If Sega only cared about pandering to YOU, what kind of Sonic game would they make?

Sonic 5 with Mania devs.

 

I guess my dream game would basically be Sonic Advance 4, or some kind of spiritual successor.

But instead of being pixel art sprite based I'd actually want the in-game artstyle to look somewhat like the Sonic Riders intro

 

A 3D Sonic that actually gives a shit about running/rolling down slopes to build up speed.

It amazes me that these elements were lightly present in the Adventure games and then abandoned forevermore. They barely tried and then gave up.

 

Sonic and the Black Knight remake with a less on-rails level design, combat more like a hack-and-slash, and extra story with Galahad and Lamorak. Make the third best Sonic game the best Sonic game.

 

Very much agreed. I was writing actually how I'd love to see a 2D drawn Sonic game then saw this was posted.

If the 2D title was a modern one I'd like this art style. In my dream fantasy Sonic Mania esq game though, in the classic universe, the art style would be more akin to Hesse's Mania Adventures style.

In my 2D dream title I'd like to see the Mania cast return with the addition of Amy, in a completely new adventure in completely new zones. I'd want to see some new gimmicks and elements though, one of my faults with Mania was even the new zones reused a lot of old level gimmicks (Mirage Saloon Act 1 is just literally Sky Chase for everyone except Knuckles and Encore mode). I would like to see Encore mode return, but with more changes to the levels themselves, maybe make it a mirror mode? And as for standard 1 player mode, I want to expand the partner aspect, I want to be able to pick my main character and partner character and switch between the two.

For a 3D game, I'm actually very interested to see how Sonic Frontiers works out, because I think an open world Sonic game could actually be great if done right. But putting that aside, I'd like to see the one thing they've basically never tried - replicating the Sonic 3/Mania model but in 3D. Adventure 1's Sonic stages were the closest to that, and Heroes almost did the traditional act/zone structure but with different gameplay, trash level design, and needless repetition. So take all that, make it more like 10 levels with 2 acts each and a boss, and let you play through the zones normally as any of a number of characters that all play pretty similar to Sonic. Sonic could have a more limited boost, Tails can fly and tailspin, Knuckles could glide, climb, maybe get some werehog moves, Shadow can have his chaos abilities (he needs to be differentiated from Sonic in some way), Silver could play like his Generations boss fight, Amy could have her SA1 gameplay just faster, and Blaze could get a refined 06 moves or something. I also wouldn't mind seeing Tangle and Whisper coming into the mix. Tangles tail could allow for some neat moves, and Whisper can play like the Forces Avatar.

Tl;dr: Kirby Star Allies but in 3D: Sonic edition. Or alternately, a professional version of that Sonic World fan game with levels that aren't terrible.

 

Sonic's SA1 level design, but with as many stages and bosses as something on the level of 3 or Mania. Bonus points for a world like post-reboot Archie and sidequests as deep as Majora's Mask.

Also a sex minigame

 

Speaking for how I see things, I'm on the side of "3D Modern Sonic, but with gameplay that takes after Sonic 3 & Knuckles/Mania". Admittedly, to put down how I'd make it would turn this into a massive essay that might as well be a game pitch/direction sheet, but I would enjoy things like multiple playable characters with similar-but-different-enough gameplay (and stories to a lesser extent), momentum-based physics and level design that makes use of it to let you discover new areas, and all sorts of bonuses.

 

I would like a tails' adventure spiritual successor with an open world and more napalm bombs.

 

A few things:

1: Mania 2/Sonic 5/whatever the fuck the title would be, all new levels, same team and engine, add Amy into the mix, similar to Advance but with the Peel Out.

2: A retry of the Adventure formula, JUST SONIC, going all the way back to Adventure 1, with actual proper rolling physics.

3:

I'm down with remaking/revisiting/whatevering Black Knight, but those tweaks put a new thought in my head: Sonic and the Black Knight Warriors.

 

Hmm... I have a few dream games in mind, but I'll see if I can settle on just one.

The Advance series was great, and popular enough to warrant a spin-off and two sequels that didn't deviate too far off the foundation of the first. Sonic Rush was an excellent game that didn't get so lucky. I don't hate Rush Adventure, but I sure ain't that fond of it. Rush deserves a sequel truer to the original, complete with 2-3 decently long acts per zone followed by a boss battle. Sonic and Blaze each play through their own unique zone order, and Hideki Naganuma provides the soundtrack. No need for drastic changes such as adding in Amy, Tails, or Knuckles. I just want more cool zones to zoom through across two screens one massive screen. I did consider throwing assists into the mix, such as requesting an air-lift from Tails, or Amy to smash some enemy or obstacle, but that'd be too drastic of a change.

Sonic Mania was an undeniable triumph. How there is currently no known successor in any stage of development is bewildering and migraine-inducing. I want a sequel, whether it is a Mania 2 with a mix of fresh and legacy zones or a proper Sonic 4 5. Mighty and Ray don't have to return, but Amy is essential. Sonic CD style specials can take the place of Blue Sphere, with Chaotix-inspired special stages serving as the means to collect emeralds. Tee Lopes ought to contribute to the soundtrack, but perhaps not all alone.

Sonic Adventure 3. Maybe not with that as the actual title, but I do have that Mania-induced headache and can't come up with another fitting title at the moment. This would be a game far more in line with the first Adventure as opposed to its inferior but still great sequel. There would be a massive hub world sprawling across many unique environments such as a city or two, forests and green fields, a snowy mountain range complete with a ski resort, a desert, multiple ancient ruins, and several Eggman facilities including Launch Base. Each region would contain at least one stage consisting of one to three acts, but some may feature a second unique stage. The train would return, but would be accompanied by a free-roaming Tornado to unlock and fly. The playable roster would include Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Big. Blaze could be cool too, but definitely not Shadow or Rouge. I want this game to be absolutely massive, but with a fairly basic story revolving around the damage to the environment caused by Eggman's constructions and machinery.

 

I just want another 3D platformer starring Sonic, with a flow and structure to its levels a lot like SA1's. I really love how much more organic and "cozy" that game's level design felt, and in terms of layout it's way more varied than even its immediate sequel. There's an amazing sense of ambition with all the setpieces in these levels, with lots of cool arrangements like the downwards design of Final Egg or the spiraling castle of Twinkle Park. No game in the series has come even close to capturing this feel.
I don't know if I even want other characters. I shudder to think just how hard Tails and Knuckles would need to be nerfed in order to remain engaging and secure (not game-breaking) in 3D environments like this. I wouldn't mind other characters if they played very closely to Sonic.

 

Or Sonic Advance 4 with Mania devs. Because I really love the Modern aesthestic on 2D / pixelart.

Also, I also want a Sonic Adventure 1-esque game with Unleashed aesthestic.

 

I would want a spiritual successor for Sonic Mania by Evening Star at number one. All new level tropes, a simple story which isn't nonsensical, proper bonus stages, more simple bosses. I think that could be the best Sonic game ever.

After that and if we are going into fantasy land, I would really like to see a game that combines the best qualities of Sonic Adventure 1 and 2. More open Sonic stage design, the atmosphere and intensity of SA2 (just even in the stages themselves), a combination of the natural and urban aesthetics of SA1 and SA2, multiple playable characters but more aligned to Sonic's gameplay, and a plot which is both intentionally and unintentionally entertaining. It wouldn't be for everyone but I would love the fuck out of a game like that. And put a Chao garden in, just to see everyone go nuts.

And if we are really diving into man on the moon stuff, Sonic R 2.

 

For a 3D game, Sonic Adventure 3 with multiple characters ala Sonic 06: No drastically different gameplay styles, just different characters abilities. For all Sonic 06 did wrong, it still has the best implementation of multiple playable characters in a 3D Sonic game imo.

For a 2D game, Sonic Advance 4. Make the sprites look like Yuji Uekawa's artworks in HD and I can die happy.

 

A blend of Sonic Triple Trouble and Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

But I'd settle for a Sonic Mania version which runs in Windows XP.

 

There are a few things I want. A remake anthology of the Sonic Advance Trilogy + Battle with hand drawn graphics in Uekawa’s Sonic Channel style, a new Sonic RPG that retains the strength of Chronicles while also borrowing elements from the Mario + Luigi series, not to mention utilising the comic characters.

My big idea though is a 3D Sonic game that focuses on Sonic’s supporting cast, which numbers around 15 at this point. Each Act focuses on one character (though you could group them up where it’s logical, such as the Chaotix or Cream and Cheese with Gemerl) who has their individual strengths in combat (which would be more involved than simple homing attacks for the sake of justifying these other characters - think Sonic Heroes but not nearly as padded), in addition to a meter based special move that can assist in either combat or traversal. For example, Tails can, as always, air lift Sonic to new heights, whereas Silver would do that manoeuvre of swinging Sonic all around him, similar to the start of the IDW book. Sonic’s buddies also have a running dialogue through the level, a la Forces or, for a better executed example, Kid Icarus Uprising, that is an exploration of their dynamic with Sonic. It’d be rather like this year’s Sonic Channel calendar stories, really.

Levels would be similar to Heroes and the boost games in that you’re headed towards a single goal, but there’d be more room for exploration of different routes. In effect, every level is like Generations Seaside Hill in the amount of different ways you can tackle it. In terms of move set and movement, we’re looking at somewhere between Adventure and Heroes, with modern conveniences from the boost games. Sonic can spindash, (perfect) homing attack, wall jump (both horizontally as in Heroes and vertically when the control stick is held up or down during the action), stomp and do that neat trick from Adventure 2 where you charge a spin dash and then homing attack an enemy to target all enemies in the area.

That’s pretty much it for my largely half-baked idea apart from the specificity of a Metal Sonic fight where he’s upgraded to Rocket Metal and Sonic is partnered with Gemerl, whose special move is to interface with Metal and attack him from the inside.

Look I just really want a game that properly puts Sonic’s friends back in the limelight, even if they’re not playable.

 

Sonic Adventure 2: Better Edition