Almost all games in the series feature a blue hedgehog named
Sonic as the central
player character and
protagonist. The games detail Sonic and his allies' attempt to save the world from various threats, primarily the evil genius
Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik, the main
antagonist of the series. Robotnik's aim is to rule the planet; to achieve this, he usually attempts to destroy Sonic and to acquire the powerful
Chaos Emeralds.
Sega Genesis and add-on systems (1991–1996) [edit]
Green Hill Zone from
Sonic the Hedgehog(1991)
The first
Sonic game, titled
Sonic the Hedgehog, was a
platform game released in 1991
[1]that featured protagonist Sonic running through the game's levels in order to stop Doctor Robotnik from taking over the world.
[2] The game focused Sonic's ability to run and to jump at high speeds with the use of springs, checkpoints, and loops.
[2] Its sequel,
Sonic the Hedgehog 2, a platform game released in 1992,
[3] increased the overall size and speed of the series' gameplay
[4] and was the second best-selling Genesis game of all time.
[5] The game introduced Sonic's sidekick,
Miles "Tails" Prower, who followed Sonic throughout the game, and allowed a second player to control him in a limited fashion.
[4] and the "spin dash" maneuver, which allowed Sonic to boost forwards quickly when stopped.
[4] The next sequel,
Sonic the Hedgehog 3, was a third platform game in the
Sonic series released in 1994.
[6]The game introduced a temporary shield maneuver,
[7] added new shield types to the series,
[8] and allowed Tails to fly under a player's control.
[8] It also introduced a new character,
Knuckles the Echidna, who served as an additional antagonist with Doctor Robotnik for the game.
[8] Sonic & Knuckles, another platform game in the
Sonic series, was released later in 1994.
[9] The game introduced Knuckles as a playable character with gliding and wall climbing abilities
[9] and allowed gamers to plug in
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 to the top of the
Sonic and Knuckles cartridge as part of the game's "lock on" functionality. This allowed gamers to play the game as it was originally intended;
[9] the games were intended to be one title, but were split due to space and time constraints.
[10][11]
The Sega Genesis had "add-on" systems that incorporated
Sonic titles.
Sonic CD, released for the
Sega CD, was a 2D platform game
[16] released in 1993.
[17] The game introduced the characters
Amy Rose[18] and
Metal Sonic and featured levels that differed depending upon whether Sonic was in the past, present, or future time frames.
[16] Knuckles Chaotix, a
spin-off released in 1995 for the
Sega 32X,
[19] featured Knuckles and a new group named
Chaotix fighting against Dr. Robotnik.
[20] The game featured a two-player cooperative system in which the on-screen characters were connected by magic rings.
[20] There was also
Sonic Eraser, a puzzle game released exclusively on
Meganet.
Sega Master System and Game Gear (1991–1996)
Due to the success of Sonic games on the Sega Genesis, the series was introduced to the Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear. Sega began by releasing Sonic the Hedgehog, a 2D platform game, in 1991.[21] The game featured Sonic's ability to run and to jump at high speeds like its Mega Drive/Genesis counterpart but with notably different level design and music.[22] Sega later releasedSonic the Hedgehog 2 another 2D platform game, in 1992. The game differed from its Genesis counterpart with different levels and music and by not including a "spin dash" maneuver. It also featured a different storyline in which Doctor Robotnik kidnaps Tails, who is non-playable in the Master System/Game Gear version.[23] Sonic Chaos/Sonic and Tails (Japan), released in 1993,[24] was similar to the earlier two Sega Master System/Game Gear Sonic games, but featured Tails as a playable character.[25] A sequel, Sonic Triple Trouble/Sonic and Tails 2 (Japan), a 2D platform game, was released in 1994[26] for the Game Gear and introduced a new character,Nack the Weasel, who, along with Knuckles and Doctor Robotnik, raced to collect the Chaos Emeralds. One of the last games for the Sega Game Gear, Sonic Blast, was released in 1996[27] and featured prerendered sprites.
Several spin-off
Sonic games were released for the Sega Master System/Game Gear that were not 2D platform games.
Sonic Labyrinth, released for Game Gear in 1995,
[28] featured an isometric view and slower exploration-based gameplay that resulted from Robotnik's replacing Sonic's shoes with "Speed Down Boots."
Sonic Drift was a
kart racer released in 1994.
[29] It later had a sequel,
Sonic Drift 2, which was released in 1995.
[30] Tails also received two spin-offs.
Tails' Skypatrol, released in 1995,
[31] allowed players to control an always-flying Tails.
Tails Adventure, released in 1995,
[32] featured a mix of platforming and
RPG elements.
Sega Saturn (1996–1997)
Few Sonic games were released for the Sega Saturn, and none were a standard platform game originally made for the system. Sonic 3D was released in 1996[33] alongside the Mega Drive version. Like its Mega Drive counterpart, the Saturn edition used isometric, 2.5Dgraphics, but it added FMV cut-scenes, enhanced music and visual effects,[citation needed] and a real-time 3D special stage.[34] Sonic Jam, a compilation released for the Saturn in 1997, contained the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and Sonic & Knuckles, as well as a "Sonic World" mode, which allowed the player to control Sonic in a small 3D world.[35] The Sonic World was mainly a means of accessing the disc's multimedia features, which included character artwork, the soundtrack, and Japanese Sonic videos.[36] Sonic R, a foot racing spin-off and also the Sonic series' first fully 3D game,[37] was released in 1997 for the Saturn[38] and ported to the PC in 1998.[39]
Dreamcast (1998–2001) [edit]
Sega Dreamcast sales began to decline after the launch of the
PlayStation 2;
[41] and therefore few
Sonic games were released for the system.
Sonic Adventure, then a launch title for the Dreamcast, was released in December 1998 in Japan and September 1999 in North America.
[42] The game was the first in the series to feature voice acting.
Sonic Adventure was re-released for the
GameCube and
PC as
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cutin 2003
[43] and, in late 2010, ported to
Xbox Live Arcade[44] and
PlayStation Network.
[45] Its sequel
Sonic Adventure 2 was released for the Dreamcast in 2001, and was the last game in the series to be released for the Sega platform.
[46] In 2002 it became the first game in the series to appear on a Nintendo platform when it was ported – with several enhancements – to the GameCube as
Sonic Adventure 2: Battle,
[47] and in October 2012 it was ported to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network with a version released on
Steam in November the same year.
Game Boy Advance (2001–2004)
Sonic's transition to the Game Boy Advance was completed with Sonic Advance, the first original Sonic title released for a Nintendo console. The game featured 2D platforming, similar to the original Genesis titles, and new gameplay mechanics from more recent Sonictitles as well, such as grinding on rails.[49] It was released in late 2001 in Japan and early 2002 elsewhere,[50] and ported to Nokia's N-Gage on October 7, 2003, as SonicN.[51] Two sequels, Sonic Advance 2 and Sonic Advance 3, followed in March 2003 and June 2004, respectively.
GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox (2002–2008) [edit]
After the Dreamcast, Sega ceased producing its own video game hardware, focusing solely on manufacturing software for the
Nintendo GameCube, followed by releases for the
PlayStation 2 and
Xbox.
The first game released for the GameCube was
Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, followed by
Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut, each ports from the Dreamcast. Sega later released
Sonic Heroes, the first Sonic game made for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. It was released on all three systems on December 30, 2003 in Japan, with American and European releases following soon after. The game was similar to that of the
Adventure games, although the player now controlled the lead character of a team of three, with the other two following behind. The player could then switch to a new leader at any time in order to use that character's special abilities.
Shadow the Hedgehog was released in late 2005 in North America. This game used a similar more advanced engine that
Sonic Heroesused. It focused on
Shadow the Hedgehog as he tried to uncover his past. The game contained multiple paths and endings, as the player chose to take good or evil paths for each level. It also added wielding weapons and driving vehicles to 3D platforming.
Sonic Riders was the first
Sonic racing game since
Sonic R; in contrast to the previous title, the characters used hoverboards, bikes, and skates rather than racing on foot.
DS, PSP (2005–2010)
There were a number of different
Sonic games released for the
Nintendo DS. The first was
Sonic Rush, released in 2005, featuring gameplay similar to the
Sonic Advance series. It received a sequel,
Sonic Rush Adventure, in 2007, which featured some additional new elements, such as the driving of jet skis and submarines.
Sonic Colors, released in November 2010, expanded further on the
Rushseries gameplay with the addition of the use of "Wisps", which gave Sonic various new power-ups and gimmicks.
Wii, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 (2006-2012)
During this timeframe, Sega took the franchise in a number of different directions. First was Sonic the Hedgehog (2006 video game), which was released in November 2006 for the Xbox 360 and December 2006 for the PlayStation 3. It continued in the Sonic Adventuredirection, but was heavily criticized for being sloppy and rushed for the launch window of both consoles. Sonic Unleashed was released in 2008 for the Xbox 360, Wii, PS2 and PS3. While possessing the same name and rough themes, the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions were markedly different games than the Wii and PS2 versions.
While the prior game in the era continued the use of numerous playable characters and play styles, the following games would return to only have Sonic playable.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, an episodic high-definition 2D game akin to the 16-bit Sonic games, was developed for the
PlayStation Network,
Xbox Live Arcade,
WiiWare.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II was released in 2012 for PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Android, iOS, and Windows Phones.
Sonic Colors a game for the Wii, was released in November 2010. It introduced a power-up system in the form of alien beings called "Wisps".
Sonic Generations was developed by
Sonic Team for Xbox 360, PS3, PC and
Dimps for
Nintendo 3DS which was released in November 2011, featuring both modern and classic interpretations of Sonic.
[52][53]
During this time, the franchise also moved into several new spin-off series. The
Storybook series, which combines Sonic gameplay with the story and setting of famous books, comprises two games only released for the Wii:
Sonic and the Secret Rings (released in 2007) and
Sonic and the Black Knight (released in 2009).
3DS, Vita, iOS and Android (2011-present)
Even early in the system's lifecycle, a number of Sonic games were announced for the Nintendo 3DS. At E3 2010, an untitled Sonicgame was announced for the system, which later turned out to be a portable version of Sonic Generations. A third installment of the Sonic and Mario crossover series, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games was also released for the 3DS.[55] Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed was released for the 3DS in February 2013, and for the PlayStation Vita in November 2012.[56]
Wii U (2013-present) [edit]
Compilations
Characters
Common features
Rings
One distinctive feature of Sonic games are the collectible golden rings spread throughout the levels. This gameplay device allows players possessing at least one ring to survive upon sustaining damage from an enemy or hazardous object; instead of dying, the player's rings are scattered. In most Sonic games, a hit causes the player to lose all of the rings, although in certain games a hit only costs a set number of rings such as ten or twenty.[60][61] When the rings are scattered, the player has a short amount of time to recollect some of them before they disappear.
Some causes of death cannot be prevented by holding a ring, including being crushed, falling into a bottomless pit, drowning, and running out of time.
[60]
In line with many platform games, collecting 100 rings usually rewards Sonic or any other playable character with an
extra life.
[62]Certain games in the series often reward the collection of 50 rings with
Chaos Emeralds, access to the
Special Stages in which the Chaos Emeralds may be obtained, or utilization of a character's
super transformation.
[63]
Rings have had other uses in various games as well, such as
currency (
Sonic Adventure 2), restoring health bars, (
Sonic Unleashed) or improving statistics (
Sonic Riders).
Chaos Emeralds
The Chaos Emeralds as they appear in
Sonic R
The Chaos Emeralds are, in most games, seven
emeralds with mystical powers; they are a recurring feature of
Sonic games. The emeralds can turn thoughts into power,
[64] warp time and space with a technique called Chaos Control,
[65][66] give energy to all living things and be used to create nuclear or laser based weaponry.
[67]
They are the basis of many of the games' plots, and the player is frequently required to collect them all to fully defeat
Doctor Eggman and achieve the games' "
good endings",
super forms, or both. The methods used to acquire the Emeralds and the end-results after collecting them differ between titles in the series. Most early games require the player to find the emeralds in
Special Stages,
[63] while some modern games implement the emeralds as a plot element. In certain games, such as
Sonic R and the 8-bit versions of
Sonic the Hedgehog and
Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the player is required to find the Chaos Emeralds within the zones themselves.
The Master Emerald was introduced in
Sonic & Knuckles as a plot element. It resides in a shrine on Angel Island and is guarded by
Knuckles the Echidna, as only those of the Echidna Tribe are able to control it.
[68] The power of the Master Emerald is what keeps Angel Island afloat in the sky.
[69] It can control the power of the Chaos Emeralds,
[64] including neutralizing or amplifying their energies.
[70]
Special Stages
Usually, Special Stages were employed as a means of earning Chaos Emeralds.[63] Special Stages usually take place in surrealenvironments and feature alternate gameplay mechanics to the standard platforming of the main levels. The 16-bit Sonic the Hedgehogconsisted of a giant rotating maze, which many considered a major technical achievement.[71] The most common special stages, however, were segments with the character running through a long tunnel to collect certain items. 3D "collect item" levels, as in Sonic 3and Sonic & Knuckles, used the same perspective but had Sonic collecting all the blue-colored orbs on the surface of a giant sphere. Finally, Sonic Advance 2 employed a 3D ring-collecting stage, and Sonic Chaos (Sonic and Tails in Japan) used a variety of gimmicks for its levels. Since Emeralds of the 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog were hidden in the main stages, the game's spring-filled Special Stages were merely used as a means of adding variety, increasing score and earning continues. Similarly, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, in addition to the main Special Stages, featured entirely optional bonus stages, one of which combined the rotating maze ofSonic the Hedgehog with the pinball gambling of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Sonic Heroes contained an alternate Special Stage for a chance of earning additional lives.
Super transformation [edit]
A super transformation is a state certain characters go into that gives them incredible speed, near-invincibility and a change in color. In some games, characters are still vulnerable to being crushed, drowning, falling into a pit or running out of time. Depending on the type of transformation, the condition to attain such a form is an individual making contact with all of the Chaos Emeralds, the Sol Emeralds, or the Master Emerald.
Super Sonic with the Master Emerald in the ending for
Sonic & Knuckles, moments after defeating the final boss in the Doomsday Zone
Super transformations first appeared in
Sonic the Hedgehog 2, where Sonic transforms into Super Sonic if all seven Chaos Emeralds and fifty or more rings are held at the same time. While in Super Sonic form, one ring is lost for every second that passes, and Sonic reverts to normal if the number of rings drops to zero. In
Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Tails can also transform after gaining all seven
Chaos Emeralds and
Super Emeralds. Sonic and Knuckles can also transform into their hyper counterparts with the Super Emeralds.
In most 3D Sonic games starting with
Sonic Adventure, Chaos Emeralds are collected in non-interactive
cut scenes as part of the story, with Super Sonic and other super characters only appearing in the final boss fights. Most 2D
Sonic platform games, like the
Advance and
Rush series, have retained the gameplay-based emerald collecting, but still have Super Sonic only playable in the "Extra" boss battles. Recent games such as
Sonic the Hedgehog 4,
Sonic Colors and
Sonic Generations once again allow players to play as Super Sonic during normal stages, provided they have all the Chaos Emeralds.
[72][73]
Sonic the Hedgehog,
Miles "Tails" Prower,
Knuckles the Echidna,
Metal Sonic,
Shadow the Hedgehog,
Blaze the Cat, and
Silver the Hedgehog, are the characters that are known to be able to perform super transformations. Metal Sonic can also use the Master Emerald to turn Super, and Blaze, instead of using the Chaos Emeralds, uses the Sol Emeralds (her dimension's equivalent).
Item boxes
These are containers hold power-ups and appear frequently throughout the stages. An icon on each box indicates what it contains, and the player releases the item by destroying the box. In the early games, item boxes resembled television sets and could only be destroyed with an attack; in later titles, they became transparent capsule-like objects easily destroyed with one touch. Common items in boxes include rings, a barrier (or shield), invincibility, high speed (or power sneakers) and 1-ups.
Ring boxes have a ring in the middle. When opened, they add a set amount of rings to the player's total.
The barrier is a spherical energy shield which surrounds and protects the player's character from one attack; when hit, the barrier is lost instead of rings or a life. In Sonic 3, additional barriers were introduced which gave the player special abilities, such as the ability to magnetically attract rings and double jump, breathe underwater, resist fire.
Invincibility temporarily protects against damage done by enemies and obstacles, and allows the player to destroy enemies by touching them and not lose any rings. Death from crushing, falling, drowning and time-ups, however, are still possible.
High speed boxes give the player character enhanced speed for a limited time.
1-up boxes display the face of the player's character and give the player one extra life. In the event that a player loses a stage, this enables the player to restart the level at the starting point, or, if one has been passed, close to the last
checkpoint. Multiple lives can be collected, generally up to 99.
Other item boxes featured include a box with Robotnik's face on it, which cause damage to whoever opens it, a "teleport box" (
Sonic 2's2-player mode only), which swapped both players' positions, and a skateboard box (
Sonic Generations only), which allows the player to ride a skateboard for a short time.
Giant Rings
Giant rings (Warp Rings) were featured in a few Sonic games, mainly from the 16-bit era. Rather than collecting them, as is the case with the smaller ones, they served as a portal to enter a Special Stage, where the player could collect one of the Chaos Emeralds. InSonic the Hedgehog 3, if all Emeralds have already been found, touching them rewards the player fifty rings. In most games sinceSonic Adventure 2, these giant rings serve as the end level marker, which ends the level upon touching it.
Checkpoints
Checkpoints are items placed throughout the stages in Sonic games which serve mainly as progress markers. If the player runs through one, their progress through a level is "saved". If the player then loses a life on the same stage, they will start over at the last checkpoint passed. Checkpoints also serve other uses in various games, such as entering Special Stages in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and leveling up in Sonic Heroes. In the 2D games, checkpoints take the appearance of posts, while in 3D games they are either small gates or pads on the ground.
Springs [edit]
Springs are a staple in the
Sonic series. They are scattered throughout the levels and serve to catapult the player at high speeds in a particular direction. Sometimes they allow the player to proceed further in the level, while other times they are used to hinder the player, usually by sending Sonic towards a dangerous area.
Sonic Unleashed in particular features springs with Dr. Eggman's face on them that launch Sonic towards danger or hinder his progress. Springs serve as one of Sonic's special moves in
Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
Animals
In addition to anthropomorphic animals, the Sonic universe is also populated with more conventional type animals. These small animals are often used by Dr. Eggman as "organic batteries" to power his robot armies. The trapped animals can usually be freed by hitting the robot and destroying its metal case. In Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2, the small animals can be given to Chao, altering their appearance and attributes.
A
Flicky is one of the most prominently used animals in Eggman's experiments. This small bird's first appearance in a game predates Sonic. Flicky and its
respective game were alluded to in
Sonic 3D Blast.
Music
Numerous composers have contributed music to the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Masato Nakamura of J-pop band Dreams Come Truewas responsible for the music of the first two 16-bit games. Ys/Streets of Rage composer Yuzo Koshiro composed the tunes for the first 8-bit title, except for what was retained from the 16-bit version.
On several recent games, well-known artists have contributed music to the series. For example,
Bowling for Soup lead singer
Jaret Reddick performed "Endless Possibility", the main theme of
Sonic Unleashed, and former
Megadeth guitarist
Marty Friedman played on "With Me", the final boss theme for
Sonic and the Black Knight.
Cash Cash lead singer Jean-Paul Makhlouf performed the opening theme to
Sonic Colors called "Reach for the Stars" as well as the ending theme "Speak with your Heart" with band member Alex Makhlouf.
Other media
Animation
A number of cartoons have been made based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video games. DIC Entertainment's Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog was an American animated television series that was first broadcast in September 1993, and ran in cartoon syndication for a number of years afterward. It follows the escapades of Sonic and Tails as they stop the evil Dr. Ivo Robotnik and his array of viciousrobots from taking over the planet Mobius. The plots very loosely followed the style of the early video games series, but focused very little on character development.
DIC also produced the second Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon, called
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Animated Series, which originally aired from September 1993 to June 1995. While
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog is known for its bright colors and whimsical humor,
Sonic the Hedgehog featured darker, more dramatic stories which still constitute a departure from the tone of most of the
Sonic games. The Sonic franchise was still quite new and lacked both plot and character development, so the show's writers filled in the details. The
Sonic the Hedgehog comic book uses several characters from this series.
A two-episode
OVA series based upon the game
Sonic CD and the video game series as a whole,
Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie, was released in
Japan in 1996 and released as an English dub in North America in 1999. Unlike the games, the film takes place on a world named Planet Freedom. It was the first to introduce an animated appearance of Knuckles the Echidna, and the first time before
Sonic Adventure that Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails were seen as a full team.
The cartoon
Sonic Underground ran for 40 episodes
[74] in 1999, but bore little relation to other cartoons or video games. The last Sonic series from DIC Entertainment, the show was animated like
Sonic the Hedgehog, but was broadcast in syndication, and had major differences, including the absence of Tails and the appearances of Knuckles.
The anime
Sonic X is the longest-running animated series based on Sonic to date. It spanned 3 seasons and 78 episodes and was inspired by the plots of the
Sonic Adventure series.
Sonic, Tails and Eggman also appear in the 2012
Disney animated movie,
Wreck-It Ralph. In the movie, Sonic has a small speaking role, voiced again by
Roger Craig Smith, Tails briefly appear as an image, while Eggman makes a non-speaking role.
Comics
A number of Sonic the Hedgehog
comic books and
manga have been produced. The
Sonic the Hedgehog manga series, published in
Shogakukan's Shogaku Yonensei was written by
Kenji Terada and illustrated by Sango Norimoto. The manga, which started in 1992, was about a hedgehog boy named Nicky who can turn into Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic fights Eggman, with Tails tagging along to help him.
Sonic the Hedgehog is an ongoing series of American comic books published by
Archie Comics. All of Archie's
Sonic-related publications take place in the same
fictional universe, which incorporates aspects of the video games and
Sonic the Hedgehog: the Animated Series in addition to elements unique to that comic universe. Archie Comics also published an ongoing
Sonic X comic book that supplemented the stories from the
animated series of the same name. It began in September 2005 and was originally meant to be a four-part series; however, due to the positive reaction to the series' announcement, it was extended to ongoing status before the first issue premiered. The comic borrowed elements from the animated series' first two seasons and characters from the
Sonic Adventurestoryline. The comic was eventually canceled, its place taken by the new Sonic comic book series entitled
Sonic Universe.
