Sonic the Hedgehog appears to be running headlong into the apocalypse in the first gameplay footage of the upcoming Sonic game, Sonic Forces.

As the speedy blue hedgehog dashes through the gritty environment above, a few analogies come to mind. Is Sonic running through a representation of the United States in its current era? Is Sonic running through the burning ruins of its own modern 3D game legacy, signifying an acknowledgment of past mistakes and a race toward a brighter future?

Maybe the Sonic series is just going for something a bit grittier. Because that worked so well last time.