2 New Sonic Games Are In Development

Jul 30, 2016

By: Max Cannon

In honor of Sonic the Hedgehog's 25th Anniversary, Sega is currently developing 2 different Sonic games for a 2017 release. Both games should have something to satiate every type of Sonic fan out there, and that doesn't include the upcoming Sonic Boom game tied into the new TV show.

A Sequel To Sonic Generations?

Though it doesn't have an official name yet, we've gotten an early trailer for 2017's first Sonic game. Starting out in a fiery world, the trailer opens with our modern Sonic sprinting toward a giant robotic creation - maybe Dr. Eggman's - when he's attacked. Right before he can be bowled over by the massive robot he's saved by Classic Sonic and the two run at the monster together. The trailer ends with the words: "Join The Resistance" taking up the entire screen followed by a nonspecific Holiday 2017 release window.

Retro Sonic from Sonic Generations will return!Courtesy of Sega

There's a lot to be taken from the trailer. First is the inclusion of both Sonics, this would suggest we're getting a sequel to 2011's Sonic Generations. After the disappointing modern Sonic games, Sonic Generations combined the gameplay of the newer games with that of the older games that established the character. The game was pretty well received and the last main Sonic game aside from Sonic Boom and Sonic: Lost World, which was exclusive to the Wii U, the upcoming games will release on all major consoles.

Also the closing tagline of "Join The Resistance" could tie in to even more Sonic of yesteryear. In the 90's there were 2 Sonic TV shows, one simply called "Sonic The Hedgehog" which was a light, children's cartoon about a speedy hedgehog, his two-tailed, best friend fox, and them eating tons of chili dogs. The second show was "Sonic Underground" a show about Sonic and his siblings as they fought a resistance against Dr. Robotnik, who is now called Dr. Eggman. So that tagline could be a callback to the old show, or it could be some generic nonsense. But hey a 90's kid can dream, right?

Project Sonic 2017 Debut Trailer

The Sonic We All Know and Love

The next Sonic game looks so impressively good that I'd be really surprised if it was anything less than great. Sonic Mania takes players back to the old school sprites of the 16 bit era, with a graphical style similar to Sonic CD the new game looks to capture the nostalgia of past games. However that seems to not only take visuals into account but the gameplay as well. Sonic Mania looks to play exactly like the classic Sonic the Hedgehog 2 with some added features from Sonic CD, throwing in multiple characters like Sonic 3 & Knuckles and you have the ultimate old school Sonic game.

Though Sonic games are typically developed by Sega's Sonic Team, this game is a joint effort that adds developers known for making classic Sonic mods. These developers know what made the original Sonic games so good, possibly better than Sega does. It's still a ways away from a final release, but in Spring of 2017 we can look forward to playing a new/old Sonic game. It's my childhood all over again.