Sonic Can't Swim Because Creator Yuji Naka Wanted Him To "Have Something He Is Not Good At As A Character"
The creator behind Sonic the Hedgehog, Yuji Naka, recently revealed why the character can’t swim, noting that “I thought it would be better for him to have something he is not good at as a character.” Players have long been speculating about the matter on account of the fact that hedgehogs in the real world are perfectly capable of swimming.
The news comes from a fan of the franchise going by the name of TeeChuDesigns on Twitter who posted a picture featuring a factoid to the effect that “Sonic can’t swim because the developers thought hedgehogs couldn’t swim.” Naka was quick to confirm this.
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“Yes, I did not know that,” Naka remarked. “I first learned that hedgehogs could swim when I visited a hedgehog shelter in Germany, but Sonic can't swim because I thought it would be better for him to have something he is not good at as a character.”
Naka went on to describe the trip to Germany and the various events which transpired. “In the summer of 2005, during my business trip to Germany, I visited a hedgehog center in the town of Leipzig,” the developer pointed out. “I learned that hedgehogs can swim when one of the staff at the center told me that they had built a ramp to help hedgehogs get to shore.”
This comes amidst a great deal of anxiety in the community around the upcoming release of Sonic Frontiers. The developer behind the game, Sega, released a little bit of gameplay footage back in June, creating an incredible amount of controversy in the process. Fans of this beloved franchise reacted negatively, criticizing everything from the open world level design to the combat mechanics, many of them calling for the game to be delayed. The overall feeling has
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