Netflix’s Sonic Prime is so good it should have been a game

Each new Sonic the Hedgehog movie feels like the flip of a coin. You either get a game that serves as a breath of fresh air and receives acclaim from critics and fans alike, or you get a game that fails to live up to the potential of one of gaming’s most iconic characters. Of course it’s not like the franchise has always had the reputation it has today; the classic Sonic games are beloved to this day, bringing together gameplay and designs that evoke a sense of speed and an air of cool with stories that are either fueled by subtle but important messages of activism and rebellion, or are character-driven dramas that bring the anthropomorphic creatures to life.

But Sonic’s ventures into other mediums have had a far greater success rate. The Sonic comics — with their wild and bonkers stories, and incredible depth of lore, a cast of characters that would make Game of Thrones feel small, and plots that have such strange occurrences as two joke characters becoming all powerful demigods — have always done well. After getting rid of their teeth, both audiences and critics loved the movie franchise. Sonic’s appearances in animation are also much beloved with fans; successfully managing to capture the essence of the character — and in a medium that can take full advantage of his cartoonish appearance and speed. Netflix had just announced that it was now producing. Sonic Prime It was quite exciting. This was my chance to explore the Blue Blur world and discover what fast-paced action might be possible from this franchise.

It was delicious. Actually, it was very good. It was actually really good. Sonic PrimeIt would have been. Really Excellent Sonic game.

Image: NETFLIX

Sonic Prime This is by no means a difficult story. This series was co-produced by Sega and Man of Action Entertainment and WildBrain Studios. It is animated by Netflix Animation. Season 1 begins with Sonic and his gang fighting Eggman to get the Paradox Prism (a stone of unknown power) which he needs in order to take over the world. It’s a pretty standard setup, isn’t it? Sonic agrees, and so he enters the fray, disregarding the warnings of his friends. Why shouldn’t he? He’s Sonic the Hedgehog! However, his cockiness results in the destruction of the Paradox Prism and an event that is multiversal.

Sonic can be sent into multiverse by the creative team. This allows them to utilize iconography and imagery from each era of Sonic and to twist it in new ways, creating a sense that feels familiar but also unknown. Each world is Prime is a variant of Green Hill zone, either urbanized, overgrown, or flooded, yet a few key set pieces remain such as Green Hills iconic loop, or the palm trees that line the background of the franchise’s first ever level. Sonic can also use the premise to confront his mistakes in real life, whether Eggman wins or his friends are fighting against each other without him. Instead of allowing him to speed up to victory, every multiversal zone makes him slow down and take in the whole world, as well as his role. It’s the exact kind of message-driven storytelling that’s been present in all of the great Sonic games — be it Sonic The Hedgehog 2,Sega Genesis: Sonic Adventures games on the Sega Dreamcast, or even the few well received Modern Stories — such as Sonic Colors The classic throwback Sonic Mania.

Every time Sonic travels to one of these new worlds within the Shatterverse, his shoes and gloves are altered in order to provide an advantage in each world — in a choice that echoes upgrades that we’ve seen in games like Sonic Adventure 2. In an overgrown Green Hill, these are claws to climb and cut down trees, in the flooded world they’re hoverboots like Shadow’s, to overcome and deal with Sonic’s fear of water. Each world is unique and has its own story. The design diversity makes it easy to appreciate each Green Hill version.

In contrast, modern Sonic games have fallen into the trap of feeling rather familiar, unlike the show which offers unique and alternative looks at Sonic’s iconic imagery — these games tend to railroad you through zones that long-time fans are extremely familiar with. Green Hill has appeared in no less than twenty six games since the series inception — and many of them blend into the same blur of backgrounds. During the 2D games, the stages offered multileveled designs — allowing you to speed through on the upper sections, or focus on the slower, more puzzle-based section below. These design elements have remained. Sonic Adventure Adventure 2, offering multiple routes or gameplay options, so that every level felt fresh and offered something different to appeal to a wide range of players — however, as time has gone the franchise has stripped back these more varied options, leaving you to mostly run through the same few zones every couple of years.

Image by Netflix

However, the problem goes far beyond level design. Sonic has been coasting off of his past ever since 2011’s Sonic Generations in which the game is a loving tribute to the history of the franchise — combining both modern and classic Sonic in a story that takes them across some of the most well known stages from the across the franchises long history. The classic era has been featured in every game that followed. 2013’s Sonic Lost WorldsReintroduced the Wisps Sonic Colors The best modern sonic video game available to many. Sonic ManiaThis was essentially a sequel. Sonic and Knuckles Next, Sonic Forces, Classic Era Sonic was brought back, and his gameplay is now GenerationsThe Wisps This is tied into Sonic Mania. This year’s Sonic FrontiersThis set includes small, historical pieces with modern Sonics movements. GenerationsThese are not very long, so they don’t last as much. They become less enjoyable the more you play in Frontiers. Don’t get me wrong, Sonic has always been a great franchise — but you can only do so many callbacks before you simply become a scrapbook of better pieces. Sonic PrimeSonic Team developers have a chance to look forward and to honour the past.

Sonic Prime doesn’t abandon what has worked in the games; from an aesthetic perspective the franchise’s use of iconic imagery, audio, and designs leans heavily on the classic games with a modern paint job. The voice acting and script leads to characters that are nowhere near as one note as they have often become in Sonic’s later installments, and the reduced cast means that Sonic gets to keep his ensemble, but not so many that anyone feels excluded. Shadow has changed from being an edgy character in western media to one that is more mature, focused, and less exasperated by his blue counterpart. And with the team exploring the multiverse, we get to see different versions of these characters, the standout being a nihilistic and slightly more rough-around-the-edges version of Tails, who works as a constant reminder of not only Sonic’s influence, but also his failings.

Anything in Sonic’s universe is possible thanks to the Shatterverse. There’s plenty of potential to become a multi-seasoned epic story. It will both be a pleasure and a sadness to watch. It feels like it’s screaming out to be the video game that finally gets Sonic back among gamings greats. This game is the Sega/Sonic Team’s first attempt at something different, but it manages to keep the characters familiar. It was the story that made me feel a connection with these characters for the first time in over 10 years. It is everything I’ve ever wanted from a Sonic game. It’s just a shame it isn’t one.