Overview
What is Sonic and The Hedgehogs?
Sonic and The Hedgehogs reimagines how an Open-World Sonic game should play, Open-World in this context meaning that Sonic is free to go anywhere and do anything that Sonic can and would do. Rather than only rapidly progressing through mostly linear stages to reach a goal miles away from where you start, Sonic makes whatever world he finds himself in his playground.
That being said, the current version of the game features several levels ripped from many Sonic Games, including Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Colors, Sonic Generations, and more.
How is this going to be different from Sonic Frontiers?
Unlike Sonic Frontiers, where the Open-World is littered with Dash Panels, Springs, and Floating Dash Rings, this game has none of those things. There is no automation, no hand-holding, and never a moment when control is taken away from the player. The player is trusted to learn how to build and maintain Sonic’s Speed and Style.
Why is this game called Sonic and The Hedgehogs?
Tentatively, the story of Sonic and The Hedgehogs is about Sonic wanting to start a band and go on tour with Shadow, Silver, and Amy Rose but this is complicated by the sudden arrival of a baby hedgehog that is unlike anything anyone has ever seen. Eventually, Sonic’s world becomes overrun with all these strange-looking hedgehogs that they later learn come from our world. Sonic and friends make it their mission to help all these creatures find their way back home.
How does Sonic control in this game?
The way Sonic controls in this game is also quite unlike how most 3D Sonic games play in recent memory. That is, the Left and Right Triggers control how Sonic Rolls and Runs respectively, and Holding Both Triggers makes Sonic perform the Spindash.
Why is there a run button? Didn’t Sonic Lost World have a run button?
It was important to implement a Run button because I find many 3D Sonic games seem to suffer from either slippery, unreliable platforming controls like in Sonic Heroes or Sonic Unleashed, or jerky, ultrasensitive platforming controls like in Sonic 06 or Sonic Frontiers. Unlike Sonic Lost World, the run button in this game does slightly more than just slightly increase the speed cap.
So, how does running and rolling work in this game?
By default, Sonic’s speed is capped to his jogging speed - or rather, you can precisely control how fast he goes by how much you push the left stick. There’s no need to worry about slow or unexpected acceleration/deceleration. Sonic goes exactly where you tell him to. Only when the run button is held, does Sonic approach a higher top running speed, which can be further increased by building and maintaining momentum. Of course, rolling downhill will build up much more speed than just running and when going uphill, running will help maintain that speed compared to rolling.
Why does Rolling and Spindashing work the way it does in this game?
Ever since Sonic Utopia, Sonic GT, and other similar momentum-based fan games came out, it only made sense that there should be a Roll Button since it rewards skillful play with speed. And given how necessary the run button is, combining these two inputs to result in a Spin Dash just seemed to make too much sense to me.
Sonic can run on walls now?
Yes, something else the Run Button does in this game is that it makes Sonic wall run. Sonic has always been able to run along impossibly steep surfaces in 3D games but usually only under specific conditions, hence why many games insist on automating this type of movement with dash panels. Once wall running was properly implemented, Sonic had unlocked so much freedom of movement that simply running around a cheaply generated empty city at supersonic speed while bouncing off of walls was just exhilarating. This must have been what it was like to finally get web-swinging to work in the PS2, Gamecube Spider-man 2 game.
What can you tell us about the Style Gauge?
In Sonic and The Hedgehogs, the Style Gauge is fundamental in rewarding skillful, stylish play with speed and power. See, a whole variety of in-game actions will, when performed, build up the style gauge. Like how performing varied tricks in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater earns the players more points, mixing up your stylish actions as Sonic will also build up the style gauge faster. Only when the style gauge is filled will powerful special actions become available.
What Special Actions can Sonic do?
Some of Sonic’s signature moves from previous games return such as Boosting, and Light Dashing but they now work in a more interesting way where each time the style gauge is filled, these Special actions become more powerful, at the cost of the style gauge being depleted much faster with use. Here's a breakdown of each Special Action:
- Boost
Sonic becomes an unstoppable force of supersonic speed that attracts nearby rings. The more times the Style Gauge is filled, the faster Sonic will Boost. - Light Dash
Sonic dashes along trails of Rings that appear when the Style Gauge is filled. The more times the Style Gauge is filled, the faster Sonic will dash along these trails. - Burnout
Sonic generates so much heat while charging up a Spindash for long enough that he unleashes a trail of fire behind him. The more times the Style Gauge is filled, the longer the trail of fire will persist. Beware, if Sonic loses too much speed or runs into his trail of fire, he will burn a hole in his pocket and continuously lose rings until he is extinguished. - Cyclone Spin Kick
Sonic breakdances so fast that he creates a Tornado that sucks up anything nearby. The more times the Style Gauge is filled, the greater the Torndo's area of effect. This also extinguishes fires generated from a burnout.
In short, how would you describe this type of gameplay?
To summarise, the primary gameplay loop involves you building and maintaining Sonic’s Speed and Style. The faster you go, the trickier it is to stay fast but the easier it is to build up the style gauge. Being more stylish makes you boost faster but at the cost of more style being depleted. This is what makes Sonic much more than just a momentum-based platformer. I would describe it as a Spectacle platformer, where being stylish is the key to going fast.
How do I start playing?
Here is the Google Drive link where I upload the latest version of my game:
Builds - Google Drive
drive.google.com
Media
Credits
EvilBritishGuy
SuperSonic98 (The BumperEngine)