Today we want to talk about one of the most important Sonic games. A game that would allow SEGA’s mascot jump to 3 dimensions. We are talking about Sonic Adventuredeveloped by the Sonic Team and released in 1998.
This game would give rise, not only to a direct sequel, but to a large number of 3D titles they would take many references from this. Some examples of these are Sonic and the Secret Rings and Sonic Unleashed; of which we have already made an article on the page.
Sonic Adventure, the game that changed everything
Originally, Sonic Adventure was released for Dreamcast. The objective of SEGA With this game it was to demonstrate the great potential that its desktop console had at that time. In other words, they were trying to replicate what he had done Nintendo a few years ago with Super Mario 64. The result was a complete success, since Sonic Adventure would end up becoming the best-selling game on the Dreamcast. For its part, in 2003, an updated version of the game came out under the name of Sonic Adventure DX: Director´s Cut. This version would be released for GameCube y PC.
But, Why Sonic Adventure enjoyed so much popularity? The answer is quite obvious. Sonic Adventure was sold as the next evolutionary step within the Sonic franchise. A game that would mark a before and after in the franchise. And in fact it was.
Without this title, we would not have had Sonic Adventure 2Shadow the Hedgehog and of course we wouldn’t have had Sonic Frontiers. Sonic Adventure was able to transfer the classic mechanics of Sonic games to a wide variety of 3D open arenas.
A game full of novelties
Obviously one of the main novelties of the game could be found in its aesthetic section and its level design. However, this was not the only novelty that Sonic Adventure brought us.
The game’s narrative tried to delve into the origin of the Chaos Emeralds and introduce ourselves to the deity known as Chaos. This was a normal creature belonging to the Chao species, until it came into contact with the Master Emerald. This not only changed her appearance but also made her more powerful. From then on, Chaos dedicated himself to taking care of the Master Emerald and hers, her friends, Chao hers.
However, this peace would not be eternal, for pachacamac – the leader of the Echidnas – wanted to take the Emerald to use it as a weapon against his enemies. In this way, along with other Echidna warriors, he breaks into the temple, injuring several Chao in the process. Enraged, Chaos absorbed the Emerald’s energy, transforming into Perfect Chaos.
Tikal – the daughter of Pachacamac, who had tried to warn her father of the danger – ends up sealing Chaos in the Master Emerald. Those shards have since been renamed Chaos Emeralds, and Chaos remained locked away for years. However, he ended up being released by Robotnik in order to use his power to seize all the Chaos Emeralds.
Based on this premise, the game lets us explore its history from five different perspectives: those of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Big y Gamma. It should be noted that both Big and Gamma debuted for the first time in this game.
Sonic Adventure and its open world
As we already pointed out at the beginning of the previous section, Sonic Adventure it stood out from its predecessors in its level design. These were much larger and encouraged exploration. Between each stage, we could interact with some NPCs and talk to them, collect collectibles and discover hidden paths.
The game has a total of 3 open levels: Station Square, Mystic Ruins y Egg Carrier. In each of them we can find some linear levels focused on going around the map avoiding obstacles and defeating all the enemies that we find in our path. All this we will have to do, of course, in the shortest possible time.
With that said, let’s take a closer look at the scenarios. On one hand, we have Station Squarand. This is the most important stage in the game, since it not only serves as a link to the other stages, but is also the place where the first fight between Sonic and Chaos takes place. Station Square is made up of a casino, a train station, a hotel and the beach. Some areas of this level are inaccessible to some characters. In total, Station Square has four linear levels: Emeral Coast, Casinopolis, Twinkle Park y Speed Highway.
For his part, Mystic Ruins It is the biggest stage in the game. Here are some points of great importance such as Tails’ workshop, Big the Cat’s house and Robotnik’s base. Mystic Ruins has a total of five levels: Windy Valley, Red Mountain, Ice Cap, Lost World y Final Egg. The setting of these scenarios is very diverse, since we will have jungle, mountain areas, and even an echidna temple.
Finally, we have the level of Egg Carrier. This is the smallest stage in the game, and yet it might be one of the most interesting. Egg Carrier is set on Dr. Eggman’s ship and is where most of the final fights in the game take place. This has two linear levels: Hot Shelter y Sky Deck.
