There’s a very short sequence in the endgame of Sonic Generations that takes place right before the final boss. You platform across a series of clocks that start to move as the chaos emeralds are placed in each one. It’s not anywhere close as bombastic or detailed as any of the levels in the game, but this sequence was something that always stood out to eight year old me. The weary and rustic look of each of the clocks, the different ways the platforms turn around, the backing noise that’s usually shortened versions of music from the stages being replaced by the sound of ticking clocks. The ambience of the scene mesmerized me in a way that I hadn’t been before. It’s a small instance that’s likely to be forgotten by most players, but I feel that it changed the way I viewed this vast white void to some degree. As I went about completing each of the missions, I noticed the ways that certain aspects of the stage exteriors that had been consumed by stark emptiness had become more lively with each success I have with progression. Seeing these locations come to life outside of when I’m blazing past them. Once all the missions were complete, exploring the hub world and seeing color brought to every corner of it was a subtle but strangely beautiful experience. I feel that this experience was a sort of catalyst for my love of environments in games, what made me want to explore and see what makes these various virtual worlds tick. And to think that this passion came from an empty white void. I suppose it does speak to how you can find your passion for things in the most unlikely places.

Alright I'll just take care of the elephant in the room right out of the gate: the story is awful. At first I was willing to write it off as "cringe anime fan dialogue" like everyone else has been, but once those jokes slowed down I did make a genuine attempt to get invested into the world and narrative. What I got out of it was a plot that tried it's best to make me believe that someone as abusive, manipulative and unapologetic as Neon Green deserves any sort of forgiveness, all because that's what God would want. Yippee.

It's a shame how it ended up souring my experience more than I expected it to, since the rest of it was basically everything that I never knew I wanted out of a video game. As someone who's a huge fan of platformers with an emphasis on time attack modes and speedrunning (translation: a Sonic fan), Neon White has one of the most fun and addictive gameplay loops I've ever experienced in the medium. It constantly introduces one new idea after another, opening up more possibilities for how levels can be designed. And as you replay them for better and better times, noticing how much each level opens up with shortcuts and ways to optimize your runs makes every single attempt a delight. It's also fantastic in presentation. I really adore the edgy 2000s aesthetics that ooze from every corner of it, along with a stellar OST from Machine Girl that manages to be both immersive and adrenaline pumping. This'd probably be a clean 5 star game if it just... didn't have a narrative this bad. Highly recommended to any fan of platformers and speedrunning.

I am a very strong believer in the idea that the fans are the future of Sonic. I don’t think this in a cynical “Sonic Team is so incompetent that the fans need to make the good games themselves” kind of way, but in a way that their optimism and excitement for Sonic can come shining through in what they make. Even the more flawed ones have an endless stream of passion to them. That always makes me glad that I experienced them regardless. Despite everything, the Sonic fanbase is so wonderful and creative that I can’t help but be optimistic for what comes from it.

To say I don’t feel any of that passion from Sonic Omens is mincing words. It feels like it’s actively spitting in the face of that optimism I described. It’s flat-out abusing the good will that comes from fan games all to line their own pockets using an IP that they do not own. (Which could also potentially put other fan games in jeopardy if Sega does try to take action against them for heavily monetizing the project) Knowing the sheer volume of harassment and attempted censorship that came from Ouroboros Studio surrounding the game disgusts me beyond words. This document right here provides more information on what’s been going on behind the scenes with this game than I could describe or feel comfortable describing.

The bottom line is: do not support this game whatsoever. There’s a whole world of Sonic fangames with so much more genuine passion for the franchise than this piece of shit could ever pretend to have. It’s the most sickened I’ve been by a project in a while.

Rapid fire thoughts
- Bosses are as fun and creative as ever, with some of them doing some really tricky maneuvers like messing with the screen orientation. My favorite of the bunch was the dogfighting one.
- Though they did feel like there was a bit less to them, might be due to most of them having less phases than the late bosses of the main game
- I equipped the crackshot in my second slot and never looked back, this was really handy at making the chaser obsolete
- Hard pass on playing as Miss Chalice, not a big fan of characters that are as much of an upgrade in abilities as she is and I found it more enjoyable with the basic setup of Cuphead. Same kind of situation as Toadette in the NSMBU rerelease.
- Found the challenges for coins that focus on parrying pretty interesting, especially as a sort of replacement for the Run & Gun segments. They got pretty creative with the ways you use it. The horse one sucks tho.
- That new title screen theme is a banger

Bushiroad staff meeting:
"Alright how do we make a story scenario to justify continuing a perfectly conclusive story in order to milk the hell out of the IP like everything else we have?"
"Have you heard of a game called Sonic and the Secret Rings?"

Also Karen looks like a skinwalker in this game why is its artstyle so unappealing and lifeless