By far Sonic the Hedgehog is one of the most iconic characters in video game history. From starting out as begin the new kid on the block to his later, less successful years, Sonic has at the very least stayed the face of gaming nostalgia, a memento of the easier 16-bit days of home consoles.
Sonic’s initial days saw him compete against perhaps the largest video giant of them all, Mario, and even though it does look like he lost in the end (as did Sega overall), there’s no denying the Blue Blur’s impact on the industry. Sonic’s face is still one of the most familiar in the industry.
Sega’s blazing blue mascot has – without a doubt – seen a couple of ups and downs over the years. Sonic has struggled over the last twenty years to replicate the enormous success of his early years and however, there are many Sega fans who maintain a nostalgic soft spot for the hedgehog with the spiked hair.
But Then It All Went Horribly Wrong
The Sonic series was unable to make a successful transition into the brave new 3D world. Seeing the hero struggling round environments that he wasn’t designed to inhabit was painful, almost like watching your grandmother try to find a nice comfortable pair of slippers in Urban Outfitters.
SEGA attempted to paper over the cracks by creating new characters, as if a rabbit and a crocodile would be sufficient to distract us from the truth. The real truth was that gamers would far rather enjoy sports betting in Australia that look at SEGA’s “distractions”. Then there were the tests with role-playing and racing. Most recently, there was some things about werehogs and an attempt to shoehorn Sonic into the world of Arthurian legend.
Even SEGA recognised things have gone wrong. The company removed the worst of the Sonic games from shop shelves in an effort to pretend they never happened, like Stalin airbrushing Trotsky out of photographs.
Sonic Was Presented With A New Wash Of Vibrancy And Colour
Anything with a human or excessively-realistic feel was snatched away and substituted with:
- Enlarged eyes,
- Cartoon-like mouth,
- Button nose, as well as
- Generally smaller body proportions [bigger head, feet, and hands + smaller body].
Best thing of all, he reappointed his iconic gear, his white gloves and his red and white shoes. This elegant style switch transitioned all too well with “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” giving Tails and Knuckles exactly the same vibrant and childlike characteristics.
As much as Sonic’s cuter movie design contrasts with styles we see a lot today, it embodies the notion of “what if Sonic was in the real world” very well. Youthful mammals are naturally cute as a protective mechanism thanks to evolution.
In both movies, Sonic is shown to be a child and carries a childlike nature. Needless to say, it’s a quite realistic standpoint for him to have such endearing cuteness. The same ideals apply for his companions, Tails and Knuckles. The best part about the trio’s character design, is that it amplifies their personalities as well as the little quirks which make them themselves.