‘But when negative thoughts hit you, let it pass, and keep living.’
Played with BertKnot.
The modern legacy of Sonic the Hedgehog is a series of experiments, which seek to reassess the place of the iconic hedgehog in the cultural landscape. Representative of a 1990s and 2000s zeitgeist, he has become obsolete and outdated with the modern conception of rebellion. This does not mean that the fans have abandoned their beloved mascot, but rather that, in a long spell in the wilderness, they have sought to modernise the character themselves. The multiplication of fanworks with very different atmospheres pleads for the versatility of Sonic and his friends, as comfortable in an urban pop setting as in more slice of life stories. The Sonic Mania MAP collaboration (2019) illustrates this plasticity, with the hero naturally switching between graphic styles. In particular, the pastel and shimmering palettes work successfully; this same aesthetic quality can be found in the comic strip adaptation of Sonic Skyline (2015), where the angular lines contrast nicely with the candy colours.
For the official franchise, the situation is more difficult. In the midst of games that were widely disliked by fans, Sonic Mania (2017) was a saving grace, but it felt like an exception, nowhere near the vision of the Sonic Team. It was only with Sonic Frontiers (2022) that the community saw a tentative change in the treatment of the hero, for better or worse. Regardless of the quality of the title, the open-world opus attempted to meet the demands of the fans by offering something new, a much-needed breath of fresh air. Surprisingly, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog seems to be another attempt to do just that.
Released on the 1st of April, the title was presented as a joke, offering a short visual novel adventure interspersed with light arcade sequences that somewhat overstay their welcome. The player assumes the role of a railway employee who is hosting a murder party for Sonic and Amy's friends in honour of the girl's birthday. Once everyone has learned their roles, the party splits up and the investigation begins, with Sonic as the victim. The player accompanies Tails, disguised as a detective, to identify the culprit. The title is generally very linear and simplistic: the protagonists arrive in a new room and have to solve the small mystery behind it, which often involves establishing the alibi of the people there. The title is obviously inspired by the success of franchises such as Ace Attorney and Danganronpa, which have now spread to the West, and this is underlined by the structure of the investigation.
Rather, the title strives to accumulate references to past games with a certain subtlety, creating a soft and warm atmosphere. To support the slice of life aspect, some characters have their personalities bent to fit the mood of the game – this is the case with Shadow. There is a certain modesty that makes the game feel like a comic book chapter or a Saturday cartoon episode. The stakes are low and the mystery is trivial, but that is not the title's main concern. The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is about creating an experience that is different from the recent games from the Sonic Team – who are not involved in the production of this spin-off. The title appeals directly to fans, and Sonic's words of encouragement to the protagonist are a testament to his sincerity and genuine desire to nurture a loyal community.
It may be a shame to point this out, but The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, while a harmless experience, reveals the franchise's structural problems. Caught up in its own nostalgia and struggling to innovate around a character from another era, the Sonic Team proved incapable of coming up with a subversive and fresh concept. The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog manages to do so, but the title is still plagued by being an April Fool's joke, and only seen as such by SEGA. There's something about the company's management that prevents them from really trusting a new generation that might have insights to offer on a truly major project. The title could have been an expanded experience with additional storylines, making it a proper text-based adventure around the franchise's beloved characters. Instead, the Sonic Social Team was only given the opportunity to make an appetiser.
The title is undoubtedly cute, features beautiful artworks and is brimming with love for the franchise. One must acknowledge the delight that various fans have experienced from spending two hours with it. However, I cannot help but feel that it is little more than a few crumbs for a starving community – perhaps this is the reaction of someone who has never had any affection or nostalgia for the blue hedgehog. Either way, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is a harmless little experience that says very little, but is a step in an interesting direction. One can only hope that this is not just another fleeting idea from SEGA, but something that will be more fully developed and polished in the future. Sonic fans deserve other similar games, or titles that explore new thematic horizons that would truly modernise the franchise.
Played with BertKnot.
The modern legacy of Sonic the Hedgehog is a series of experiments, which seek to reassess the place of the iconic hedgehog in the cultural landscape. Representative of a 1990s and 2000s zeitgeist, he has become obsolete and outdated with the modern conception of rebellion. This does not mean that the fans have abandoned their beloved mascot, but rather that, in a long spell in the wilderness, they have sought to modernise the character themselves. The multiplication of fanworks with very different atmospheres pleads for the versatility of Sonic and his friends, as comfortable in an urban pop setting as in more slice of life stories. The Sonic Mania MAP collaboration (2019) illustrates this plasticity, with the hero naturally switching between graphic styles. In particular, the pastel and shimmering palettes work successfully; this same aesthetic quality can be found in the comic strip adaptation of Sonic Skyline (2015), where the angular lines contrast nicely with the candy colours.
For the official franchise, the situation is more difficult. In the midst of games that were widely disliked by fans, Sonic Mania (2017) was a saving grace, but it felt like an exception, nowhere near the vision of the Sonic Team. It was only with Sonic Frontiers (2022) that the community saw a tentative change in the treatment of the hero, for better or worse. Regardless of the quality of the title, the open-world opus attempted to meet the demands of the fans by offering something new, a much-needed breath of fresh air. Surprisingly, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog seems to be another attempt to do just that.
Released on the 1st of April, the title was presented as a joke, offering a short visual novel adventure interspersed with light arcade sequences that somewhat overstay their welcome. The player assumes the role of a railway employee who is hosting a murder party for Sonic and Amy's friends in honour of the girl's birthday. Once everyone has learned their roles, the party splits up and the investigation begins, with Sonic as the victim. The player accompanies Tails, disguised as a detective, to identify the culprit. The title is generally very linear and simplistic: the protagonists arrive in a new room and have to solve the small mystery behind it, which often involves establishing the alibi of the people there. The title is obviously inspired by the success of franchises such as Ace Attorney and Danganronpa, which have now spread to the West, and this is underlined by the structure of the investigation.
Rather, the title strives to accumulate references to past games with a certain subtlety, creating a soft and warm atmosphere. To support the slice of life aspect, some characters have their personalities bent to fit the mood of the game – this is the case with Shadow. There is a certain modesty that makes the game feel like a comic book chapter or a Saturday cartoon episode. The stakes are low and the mystery is trivial, but that is not the title's main concern. The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is about creating an experience that is different from the recent games from the Sonic Team – who are not involved in the production of this spin-off. The title appeals directly to fans, and Sonic's words of encouragement to the protagonist are a testament to his sincerity and genuine desire to nurture a loyal community.
It may be a shame to point this out, but The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, while a harmless experience, reveals the franchise's structural problems. Caught up in its own nostalgia and struggling to innovate around a character from another era, the Sonic Team proved incapable of coming up with a subversive and fresh concept. The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog manages to do so, but the title is still plagued by being an April Fool's joke, and only seen as such by SEGA. There's something about the company's management that prevents them from really trusting a new generation that might have insights to offer on a truly major project. The title could have been an expanded experience with additional storylines, making it a proper text-based adventure around the franchise's beloved characters. Instead, the Sonic Social Team was only given the opportunity to make an appetiser.
The title is undoubtedly cute, features beautiful artworks and is brimming with love for the franchise. One must acknowledge the delight that various fans have experienced from spending two hours with it. However, I cannot help but feel that it is little more than a few crumbs for a starving community – perhaps this is the reaction of someone who has never had any affection or nostalgia for the blue hedgehog. Either way, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is a harmless little experience that says very little, but is a step in an interesting direction. One can only hope that this is not just another fleeting idea from SEGA, but something that will be more fully developed and polished in the future. Sonic fans deserve other similar games, or titles that explore new thematic horizons that would truly modernise the franchise.
4 Comments
@lpslucasps: And that's something very interesting to see from the outside, in that Sonic represents this attitude of the 1990s and 2000s that I generally dislike. I must admit that I have always found Sonic to be more annoying than cool, for the reasons mentioned in the video. I hope SEGA will fully acknowledge this and just embrace the novelty, even if it means creating a bit of a rough shift. I haven't seen much of Sonic Frontiers yet, but the game seems to be bathed in nostalgic pessimism, so it remains to be seen if that's a direction the Sonic Team really wants to go in.
Haha I do think you hit it on the head with the penultimate paragraph! It’s a shame that the most notable Sonic additions recently are the ones that reiterate on the same old nostalgia (like Mania). That being said, Sonic really needs a hard reboot or another change in direction.
lpslucasps
1 year ago