After years of wandering in the desert, SEGA and its Sonic Team have brought the hasty hedgehog 'back to his roots'. First with Sonic 4 : Episode 1, and soon to be followed by Sonic Generations , it seems SEGA has heard our cries for more of the old Sonic, and less of the new. But is the company digging deep enough?

Pick+your+poison.

Sonic+doesn't+get+much+<strike>hairier</strike>+scarier+than+this.

MAN+VS.+WILD

SCIENCE+UNCHECKED

Believe+it+or+not,+Robotnik+holds+the+key+to+Sonic's+greatness.

Then+again,+there+<i>was</i>+Oil+Ocean.

Scrap+Brain+Zone:+come+for+the+name,+stay+for+the+eggs.++The+Death+Eggs.

THE+SPEED+FORCE

Sonic+CD:+The+Game+That+Time+Forgot.

ZONAL+DEFENCE

No, I'm not referring to anything nearly as trivial as green eyes or longer legs – I'm not even talking about two dimensions versus three dimensions - what I am talking about is the Sonic mythos. Did you even know there was one? You'd be forgiven for thinking not, especially if you missed out on the Mega Drive originals. But there is – oh yes, there is – and it represents a rich seam of potential, just waiting to be mined.The problem, as I see it, is that we've spent so much time harping on about aesthetics and design decisions that we've lost sight of the narrative core that drives those decisions and holds everything together. 'Whoa, whoa, whoa' I hear you say, 'now hold on a second there, grasshopper! I'm hearing a lot of talk about "we", and not a whole lot of talk about Sonic Team. Surely – surely - it is their fault and not ours!'And I say to you, yes sir - you are probably right, but we have their ears now (not literally - though that would make for quite an interesting hostage scenario). They're trying to make the Sonic games we want to play. So while they are listening, we'd better damn well know what we're asking for.And what have we been asking for? Surface stuff, really, like 'MOAR speed!!!' or 'KILL SONICS CRAPPY FRENDZ!!!' Is it any wonder that the results have been less than satisfying? With each successive title, SEGA has been at pains to add something to Sonic the Hedgehog The result has been the distillation of Sonic's trademark speed and attitude over time – the two key points of difference used to differentiate him from Mario back in 1991 – and frankly, not much else. In fact, what started out as two very effective marketing buzz words have since been concentrated to highly annoying levels. And in an age where speed now defines our lives and attitude can be found in every second snot-nosed kid, all of a sudden those things aren't so cool anymore. The veil has been lifted, and everyone's left wondering: Sonic, what is your reason for existing? Why should we allow you to go on like this?Sonic's missing something. SEGA knows it, we know it, everyone knows it – BUT WHAT IS IT?!Certainly there are design elements like verticality, secrets, and special stages, but that's not the heart of the matter. Like his Metal doppelganger, Sonic's lost his soul, and now he's got to get it back.Sonic's problem is a problem of substance; a problem of legitimacy. The real kicker is he had it from the start. It's just a question of knowing where to look. And what better place to begin our search than the original Sonic the Hedgehog?Speed and attitude was enough to sell 15 million copies of a videogame, but it's not enough to keep millions playing it after 20 years. Sooner or later, it has to be recognised that beneath all the marketing hoopla lay a truly fantastic game. Peer behind the red shoes and disapproving finger wave and you might be surprised by what you find. I took a look myself and found some interesting threads; themes and ideas that have gone untouched for years. Threads that if picked up, could be woven into a compelling tapestry. Let's take a look at them.Maybe it's because it's been trimmed from the title, but it's easy to forget sometimes that Sonic is, in fact, a hedgehog. The original game reminded us of Sonic's mammalian nature through the simple act of burrowing. Burrowing has all but disappeared from Sonic's current repertoire (Colours notwithstanding), but SEGA would do well to flesh out this aspect of the character, because...Sonic the Hedgehog is the story of one man's attempt to impose his will upon nature. Dr Robotnik imprisons and controls every living creature by essentially roboticising them. This could very easily be used as a mirror to examine our own society and history; our 'mastery' over nature (or ruination of it), our reckless pursuit of technology, even the enslavement of indigenous cultures. This analogy positions Sonic as a Force of Nature, an avatar of the Animal Kingdom, rising up to take back what is rightfully theirs. Strengthening this analogy transforms a mere Mascot With Attitude™ into a Genuine Rebel – an Animal Activist – fraught with intention, nobility, and motivation. Already you can see how just a minor tweak can cause a major image shift.It's interesting then, when you consider that a majority of the tweaking over the past decade or so has been made to Sonic himself. Heroes are quite often situational, born out of necessity, or thrust into action by events beyond their control. When the stakes are raised, the hero inevitably rises to the occasion. What does this mean? You've seen it in Hollywood and you've seen it in comics – a superhero story is only as good as its villain. Even with Sonic as a Force of Nature, SEGA has to address the fairly evident fact that his nemesis - Dr. Robotnik - is lacking.Perhaps if Sonic Team spent less time exaggerating his prosperous girth and moustache, and more time exaggerating the diabolical mind ticking away behind it - well, we'd have ourselves a Sonic game, sir!Up until now, this mad science villain has exercised near-saintly levels of self-control. I mean, how did he even manage to march into Green Hill Zone, incarcerate and roboticise all of its inhabitants, only to leave every last blade of grass completely unscathed? Seriously, the place is beautiful – it's got palm trees, crystal blue oceans, cascading waterfalls, rocks – what's a few killer robots in paradise? Sure, he bombed the living daylights out of Angel Island, and installed a satellite dish on Mushroom Hill, but all things considered I think his carbon footprint stacks up quite favourably to the likes of BHP and Rio Tinto.I want to see animals flee for their lives; I want to see habitats destroyed; I want to follow the trail of destruction right into the heart of Robotropolis. I want to re-experience that tangible feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach as Sonic Alone braves the saw blades and death-traps of Scrap Brain Zone. I want to be the only thing standing between Evil Genius and Planetary Destruction in the face of Overwhelming Odds. The way I see it, every boss should be a Death Egg.All of the greatest villains have been more cerebral than brutish, and by playing up this characteristic Robotnik could join the ranks of Lex Luthor, the Joker, and Moriarty as truly worthy arch-rivals. Don't you find it interesting that he imprisons animals inside robots that in turn are built to look like animals? Does Robotnik have a God Complex? Did he simply tire of the natural order of things and decide he could do it better? It's time to set the Mad Doctor loose and let him reshape the world in his image.Speaking of time, what if Robotnik tried to master that as well? This has been touched on previously in Sonic CD, but I think it fits so well within the Sonic mythos that it needs to be explored more often.You see, in comics like The Flash, there's an implicit understanding that speedsters can not only travel through time, but also through dimensions. I always found it interesting that the special stages of Sonic 2, 3, and Knuckles took place in the third dimension. Why not tie it into this idea of speed and multi-dimensional travel?Sonic CD was so on the right track when it allowed Sonic to travel to the past and future of each zone at high speeds, and even save the future of each zone by changing events in the past. But for the amount of effort that was poured into crafting three versions of each zone, the idea wasn't explored in nearly enough detail.And zones, let's take a look at those. Now, I'm sure that previously each level was named a zone according to their climate and geological features, but the word 'zone' brings other things to mind, for instance the totalitarian state of Half-Life 2. From gerrymandering to District 9, zoning has long been the power tool of choice for tyrants who like to make problems disappear. All it takes is a simple twist, and suddenly Lord Robotnik is redrawing the battle-lines – something that fits in more closely with our narrative.Honestly, I could throw out ideas all day, and that has surprisingly little to do with how sad and amazing I am. Like the Chaos Emeralds, the Sonic series is a wealth of material, a power source waiting to be tapped into. Man versus Nature, Science Gone Wrong, Time Travel – these heavy-hitters have been filling books for centuries – who'd have thought they'd be hiding away in our Sonic games? Great games are built on great concepts, and when you tap into that source, everything else locks into place.

Adam Redsell is a freelance writer based in Queensland, Australia. He clearly spends too much time thinking about hedgehogs.

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