I just finished Episode 3 of 8. To some degree I feel like I’m eating good with Sonic media coming out that seems to share the same ideas I’ve thought would be cool over the years. Like, to me, Sonic the Hedgehog is a character that leaps before he looks. Quickster characters like that tend to be impatient (with good reason) and the cocky attitude Sonic has sometimes belies a character who knows he’s nearly invincible because nobody can catch him. Not too long ago, I pitched the idea
on this very tumblr: What if a Sonic game opened with Sonic unleashing an ancient evil by accident, and not Doctor Eggman? Sonic is the perfect mark for stumbling his way in to trouble.
That’s basically how Sonic Prime opens. Eggman still finds something extremely dangerous, but Sonic’s the one that activates it. Sonic, in general, is portrayed as kind of an idiot. But a charming idiot. Kind of a himbo. High energy, fun loving, and definitely means well. But impulsive to a fault. He’s untouchable. There is no universe in which he doesn’t instantly and easily win with one arm tied behind his back. Which leads him to get sloppy and screw up. And generate realities where he did not exist, and his friends are scattered, bitter, and lost without him.
I connect with this vibe a great deal, as you might imagine. I’ve seen people complain because it seems like Sonic’s friends are sick of him being like this, given all they do before the incident is complain about him. And that’s fair, I think, but again,
this is something I’ve pitched on this blog.
Sonic is a free spirit. He goes where the wind takes him because there’s no force on earth that can hurt him. I’m sure his friends are upset at Sonic’s flippant attitude, but that’s because they know he could solve this problem in two seconds if he put effort in to it, but he’s just screwing around. When he’s
not screwing around, I’m sure Sonic is a great friend for the whatever time you have left until he’s off chasing the horizon again. For real, out of all the different versions of the character over the years, Sonic Prime Sonic feels the most like “my” Sonic. This is who I’ve always wanted the character to be: a cocky dumbass who both causes and solves all his problems using a big smile and pure hyperactivity.
