We can make it, if we all stick together ?
Following up their announcement of Sonic Mania earlier in the night, Sega ended their Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary celebration with a teaser for the next 3D game starring the Blue Blur. Dubbed only “Project Sonic 2017,” the trailer shows a city in ruin and gigantic Eggman robots wreaking havoc on a massive scale. Sonic leaps into action to stop the machines, but is almost crushed by an flying slab of concrete. Luckily for him, Classic Sonic speeds in and rips through the debris before it can reach his modern counterpart. The two proceed to rush towards the oncoming robot army as a title card invites players to “Join the Resistance.”
What’s most interesting about the trailer to me, outside of a possible return to Generations style Classic/Modern hybrid gameplay, is the list of consoles the game will be on. The end card has the PS4, Xbox One, and PC releases listed alongside two letters that you might miss the first time you watch the trailer-NX. It looks like Nintendo’s upcoming console now has its first confirmed third-party title (as far as I’m aware). Color me surprised.
Overall, I’m cautiously optimistic about this. On the one hand, it could be fun to see a more story-focused sequel to Generations, and having the team behind that title and Colors specifically name-dropped was a smart move on Sega’s part. That game’s story was more of a way to justify the gameplay; it had some good moments but it wasn’t as deep as some of the other games’ story modes. This game seems to want to change that.
On the other hand, we’ve seen this before. A story-focused Sonic in a semi-serious setting filled with destruction and chaos? A game set for a holiday release, with a name based on the year it comes out? Hm. Wonder why that sounds familiar. Still, it’s ten years out from that debacle, and this is being done by a team that’s already delivered a couple of generally well-received games. I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt for now.
At least this time it’s Sega doing it and not someone else.
Project Sonic 2017 speeds into stores Holiday 2017 for the PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo NX.