In February, we reported that Sonic Boom was the most unpopular Sonic gamer ever, but now one fan and fledgling game designer has taken it upon himself to suggest what Sega could do better.
In his video DEAR SEGA // Sonic Re-design, YouTube user Good Blood spends 14 minutes deconstructing the many horrors that have befallen the once proud Sega mascot.
He shows how sales and review ratings pale in comparison to Mario, who continues to deliver time after time while Sonic has floundered from one critical flop to the next. Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity and Sonic: The Lost World are two most notable recent failures, games that earned 4/10 and 5/10 respectively in our reviews.
What are his conclusions? A return to 2D side-scrolling platforming and more compelling game play aimed at the 18-30 demographic, but also a radical – and polarising – change in art style that tones down Sonic’s “too cool for school” vibe.
He also suggests getting rid of lives, instead using the collection of rings to unlock power-ups.
Related: Best Games of 2015: Top-rated titles of the year so far
I’m sure not everyone will love the suggested character redesign (I happen to like it), but if Sega made a few of these changes, it might end up with a Sonic game people actually want to play. Are you listening, Sega?
Watch ‘DEAR SEGA // Sonic Re-design’ below:
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.