What I need from Knuckles going forward.

Sonic’s 30th anniversary year has been interesting to say the least. It started with a reasonable online celebration that was a disappointment to some, due to what could have been a major announcement—a new game—was only given a short, 30-second teaser. We didn’t even get a name. Whatever ill feelings I had quickly vanished beneath the glare of the live symphony in June, which ended with an orchestral rendition of Live and Learn. It was amazing to see Crush 40 rocking out to such an amazing version of arguably their most well-known and well-loved song, and Sonic fans around the world got to come together—albeit online, in the midst of the pandemic—and celebrate.

Then there was some bizarre, shitty concert at the start of December that doesn’t need to be discussed, but the backlash towards it reminded me of one thing: disappointment and outrage are heavily intertwined with the Sonic fandom, and even when things seem to be going great, Sega will do something to get people upset again. I saw how quickly the 30th Anniversary sentiments eroded, and thought: is this how Sonic’s birthday year will end?

Cue the whiplash as certain web sleuths discovered that Sonic Frontiers had been trademarked in early December, and since then, there’s been some hesitant buzz surrounding the unnamed sonic game and the fleeting trailer we saw at the start of 2021.

Regardless if Frontiers is the title, I am excited for the new game, but I desperately hope we will see a return to some Sonic elements that have been withheld from the fans for too long.

I’ve spoken before about the problems with the Sonic fandom, and how, due to the generational disconnect among the fans, Sega has often failed to please everyone for trying to appeal to the nostalgia of Gen Xers and Millennials. So since Unleashed, we’ve had a million and one versions of Green Hill Zone, ridiculously short levels, very basic storylines (or no storylines at all), no character depth, and no playable characters other than Sonic.

This is also the cleanest art style. Shoutout Yuji Uekawa.

Instead of building on the good things of the newer games, or developing the things that weren’t so great but could have been, Sega has decided it’s not worth trying, quickly discarding the elements that added to the heart of the series, leaving behind what feels like a cold, cynical, speed course. As time goes on and more is stripped away from the games, the generations that used to lament the “loss of what made Sonic great and simple” has joined the younger end of the Millennials and Zoomers to instead decry the lack of the variety and daringness that was evident in games such as Heroes, Sonic ‘06, and Shadow the Hedgehog.

Fans no longer desire Classic Sonic popping up for no reason, nor is another iteration of Green Hill Zone necessary when other iconic levels have remained ignored (that they’ve never tried to do another version of City Escape or Rooftop Run is criminal). My main bug bear is the loss of all these amazing characters that only get background treatment, cut scene glances, or nothing at all.

People mocked him when he was first introduced but Silver’s just “missed potential” personified.

Fans used to complain that Sega had created too many characters for no purpose, and in some ways I agree that things got a little cluttered as the purpose of some characters became redundant for newer ones: the Knuckles the Echidna, to Shadow the Hedgehog, to Silver the Hedgehog rival-turned-friend pipeline started to feel like a conveyer belt, and other characters like Big, Omega, Amy, and Cream were left without purpose.

However, when done correctly, the Sonic cast contributes some much needed variety. These days we’re being forced to use the wisps to compensate for the loss of Knuckles, Tails, and others.

I don’t hate them. They’re just everywhere now.

Knuckles has been my favourite character since the Adventure games. I love the lore surrounding his origins and his mission, his solitary nature, and how much he stands in contrast to Sonic’s impulsive nature and Tails’ childishness. Back in the day, Knuckles had a solid online fanbase, with a massive network of fan sites dedicated to him with merch, amazing fan fiction, and art. The Master Emerald Awards used to rank the best Knuckles sites on the net, and at times there would be over ten contenders for the top title.

Archie’s Knuckles the Echidna comics are the first American comic books I ever purchased (before that, my parents occasionally bought me the Fleetway comics from my local corner shop). And his characterisation in that series solidified my love for him (which is why I’ll always have a soft spot for Ken Penders because I feel like he was a true Knuckles fanboy that truly indulged us Knuckles fans. Yes, yes, I know I’m supposed to hate him but I appreciate his contribution to Knuckles too much to do so).

The last time we had playable characters in a 3D Sonic game was in Sonic Boom, which for me was a bottom-barrel series. Even ignoring the poor gameplay, annoying script, and glitches, the biggest transgression was the erosion of Knuckles’ character. Gone was the cool, calm, naïve and loyal treasure hunter; the loner and protector of a mystical island. One of my favourite write-ups of Knuckles comes from Sega itself, on their old Sonic Central webpage:

Knuckles was born alone on Angel Island, brought into this world to defend the Master Emerald. That is Knuckles' destiny and fate. If Sonic exemplifies the wind, then Knuckles is the mountain: stern and unmovable.

So when I saw this hulking, meathead idiot in Sonic Boom, struggling to tell the difference between his left and right, I was bemused at first, then annoyed. The TV show has introduced this version of Knuckles to a whole new generation of Sonic fans, and now, so much work needs to be done to correct this error. I do hope that Dumb Knuckles won’t be one of the aspects of new gen Sonic that Sega chooses to cling to. I have hope, as a return to his better qualities was evident in Forces.

I have many wishes for Frontiers and any new Sonic games going forward: let us play as other characters again. I don’t want to glide, punch through levels, or climb walls with Sonic and these weird glowing aliens. Give the role back to Knuckles. Let Tails play his own levels and fly. For extra variety, give us Shadow again, and even Silver: his telekinesis is criminally underutilised.

Most important, bring the real Knuckles back. I want Knuckles levels, with rap music and lofi beats, and a story. Part of the reason behind the love people have for the Adventure games is the tightly-packed writing that allowed a major cast of characters to all intertwine and affect the main story. I hope we can see a return to this kind of sophisticated game play.

I’ve rambled too much, which is a given when it comes to Sonic, but I wanted to get some thoughts out there before the game is released. Hopefully I can return to this post with a positive sentiment, instead of regret.

Please, Sega. Let the Mountain return.