#sonic movie sequel AND new mainline game AND new animated series AND a bunch of idw sonic stuff in between.

[sonknuxadow]

anyway. i remember at this exact moment a year ago i was so excited because we had just entered the year of sonic and had so much new content to look forward to. now the year of sonic is over and not only did we get a bunch of new content but it was all actually really good sonic frontiers is the best sonic game in like a decade. desperately hoping we can keep this energy in 2023

[eat-the-richard]

Sonic’s 30th: What it could be and what it won’t be

Well folks, it's about that time again. Our beloved Sonic thee Hedgehog is turning the big three-oh this year.

I say that time “again” because, y’know, it seems like we just went through this. The last mainline Sonic releases, Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces, were both revealed as part of Sonic’s 25th anniversary. In a sense, that’s all us fans really have to look forward to anymore. Waiting for about five-or-so rotations around the sun to pass until SEGA can slap that big number next to Sonic’s mug to usher out as much celebratory marketing material as they can, all for the chance to get a smidgen of new video games to get our hands on.

This anniversary feels... different, though. Last anniversary SEGA had an absolute winner on their hands in Sonic Mania. There was no way the team behind that one could possibly mess up. And even if Sonic Forces turned out like... that, it at least made sense from SEGA’s perspective to greenlight a game like it during that time. But the five years since those games were announced have done little to assuage my worries about what exactly is planned for this year’s big game.

You see, Sonic has kind of vanished. He’s lost. M.I.A.. Which feels strange. Even during the supposed “dark age” of Sonic, he never really went anywhere. New games were still being produced like clockwork for a whole host of gaming systems. From mainline titles to spinoffs, dedicated Sonic fans had a lot to sink their teeth into back then. Since the release of Forces, all we really have to show for ourselves is a (personally) insignificant expansion to Sonic Mania and a new racing title which, frankly, didn’t set the world on fire when it was released. I suppose there’s a whole host of mobile titles that I didn’t mention but it’s difficult to get excited over yet another Sonic auto-runner. Perhaps most bafflingly, there haven’t even been many ports of older Sonic titles to modern hardware. If the mid-2000s were the dark ages of Sonic, perhaps right now we’re living in the “silent age,” where basically nothing is even happening and the franchise is at an eternal standstill.

The sole exception to this self-titled silent era was the Sonic movie, which I don’t think anyone anticipated being as big of a success as it was. Including the studio behind it. And especially including SEGA. It was utterly baffling to me that, upon the film’s release, there was nothing in the way of a tie-in game. Nothing directly associated with the movie. Nothing separate to release alongside the movie. Nothing. Some have speculated that SEGA was supremely unconfident in the film and it's hard to argue otherwise. It seems that, in a sense, the movie was a success in spite of the company the IP is linked with.

That’s why this anniversary feels more peculiar than the last one. At least Sonic was doing something in the early 2010s. Perhaps nothing groundbreaking, but he was at least around. If it hadn’t been for the movie, how in the world would the series be attracting new fans? This anniversary needs to be big. It needs to be the explosive re-emergence of Sonic to not only please the jaded oldies but the next generation of kids. And… I just don’t anticipate anything of the sort.

To me, Sonic Team has about four directions they could take the 30th anniversary game. Here they are, listed in descending order of likelihood.

4. A new “boost” game. Sonic Team ain’t opening that can of worms again.

3. A new “classic Sonic” game. While Christian Whitehead’s new studio has been deafeningly silent since forming, I believe that we’d have a bit more information about a Sonic Mania sequel by now if that was indeed in development.

2. Something entirely different.

1. Sonic Adventure 3 (or comparable analog).

Now, your reaction to that list may differ depending on your preferences and the year you were born. To me, something evoking nostalgia to the two Sonic Adventures is the safest and most likely choice for SEGA and Sonic Team. Just as classic nostalgia permeated through the 2010s, Adventure nostalgia will trailblaze full force through the 2020s. There are a lot of people whose only exposure to Sonic at all is playing Sonic Adventure 2 Battle on their GameCube. And the only way those people could potentially get funneled back into the series is through a proper Sonic Adventure 3, or at least something like it.

This, of course, says nothing about the overall quality of what this new Adventure title would be. And really, this is my main concern with the 30th anniversary. Can I even trust Sonic Team anymore to put out a good game?

Regardless of style, I’m unconfident to say the least. The staff that worked on the Adventure titles are not at SEGA anymore. The staff that spearheaded the “boost trilogy” of Unleashed, Colors, and Generations are not at SEGA anymore. And modern-day Sonic Team’s idea of something entirely different is, well, unappealing. Sonic Lost World proved that trying to change the core of the series for its own sake leads to a bland and uninspiring experience. And Forces? Oh… Forces.

Really, Forces is the main reason why I’m so disillusioned. Maybe it was that I was excited for the grand return of the boost. Maybe it was that I loved Generations so much that a proper sequel to it couldn’t possibly be bad. Instead of being a sequel to Generations, though, it tries to be everything at once. A game to appeal to the classic fans, the Adventure fans, the boost fans, those whole love complicated narratives, those who love the many characters this series has, and, obviously, the Original Character Artists™. Jack of all trades, master of nothing. A directionless, soulless game that in some instances is seemingly artificially-generated.

If this spectacular 30th anniversary Sonic game is something entirely different, it had to break an astounding amount of new ground. It had to rethink and reshape the series so drastically that, honestly, I don’t think it's very likely. I don’t think Sonic Team has even the slightest clue about what makes their flagship IP so appealing to so many people. If the nostalgia-fueled 2010s are any indication, SEGA only understands what makes Sonic so popular on a superficial level. 

They know we liked the 2D games, so now EVERY game has 2D in it! Oh, they didn’t like that Sonic has green eyes. Well, let’s bring back the CLASSIC version of Sonic. Let’s actually make him his own character who will also appear in every game! 

New zone ideas? LMAO how about we reuse the same set of classic levels over and over! Green Hill? YES! Chemical Plant? Of course! Let’s make an entire game that has both Sonics running around in a bunch of old zones. Wait, didn’t we just do that idea last year for Sonic 4 Episode 1? And aren’t we going to do that idea NEXT year for Sonic 4 Episode 2? WAIT DID SOMEONE SAY CHECKERBOARD PATTERNS IN WINDY HILL ZONE!???!!!! 

Oh wait, Christian Whitehead just pitched to us a brand new 2D Sonic game with classic physics and new levels? We’ll let him do it, but ONLY if it is ANOTHER nostalgia game that reuses old zones! 

Let’s inundate our fans with the same images of their childhood to activate their dopamine receptors! 

I can hardly wait for what this team’s idea of Sonic Adventure nostalgia looks like. Hope you really like City Escape.

Really, while such appeals to nostalgia are welcome the first few times, after a while it starts to get grating. Sonic Team leaning so hard into it during the 2010s reeks to me of desperation. As if the constant callbacks are the only thing the team knows how to do to link new games with the rest of the series. 

In actuality, fans don’t like Sonic because of the classic design or 2D-platforming or Green Hill Zone. They may like those things, but it isn’t why they continue to support the series. Fans love Sonic so fervently because, when he hits on all cylinders, he really hits. His games play in a supremely rewarding way where skill mastery is key. The better you are at Sonic, the better you feel while playing it. The personalities and designs of all of the different characters, from Sonic to Tails to Vector the freakin’ Crocodile, are not only distinct from each other but bleed through into gameplay in the way that they control and in how they are animated. Sonic’s best stories are ones that people can really relate to, dealing with a whole host of themes such as environmentalism, resisting fascism, surpassing expectations, and even the concept of free will among nonhuman entities. Not especially deep, but certainly thought provoking, especially for kids. All tied together with top notch visual and audio design that will stand the test of time. I’d posit that, while people like Sonic for a whole host of reasons, their starting point lies somewhere in the above explanation.

Hopefully, Sonic Team has realized by now that nostalgia will only get them so far. While a Sonic Adventure 3 would turn heads, it wouldn’t push the series forward. While a proper sequel to Sonic Mania would be a critical darling, it would continue to keep Sonic’s feet firmly planted in 1991. Sonic needs to evolve. He needs to change. And it seems like a change is happening. Roger Craig Smith, the voice of Sonic for the last 10 years, is no longer working with the series. The new TV series, Sonic Prime, is set to take place in a “strange new multiverse.” Even the Sonic movie refuses to lean on nostalgia too hard. 

So maybe the future will be set in unfamiliar waters. But if this is the case, I don’t want SEGA to half ass it. I want them to boldly step into that abyss with a vision of Sonic that appeals to the heart of the fandom. Because, even if it's been down recently, that heart is still beating, and after the abuse it's already taken, it’s going to take a hell of a lot to get it to stop. And if SEGA can get this heart pumping to its full extreme as it had in years past, we may have something legendary to look forward to.

They could also just release a bunch of old Sonic games on Switch. I’d like that too.

[just-honey-dewd]

List of things I hope will happen in the Sonic Movie Sequel For some context...

After watching through the Sonic Movie (2020) several times, I’ve been getting ghosts of nightmares and daydreams regarding the sequel. I have specific, personal ideas for what I’d hope the sequel will cover since there was quite a bit of anticipation for more Sonic-esque lore and story during my third watch-through of the movie. So yeah, needless to say, this list is very much personalised, and the structure of it is pretty dense, so apologies to those who aren’t dense readers.

Oh, and surprise surprise, this’ll be long. So I’ll be hiding everything under the read more thingy. Click at your own discretion....

1)   Sonic and Tails meeting (+ relationship)

I’m hoping Tails will have a significant difference regarding his character since he never grew up with Sonic, nor had any reason to look up to him. This would mean that any potential character arc for Tails will be pretty much untouched territory since most (if not all) the past takes on Tails’ first meeting with Sonic have been either underwhelming, insignificant to that continuity’s Sonic-&-Tails dynamic, or both. So I hope the movie doesn’t brush off the two’s introduction and that Tails is kept as a relatively significant character despite his not so close relationship with Sonic. I have personal fears that Sonic and Tails��� relationship will get rushed in the sequel similarly to the way the first movie rushes past 10 years of Sonic legitimately living in isolation by himself [(with little to no addressing of any experiences the kid would encounter through those years). I have some criticisms to make about the improper use of time skips in that movie, but that will be for another day.]

Anyhow, I hope the movie prioritises their relationship by NOT giving away too much screen-time to other characters, since him and Tails’ close sibling-friendship dynamic would need proper screen time to develop — this is UNLESS the movie team are planning on further deviating from the games and mainline continuities, which is a whole ‘nother can of worms...

Rewatching that ending scene, Tails lights up with hope at the thought of finding Sonic, which leads me to question whether he’s already met him or is simply elated at the success of finding him. I’m currently leaning towards the prediction that Sonic has a legend surrounding him and his speed and Tails knows him simply as that.

Thing is, will the reason he’s looking for Sonic directly endanger Sonic’s happiness and life on Earth, or will it poke at Sonic’s curiosity regarding his past and Longclaw? I feel the motive for seeking out Sonic will be the driving factor for how their relationship will develop and be executed. This set up for Tails’ introduction seems very clever to invoke some hype for Sonic fans, and give the writers themselves opportunity to put a unique take on Tails’ character — there’s potential to have his character be altered from even the modern games (which could be a good or bad, depending on how they interpret Tails’ current character, and what they think would require some reworking). I’ll address this further in the next point.

2)   Tails’ Character

Tails’ current character is a mixed bag. In the games, he’s been written to be very cowardly and dependent on Sonic (Sonic Forces), a whiny asshole (Lost World), or just a lowly submissive sidekick. The comics do a better job with his character, but I do hope in the movie series he won’t end up being dubbed as ‘Sonic’s sidekick’ ever. The thought of that happening sounds pretty outlandish, maybe might even a bit insulting to the writers, since Sonic has been written as a more fleshed out character in the movie than he’s been written for quite the decade — I don’t see why or how Tails would be treated any different. But since it’s apparently pretty easy to write Tails into a pretty lame character, I’m gonna not have expectations once more till I see the final product, or interviews with whoever ends up voicing Tails.

I think in the movies, it’d work if Tails acted like a kid too (much like Sonic) but is perhaps more downplayed due to his (currently vague) responsibilities. Tails will probably still be a few years behind Sonic, so he still has that natural childlike innocence and naïveté — plus, without Sonic, I’d say he grew up to respond obediently to instructions and commands so this could be something Sonic might bump heads with. Tails could have a background lacking in familial relations, something that would be worthy of note in comparison to Sonic’s current living situation. Tails would likely also fall into being the expositionist character in the movie — which is both inevitable and acceptable on my part, as long as it won’t always be him. Also, it’d be cool if he either ends up abducting Sonic to bring him to their world, or acts as an initially polite chaperone for Sonic (and Tom, begrudgingly) — this would reinforce Tails as a character that can stand on his own without tying himself to Sonic, which is something I’ve been sorely hoping to see from his character for quite the while.

3)   The Echidna Tribe, Tikal... (& Knuckles)

I’m pretty conflicted with this, since we have no info on what the sequel will be focusing on. But I figure, since the first movie went out of its way to introduce the Echidna Tribe early on — and subtly kicked off Sonic’s tragic backstory and, subsequently, the events of the first movie — they were to come back in the sequel. So what I have to say about them is... first off, they are not extinct — so we already have a major deviation from Sonic Adventure continuity, so there is almost no telling what the writers will do with em, which is both mortifying and exhilarating. Second, their motivation is at best drawn from inference — I predict that the Master Emerald exists in this story, and I predict Sonic being born with speed will be something of significance to the Echidnas (perhaps even told from a historical prophecy), but whether the Master Emerald and Sonic will be connected in any way will be hard to deduce with what little information there is. But I’m already making the bold prediction that they will play a major role in the sequel, so I’ll hold off on further speculation.

On to my Tikal paragraph... I want her to appear in this series, and I think it’d be more fitting she has more presence in this movie than Knuckles since her character directly tied into the Echidna Tribe as she was actively against their violence, so I could see her being an ally to Sonic and Tails, perhaps even being aware of Longclaw and knowing what happened to her. Tikal also just has a really cool theme from Sonic Adventure — just listen to it!

It honestly sounds like something that’d translate well into the big screen with the use of more diverse-sounding instruments, and would be fitting use of Sonic music for the fans, and for the narrative musically-speaking.

Regarding Knuckles... currently, the only thing even hinting at his appearance in the story is his natural ties to the Echidna Tribe, which I am betting (if he does appear) will most definitely be an active member in. There is so much potential for him to appear in this sequel, but the question is... how much of a role will he play? They could introduce him as a part of the Echidna Tribe, the guardian of the Master Emerald, or an isolated Echidna who isn’t closely tied to the Tribe.... honestly, there’s so much pathways to take his character.

Personally, I’d want him to actually not have a strong presence in the story (on his own at least) — more that I’d want him sticking with the group of Echidnas in the tribe. I want his character to not even be easy to pick out due to him wearing a mask. I don’t want him to stand out from his race, instead being subtly introduced as a reoccurring enemy for Sonic in the sequel (perhaps someone that actively chases after him or gets the closest to him) amongst the tribe. The best path to take with him personally is to have him be both among the tribe, but gradually exchanging dialogue with the main characters. Nothing as straightforward as him getting played by Eggman to antagonise Sonic for something he did — none a’ that. I want this movie to mostly focus on developing Sonic’s world, the Echidna Tribe and their lore, Longclaw’s character and/or history, and Sonic and Tails’ relationship. How Tom and Maddie fit into this story though, is one of the more daunting thoughts I have....

4)   Tom and Maddie

Going by the fact that it’s been confirmed by James Marsden that he’s definitely gonna be reprising his role as Tom Wachowski for as many movies as desired, I’m expecting he’ll be in the sequel for a good amount of time. Whether this is gonna be good or bad for the sequel itself is up for debate, but I do see a bit of issue with him and Maddie’s inclusion in the story considering they have basically become Sonic’s surrogate parents and best friends — so I struggle to see how the sequel will successfully get into the lore of Sonic’s world without abruptly ripping apart Sonic’s happy family. Considering Tom ain’t gonna be left on Earth... if Tails brings Sonic back into their world, I can see him coming as a hesitant and apprehensive tag-along for Sonic's comfort. It’ll be hard to say if the sequel can be identified as more of a Sonic movie if Tom still accompanies Sonic into his world, but I think since Eggman is bound to return, casual audiences will still need an anchor to keep the movie from turning into just Eggman and a bunch of CGI anthropomorphic animals fighting on screen. But another issue I see here is the fact that Tom’s character in itself is rather plain in comparison to the identity of Sonic’s whole character and lore surrounding him. Tom offered normalcy, guidance, and friendship to an attention-starved, lonely, and vulnerable Sonic in the first movie. But since the sequel seems to be introducing a new variable — revelation regarding Sonic’s importance in his own world — what can Tom do aside from accompany and try to protect his hedgehog son? Tails will likely form a bond with Sonic that could rival Tom and Sonic’s budding familial-friendship, and Sonic has many other characters that can offer him friendship and love... not to mention that owl lady who “died” offscreen. The moment Sonic’s world becomes the focus of the movie, how will Tom fit seamlessly in the story? And how much of the movie will be any different from the first one? Will it still be on Earth or Sonic’s world?

Logic dictates that we’ve already seen enough of Earth, so with the introduction and set up of inter-dimensional transportation through rings, I’d figure it’d be time we focused on Sonic’s World. But given the trouble that had took place in trying to integrate Sonic into the real world (via. Sonic’s movie redesigns), I can only imagine what’ll take place in trying to migrate to Sonic’s World. Then again, it’s possible that the sequel takes place on Earth, which also sounds very likely, but less desirable to me.

Getting back on the topic of Tom and Maddie.... (yes, Ik I didn’t even bring up Maddie in that last paragraph don’t @ me)....

The issue I find I’m having with them as of writing this is the issue I found when watching Sonic X. In Sonic X, almost the exact same premise in the movie was used in the anime: Sonic characters existing in the real world. And unlike the movie, I found myself to immediately dislike the fashion in which the series wrote its human characters. To streamline my critiques regarding the anime, the human characters were bloating the cast, had very bland and unengaging personalities, and worst of all, would both serve no purpose for the overall story, and take screen time away from Sonic and his friends (who should’ve been the main focus of the story as they are the main appeal).

Applying this critique to the movie, the movie had done a fairly good job in making sure that Sonic characters and human characters had the appropriate amount of screen time, and it also justified the existence of Tom and Maddie — as they were one of a handful of notable inhabitants in the small town Green Hills, which Sonic resided in. They’re inclusion in the story was both necessary to the development of Sonic’s character, and surprisingly, Eggman’s. Tom and Sonic’s character arcs intertwined with one another. and interlocked with Eggman’s in the later half. For a rather underwhelming genre like buddy comedy, I found myself genuinely enjoying Tom’s character and felt genuine attachment to his and Sonic’s developing relationship. Which is why I’m all the more worried for how the sequel will continue on from this — since, from the look of things, Tom’s personal character journey seems to have concluded (any proceeding character arcs seem likely to pop up from Sonic instead of Tom’s own actions). So I fear I’ll inevitably lose attachment and love for the character, and in its place, misplaced frustration and irritation at his presence in the story.

So, uh... best of luck to the writers, cuz there’s gonna be a lot of juggling with the introduction of new characters and the continuation of other preexisting characters. Obviously Tom and Maddie will have to pull their weight if they’re gonna stay as prominent characters in the next Sonic Movie[(s) ?]

As unfair as this sounds, I’m not particularly excited for the next movie and am definitely worried for what’s to come for their characters.... all I can hope for is that if they come back and take up screen time, it is for good reason.

Also, I hope for more Tom and Eggman scenes. Should Agent Stone return, maybe he’ll come along for the journey into different dimensions (if there will be inter-dimensional travel prominently featured  in the movie, that is...)

5)  Eggman

Of all characters, I think Eggman has gone through the most interesting of changes — in regards to his backstory, character, and potential. Unlike his game counterpart, he isn’t an established to be connected to Sonic’s World, and was in fact tied to the human world. Now that he’s currently stuck in Mushroom what’s-it’s-name, there is no doubt that he’ll come out of it with his wits intact, his psyche damaged, and a newfound obsession with a certain blue hedgehog. I hope Jim Carrey can manage the comedic and genuinely threatening aspects of a man stripped of Earthly comfort and prestige, and now surrounded by foreign concepts of other worldly beings and power. I hope him becoming more acquainted with Sonic’s World will be represented with Sonic-music-turned-movie-soundtrack-appropriate music. In the end, I don’t expect Carrey to do a familiar take on Eggman of the games and previous cartoons, but I can imagine him effectively showing the effects of a year’s worth of isolation in a mushroom world on an already egocentric and eggcentric man. So I have positive thoughts for Eggman. If the sequel suddenly belly flops in quality compared to the first movie, I’ll still come for Carrey’s Eggman performance.

6)   The main cast of characters for the sequel

To summarise, this is my compromise on what the main cast of characters in the sequel will be. Consisting of both the characters I want to see get focused on, and the characters likely to get focused on. For the record, I know that this is way too early to properly make any predictions about the main cast, but this is mostly tied to personal opinion, as well as deduction, so take these with a grain of salt.

Conclusion

Now, I could be way off with my speculations, but I think as of now, with little to no information about the sequel, my thoughts, desires, and worries for the sequel are justified (and of course a little much). But now that I got these out of the way, I’m hoping this will either collect dust here instead of the back of my mind, or that this could spawn more discussion in the future when more info about the sequel comes up in the seemingly far-off future of 2021.