Sonic the Hedgehog

About This Game

Gameplay

Sonic the Hedgehog is a 3D platformer with action-adventure and role-playing elements.#cite_note-1up-review-2)[failed verification] Like Sonic Adventure (1998), the player navigates open-ended hub worlds where they can converse with townspeople and perform missions to advance the story.#cite_note-avclub25-3) The main gameplay takes place in linear levels "Level (video gaming)") that become accessible as the game progresses. The main playable characters are three hedgehogs: Sonic "Sonic the Hedgehog (character)"), Shadow, and Silver, who feature in separate campaigns.#cite_note-GSreview-4) A bonus campaign, which involves all three hedgehogs and concludes the storyline, is unlocked upon completing the first three.#cite_note-GIreview-5)#cite_note-:6-6) Sonic's gameplay focuses on the speed-based platforming seen in previous Sonic games, with some sections having him run at full speed while dodging obstacles or riding a snowboard.#cite_note-GSreview-4) Another character, Princess Elise, must be escorted in some stages, and she can use a special barrier to guard Sonic.

History

### Conception Sonic Team began planning what would become Sonic the Hedgehog after finishing the 2003 games Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg and Sonic Heroes.#cite_note-SChan-15)#cite_note-HistoryOfSonic-16) They began outlining a game with a realistic tone and physics engine; it was initially unrelated to Sonic, but became a Sonic game after Sega asked Sonic Team to start working on one.#cite_note-silver-17)Sonic the Hedgehog was conceived for sixth-generation consoles, but Sonic Team realized its release would coincide with the franchise's 15th anniversary and decided to develop it for seventh-generation consoles such as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.