There’s a long history of Sonic the Hedgehog games. The Blue Blur has been speeding around our hearts since 1991, fast becoming the face of Sega and remaining the company’s most beloved mascot all these years later. Boasting many games, Sonic has adventures across various genres, including the one he’s most well known for: platformers. However, he’s also got action, racing, RPG, and party games under his belt, meaning there’s something for everyone. Well, nearly everyone.
To this day, I’m surprised Sega hasn’t released a Sonic the Hedgehog rhythm game; it’s such an obvious genre for the famed icon to tackle. Now, you might wonder why it’s such an obvious one. Even if you want to see it, a Sonic dancing game or something akin to that isn’t necessarily the first thing you think of. But, for me, it’s ultra baffling. I’m not just a fan of Sonic games. I love his comics, live-action movies, and the many TV shows featuring the fastest thing alive.
My favorite Sonic the Hedgehog TV show isn’t the most obvious choice; that’s probably the famed Sonic the Hedgehog SatAm series. Instead, I’m a huge fan of Sonic Underground, and the fact that Sonic, Manic, and Sonia never reunited with their mother still bothers me, but that’s beside the point.
One of the biggest things about the show is that the triplets are in a band; Sonic plays the guitar, Manic (my favorite hedgehog that isn’t Shadow) plays the drums, and Sonia jams on the keyboard. That makes Sonic Underground the perfect basis for a rhythm game, even if the singular series is 25 years old at this point. Actually, that’s a huge anniversary; what better way to celebrate it than to let us all jam out with Sonic?
Come to think of it, why didn’t Sega try to get in on the rhythm game genre with Sonic when Guitar Hero was all the rage? It’s shocking as it released a music-based title, Space Channel 5, in 1999. A Sonic Underground game with the same mechanics as Guitar Hero, allowing you to play the songs from the show, would have been amazing, and while we admittedly have many more fantastic Sonic songs now, there was still enough out back then that it would have worked.
Live and Learn is from Sonic Adventure 2, and there isn’t a Sonic fan alive that doesn’t want to jam out to that while singing it at the tops of their lungs; then there’s I Am… All of Me from Shadow the Hedgehog, another banger that would fit in nicely with a Guitar Hero-type game. Endless Possibility and His World are among my favorite tunes from Sonic games, both of which would be great in a rhythm game.
I can see it now. Sonic, Manic, and Sonia are playing their instruments in the background, perhaps with the ability to unlock other characters from across the series, forming your own band. Shadow is totally lead guitarist and singer material, and Amy can look longingly at Sonic from across the stage as he has yet another game in which he can ignore her. Of all the Sonic characters, that poor girl faces the most rejection.
The stage on which they perform can be in different levels across the series. This would work well in theory, given each song is associated with a different area, or, in Shadow’s case, the opening cutscene and final boss.
Looking beyond how Sonic Underground features Sonic in a band and all of Crush 40 songs from the many games, Sonic’s name is quite literally a license to print money. The blue Hedgehog has many fans worldwide, they’re a dedicated group who will buy all of his new games, especially with the ongoing series of live-action movies and TV shows. Speaking of which, a Sonic music game would have great potential for tie-ins; Sega recently released a new polygraphic music video, “We Run,” for Sonic 3, a good example of an additional level that the developer can add to a game.
It’s fair to say that the Guitar Hero phase of videogames is gone, with the last one, Guitar Hero Live, coming out in 2015. However, rhythm games are still as popular as ever, so even if we take away the Sonic Underground and GH approach, there’s still scope for Sonic to sprint into the genre – a rhythmic platformer would be right up his alley, offering a similar experience to something like Hextech Mayhem or Geometry Dash.
A Sonic rhythm game could even incorporate elements from titles such as Sonic Dash and Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memories, stopping it from being another DDR clone. There are numerous possibilities, and while a Sonic-based Guitar Hero probably isn’t going to happen, Sonic Team still has the potential to create something musical for the Blue Blur. Various iconic Crush 40 songs and tracks are useable to reimagine the boss fights in a rhythm game fashion; a good example would be Knight of the Wind with a Sonic and the Black Knight level.
Just think, the only thing even remotely resembling a rhythm game for Sonic is the figure skating from Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympics, and that makes me sad. The Sonic Symphony continues to sell out as it travels the world, showing just how much fans love the music, listening to it as they watch their videogame hero rush through various levels and iconic locations. Make a Sonic rhythm game, Sega. Do it.