Sonic Origins impressions: Sonic is a burned-out millennial like me

Everyone seems to forget this, so I’ll take this moment to remind you: Sonic the Hedgehog is a millennial. A child of the ’90s, he was told from the very beginning that he’s “gotta go fast,” and for a moment, it seemed like he could: Fueled by the attitude of the ’90s and a booming ring- and emerald-fueled economy, Sonic blazed through the Clinton years with a radical ’tude and a pair of signature kicks.

The good times, however, wouldn’t last, and the Blue Blur would soon find himself with the rest of his generation: burned out, overworked (he has starred in More than 30Games, including many spinoffs), and never achieve the corporate mascot status.

Like all victims of Millennial Burnout, Sonic is finding solace in ’90s nostalgia. Sonic Origins is the latest of several compilations gathering games from the hedgehog’s 16-bit heyday, namely Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic CD, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 And Sonic 3 & Knuckles. If you are cynical, this is a shallow attempt at extracting $40. Enjoy the endlessly-available games as well as the unexpected success of a new film franchise.

An alternative way to look at things. Sonic Origins, with its inclusion of both classic and “Anniversary” (HD, in other words) versions of the classic platformers, is simply Sega making sure a vital part of its history is available on the latest platforms, performing to modern standards. However, is this something that anyone actually wants? Should the average person revisit Sonic’s early games, or is the mascot better off thriving as the chaos god of memetic strangeness he’s become, even as every new game seems primed to disappoint?

Let’s flash back. (This is where the soundtrack would cue up Beastie Boys, or perhaps Fugees, to let the viewer know we are in the ’90s.) The original Sonic the Hedgehog games were my gateway drug to the world of video games — the first games I ever loved, of which I mentally mapped every pixel. As someone with strict parents who didn’t really approve of video games, I was only permitted to play them for short bursts, and I spent that time getting better and better at Sonic 2It took me a while to complete it. By accident, I was one of the youngest speedrunners around.

This style of gameplay is rare in games. While most games of this era chased Super Mario with thoughtful design that encouraged player exploration and experimentation, Sonic games were brasher, arguably braver — each level is full of things for you to Neglect. A Sonic level is like an interstate highway. There are only two choices at any given time, so the best path to explore is the one that allows you to keep moving fast. It’s a great feeling to stop and explore Sonic levels. It is wrong on a fundamental level — enticing items, carefully hidden just out of reach, are just scenery to be blown past, with a mental bookmark made to try and find a new route next time.

You can play Sonic Origins again as a grown-ass man, I am shocked by the muscle memory that I still have — how I know that if I hit a certain ramp at top speed in Sonic 2’s Emerald Hill Zone, I can soar high over the map and land on top of a robot bee to continue my momentum forward. Chemical Plant Zone, which is still very annoying because of its toxic rising water, stops you from reaching the platform. You will also be crushed by the slow-moving ladders, which are much more dangerous than leading you to the platform. The fake-3D special stage, while easy, is frustrating. FarHD is more nauseating

Image: Sega

When I revisited these games last week I wondered if that was the reason why I like them so much. because they’re familiar, and perhaps the only way to enjoy Sonic is nostalgically. It’s hard to imagine someone learning these levels for the first time and feeling like any kind of speedster — or at least one who makes it through with all their rings intact. Even if the franchise transition into three dimensions didn’t feel like playing Sonic with the parking brake on, I would have stopped having the time and energy to play these games at such a pace a long time ago. Good new Sonic games may be rare, perhaps because not many incentivize their fans to play good Sonic. Players — and instead try to reproduce the imagined feeling of the old games.

Sonic, however, has been attached to other objects. In the years that have passed between classic video games, video games have become obsessed with novelty. Sonic FrontiersSonic is a fast chaser of novelty. Imagine if Sonic got a sword from a video game. He was made a werehog. Placing him with real-looking people? Sonic is a fellow millennial and must wonder: Must I really ‘gotta go fast’? Is it capitalism or me?

By the way, if you’re feeling burnt out, might I recommend playing Sonic Origins? It’s quite soothing.