maybe for the first time since 1999.

I have almost universally enjoyed every single Sonic animated short. Some more than others (the Team Sonic Racing short was a little too by the books for me), but I'm deeply grateful they exist and I hope they keep doing more with 2D animation. As much as I'd really want another Night of the Werehog caliber CG short, I think I prefer Sega doing 2D animation because it's starting to feel like such a lost art.

I've said it before, but I really want Sega to hold on to guys like Tyson Hesse as tightly as they can. By all means, don't overwork the guy, stay on friendly terms, but give him everything he wants so he keeps working for you. Evan and Ian now, too. Sonic fans know what they want and are literally out there trying to save this franchise in ways nobody else is. Don't let them go.

[aphantimes]

I love this scene so so so so so much. It’s a demonstration of Knuckles’ strength, but also shows some INSANE precision. If he just had brute strength with no technique behind it he WOULD NOT be able to do this. He’s EXTREMELY skilled and I loooove seeing it demonstrated like this. And the fact that he doesn’t even break a sweat? He isn’t exerting himself at all here? It makes me wanna know what him going all out looks like!!!

[evanwhosjusthere]

Video Game Artist Spotlight: Tyson Hesse

Tyson Hesse is an American artist and illustrator mostly known for his work on SEGA's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. Born in 1984, Hesse would start making webcomics around the mid-2000's. One of these comics titled "Sonic’s Big Fat Adventure" would go viral. Leading him to be hired by Archie Comics and becoming an official artist on the Sonic The Hedgehog comic. He would later serve as the animation director for Sonic Mania's opening animation working alongside Studio Yotta. He would later be involved in future Sonic multimedia projects like Sonic Mania Adventures, Team Sonic Racing Overdrive, Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence, and the IDW Sonic comics. He was also responsible for redesigning Sonic for the 2020 live-action animation hybrid adaptation of "Sonic The Hedgehog" after the original design received massive backlash. Leading to him becoming a producer and character designer for it's subsequent films.

Tyson Hesse is a perfect example of a fan hitting the big time and becoming an essential part of what they love. SEGA has become well known for nurturing their fans and encouraging their creativity.

Tyson's Social Media:

Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram.

Titles Worked On (Gaming Titles Only)

Skullgirls (2012) - Animator

Namco High (2013) - Character Artist

Sonic Mania (2017) - Animation Director, Producer, Director, Art Director, Storyboard, Animation Lead

Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator (2017) - Pinup Artists

Sonic Origins (2022) - Director (for intro animation)

Sonic Dream Team (2023) - Director (for intro animation)

[zonadelcaos]

SONIC CHANNEL STAFF COLUMN - Presentación Calendario Octubre 2024

Artículo original del Sonic Channel publicado el 20/09/2024

¡Hola! Soy KIKUZO, webmaster del Sonic Channel.

Los abrasadores días están finalmente terminando, y en estos momentos siento la llegada del otoño…Así que ten cuidado de no salir volando como un equidna rojo y fiable en esos días de mucho viento que no tuvimos en verano.

Bueno, el personaje que aparecerá en el calendario de octubre de 2024 es…

¡Knuckles!

Knuckles es un equidna fuerte y robusto que protege la enorme gema conocida como la Master Emerald en la isla flotante llamada Angel Island. Su increíble fuerza, capaz de romper rocas, es tan impresionante que incluso Sonic lo admira. Con su carácter sincero y serio, se gana la confianza de sus compañeros.

Aunque su ingenuidad le hace un poco fácil de engañar, esa honestidad también es una de sus encantadoras características.

----

¡Gracias a todos los que participasteis en la votación de personajes! Los cuatro personajes que se podían votar eran los siguientes

Y bien, el personaje elegido para aparecer en la ilustración junto a Knuckles es…

¡Sage!

Una chica etérea y misteriosa, su verdadera identidad es la de… ¡Una super inteligente IA creada por el Dr. Eggman! Su lealtad hacia su creador es extremadamente alta y posee un pensamiento muy racional. A veces ¿incluso sugiere estrategias que hacen dudar al propio Eggman?

En la precuela de Sonic Frontiers, "Prologue: Divergence", Sage se enfrenta a Knuckles y este termina confinado. Al presenciar su comportamiento destructivo, quizás ella llegó a la conclusión de que, si las cosas seguían así, Eggman podría estar en peligro, lo que la llevó a decidir que era necesario encerrarlo.

--------

¡Y esta es la ilustración de esta ocasión!

"¡Knuckles y Sage escalando un acantilado hasta la cima!" Knuckles avanza de manera extraordinaria por la alta y empinada montaña de Pumpkin Hill, mientras Sage vuela a su lado con una expresión que parece decir: "¿Por qué te esfuerzas en algo tan inútil…?" ¿Cuál será su objetivo? ¿Y qué habrá en la cima? ¡Asegúrate de descargar el calendario en Sonic Channel y disfrutarlo!

[mcfanely]

AH💙💙💙💙🥹🥹🥹🥹 My man💙

I cant-, this guy is so stinking sweet to these little chaos......

[hoody-bob]

What if Sonic Frontiers Prologue Divergence had someone else as a main character ? Enjoy! 

[annon-guy2]

Sonic The Hedgehog Animated Short Voting Poll

[welcome-to-green-hills]

Easily my favorite version of Knuckles is how he's depicted in Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence, it really says a lot about his character in under six minutes

Oooh! That’s a good Knuckles! I really love watching those animated shorts. Tyson Hesse directed that one, right? I think that he did. He definitely loves that guy❤️✨

In response to today’s countdown ask!

[sparkles-rule-4eva]

What's your favorite Sonic animated short?

Oh man 😂 Let's seeeee... Well, if we're talking officially released shorts, well, I'm gonna have to give a top three 🤣😜

I love the animated prologue of Sonic Frontiers with Knuckles, "Divergence." It's an excellent comeback to his character after the 2010s, beautifully animated, and overall so well done! 🤩❤️

I love the 10 minute animation of Team Sonic Racing Overdrive! It's so expressive, even without a single word being spoken by any of the characters. Plus, it's genuinely hilarious. 🤣 All the character dynamics are so clear, again without words. It has beautiful animation, too! 🤩

Then I REALLY love the SCU short "Sonic Drone Home," with our iconic trio of bros, Knuckles, Tails, and Sonic Wachowski! I mean, them basically being out on an errand for Mom, and instead of actually returning the library books, they *cough* greatly damage the "sacred tomes," let Tails adopt a drone, and pick up dinner on the way home. I love the Wachowski kids so much, so getting to see them in a slightly more relaxed situation than the movie was SOOOO fun. 🥰💙💛❤️

Thank you for the ask!!! 💙

[biolizardboils]

sad i cant get Frontiers yet. im gonna gush about the Knuckles short so i wont be so sad

so it took me a week to realize the prologue comic and this short have different subtitles. the comic has Convergence and the short has Divergence. the acts of coming together and coming apart, respectively. hmm

also for anyone who missed it: this year, official Sonic social media said “here’s some fun material to get you caught up on series lore, also SURPRISE these are canon and take place just before the next game!” the timeline for this material is as follows: TailsTube (video series) >> Prologue: Convergence (comic) >> Prologue: Divergence (animation). if you haven’t seen them yet, enjoy!

on to the actual short: man. game-wise, Angel Island has been kinda irrelevant the entire time i’ve been into Sonic, zone reuse aside. i read up on its history, the games it was used in, and i revered it as the lore’s first big cornerstone. but outside of fanfiction it never really felt like it mattered until lately. i’ll shut up about it eventually, but damn, shit’s had me like this all year

so now that Classic-era lore and Everything After aren’t walled off from each other anymore, i guess the M.E. has two shrines (the indoor one in Hidden Palace, and the outdoor one seen from SA1 onward) and Knuckles moves it between them for some reason. you’d think he’d just keep it in the first one instead of letting it make a big green Come-Steal-Me beacon in the sky lol. maybe it’s an ancient custom, or he just wanted the rain to wash it

i love Flickies :) idek why, i just do. funy birdy

“Perhaps it’s karma...” Knuckles sweetie no!! your ancestors’ mistakes should not be yours to bear!!

TIKAAAAL MY DAUGHTERRRR

i like how this flashback clarifies two things the original SA1 cutscene didn’t, one happy-ish and one sad. on one hand, at least some of the trampled Chao could get up right after, instead of them all laying there dead (that freaked me out when i first played it). on the other, Pachacamac violently threw aside his own daughter. between this and popping Longclaw in the SCU, this guy just keeps getting worse

Perfect Chaos’ roar is so uniquely gorgeous for a 25-year-old soundbite.. the chills i got when the screen went white and it rang out...

“The question is: whose power was it originally? Who build this shrine to the Emeralds, and where did they go?” holy shit holy shit holy shit?? like?? ive wondered about the Emeralds’ origins before, but i never thought the series would address it. im not even sure i want them to address it; it’s been up for fan speculation for so long that an official answer might not live up to the hype. that being said they’ve got my full fucking attention

Tikal and Chaos are still around :’’’) its cool that they can come down from Sonic’s World Heaven whenever they like apparently

its also cool that Knuckles casually follows Tikal’s light ball. i wonder if that happens often, her pointing him towards cool shit on the Island

still not over Chao living in Sky Sanctuary man;; its so obvious that i cant believe it was never shown before! like of course Chao live on the Island, they lived near the shrine in the past! of course they live in this zone specifically, its like the Hero Garden but 10x bigger!

the gorgeous shot of Knuckles twirling in the air!! he was dodging buildings but he was enjoying himself at the same time!!

shoutout to Pablo, my spoiled NiGHTS Chao in SA1 that i haven’t visited in years lol

so many questions about the Koco Thing the Chao wanted... is it just a mask, or the front half of a real Koco’s corpse? if the latter’s true, where’s the back half? the Gear Thing looked like it fit snugly underneath the face, as if it’d been inside the Koco. i doubt Sonic’s gonna have to crack these Baby Rocks open to collect Gears, but the framing here looks too intentional. (if the game answers any of this please don’t tell me i wanna find out on my own)

speaking of spoilers there’s now no spoiler-free way for me to look up what the thing Knux put the Gear in is called so im stuck calling them Ancient Lawn Chairs

his goofy ahhh scream when he comes out the other end lmaoo

“Oh, an ambush, huh? Your funeral.” bro the delivery there....

the way the music cuts off as he prepares the punch and comes ROARING back in when it hits!!!!! i took Katie and Tyson’s advice and watched this on my big TV and i swear the impact SHOOK my whole house it went SO HARD

the fucking GASHES he makes on the third robot i FELT that shit. i felt his POWER, the WEIGHT of his every move throughout the whole scene. from that first punch something different started to happen it was amazing

AND THEN HE BRINGS THE WHOLE CLIFF CRASHING DOWN OH MY GOD

Sonic and Knuckles will see a robot teetering on a ledge and say “is anyone else gonna style on this guy?” and then not wait for an answer

“AND AFTER I WIN--” god i LOVE his confidence here

and then the floating angry preschooler brought out her biggest toy and said “bet” zcxvcbnm

fr tho what did Sage do to him?? did she Orb him immediately or did the Big Thing kick his ass first

poignant call back to the opening monologue aside, Knuckles’ screaming made me think of this lol

“But sometimes...” Knuckles. sweetheart. no man is an (Angel) island. sounds like you need another lesson on the true superpower of teamwork. ill try to give you one when i get the game and free you

I’m Here’s drop over the credits and Sega’s eye logo joined forces to jumpscare me back-to-back lol

i aint got no deep final thoughts but god damn these shorts just keep getting better exponentially, what kinda black magic they doing over there

[diegotiranoarts]

what the definitive Sonic animated series would be like in the style of the Sonic Frontiers Prologue Divergence

[scruffkerfluff]

I wanted to draw Knuckles after watching that amazing Sonic Frontiers Divergence prologue animation so here he is!

[chaotic-solutions]

thinking about. the sonic frontiers prologue short. divergence you break my heart.

[spinoskingdom875]

A little spoiler warning for those who haven't played the game. I advise you to play it before reading on, m'kay? Good! Sage is the new character in the Sonic franchise. A mysterious AI with an appearance of a young girl. She debuted in the prologue special, Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence, and later in the recently released game, Sonic Frontiers. She was created by Dr. Eggman to hack into the data on the Starfall Islands, and for protection whenever he comes across any danger. She wasn't kind to Sonic when they first met, viewing him as a danger to the islands and warning him to leave immediately or face the consequences, despite Sonic's heroic and selfless persona. She will destroy anything that gets in her way. But later on, she realizes Sonic's determination on saving his friends trapped in cyberspace, and warms up to him later on in the game. By becoming sympathetic towards others, such emotion causes her colors and personality to change. Note: I'm on the last Island which is probably the end of the game. When I finish it, more information about Sage will be added later.