Sonic Team Says Speed Alone Isn't What Makes Sonic Games Fun

gamerant.com:

In a recent interview, the head of Sonic Team has described what he considers the essence of Sonic the Heddgehog games, and has said at what lengths that the developers have gone through to keep it intact in Sonic Frontiers. It seems as though even as the blue blur has gone numerous reiterations over the last 30 years, there has always been a core image as to what the Sonic the Hedgehog series has been about in the eyes of its creators.

According to Takashi Iizuka, the leader of Sonic Team, the «essence» of Sonic isn't just the blue hedgehog's trademark speed. Instead, it's about using the fast-paced gameplay to accomplish feats that could only be pulled off with that incredible pacing combined with the players' skills. The developer has said «running in a straight line won't cut it» when it comes to making sure fans experience the feelings that have made the Sonic series so iconic.

Sonic Frontiers Details How Knuckles Can Be Found, Minigames, Shark Boss Fight

Iizuka, during an interview with Eurogamer, has said that it's «very clear» to him that «just going fast doesn't make Sonic fun.» This is a rather interesting phrase to hear from the head of Sonic Team after Sonic Forces was criticized openly by fans for the amount of automation found within it. Many players simply put their controllers down to emphasize how the game could easily play itself at times. This phrase may very well mark Sonic Team learning from previous mistakes.

One other interesting part of Eurogamer's interview with the developer is that Iizuka calls Sonic Frontiers the «third» new iteration of Sonic gameplay. This almost excludes the «boost» gameplay of Sonic Unleashed that marks the halfway point between Sonic Adventure and Frontiers. However,