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164-801: Sonic Lost World is a 2013 platform game developed by Sonic Team . It is part of the Sonic the Hedgehog series, and was released in October 2013 for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS in PAL regions by Nintendo and by Sega in North America and Japan. A port of the Wii U version for Windows was later released in November 2015. Lost World focuses on the efforts of Sonic the Hedgehog to stop

328-599: A true 3D platformer is a French computer game called Alpha Waves , created by Christophe de Dinechin and published by Infogrames in 1990 for the Atari ST , Amiga , and IBM PC compatibles . Bug! , released in 1995 for the Saturn , has a more conservative approach. It allows players to move in all directions, but it does not allow movement along more than one axis at once; the player can move orthogonally but not diagonally. Its characters were pre-rendered sprites, much like

492-488: A "running/jumping/climbing game" while developing it. Miyamoto commonly used the term "athletic game" to refer to Donkey Kong and later games in the genre, such as Super Mario Bros. (1985). Donkey Kong spawned other games with a mix of running, jumping, and vertical traversal, a novel genre that did not match the style of games that came before it, leaving journalists and writers to offer their own terms. Computer and Video Games magazine, among others, referred to

656-448: A 1980 arcade release by Universal , is sometimes credited as the first platformer. Another precursor to the genre from 1980 was Nichibutsu 's Crazy Climber , in which the player character scales vertically scrolling skyscrapers. The unreleased 1979 Intellivision game Hard Hat has a similar concept. Donkey Kong , an arcade video game created by Nintendo and released in July 1981,

820-401: A 2D plane are called 2.5D , as they are a blend of 2D and 3D. The first platformers to simulate a 3D perspective and moving camera emerged in the early-mid-1980s. An early example of this was Konami 's Antarctic Adventure , where the player controls a penguin in a forward-scrolling third-person perspective while having to jump over pits and obstacles. Originally released in 1983 for

984-463: A 3D Sonic game, Sonic Adventure , for its Dreamcast console. It used a hub structure like Super Mario 64 , but its levels were more linear, fast-paced, and action-oriented. Sonic the Hedgehog (character) Sonic the Hedgehog is a character created by the Japanese game developers Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima . He is the star of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and the mascot of

1148-462: A balance between open-ended and guided exploration. Another platform-adventure released that year, Pony Canyon 's Super Pitfall , was critically panned for its vagueness and weak game design. That same year Jaleco released Esper Boukentai , a sequel to Psychic 5 that scrolled in all directions and allowed the player character to make huge multistory jumps to navigate the vertically oriented levels. Telenet Japan also released its own take on

1312-481: A bouncing car that jumps on various platforms such as buildings, clouds, and hills. Jump Bug offered a glimpse of what was to come, with uneven, suspended platforms, levels that scroll horizontally (and in one section, vertically), and differently themed sections, such as a city, the interior of a large pyramid, and underwater. Irem's 1982 arcade game Moon Patrol combines jumping over obstacles and shooting attackers. A month later, Taito released Jungle King ,

1476-525: A brief burst of episodic platformers where the first was freely distributed and parts 2 and 3 were available for purchase. The abundance of platformers for 16-bit consoles continued late into the generation, with successful games such as Vectorman (1995), Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995), and Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995), but the release of new hardware caused players' attention to move away from 2D genres. The Saturn , PlayStation , and Nintendo 64 nevertheless featured

1640-527: A common term for the genre by 1989, popularized by its usage in the United Kingdom press. Examples include referring to the " Super Mario mould" (such as Kato-chan & Ken-chan ) as platform games, and calling Strider a "platform and ladders" game. The genre originated in the early 1980s. Levels in early platform games were confined to a single screen, viewed in profile, and based on climbing between platforms rather than jumping. Space Panic ,

1804-401: A cool addition were it not for the horrible framerate issues." The Deadly Six were negatively received. Towell found the personalities of the characters to be enjoyable and stereotypical, but was disappointed by the poor quality of their dialogue. Speer called the boss battles "weirdly anticlimactic", and Ingenito stated they were "some of the most boring in the series' history". Turi described

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1968-450: A cross-world and interstellar journey, Sonic X depicted Sonic and his human friend Chris Thorndyke in quests to save the world. Sonic: Night of the Werehog is a short film produced by Sega's VE Animation Studio , released to coincide with the release of Sonic Unleashed . In the film, Sonic and Chip enter a haunted house, and must deal with two ghosts trying to scare them in attempt to win

2132-504: A day earlier than previously announced. A downloadable demo of the game's first stage was made available for both consoles on October 9 in Japan and in mid-November in North America and Europe. To promote the release of Sonic Lost World , Hardlight released an update for Sonic Dash that includes a boss battle against Zazz, one of the Deadly Six. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U also includes

2296-525: A decorative ornament hanging from a rearview mirror. This was followed by an unlicensed appearance in The Adventures of Quik & Silva as a villain. Sonic's first playable appearance was in the platform game Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis , which also introduced his nemesis Dr. Robotnik . His two-tailed fox friend Tails joined him in the game's 1992 sequel, Sonic

2460-447: A dog, a Theodore Roosevelt look-alike in pajamas (who would later be the basis of Doctor Eggman 's design), and a rabbit (who would use its extendable ears to collect objects, an aspect later incorporated in Ristar ). Naoto Ohshima took some of these internal designs with him on a trip to New York City and sought feedback by asking random passersby at Central Park their opinions; of

2624-476: A falling capsule filled with animals, Eggman shoots down Tails' plane. However, they end up discovering a world in the sky known as the Lost Hex, and crash land there. As they explore the world, the duo discover that Eggman has enlisted the aid of a group of the world's indigenous Zeti race, collectively known as the Deadly Six, using a magical conch to keep them under his command. However, when Sonic rushes in and kicks

2788-450: A forward-scrolling effect similar to Sega's 1985 third-person rail shooter Space Harrier . 3-D WorldRunner was an early forward-scrolling pseudo-3D third-person platform-action game where players were free to move in any forward-scrolling direction and could leap over obstacles and chasms. It was notable for being one of the first stereoscopic 3-D games . Square released its sequel, JJ , later that year. The earliest example of

2952-498: A good feel for the rhythm of wall running and jumping, and felt lucky to pass sections where it was forced." Hargreaves, Walton, and Matthew Castle ( Official Nintendo Magazine ) agreed. Ingenito found it problematic that Sonic tends to wall-run on every nearby vertical surface. Schilling singled out the multi-lock homing attack, writing that while it usually worked "perfectly well", it appeared to "inexplicably fail" on occasion. Ingenito, Turi, and Hargreaves agreed. Castle struggled with

3116-441: A good future for the world. Sonic 3 and its direct sequel Sonic & Knuckles , both released in 1994, saw Sonic and Tails battle Robotnik again, with the additional threat of Knuckles , who is tricked by Robotnik into thinking Sonic is a threat. Sonic 4 (2010–2012) continues where the story of Sonic 3 left off, reducing Sonic to the only playable character and releasing in episodic installments. The second episode sees

3280-605: A high quality of animation. The 1988 shareware game The Adventures of Captain Comic was one of the first attempts at a Nintendo-style platformer for IBM PC compatibles . It inspired Commander Keen , released by id Software in 1990, which became the first MS-DOS platformer with smooth scrolling graphics. Keen's success resulted in numerous console-styled platformers for MS-DOS compatible operating systems, including Duke Nukem , Duke Nukem II , Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure , and Dark Ages all by Apogee Software . These fueled

3444-422: A human female as one of the worst parts of it. In 2024, a poll conducted by BAFTA with around 4,000 respondents named Sonic the Hedgehog as the fourth most iconic video-game character of all time, only behind Lara Croft , Mario and Agent 47 . Ken Balough, Sega's former associate brand manager, said that Sonic's appeal endured because the character is "a gaming legend, first and foremost" who originated "from

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3608-590: A mandatory pinball sequence. Walton felt that some of the Wisps were an "amusing aside," but problematic motion controls and short time limits impaired their utility. Justin Speer ( GameTrailers ) stated that the Wisps felt out-of-place in the Wii U version. Totilo preferred how the Wisps were implemented in the 3DS version, but Towell stated that while they were "more integral" to the design, they tended to interrupt "the free-form gameplay" with "clumsy mechanic[s]". Towell described

3772-547: A misunderstanding about hedgehogs not being able to swim. The only exception is that he can swim in the Sonic the Hedgehog Adventure Gamebooks. When the seven Chaos Emeralds are collected and used, Sonic transforms into "Super Sonic" ( スーパーソニック ) , a faster, stronger and invulnerable version of himself that can fly. In Super Sonic form, Sonic's irises turn red and his body becomes golden. As Sega's mascot and one of

3936-532: A more traditional platforming experience. The parkour mechanic was introduced to maintain a more fluid sense of movement, in contrast to previous Sonic games where running into a wall would force the player to a complete stop. Iizuka stated that "This game is like going into the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland , an action game where you can experience many strange and fun experiences." Development ultimately focused on

4100-559: A named character—Mario, which became a mascot of the company. The term platform game gained traction in the late 1980s, as did the alternate form platformer . During their peak of popularity, platformers were estimated to comprise between a quarter and a third of all console games. By 2006, the genre had experienced a decline in sales, representing a 2% market share as compared to 15% in 1998. In spite of this, platformers are still being commercially released every year, including some which have sold millions of copies. A platformer requires

4264-497: A new threat to his own life, Silver the Hedgehog . He is the only playable character in Sonic Unleashed (2008), in which he unwillingly gains a new personality, "Sonic the Werehog", the result of Sonic being fused with Dark Gaia's power. He gains strength and flexibility in exchange for his speed, and new friends including a strange creature named Chip who helps him along the way. In Sonic Colors (2010), Eggman tries to harness

4428-623: A number of successful 2D platformers. The 2D Rayman was a big success on 32-bit consoles. Mega Man 8 and Mega Man X4 helped revitalize interest in Capcom 's Mega Man character . Castlevania: Symphony of the Night revitalized its series and established a new foundation for later Castlevania games. Oddworld and Heart of Darkness kept the subgenre born from Prince of Persia alive. The difficulties of adapting platformer gameplay to three dimensions led some developers to compromise by pairing

4592-544: A positive response by Patrick Lee of The A.V. Club and Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media . Sonic has also been used as a symbol for Sega's various sponsorships. Between 1993 and 1997, Sega sponsored the JEF United Ichihara Chiba football team, during which period Sonic appeared in the team's uniform. During the 1993 Formula One championship , Sega sponsored the Williams Grand Prix team , which won

4756-491: A redesign of him, pushing back the release date to February 14, 2020. The second trailer for the film was released on November 12, 2019, featuring the redesign, which drew in a far more positive response from both fans and critics alike. In the first film, it centers on Sonic, born with supersonic speed powers and abilities, who befriends the sheriff named Tom Wachowski, to stop the villainous Dr. Robotnik who plots to have Sonic's speed powers for world domination. A sequel, Sonic

4920-423: A second installment, " The Legend of Zelda Zone", released on March 27, 2014. A Windows port was released by Sega Europe on November 1, 2015. The DLC stages were later integrated into this version via unofficial mods . Sonic Lost World received "mixed or average" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic . The game's presentation was well received. Chris Plante ( Polygon ) praised

5084-481: A series of games that defined a generation in gaming history, and his iconic personality was the epitome of speed in the early '90s, pushing the limits of what gamers knew and expected from high-speed action and platforming games." A Japanese team developing the Radio & Plasma Wave Investigation (RPWI) instrumentation for the upcoming Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer spacecraft, to be launched by ESA and Airbus in 2022,

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5248-466: A shift in design. Later 3D platformers like Banjo-Kazooie , Spyro the Dragon , and Donkey Kong 64 borrowed its format, and the "collect-a-thon" genre began to form. In order to make this free-roaming model work, developers had to program dynamic, intelligent cameras. A free camera made it harder for players to judge the height and distance of platforms, making jumping puzzles more difficult. Some of

5412-406: A side-scrolling action game some platform elements: jumping between vines, jumping or running beneath bouncing boulders. It was quickly re-released as Jungle Hunt because of similarities to Tarzan . The 1982 Apple II game Track Attack includes a scrolling platform level where the character runs and leaps along the top of a moving train. The character is little more than a stick figure , but

5576-416: A soft spot of dirt he landed on. Upon realizing that half of his mustache is missing, Eggman throws another tantrum, prompting Orbot and Cubot to run away in fear. Development for Sonic Lost World started shortly after Sonic Colors was finished, when a few core members started the experimentation for the former and took place over two-and-a-half years. Sonic Team sought to streamline the controls, increase

5740-435: A sprite to move smoothly on a curve by determining its position with a dot matrix . This concept was subsequently fleshed out by designer Hirokazu Yasuhara . Sonic was created without the ability to swim because of a mistaken assumption by Yuji Naka that all hedgehogs could not do so. A group of fifteen people started working on the first Sonic the Hedgehog game , and renamed themselves Sonic Team . The game's soundtrack

5904-521: A stage based on Windy Hill Zone from the game. The soundtrack was composed and directed by Tomoya Ohtani , with Takahito Eguchi handling the orchestration and cutscene music. Naofumi Hataya also contributed a single piece, the theme for "Desert Ruins Zone - Act 3". A three-disc soundtrack, Sonic Lost World Original Soundtrack Without Boundaries , was released physically in Japan and digitally worldwide via iTunes and Amazon Music on November 27, 2013. A special, limited stock "Deadly Six" edition of

6068-715: A teenager with a rebellious personality to appeal to gamers who saw the previous generation of consoles as being for kids. The character's speed showed off the hardware capabilities of the Genesis, which had a CPU clock speed approximately double that of the Super NES. Sonic 's perceived rebellious attitude became a model for game mascots. Other companies attempted to duplicate Sega's success with their own brightly colored anthropomorphisms with attitude. These often were characterized by impatience, sarcasm, and frequent quips. A second generation of platformers for computers appeared alongside

6232-539: A trash can that reads "No Hopers" on the Cranky's Video Game Heroes screen. Sonic has appeared in several crossover games, including playable appearances in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008), Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U (2014), and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018), Lego Dimensions (2015), and Cookie Run: Kingdom (2021). He appears in the crossover party game series Mario & Sonic at

6396-548: Is his running speed, being known in the game's universe as the world's fastest hedgehog. Many of his abilities are variations on the tendency for hedgehogs to roll into tight balls for protection with the addition of spinning his body. Since his introduction in 1991's Sonic the Hedgehog , Sonic's primary offensive maneuver is the basic "Spin Attack" (or "Sonic Spin Attack"). Later games in the series expanded on this basic attack and two of these enhancements have become mainstays of his:

6560-469: Is in a vector game called Major Havoc , which comprises a number of mini-games, including a simple platformer. One of the first raster -based platformers to scroll fluidly in all directions in this manner is 1985's Legend of Kage . In 1985, Enix released the action-adventure platformer Brain Breaker . The following year saw the release of Nintendo's Metroid , which was critically acclaimed for

6724-489: Is mostly quick-witted and easygoing, he has a short temper and is often impatient with slower things. Sonic is a habitual daredevil hedgehog who is honest, loyal to friends, keeps his promises, and dislikes tears. He took the young Tails under his wing like a little brother, and is uninterested in marital proposals from Amy Rose . In times of crisis, he focuses intensely on the challenge, as if his personality had undergone an astonishing change. Sonic's greatest strength

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6888-407: Is one of the most famous video game characters in history and an established pop culture icon. He is widely considered one of the greatest video game characters and his popularity inspired a wave of imitators. His likeness has been featured in merchandise and Sega sponsorships. The Sonic series is one of the bestselling video game franchises and was one of the key reasons for Sega's success during

7052-497: The OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes episode "Let's Meet Sonic". In February 2021, Sonic Prime was announced by Netflix with a 2022 release window, though the series' development was initially revealed in a deleted tweet in December 2020. The show is primarily for children ages six to eleven, as well as longtime fans of the franchise. In October 2022, Netflix set its release for December. In

7216-474: The 16-bit era in the 1990s. Sonic has been adapted in comics , animations , and films, including a live-action film franchise distributed by Paramount Pictures in which he is voiced by Ben Schwartz . While Sega was seeking a flagship series to compete with Nintendo's Mario series , several character designs were submitted by its research and development department. Many results came forth from their experiments with character design, including an armadillo,

7380-611: The Atari 2600 , with 256 horizontally connected screens, became one of the best-selling games on the system and was a breakthrough for the genre. Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle was released on the ColecoVision that same year, adding uneven terrain and scrolling pans between static screens. Manic Miner (1983) and its sequel Jet Set Willy (1984) continued this style of multi-screen levels on home computers . Wanted: Monty Mole won

7544-675: The MSX computer, it was subsequently ported to various platforms the following year, including an arcade video game version, NES , and ColecoVision . 1986 saw the release of the sequel to forward-scrolling platformer Antarctic Adventure called Penguin Adventure , which was designed by Hideo Kojima . It included more action game elements, a greater variety of levels, RPG elements such as upgrading equipment, and multiple endings . In early 1987, Square released 3-D WorldRunner , designed by Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nasir Gebelli . Using

7708-516: The Master System with Alex Kidd in Miracle World . It has horizontal and vertical scrolling levels, the ability to punch enemies and obstacles, and shops for the player to buy power-ups and vehicles. Another Sega series that began that same year is Wonder Boy . The original Wonder Boy in 1986 was inspired more by Pac-Land than Super Mario Bros. , with skateboarding segments that gave

7872-619: The Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985, became the archetype for the genre. It was bundled with Nintendo systems in North America, Japan, and Europe, and sold over 40 million copies, according to the 1999 Guinness Book of World Records . Its success as a pack-in led many companies to see platformers as vital to their success, and contributed greatly to popularizing the genre during the third and fourth generations of video game consoles. Sega attempted to emulate this success with their Alex Kidd series, which started in 1986 on

8036-450: The Sega arcade game Congo Bongo (1983) adds a third dimension via isometric graphics . Another popular game of that period, Pitfall! (1982), allows moving left and right through series of non-scrolling screens, expanding the play area. Nintendo 's flagship Super Mario Bros. (1985) was a defining game for the nascent genre, with horizontally scrolling levels and the player controlling

8200-614: The Wii U and Nintendo 3DS . Sonic and the Secret Rings (2007) features Sonic in the storybook world of One Thousand and One Nights . A sequel, Sonic and the Black Knight (2009), continued the storybook theme, this time taking place within the realm of the Arthurian legend . Sonic has also been featured in other games of many genres other than 2D and 3D platform games. These include Sonic Spinball , Sonic Labyrinth (1995),

8364-490: The Wisp creatures from Sonic Colors as power-ups. The game began development shortly after the 2010 release of Sonic Colors . It was designed to be streamlined and fluid in movement and design, using tube-like level design and a simple, bright color scheme. The game received mixed reviews upon release; its controls and the Deadly Six were frequently criticized, but its visuals and audio were seen positively. Downloadable content

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8528-561: The fourth entry to the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series, and Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal , a game based on the Sonic Boom animated series. Sega reported that more on the game would be revealed before E3 2013 , and that the game would contain both returning and new original characters, both in enemies and friends of Sonic. The first trailer for the game was released on May 28,

8692-533: The virtual camera , it had to be constrained to stop it from clipping through the environment. In 1994, a small developer called Exact released a game for the X68000 computer called Geograph Seal , which was a 3D first-person shooter game with platforming. Players piloted a frog-like mech that could jump and then double-jump or triple-jump high into the air as the camera panned down to help players line up their landings. In addition to shooting, jumping on enemies

8856-495: The "inoffensive" 2D sections to the "frustrating mishmash of speed and exploration" found in 3D. Plante praised the Wii U version's 3D stages as "wildly creative exercises in platforming experimentation" while decrying its 2D stages as "so clunky and tiresome that it's hard to imagine a time when a side-scrolling Sonic was actually good." Philip Kollar ( Polygon ) was harsher on the 3DS version due to its "confusing and labyrinthine" level design and "awkward puzzles". Ingenito stated that

9020-429: The 2006 game, Sonic was redesigned to make him look adult-like and taller to appeal to the next generation players. This was also done because Sonic would interact with humans more often and his design was supposed to fit. An alternative "Werehog" form was introduced in Sonic Unleashed , placing more emphasis on Sonic's melee skills rather than speed. Although Tetsu Katano acknowledged the large negative fan response to

9184-447: The 3DS version does a better job of teaching the controls, although Turi derided its "constant, lengthy tutorial text". However, Schilling called the homing attack "even more capricious" on 3DS. Reaction to the game's level design was mixed. Turi made note of oddly placed invisible springs in the Wii U version's "confusing" and "aggravating" levels, and expressed frustration with the 3DS version's "head-scratching" puzzles. Walton preferred

9348-435: The 3DS version featured levels well-suited for handheld play. Totilo praised "the intuitive, flowing, player-friendly levels of the 3DS version" but panned "the badly-explained, choppy, punitive levels of the Wii U version". Schilling wrote that "I came perilously close to biting my GamePad at one particularly sharp difficulty spike." Edge noted that "Sonic games, and platformers in general, have always been about memorizing

9512-414: The 3DS version's motion-controlled Special Stages as "borderline unplayable". Totilo and Castle criticized the Wii U version's Jetpack Joyride -style flying levels as "regrettable" and "horribly imprecise". Turi and Totilo criticized the Wii U version's balloon-popping minigame as "mind-numbing" and "awkward". Turi called the Wii U version's co-op mode "useless". Castle wrote that "Two-player races would be

9676-473: The 3DS version, which can then be used in the Wii U version. The game stars Sonic the Hedgehog , who must defeat the main antagonist Doctor Eggman and stop the Deadly Six. Aiding him in his quest is his best friend Tails , a fox who has the ability to fly. Knuckles the Echidna , Sonic's strong friend, and Amy Rose , his self-proclaimed girlfriend, also make relatively minor appearances. The main antagonist of

9840-570: The Constructors' Championship that year, as well as the team's lead driver, Alain Prost , winning the Drivers' Championship. Sonic was featured in the cars, helmets, and their rivals McLaren used to paint a squashed hedgehog after winning races over Williams. The 1993 European Grand Prix featured a Sonic balloon and Sonic billboards. In 1992, according to Sega of America marketing director Al Nilsen, Sonic

10004-576: The Deadly Six as generic, forgettable, and "some of the most aggressively annoying villains ever." EGM Now observed that the inclusion of the Deadly Six subverted the familiar Sonic-versus-Dr. Eggman concept, but questioned whether the plot was a clever self-parody or had been “scrawled together by a couple of grade-schoolers”. Critics disagreed over what to make of the game as a whole. In 2015, USgamer referred to Lost World as "perhaps Sonic's best outing in years." Jim Sterling ( Destructoid ) said it "can wildly swing from brilliant to horrific at

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10168-573: The Deadly Six, an alien tribe that serves as the game's main antagonists, as they seek to siphon the world's energy from the Lost Hex, the game's setting. Sonic and his long-time sidekick Tails must team up with Doctor Eggman , normally their enemy, to stop the Deadly Six, leading to conflicts among the three parties. While the gameplay is typical of the Sonic series in some ways, it adds parkour mechanics and features largely cylindrical level design with an emphasis on alternate pathways. The game also features

10332-562: The Echidna . Sonic made a cameo appearance in the arcade game Rad Mobile (1990) before starring in Sonic the Hedgehog , a platform game for the Sega Genesis , in 1991. Sega sought a mascot to compete with Nintendo 's Mario , and Ohshima designed Sonic based on a prototype programmed by Naka. Sonic's design was influenced by a variety of sources, including Felix the Cat , Mickey Mouse , Michael Jackson , and Santa Claus ; his pigmentation

10496-460: The Enchanted Castle , which was only modestly successful. That same year, Capcom released Strider in arcades, which scrolled in multiple directions and allowed the player to summon artificial intelligence partners, such as a droid, tiger, and hawk, to help fight enemies. Another Sega release in 1989 was Shadow Dancer , which is a game that also included an AI partner: a dog who followed

10660-756: The Hedgehog (2005) starred supporting characters of the Sonic series, although Sonic himself cameos in most of them. Sonic makes cameos in various other games, such as Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg as a power-up, in the main hallway in Phantasy Star Universe , and in the 2008 remake of Samba de Amigo . He is also a playable character in Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams . Nintendo, Sega's former rival, references Sonic in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest , by showing Sonic's shoes next to

10824-662: The Hedgehog , Sonic SatAM , and Sonic Underground . Sam Vincent provided his singing voice in the latter DiC cartoon. Starting with Sonic Adventure , Sonic was voiced in English by Ryan Drummond . Drummond was replaced by Jason Griffith starting from Sonic X , with Griffith voicing Sonic within the games starting with Shadow The Hedgehog in 2005. Griffith was replaced by Roger Craig Smith , starting with Sonic Free Riders and Sonic Colors . Smith announced on his Twitter account on January 29, 2021, that he would no longer voice Sonic, with his departure confirmed by Sega

10988-502: The Hedgehog , with Junichi Kanemaru continually voicing the role beginning with the release of Sonic Adventure . Kanemaru also voices Sonic in Sonic X , Sonic Boom , and the Japanese dub of the Wreck-It Ralph films. In Sonic Unleashed , Sonic was voiced by Tomokazu Seki while in Werehog form. Jaleel White voiced the character in the DiC animated series Adventures of Sonic

11152-409: The Hedgehog . Sonic Heroes (2003) featured Sonic teaming up with Tails and Knuckles, along with other character teams like Team Rose and Chaotix , against the newly rebuilt Metal Sonic, who had betrayed his master with intentions of world domination. Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) features Sonic in the city of water, "Soleanna", where he must rescue Princess Elise from Dr. Eggman while trying to avoid

11316-508: The Hedgehog 2 , was released on April 8, 2022, and it centers on Sonic and Tails on a race to prevent Robotnik and Knuckles from getting the hands on the Master Emerald. The original design of Sonic from the first movie's initial trailer appears in Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers , voiced by Tim Robinson . Named "Ugly Sonic", he is portrayed as a washed up actor looking to make a comeback after he

11480-514: The Hedgehog 2 . When all the Chaos Emeralds have been collected, Sonic can transform into Super Sonic by collecting 50 rings. Super Sonic is nearly invincible, runs faster, and jumps farther, but loses one ring per second and reverts to normal when his rings are depleted. Sonic CD , released in 1993, introduced Sonic's self-appointed girlfriend Amy Rose and recurring robotic doppelgänger Metal Sonic as Sonic traveled through time to ensure

11644-424: The Hedgehog into 3D. Their project, titled Sonic Xtreme , was to have featured a radically different approach for the series, with an exaggerated fisheye camera and multidirectional gameplay reminiscent of Bug! . Due in part to conflicts with Sega Enterprises in Japan and a rushed schedule, the game never made it to market. In the 1990s, platforming games started to shift from pseudo-3D to "true 3D," which gave

11808-421: The Japanese video game company Sega . Sonic is an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speed . He races through levels , collecting rings and avoiding obstacles, as he seeks to defeat his archenemy, Doctor Eggman . He is accompanied by supporting characters , such as his best friend and sidekick Miles "Tails" Prower , self-proclaimed girlfriend Amy Rose , and friendly rival Knuckles

11972-456: The Lost Hex, the Deadly Six concoct a plan to capture Sonic and turn him into a robot under their control, but they end up accidentally capturing Tails instead. After Eggman is seemingly killed falling into lava, Sonic comes across the Deadly Six as they prepare to use the roboticized Tails against him. However, prior to the conversion, Tails managed to reprogram the process to retain his free will and instead helps Sonic to defeat them. Upon reaching

12136-755: The Olympic Games and is also a playable character in all three Sega Superstars games. An official Sonic the Hedgehog skin is available in the platformer battle royale game Fall Guys . Sonic appears as a playable character in Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 via free update. An official Sonic the Hedgehog world with skins are available with DLC in Minecraft . He is also appears as an unlockable playable character in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD and Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania . The first three animated series featuring Sonic were created by

12300-741: The Red Star Rings in the game unlocks the ability to transform into Super Sonic. The Wii U version supports both co-operative multiplayer, in which a second player can control a remote controlled vehicle to assist Sonic, and competitive multiplayer, in which a second player can use the Wii U Gamepad screen to race against the other player. The game also supports Off-TV Play functionality and formerly Miiverse . Using Miiverse, players could exchange items such as Wisps or shields, which would grow more effective if they were used by other players. The 3DS version supports both local and online multiplayer for up to four players. Players may also customise RC vehicles in

12464-435: The Sonic character, the first which became the plot for the first Sonic game; Ohshima stated that this influence can be seen in the logo of the game, which features Sonic in a pilot's wing emblem. The origins of Sonic can be traced farther back to a draft created by Naoto Ōshima in 1989, which years later turned into Sonic. Yuji Naka implemented the idea of a character running inside loops with an algorithm that allowed

12628-569: The Spin Dash which was introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and involves Sonic spinning on the spot before blasting off at full speed, and the Homing Attack, officially introduced in Sonic Adventure , in which Sonic dashes toward a target in midair. Sonic's only weakness is that he cannot swim, sinking like a rock if plunged to a deep body of water. The reason for this is because Yuji Naka had

12792-458: The Werehog, he believes it could return in a future game. Bob Raffei, CEO of Sonic Boom developer Big Red Button, stated that Sonic Boom 's Sonic is "very different... both in tone and art direction." Sonic originally had a few voice samples in Sonic CD , with designer Masato Nishimura providing the voice. Sonic's first true voice actor was Takeshi Kusao for the arcade game SegaSonic

12956-456: The Wii U and 3DS because of the success of previous Sonic games on Nintendo platforms. Because Wii U "has two monitors to use", Sonic Team decided to include both cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes. The Wii U GamePad's touch screen and gyroscope were employed to activate the returning Color Powers. The 3DS version, co-developed with Dimps , was designed to "fully utilize" the 3DS hardware with 3D gameplay and motion controls. Development

13120-549: The Wii U version of the game was available for pre-order, which included special "Nightmare" downloadable content (DLC), featuring a new stage and boss battles based on one of Sonic Team's previous games, Nights into Dreams . Clearing the DLC unlocks a special Color Power, the Black Bomb, normally only obtainable via Miiverse. Pre-ordering the game from Amazon.com allowed the player to start off with twenty-five extra lives. A patch for

13284-409: The Wii U version was released on December 10, 2013, adding additional features such as button controls for some Wisps and the traditional extra life reward for collecting 100 rings. On December 18, 2013, Nintendo announced two exclusive pieces of free DLC for the Wii U version based on other Nintendo games. The first DLC stage, " Yoshi's Island Zone", was released on the day of the announcement, with

13448-433: The Wii U version's levels were stuck in "design gridlock" and "lack[ed] rhythm and cohesion". Otero praised the 3DS version's "better levels" as "competently made race tracks full of alternate pathways", but called the "trial and error" required to complete the "slower-paced 3D stages" "incredibly frustrating". Castle stated that the Wii U version's "best stages play to the strengths of Sonic's tiered speed", while Skrebels felt

13612-432: The Wii U version's visuals and music as "arguably the best" in the series. Tim Turi ( Game Informer ) wrote that "The orchestrated tracks evoke Mario Galaxy in the best ways." Mark Walton ( GameSpot ) and Chris Scullion ( Computer and Video Games ) singled out the candy-themed "Dessert Ruins" level as a visual highlight. However, Turi made note of "ultra-compressed" cutscenes in the 3DS version. Vince Ingenito ( IGN )

13776-406: The ability to slow down made the game easier to play for beginners. However, Turi criticized Sonic's "odd sense of momentum" and imprecise jumps, stating that switching between two speeds is "jarring" and produces "touchy platforming". Schilling excoriated the "profoundly frustrating" controls as the worst in the series, explaining that "Sonic's too sluggish while walking, and too skittish to cope with

13940-519: The acrobatics evoke the movement that games such as Prince of Persia would feature. B.C.'s Quest For Tires (1983) put a recognizable character from American comic strips into side-scrolling, jumping gameplay similar to Moon Patrol . The same year, Snokie for the Commodore 64 and Atari 8-bit computers added uneven terrain to a scrolling platformer. Based on the Saturday morning cartoon rather than

14104-410: The air, Asteroid, which atomizes objects in his path, and Rhythm, which lets him bounce along a path of notes. There are also some Wisps exclusive to each version of the game. During the game, players can rescue animals by destroying enemies or opening containers, allowing players to progress, or find Red Star Rings that open up circus-themed bonus stages where players can earn more animals. Collecting all

14268-570: The air, Sonic can perform a double jump, which returns from Sonic Colors , a homing attack, which can now target multiple enemies in quick succession, and a new kick attack, which can be used to defeat stronger enemies, or knock them into others. Also returning from Colors are the Wisp creatures, which provide short-lived power-ups to Sonic. The Wisps' powers are now controlled using the Wii U GamePad 's touchscreen and gyroscopic features. Alongside returning powers such as Drill, Laser and Rocket, new powers include Eagle, which lets Sonic fly through

14432-415: The basis for the non-linear mission structure found in most open-world, multi-mission, sidequest -heavy games. Another Capcom platformer that year was Bionic Commando , which popularized a grappling hook mechanic that has since appeared in dozens of games, including Earthworm Jim and Tomb Raider . Scrolling platformers went portable in the late 1980s with games such as Super Mario Land , and

14596-619: The canceled Sonic X-treme and the Super Mario Galaxy series. This also translates to the 3DS version, as it was the first handheld game in the series presented entirely in 3D. The game uses a new control system which allows players to control Sonic's speed. Simply moving the directional controls will move Sonic at a moderate pace, allowing for more precision. Holding down a trigger button will cause Sonic to sprint, allowing him to move faster and perform new parkour moves, such as running up and along walls and hopping over small ledges. In

14760-458: The character up for an American audience by removing those elements. This sparked a heated issue with Sonic Team. Naka later admitted that it was probably for the best. Sonic's appearance varies greatly depending on the medium and the style in which he is drawn. In the video games, Sonic's original design by Ohshima was short and round, with short quills, a round body, and no visible irises. Artwork featuring this design and drawn by Akira Watanabe

14924-470: The character won a Golden Joystick Award for "The Sun Ultimate Gaming Hero". The character's popularity declined in the mid-1990s, and Sonic failed to place in Electronic Gaming Monthly ' s Coolest Mascot of 1996 in either the editors' or readers' picks, being beaten out by not only competitors Mario and Crash Bandicoot , but Sega's own Nights ; however, in a 2008 poll of 500 people, Sonic

15088-478: The conch away, the Deadly Six betray Eggman and take control of his Badnik army. They then start to use one of Eggman's machines to siphon energy from Sonic's world below, planning to drain all of its life force until there is nothing left and use it to power themselves up. Reluctantly, Sonic agrees to work with Eggman, believing that he needs his help to stop the machine, though this seems to cause some distrust between him and Tails. As Sonic battles his way throughout

15252-535: The console as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in North America, along with Super Mario World , while Sega released Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis . Sonic showcased a new style of design made possible by a new generation of hardware: large stages that scrolled in all directions, curved hills, loops, and a physics system allowing players to rush through its levels with well-placed jumps and rolls. Sega characterized Sonic as

15416-421: The criteria of a platformer, and was billed as an action adventure . It used true 3D characters and set pieces, but its environments were rendered using a rigid engine similar to the one used by Wolfenstein 3D , in that it could only render square, flat corridors, rather than suspended platforms that could be jumped between. Sega had tasked their American studio, Sega Technical Institute , with bringing Sonic

15580-432: The designs, the spiky teal hedgehog, initially codenamed "Mr. Hedgehog" ( Mr.ハリネズミ , Mr. Harinezumi ) , led this informal poll, followed by Eggman and the dog character. Ohshima felt that people selected it because it "transcends race and gender and things like that". On return to Japan, Ohshima pitched this to the department, and the hedgehog was ultimately selected as the new mascot . The detailed design of Sonic

15744-450: The director of Sonic Colors DS, and previously lead designer of Sonic Unleashed PS2/Wii. Sega trademarked the title Sonic Lost World in May 2013. The game was revealed on May 17, 2013, in a Nintendo Direct announcement, as part of an exclusive partnership between Sega and Nintendo for the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is one of three games in this partnership, the other ones being

15908-403: The drop of a hat, but when one steps back and takes a look at the whole production, one sees far more to love than hate." Plante noted that "the early stages display a degree of design ingenuity and polish which gradually degrades". David McComb ( Empire ) called it "A cheap, cruel, crushing disappointment in the wake of Sonic Colors and Generations ." Walton concluded that "in overtly coveting

16072-419: The earlier Clockwork Knight . The game plays very similarly to 2D platformers, but lets players walk up walls and on ceilings. In 1995, Delphine Software released a 3D sequel to their 2D platformer Flashback . Entitled Fade to Black , it was the first attempt to bring a popular 2D platformer series into 3D. While it retained the puzzle-oriented level design style and step-based control, it did not meet

16236-773: The energy of alien beings known as "Wisps" for a mind-control beam. Sonic Generations (2011) features two playable incarnations of Sonic: the younger "classic" Sonic, whose gameplay is presented in a style reminiscent of the Mega Drive/Genesis games, and present-day "modern" Sonic, who uses the gameplay style present in Unleashed and Colors , going through stages from past games to save their friends. Sonic Generations features various theme songs including modern and retro versions that are able to be selected from throughout Sonic's twenty-year history. In April 2013, Sega announced that Sonic Lost World would launch in October 2013 for

16400-510: The evil Dr. Ivo Robotnik. Numerous British publications, including "Sega handbook" Stay Sonic (1993), four novels published by Virgin Books (1993–1994) and the comic book Sonic the Comic (1993–2001), published by Fleetway Publications / Egmont Publishing , used this premise as their basis. The American comics published by Archie Comics , Sonic the Hedgehog (1993–2017), Sonic X (2005–2008), and Sonic Universe (2009–2017) are based on

16564-521: The first award for Best Platform game in 1984 from Crash magazine. Later that same year, Epyx released Impossible Mission , and Parker Brothers released Montezuma's Revenge , which further expanded on the exploration aspect. The first platformer to use scrolling graphics came years before the genre became popular. Jump Bug is a platform-shooter developed by Alpha Denshi under contract for Hoei/Coreland and released to arcades in 1981, only five months after Donkey Kong . Players control

16728-530: The foreground and background, and the camera panning and curving around corners. Meanwhile, Pandemonium and Klonoa brought the 2.5D style to the PlayStation . In a break from the past, the Nintendo 64 had the fewest side scrolling platformers with only four; Yoshi's Story , Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards , Goemon's Great Adventure , and Mischief Makers —and most met with a tepid response from critics at

16892-464: The game a greater sense of speed than other platformers at the time, while its sequel, Wonder Boy in Monster Land added action-adventure and role-playing elements. Wonder Boy in turn inspired games such as Adventure Island , Dynastic Hero , Popful Mail , and Shantae . One of the first platformers to scroll in all four directions freely and follow the on-screen character's movement

17056-498: The gameplay from its precursor but traded the frog-like mech for a cartoony rabbit mech called Robbit. The title was successful enough to get two sequels and is remembered for being the first 3D platformer on a console. Rob Fahey of Eurogamer said Jumping Flash was perhaps "one of the most important ancestors of every 3D platformer in the following decade." It holds the record of "First platform videogame in true 3D" according to Guinness World Records . Another early 3D platformer

17220-419: The genre are walking, running, jumping, attacking, and climbing. Jumping is central to the genre, though there are exceptions such as Nintendo 's Popeye and Data East 's BurgerTime , both from 1982. In some games, such as Donkey Kong , the trajectory of a jump is fixed, while in others it can be altered mid-air. Falling may cause damage or death. Many platformers contain environmental obstacles which kill

17384-465: The genre as "Donkey Kong-type" or "Kong-style" games. "Climbing games" was used in Steve Bloom's 1982 book Video Invaders and 1983 magazines Electronic Games (US)—which ran a cover feature called "The Player's Guide to Climbing Games"—and TV Gamer (UK). Bloom defined "climbing games" as titles where the player "must climb from the bottom of the screen to the top while avoiding and/or destroying

17548-452: The genre continued to maintain its popularity, with many games released for the handheld Game Boy and Game Gear systems. By the time the Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 launched, platformers were the most popular genre in console gaming. There was a particular emphasis on having a flagship platform title exclusive to a system, featuring a mascot character. In 1989, Sega released Alex Kidd in

17712-412: The genre. A modern variant of the platform game, especially significant on mobile platforms, is the endless runner , where the main character is always moving forward and the player must dodge or jump to avoid falling or hitting obstacles. Various names were used in the years following the release of the first established game in the genre, Donkey Kong (1981). Shigeru Miyamoto originally called it

17876-503: The great Italian plumber, it smothers the talents of its blazing blue hedgehog." During its opening week in the UK, Sonic Lost World charted at #11 on the All-formats chart for sales, but achieved the top spot on the Wii U chart and #4 on the Nintendo 3DS chart. As of the end of 2013, Sega had shipped 640,000 copies of the game. As of March 31, 2014, the game had sold 710,000 copies, being one of

18040-635: The heart of the girl ghost. Sonic also makes multiple cameo appearances in the Disney films, Wreck-It Ralph (2012) and its sequel Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018). In October 2013, Sega announced a CGI animated series, Sonic Boom . The show ran for 104 11-minute episodes between 2014 and 2017 on Cartoon Network in the U.S. and the UK, and Canal J and Gulli in France. Sonic makes several appearances in 2014 anime Hi-sCoool! SeHa Girls and guest-stars in

18204-518: The homing attack "locking on too late or attacking enemies in awkward sequence." However Justin Towell ( GamesRadar ) defended the control scheme, explaining that while it had a learning curve, it also "modernize[s] environmental traversal" and "provide[s] a distinct safety net". Towell argued that Sonic was mainly hard to control in 2D because there are "so many rules for how Sonic reacts contextually to his environment". Reona Ebihara ( Famitsu ) stated that

18368-519: The inaugural Walk of Game class in 2005, along with former rivals Mario and Link (both from Nintendo ). One of a class of genes involved in fruit fly embryonic development, called hedgehog genes, has been named " sonic hedgehog " after him. On the other hand, Sonic's apparent romantic relationship with Princess Elise in the 2006 video game resulted in major criticism. Sonic's characterization and relationship with Eggman in Sonic Boom earned

18532-497: The international company DiC . The first of these series, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog , premiered in 1993, and depicts Sonic and his friend Tails opposing Doctor Ivo Robotnik and his robots on the planet Mobius. Another animated series premiering the same year, simply titled Sonic the Hedgehog , depicts Sonic and a group of rebels aiming to defeat Robotnik in a futuristic version of Mobius. The third animated series, Sonic Underground , premiered in 1999, and features Sonic as

18696-454: The key reasons for the company's success during the 16-bit era of video game consoles, Sonic is one of the most famous video game characters in the world. In 1993, Sonic became the first video game character to have a balloon in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade . In 1996, Sonic was also the first video game character to be seen in a Rose Parade . Sonic was one of the three game characters inducted on

18860-463: The lay of the land, but rarely have mistakes been so costly or heavily punished." The alternate gameplay styles polarized many critics. Daniel Cairns ( VideoGamer.com ) and Castle highlighted the level where Sonic becomes a giant snowball as "genuinely excellent" and "a cool riff on Monkey Ball ", whereas Turi and Ingenito described it as "atrocious", "uncontrollabl[e]" and "the exact opposite of fun". Turi encountered multiple game overs while playing

19024-593: The length, and add more diverse levels compared to previous entries in the series. After reviewing the history of the franchise with Sonic Generations , game producer Takashi Iizuka hoped to "deliver a new experience" with Sonic Lost World . Development started on PC, with early experiments involving "twisted tube-type level[s]" inspired by Jack and the Beanstalk . As the concept "was totally new", early levels had to be remade "over and over." Players were given greater ability to control Sonic's speed in an effort to create

19188-454: The levels were open and had objectives. Completing objectives earned the player stars, and stars were used to unlock more levels. This approach allowed for more efficient use of large 3D areas and rewarded the player for exploration, but it meant less jumping and more action-adventure . Even so, a handful of boss levels offered more traditional platforming. Until then there was no settled way to make 3D platformers, but Super Mario 64 inspired

19352-465: The longest-running comic based on a game. Archie Comics also released a twelve part crossover with Mega Man beginning in 2013. The Archie comics were later succeeded by a new comic series by IDW Publishing in 2018, which is currently ongoing. Sonic has also been featured in two different manga . One series was simply called Sonic the Hedgehog , and featured a story about a normal hedgehog boy named Nicky who can change into Sonic. The other series

19516-475: The lowest selling in the franchise, alongside the first two Sonic Boom games, released a year after. Platformer The genre started with the 1980 arcade video game Space Panic , which has ladders but not jumping. Donkey Kong , released in 1981, established a template for what were initially called "climbing games". Donkey Kong inspired many clones and games with similar elements, such as Miner 2049er (1982) and Kangaroo (1982), while

19680-412: The machine and finding it already switched off, Eggman reappears, having faked his death and used the energy harvested to power his latest giant mech. Sonic defeats Eggman, sending him falling to the planet's surface, and he and Tails restore the stolen energy to the world below before returning home. In a post-credits scene, Orbot and Cubot find Eggman, who has survived his fall, and they dig him out of

19844-489: The maze game, Namco's 1984 Pac-Land is a bidirectional, horizontally-scrolling, arcade video game with walking, running, jumping, springboards, power-ups , and a series of unique levels. Pac-Man creator Toru Iwatani described the game as "the pioneer of action games with horizontally running background." According to Iwatani, Shigeru Miyamoto described Pac-Land as an influence on the development of Super Mario Bros. . Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. , released for

20008-405: The more linear 3D platformers like Tork: Prehistoric Punk and Wario World used scripted cameras that limited player control. Games with more open environments like Super Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie used intelligent cameras that followed the player's movements. Still, when the view was obstructed or not facing what the player needed to see, these intelligent cameras needed to be adjusted by

20172-526: The new wave of consoles. In the latter half of the 1980s and early 1990s, the Amiga was a strong gaming platform with its custom video hardware and sound hardware . The Atari ST was solidly supported as well. Games like Shadow of the Beast and Turrican showed that computer platformers could rival their console contemporaries. Prince of Persia , originally a late release for the 8-bit Apple II in 1989, featured

20336-506: The obstacles and foes you invariably meet along the way." Under this definition, he listed Space Panic (1980), Donkey Kong , and despite the top down perspective, Frogger (1981) as climbing games. In a December 1982 Creative Computing review of the Apple II game Beer Run , the reviewer used a different term: "I'm going to call this a ladder game, as in the 'ladder genre,' which includes Apple Panic and Donkey Kong ." That label

20500-408: The platform-action game, Valis , which contained anime -style cut scenes . In 1987, Capcom 's Mega Man introduced non-linear level progression where the player is able to choose the order in which they complete levels. This was a stark contrast to both linear games like Super Mario Bros. and open-world games like Metroid . GamesRadar credits the "level select" feature of Mega Man as

20664-549: The player around and aid in battle. In 1990, Hudson Soft released Bonk's Adventure , with a protagonist positioned as NEC 's mascot. The following year, Takeru's Cocoron , a late platformer for the Famicom allowed players to build a character from a toy box filled with spare parts. In 1990, the Super Famicom was released in Japan, along with the eagerly anticipated Super Mario World . The following year, Nintendo released

20828-405: The player more control over the character and the camera. To render a 3D environment from any angle the user chose, the graphics hardware had to be sufficiently powerful, and the art and rendering model of the game had to be viewable from every angle. The improvement in graphics technology allowed publishers to make such games but introduced several new issues. For example, if the player could control

20992-481: The player to maneuver their character across platforms to reach a goal while confronting enemies and avoiding obstacles along the way. These games are either presented from the side view, using two-dimensional movement, or in 3D with the camera placed either behind the main character or in isometric perspective . Typical platforming gameplay tends to be very dynamic and challenges a player's reflexes, timing, and dexterity with controls. The most common movement options in

21156-498: The player's character upon contact, such as lava pits or bottomless chasms. The player may be able to collect items and power-ups and give the main character new abilities for overcoming adversities. Most games of this genre consist of multiple levels of increasing difficulty that may be interleaved by boss encounters, where the character has to defeat a particularly dangerous enemy to progress. Simple logical puzzles to resolve and skill trials to overcome are other common elements in

21320-1043: The player. In the 1990s, RPGs , first-person shooters , and more complex action-adventure games captured significant market share. Even so, the platformer thrived. Tomb Raider became one of the bestselling series on the PlayStation , along with Insomniac Games ' Spyro and Naughty Dog 's Crash Bandicoot , one of the few 3D games to stick with linear levels. Moreover, many of the Nintendo 64 's bestsellers were first- and second-party platformers like Super Mario 64 , Banjo-Kazooie , and Donkey Kong 64 . On Windows and Mac , Pangea Software 's Bugdom series and BioWare 's MDK2 proved successful. Several developers who found success with 3D platformers began experimenting with titles that, despite their cartoon art style, were aimed at adults. Examples include Rare 's Conker's Bad Fur Day , Crystal Dynamics 's Gex: Deep Cover Gecko and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver , and Shiny Entertainment 's Messiah . In 1998, Sega produced

21484-536: The protagonist alongside his siblings Sonia and Manic. In 1996, a two-part OVA , Sonic the Hedgehog , was released in Japan. For the American release, the two episodes combined and released as Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie by ADV Films . A new series, Sonic X , began airing in 2003. The 78-episode anime series detailed Sonic's struggle to protect the Chaos Emeralds from Eggman and new villains. Featuring

21648-656: The racing games Sonic Drift (1994), Sonic Drift 2 (1995), Sonic R (1996), Sonic Riders (2006), Sonic Rivals (2006), Sonic Rivals 2 (2007), Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (2008), and Sonic Free Riders (2010), the fighting games Sonic the Fighters (1996) and Sonic Battle (2003), the mobile game Sonic Jump (2005), and the role-playing video game Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (2008). Video games such as Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (1993), Knuckles' Chaotix (1995), Tails' Skypatrol (1995), Tails Adventure (1995), and Shadow

21812-614: The return of both Tails as Sonic's sidekick and Metal Sonic as a recurring enemy. Other two-dimensional platformers starring Sonic include Sonic Chaos (1993), Sonic Triple Trouble (1994), Sonic Blast (1996), Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure (1999), Sonic Advance (2001), Sonic Advance 2 (2002), Sonic Advance 3 (2004), Sonic Rush (2005), Sonic Rush Adventure (2007), Sonic Colors (2010), and Sonic Generations (2011), all in which were released for handheld consoles. Sonic Adventure (1998)

21976-470: The same day. On May 26, 2021, Smith and Sega confirmed that he was voicing Sonic once again. Ben Schwartz voiced Sonic in the 2020 feature film , its 2022 sequel , and will reprise his role in the upcoming 2024 sequel . Canadian actor Deven Mack voices Sonic in the Sonic Prime animated series. Sonic's first shown appearance in a video game was in the 1990 arcade racing game Rad Mobile , as

22140-402: The series, Doctor Eggman , is a mad scientist who seemingly turns over a new leaf to help Sonic stop the Deadly Six. Eggman's henchmen Orbot and Cubot make a return appearance. Also serving as the main antagonists and boss characters are the Deadly Six, a group of the world's indigenous Zeti race consisting of the hyperactive Zazz; the obese and dim-witted Zomom; Master Zik, the elderly founder of

22304-632: The series, after recklessly breaking the Paradox Prism which breaks the entire universe and creates several alterative dimensions and versions of his friends, Sonic desperately seeks to restore them and embarks on a mission to find the shards of the Prism and fix it. On June 10, 2014, a film based on the Sonic series was announced. Simply known as Sonic the Hedgehog , it was produced by Neal Moritz on his Original Film banner alongside Takeshi Ito and Mie Onishi, with Toby Ascher as executive producer. The film

22468-532: The settings established by earlier animated TV series, the ABC " SatAM " cartoon, the Sonic X anime , and an expansion to the series, respectively. The former series is currently the second longest-running licensed comic series in the history of American comic books, second only to Marvel 's Conan series (first issue released in 1970). In France two comic books named "Sonic Adventures" were published by Sirène in 1994. Guinness World Records recognized Sonic comic as

22632-486: The time. Despite this, Yoshi's Story sold over a million copies in the US, and Mischief Makers rode high on the charts in the months following its release. The term 3D platformer usually refers to games with gameplay in three dimensions and polygonal 3D graphics. Games that have 3D gameplay but 2D graphics are usually included under the umbrella of isometric platformers , while those that have 3D graphics but gameplay on

22796-408: The tribe and Zavok's teacher; the flirtatious and self-absorbed Zeena; the diminutive and pessimistic Zor; and Zavok, the tribe's leader. The tribe plans to steal the life energy from Sonic's world to increase their own power. Sonic and Tails pursue Doctor Eggman, who has captured several of their animal friends with the intention of using them to power his robot army. While the two attempt to retrieve

22960-505: The trickier platforming bits when running". Ingenito agreed: "I've played a lot of Sonic over the years, and the controls have never felt as alien and inconsistent as they do here." Several critics felt that Sonic controlled better on the 3DS. Jose Otero ( IGN ) said the parkour "felt great" and "turned most obstructions into minor hurdles" in this version. Joe Skrebels ( Official Nintendo Magazine ) felt that Sonic "controls far better at top speed on 3DS". Stephen Totilo ( Kotaku ) stated that

23124-437: The video game industry internationally. The following year, Donkey Kong received a sequel, Donkey Kong Jr. and later Mario Bros. , a platformer with two-player cooperative play . It laid the groundwork for other two-player cooperative games such as Fairyland Story and Bubble Bobble . Beginning in 1982, transitional games emerged with non-scrolling levels spanning multiple screens. David Crane's Pitfall! for

23288-455: The visual flash of 3D with traditional 2D side scrolling gameplay. These games are often referred to as 2.5D. The first such game was Saturn launch title , Clockwork Knight (1994). The game featured levels and boss characters rendered in 3D, but retained 2D gameplay and used pre-rendered 2D sprites for regular characters, similar to Donkey Kong Country . Its sequel improved upon its design, featuring some 3D effects such as hopping between

23452-440: The world. Sonic can curl into a ball to attack enemies and use the Chaos Emeralds to become invulnerable . He has appeared in over 100 video games , in addition to guest appearances in other Sega franchises and in crossover games such as Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. series. Jun'ichi Kanemaru voices Sonic in Japan, while his English voice has been provided by Ryan Drummond , Jason Griffith , and Roger Craig Smith . Sonic

23616-413: Was Floating Runner , developed by a Japanese company called Xing and released for PlayStation in early 1996, before the release of Super Mario 64 . Floating Runner uses D-pad controls and a behind-the-character camera perspective. In 1996, Nintendo released Super Mario 64 , which is a game that set the standard for 3D platformers. It let the player explore 3D environments with greater freedom than

23780-421: Was Sonic Team's return to the character for a major game. It featured Sonic returning from vacation to find the city of Station Square under attack by a new foe named Chaos , under the control of Dr. Robotnik (now known as Dr. Eggman ). It was also the first Sonic game to feature a complete voice-over . Sonic Adventure 2 (2001) placed Sonic on-the-run from the military (G.U.N.) after being mistaken for Shadow

23944-417: Was a compilation of short stories and was separated into two volumes, the first being called Dash and Spin , and the other called Super Fast Sonic!! . According to various official materials from Sega, Sonic is described as a character who is "like the wind": a drifter who lives as he wants, and makes life a series of events and adventures. Sonic hates oppression and staunchly defends freedom. Although he

24108-497: Was a primary way to attack. This was the first true 3D platform-action game with free-roaming environments, but it was never ported to another platform or released outside Japan, so it remains relatively unknown in the West. The following year, Exact released their follow-up to Geograph Seal . An early title for Sony's new PlayStation console, Jumping Flash! , released in April 1995, kept

24272-475: Was able to gain Sega's approval to use Sonic as the mascot for the device. An Internet meme called "Sanic" has been used based on a poorly drawn Sonic; typically, the meme uses one of Sonic's catchphrases but with poor grammar. Sega's official Sonic Twitter account has made numerous references to it, and it appeared in official downloadable content for Sonic Forces on in-game shirts. The meme also appears as

24436-530: Was aimed to be something that could be easily drawn by children and be familiar, as well as exhibit a "cool" attitude, representative of the United States at the time. Sonic's blue pigmentation was chosen to match Sega's cobalt blue logo, and his shoes evolved from a design inspired by both Santa Claus and Michael Jackson 's boots with the addition of the color red, which was inspired by the contrast of those colors on Jackson's 1987 album Bad ; his personality

24600-554: Was also used by Video Games Player magazine in 1983 when it named the Coleco port of Donkey Kong "Ladder Game of the Year". Another term used in the late 1980s to 1990s was "character action games", in reference to games such as Super Mario Bros. , Sonic the Hedgehog , and Bubsy . It was also applied more generally to side-scrolling video games , including run and gun video games such as Gunstar Heroes . Platform game became

24764-412: Was based on that of an ogre , and each one's appearance was intended to reflect a certain key characteristic of their personality, which the developers hoped players could see "just by looking at them." The Wii U version of the game was directed by Morio Kishimoto, the director of Sonic Colors and the lead designer of Sonic and the Black Knight , while the 3DS version was directed by Takao Hirabayashi,

24928-501: Was based on then- Governor of Arkansas and later President of the United States Bill Clinton 's "Get it done" attitude. To help sell the idea to Sega's higher-ups, Ohshima pitched the concept framed by a fictional fighter pilot that had earned the name "Hedgehog" due to his spiky hair, and had decorated his plane with images of Sonic. When this pilot retired, he married a children's book author, who wrote stories about

25092-435: Was chosen to match Sega's cobalt blue logo. Yuji Uekawa redesigned Sonic for Sonic Adventure (1998) to suit the franchise's transition to 3D computer graphics , with a more mature look designed to appeal to older players. Sonic media characterizes Sonic as an impatient, snarky drifter and daredevil who despises injustice. He battles Eggman, a mad scientist who seeks to steal the mystical Chaos Emeralds and take over

25256-475: Was composed by Masato Nakamura of the band Dreams Come True . Sega sponsored the group's "Wonder 3" tour, painting Sonic on the tour bus, distributing pamphlets advertising the game, and having footage of the game broadcast above stage prior to its release. The original concepts gave Sonic fangs and put him in a band with a human girlfriend named Madonna. However, a team from Sega of America, led by Madeline Schroeder, who calls herself "Sonic's mother", "softened"

25420-476: Was displayed on the package artwork for Sonic the Hedgehog . Sonic's proportions would change for the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Mega Drive; Sonic's head to height ratio was changed from 1:2 to 1:2.5. For the 1998 release of Sonic Adventure , Sonic was redesigned by Yuji Uekawa as a character with longer legs and a less spherical body, longer and more drooping quills, and green-colored irises. For

25584-439: Was favorable to the "pleasant" art direction and stable framerate, but criticized the "subdued" color palette. Roger Hargreaves ( Metro ) stated that the "imaginative" designs and "spectacular set piece[s]" kept him "interested to know what comes next." Chris Schilling ( Eurogamer ) was effusive: "Blue skies forever!" Strong criticism was directed at the game's control scheme, especially the new parkour mechanic. Turi "never got

25748-521: Was found in any previous game in the genre. With this in mind, Nintendo put an analog control stick on its Nintendo 64 controller, a feature that had not been seen since the Vectrex but which has since become standard. The analog stick provided the fine precision needed with a free perspective. In most 2D platformers, the player finished a level by following a path to a certain point, but in Super Mario 64 ,

25912-471: Was found to be more recognizable than Mickey Mouse in the six-to eleven-year-old demographic, based on the character's respective Q Scores , although this claim could not be confirmed by Q Score developer Marketing Evaluations, Inc. Nintendo Power listed Sonic as their sixth favorite hero, stating that while he was originally Mario's nemesis, he seems at home on Nintendo platforms. They added that he has remained as one of gaming's greatest icons. In 2004,

26076-465: Was harder on 3DS due to its more limited processing power. Iizuka stated that the Color Powers are "essential" to the level design of the 3DS version, while they work as an "additional tool" in the Wii U version. A simple art style was used to make objects stand out more against the backgrounds, and to keep the game running at a consistent 60 frames per second . The design of the new "Deadly Six" villains

26240-515: Was kicked off the film. Sonic briefly appears as a player's avatar in the 2018 film Ready Player One . Sonic's first comic appearance was in a promotional comic printed in Disney Adventures magazine (and also given away as a free pull-out with a copy of Mean Machines magazine), which established a backstory for the character involving the origin of his color and abilities and the transformation of kindly scientist Dr. Ovi Kintobor into

26404-479: Was released both alongside and after the game's release, adding features such as additional levels and a new type of Wisp power. Sonic Lost World is a platform game with action-adventure elements, in which the player controls Sonic the Hedgehog as he travels across the Lost Hex in order to rescue captured animals and stop the Deadly Six. Levels range from side-scrolling 2D levels to fast-moving 3D linear levels to levels taking place on spherical worlds similar to

26568-418: Was the first game to allow players to jump over obstacles and gaps. It is widely considered to be the first platformer. It introduced Mario under the name Jumpman. Donkey Kong was ported to many consoles and computers at the time, notably as the system-selling pack-in game for ColecoVision , and also a handheld version from Coleco in 1982. The game helped cement Nintendo's position as an important name in

26732-709: Was voted the most popular video game character in the UK with a 24% vote while his old rival Mario came second with 21% of the vote. Later that year, Sonic was ranked as the most iconic video game character in an MSN rankings list. In 2011, Empire ranked him as the 14th greatest video game character. And he was voted 10th out of the top 50 video game characters of all time in Guinness World Records 2011 Gamers' Edition. Sonic ranked ninth on GameDaily 's Top 10 Smash Bros characters list. GameDaily also listed his "next-generation stumble" in their list of video game characters' worst moments, using his relationship with

26896-435: Was written by Pat Casey and Josh Miller and produced as a joint venture between Paramount Pictures and Marza Animation Planet . The film is a live-action and CGI hybrid. The movie was filmed in 2018, with a release date initially set for November 8, 2019. Upon the release of the film's first trailer in late April 2019, however, Sonic's appearance was heavily criticized, leading to the director, Jeff Fowler , to announce

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