Sonic the Hedgehog

_Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise. Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara created it for Sega. The series follows Sonic, a blue hedgehog with supersonic speed who is also anthropomorphic, meaning he acts and speaks like a person. He often faces the mad scientist Doctor Eggman and his robot army. The main games are platformers mostly made by Sonic Team. Other games, made by different studios, include spin-offs in the racing, fighting, party, and sports genres. The franchise also includes printed media, animations, films, and merchandise.

Naka, Ohshima, and Yasuhara made the first Sonic game, which came out in 1991 for the Sega Genesis. Sega wanted a mascot that could compete with Nintendo's Mario. The game's success helped Sega become one of the leading video game companies in the early 1990s, during the fourth generation of video game consoles. Sega Technical Institute made the next three main Sonic games. After a break during the Saturn era, which did not go well for Sega, the first major 3D Sonic game, Sonic Adventure, came out in 1998 for the Dreamcast. In 2001, Sega left the console market and began making games for other companies' systems. The series continued on Nintendo, Xbox, and PlayStation systems. Takashi Iizuka has been the series' producer since 2010.

In most games, Sonic tries to stop Eggman's plans to take over the world. Players move through levels with springs, slopes, deep gaps, and vertical loops. Sonic's games use rings as a health system. Levels, or level places, include Green Hill Zone, and the gameplay is fast-paced. Later games added a large cast of characters. Some of them, such as Tails, Knuckles the Echidna, and Shadow the Hedgehog, have starred in their own spin-offs. The franchise has also crossed over with other series, including the rival platformer Mario, in Mario & Sonic.

Sonic the Hedgehog is Sega's most important franchise. It is one of the bestselling video game franchises and one of the highest-grossing media franchises. Sales and downloads of its free-to-play mobile game reached 1.77 billion as of 2024. Many people think the Genesis Sonic games show the culture of the 1990s, and they are listed among the greatest of all time. Later games, such as the 2006 game, got weaker reviews. Even so, Sonic has been influential in the video game industry and is often mentioned in popular culture. The franchise is known for its fandom, which makes unofficial media such as fan art and fan games.

History

See also: List of Sonic the Hedgehog video games and Sonic Team

By 1990, the company Sega wanted to compete with Nintendo in the video game console market. Sega president Hayao Nakayama wanted a star character who could rival Nintendo's Mario series. Artist Naoto Ohshima and programmer Yuji Naka were among the team members who shared ideas, and the team chose Sonic, a blue hedgehog. Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) was released for the Sega Genesis and was praised by critics. It made the console much more popular in North America. More games followed in the early 1990s, including Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which introduced the fox Tails. In 1995, Sonic Team was formed as a brand in Japan. In 1998, the series moved to 3D with Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast. Sega later stopped making consoles, and Sonic Heroes was the first Sonic game released on many different systems.

The years from 2005 to 2010 were hard for the series, because games such as Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic '06 were not well liked. Sonic Team then went back to classic side-scrolling games, such as Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations. Later games included Sonic Lost World, Sonic Mania, which got very good reviews, and Sonic Frontiers, the first Sonic game with an open-world design. In 2024, Sega promoted Shadow the Hedgehog in a campaign called "Fearless: Year of Shadow."

Main article: List of Sonic the Hedgehog characters

Characters and story

The Sonic series has many characters. Sonic was first introduced in the first game as a blue hedgehog who can run very fast. His enemy, Doctor Eggman, is a round scientist who wants to cause trouble. On Genesis, Eggman was called Doctor Ivo Robotnik in Western countries, but since Sonic Adventure he has been called Eggman everywhere. In most games, Sonic tries to stop Eggman from getting the Chaos Emeralds. These are seven gems from outer space with magical powers, and Eggman wants them so he can rule the world. Because Sonic Team was inspired by the culture of the 1990s, the series also has themes about nature. Sonic stands for "nature," while Eggman stands for "machinery" and "development." Many other characters appeared in later Genesis games. These include Tails, a fox who can fly, Amy Rose, Metal Sonic, and Knuckles, a red echidna.

Since Sonic Adventure, the cast has grown even more. Some well-known characters include Big, Rouge, Cream, Blaze, and Silver. Some Sonic characters have also starred in spin-off games. For example, Eggman appeared in Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, and Tails starred in Tails' Skypatrol and Tails Adventure. Shadow the Hedgehog was made because the Shadow character had become very popular. According to Iizuka, more spin-offs may come in the future.

Gameplay

The Sonic series is known for fast platforming games. The player controls a player character who runs through levels at high speed. They jump between platforms, fight enemies and bosses, and avoid obstacles. The series has both 2D and 3D games. 2D games are simple, a bit like pinball. They use one button for jumping and attacking, and have paths that split apart. Players must learn these paths to keep their speed. 3D games are more straight-line. They have different goals and moves, and players can upgrade and customize their character. Since Sonic Unleashed, games mix 2D and 3D play. The camera switches between side-scrolling and third-person views. Golden rings scattered through levels act as health. Holding rings protects the player from damage. But the rings scatter and disappear soon after. Collecting 100 rings usually earns an extra life. In Sonic '06, rings are also used as currency. In Sonic Unleashed, they restore health bars. In Sonic Riders, they improve stats. Levels include slopes, deep pits, and vertical loops. Progress is saved at checkpoints, which can also open bonus stages. Some settings, especially Green Hill Zone, appear again and again across the series.

Power-ups are held in boxes. The player gets the item by breaking the box. Common items include rings, shields, invincibility, speed, and extra lives. Sonic Colors adds the Wisps, extraterrestrial creatures that work as power-ups. Each one has a special ability that matches its color. Since Sonic Rush, most games have a "boosting" move that shoots Sonic forward at top speed. Sonic Unleashed added side-stepping and drifting, which help players keep their speed. In most games, the goal is to collect the Chaos Emeralds. They are needed to defeat Eggman and get the best ending. Collecting them unlocks a "Super" form with more speed and invincibility. However, the rings drain away until the form ends. Some games have different ways of playing. In Knuckles' Chaotix, two characters are connected by a stretchy tether. In Sonic Unleashed, the Werehog uses brute strength. Black Knight uses hack and slash play. Many games offer multiplayer and cooperative gameplay, starting with Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Some include a split-screen race to the end of a stage.

Music

Main article: Music of Sonic the Hedgehog

Sega asked Masato Nakamura, a bassist and songwriter for the J-pop band Dreams Come True, to write the music for the first Sonic the Hedgehog. He also wrote the music for Sonic 2. Dreams Come True owns the rights to his music. This caused problems when the Sonic Spinball team used his Sonic theme without permission. Sonic CD had two soundtracks. The original was written by Naofumi Hataya and Masafumi Ogata. The North American version was written by Spencer Nilsen, David Young, and Mark Crew. Many composers worked on the music for Sonic the Hedgehog 3. They included Sega's own sound staff and independent contractors. American singer Michael Jackson, who was a Sonic fan, may have written music for Sonic 3. Sources disagree about this. Ohshima and Hector said his work was removed from the game. Other composers said his music stayed in.

Sonic 3 was the first Sonic game that composer Jun Senoue worked on. Since Sonic 3D Blast, he has written music for many Sonic games. He often works with his band Crush 40, which he started with Hardline singer Johnny Gioeli. The music in the Genesis Sonic games was known for electropop. Senoue's music often includes funk and rock music. Tomoya Ohtani has been the series' sound director since Sonic the Hedgehog in 2006. He was also the lead composer for several games, including Sonic Forces. Other composers include Richard Jacques and Hideki Naganuma. Tee Lopes shares unofficial remixes of Sonic songs on YouTube. He was the lead composer for Sonic Mania. Many singers and bands have also performed songs for the games. These include Zebrahead and Hoobastank.

Other media

See also: Sega All-Stars (series) and Super Smash Bros.

Sonic has appeared in some games that are not part of his main series, such as Christmas Nights, Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, and Samba de Amigo. He also appears in Sega All-Stars games, including Sega Superstars Tennis, Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. From 2007 to 2020, Sega worked with Nintendo on Mario & Sonic, a crossover series about the Olympic Games. The series ended in 2020, after the International Olympic Committee chose not to renew its deal with Sega and Nintendo. Sonic can also be played as a character in Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. Brawl and its later games. He was the first non-Nintendo character in the series, along with Solid Snake.

Sonic has starred in TV shows, including the anime Sonic X and the cartoon Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic has also appeared in comics published by Archie Comics and Fleetway Publications. Sonic toys, books, clothing, soundtracks, and board games have also been made.

Main article: List of Sonic the Hedgehog printed media

Since 2020, Paramount Pictures has released a series of live-action animated Sonic films. The first film came out in February 2020.

Reception and legacy

See also: Sonic the Hedgehog fandom

The Sonic games from the 1990s were praised, and some are listed among the greatest video games of all time. Critics said the first game was faster and cooler than Nintendo's Super Mario World. Later 3D games got weaker reviews, and some critics felt the series had moved away from what made it special. Sonic found success again with some handheld games and with later games such as Sonic Mania, which many reviewers said went back to the 2D style. The Sonic series is one of the bestselling video game franchises. Its games and free-to-play mobile game downloads had reached over 1.77 billion in total by 2024. The first Genesis games helped the console become popular in North America. 1UP.com said Sonic helped turn the tide of the 16-bit console wars.

Sonic also had a big effect on video games and popular culture. Many other animal mascot platform games copied his style, and programmers often compared their own games to his. By 1992, Sonic was more recognizable to children ages 6 to 11 than Mickey Mouse. In 1993, he became the first video game character to appear in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as a balloon. The series has a devoted fandom that makes fangames, fan fiction, and fan art. Sonic also inspired internet memes, including "Sanic hegehog." A gene in fruit flies, the sonic hedgehog gene, was also named after him.