#i call this 'contructive criticism with a pinch of annoyance'

[descendant-of-truth]

Sonic Essays, Part 1

So, upon realizing that I actually have well-formulated critiques of the writing in Sonic games (rather than just confused ramblings), I decided that it would be good to finally get those thoughts down in a post.

Do note that while I call this an "essay," I'm not strictly using an exact essay format and I'll probably still get emotional in some parts. Because this is my post and I do what I want.

So without further ado, let's get into our first character of this project: Sonic himself.

Sonic's core personality shifted most noticeably when Colors came out, so I'll be using that game as a dividing point between his two main portrayals. Before I go into what changed, though, let's start with what's stayed the same.

Sonic has always been carefree, compassionate, overconfident, and likes to show off. He tends to be reckless and competitive, but is still a dependable hero through and through. These are traits that he still clearly demonstrates even in the most recent games.

The key difference is how those traits manifested before and after Sonic Colors. For example: his overconfidence, and subsequent recklessness.

Both before and after Colors, Sonic's ego has gotten him into trouble - but the instances are written very differently. In Unleashed, Sonic pauses when he has the upper hand to make some quick remarks at Eggman.

Sonic is in full control here; equipped with the Chaos Emeralds, he's practically invincible. Spending a few too many seconds talking isn't an obvious mistake in this scenario, but it's one that gets him hurt nonetheless.

Like. Really hurt. His overconfidence got himself electrocuted. Here, his ego is shown to be self-destructive.

Contrast that with Lost World, where his recklessness is at an all-time high. He's extremely prone to charging ahead without thinking, even when Tails is in the middle of talking to him.

Unsurprisingly, this has similar consequences. Except this time, it's Tails that gets hurt.

Sonic is in perfect shape despite his screw-up, though, which gives the impression that while he's capable of handling the problems he creates, his friends aren't.

Here, his ego is shown to be destructive to others.

It also makes Sonic out to be a poor listener, too distracted by his own thoughts to hear to what Tails has to say. Which just isn't the case with Pre-Colors Sonic.

Sonic may be quick to act, but not to the point where he neglects vital information. For example, in SA2, you can tell he's listening closely when Tails talks about his plan.

Not to mention, the only reason he survived being launched into space was because he remembered what Tails told him about the fake Chaos Emerald.

He also saw Shadow performing Chaos Control at the beginning of the game, and the fact that he was able to imitate it so well tells us that he's also more observant than he lets on.

But Sonic can't be reckless if he pays attention, apparently, and that's where the writing in Colors onwards can be frustrating.

It feels like the current writers are working under the assumption that Sonic can't be carefree if he still takes things seriously; that he can't be kind unless his attitude balances it out; that he can't be overly confident in himself unless it's at the expense of others; that he can't be funny or show off unless he makes it some kind of spectacle.

I was originally going to reblog this post and add more to it later, but I think I've already covered my main points, so I'll leave it here.