Open-World Sonic Game Being Developed by Fan
By Rob Gordon 25 October 2016
One determined Sonic fan unveils an impressive open-world fan project for the blue hedgehog, offering up the in-development Sonic Utopia for gamers to check out.
Although the Sonic franchise was once one of the largest names in the video game world, making up one half of one of the biggest video game rivalries of all time, it’s fair to say that the series has suffered from a few rough moments since its heyday in the nineties. A lot of the problems for the franchise came when the blue hedgehog was thrust into the third dimension, and although there have been bright sparks here and there, such as the dangerous theme park of Eggmanland in the somewhat patchy Sonic Unleashed, overall the series has not made the transition all that well. That’s not stopped one fan of the franchise from taking it upon themselves to make their own 3D game, however – and this one is open world.
The Sonic fan project in question goes under the name Sonic Utopia, and it’s the work of a small team, spearheaded by a single developer under the name of The Great Lange. The game will certainly be of interest to fans of the Sonic franchise, and not only because of its strong graphical and sound design ties to the original games. After all, an open world is one of the successes that has most escaped the series, and at the very least Sonic Utopia seems to be making a good attempt at it.
“Sonic Utopia is an experiment that not only tries to expand on Sonic gameplay in an intuitive way in 3D, but also aims to capture the best of Sonic’s style and tie it together in a cohesive experience,” notes The Great Lange in the game’s trailer. “Nearly everything in this demo, from art to sound to the gameplay engine, was made from scratch,” the developer continued. Those interested in checking out the full trailer can do so below.
The project certainly seems interesting, and it has piqued the interest of Sonic fans since its reveal. Although it’s only in its early development stages, The Great Lange has made the project available to download, with a link found at the bottom of the trailer’s YouTube description. With any luck, the small development team is able to make the most out of this potential; even so, this is certainly an impressive feat.
Of course, SEGA is hoping that 2017 will see the triumphant official return of Sonic the Hedgehog. The 2D throwback Sonic Mania has already been getting lots of praise from its early demos, while another Sonic game is also due to be released. Here’s hoping that the two games, and Sonic Utopia, help bring this character back to the fore.
Source: Kotaku
