Sonic Overture Thread [Sunrise Gate Zone Demo Available]

That’s certainly an unexpected surprise ^^

 

Brooo my jaw just DROPPED the moment I saw the video. I didn't even think this would get brought back!

 

It's an all-new dev team as well. Looks like the only returning member is Pixy.

Spoiler: massive credits screenshot

 

I remember looking at the asset/concept leak a few months back, and being absolutely heartbroken that such a wonderful-looking game would never be finished. So seeing that the game is not only back, but also helmed by an incredibly talented all-star team, is the best Christmas present I could've ever asked for.

The new tunes are also really catchy and fit the game's aesthetic and direction perfectly. And while I still think that Sunrise Gate's original tracks were arguably the best pieces of Sonic fangame music ever composed, I understand why they had to be replaced.

 

I wish they ditched Clickteam Fusion for something that is not as terrible. After playing Sonic Legends I just can't go back to fangames made with CF.
Other than that and some questionable design choices (pole jumping "gimmick" which is both extremely janky and is completely arbitrary when choosing which is considered a "pole", also the last bossfight) the game is very enjoyable

 

Review time! I had a good time and I'm very happy that Overture is back. However, I did have some problems with it. First of all, what happened with the orbs in SRZ? It's impossible to launch myself off them because I keep falling off of them.

Secondly, the pole gimmick. While it's a neat concept, it mostly felt like an interruption for me. Always getting in the way of my jumps and killing my speed. I think they should be placed less frequently throughout he game's levels. They're also not very compatible with precision platforming. In Granite Zone, I kept on overshooting my jumps during that one segment with the poles and lava. I came up with the image below while brainstorming alterations for this gimmick.


Finally, the aesthetic. This game is trying to mimic a Saturn game, but aside from the Granite Zone boss, this to me just looks like a game for a slightly more powerful Genesis. For a faux-32-bit game, I'd expect more color. Something akin to the pictures below.


My advice? Think like a 32-bit developer. Don't set out to make "retro" graphics. Research the capabilities of the Saturn hardware and make graphics the make the most out of the limitations. Don't make Saturn graphics, make graphics that are compatible with the Saturn.

 

For Sonic fangame developers, "Saturn-style" just means "Mega Drive with no palette limitations"

 

Nah, I think it's more "Genesis with with slightly more colors and extra background layers".

 

I had weird issues with Granite Zone not loading properly after beating Sunrise Gate Zone, where I would just keep dying over and over until I got a game over. I had to restart the game all the way in order to play it. Other than that, I kind of found the demo to be rather "meh", and the new music tracks didn't really stick out to me. Played like a rather typical classic Sonic game, albeit with a bit of jank here and there. Could have had more polish put on it before release.

̶A̶l̶s̶o̶ ̶S̶o̶n̶i̶c̶ ̶W̶o̶r̶l̶d̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶2̶0̶2̶3̶ ̶l̶o̶l̶

 

Huh. The only Granite-related glitch that I experienced was a glitch in GZ2 that spawned me wayyy above the ground, allowing me to cheese the level by simply holding right.

Edit: The glitch that I mentioned seems to happen when you get Sonic to moonwalk to the right of the signpost in GZ1.

 

Huh, interesting! I never experienced any problems aside from clipping in Act 2 of Granite Zone.

To be fair, this new demo isn't that bad at all, considering many well-known fan members are working on the project. (I also played on Christmas Day yesterday, so that made it even more special!) But I do have beef with a few things. Firstly, the title screen is kind of better, with Sonic looking more poly (I guess?), but the '95 on the logo doesn't look right. Secondly, the music for Sunrise Gate isn't as good as the original, prompting for a more Mega-Drive/Saturn version of the song, considering the original was one of the best songs I've heard in a fangame. Third of all, Granite Zone feels too close to Marble Zone for my taste. It also reminded me of Dark Fortress from Megamix. But even with those problems, it's fine. Just a little tuning and this will be an excellent reimaging of awesome fangame!

 

Why? Did Michael Jackson compose them? Sonic Legends is using them just fine...
The new tunes aren't unpleasant but if they really want the Saturn badge they need to ban the use of the Genesis sound chip. More lush arrangements would really serve these compositions better.
Curious to see how this develops over time. I don't feel as excited as I should right now. Maybe it's because Legends ate it's lunch already. The level design was really nice though, I loved Granite Zone.

 

Honestly, I found the new Sunrise Gate theme rather forgettable. Say what you want, but you can't make me think that the original isn't earworm material.

 

I believe Lange composed them and then the whole controversy happened. And since the Sonic community can't separate the art from the artist (see Sonic Omens), using his music is a nono now apparently.
At least that's my guess.
I wish Overture and Legends teams used his cancelation as an opportunity to overhaul Sunset Gate act 1 graphics because those random inflated checkerboard blocks look terrible and they always have

 

lol yeah I just looked into all that after my post. Oh brother. Seems pretty petty especially after he's apologized so thoroughly but what do I know.

 

Lange composed the original SGZ theme, so it's definitely a Lange drama thing. The '95 team also removed Lange from the 'Old Overture Team' credits.

 

I have never followed Overture's development too closely but I know that it is heavily based on Sonic 1 concept art rather than Lange's original ideas. And even though Lange doesn't own the concept of reimagining Sonic 1, Sonic Overture is the child of his labor and passion.
If the dev team have so much disdain towards the guy that they resort to rewriting history then maybe just don't name your new project "Sonic Overture"? Unless they removed all his spritework from the game (it is highly unlikely but not impossible), then removal of his name from the credits is an extremely petty move.

 

IIRC, Lange didn't do any spritework for Overture. Pixy did most of the graphics.

 

Huh, I didn't know that. Usually whoever is the the mastermind behind the fangame also does a lot if not most of the spritework (I know Overture is/was a team project, but you know what I mean)
Even though I still think removing his name from the credits is a bad taste move, if the spritework was indeed made by other person/people, it's much more understandable to keep the name to not let the legacy die (music was a big part of Overture's popularity, but the artwork was even more so)

 

There is a lot of confusion about the Lange situation here. There is a very good reason why his content isn't in the game anymore, it was not just "fan drama". It involved highly abusive and manipulative behavior, corroborated by multiple people associated with him (particularly Pixy), and other people in the fangame scene. I'm not going to get into too much detail here, but all of the details are available if you feel the need to look.

Also, he IS in the credits. He's just credited by his real name instead of his pseudonym.