Running Too Fast? Flying Too Low!

Regardless of how the outside world evaluates this incident, Sonic the Hedgehog was released as scheduled.

However, due to the time difference, the first players to get to play it were those in Japan.

Masahiro Sakurai, clutching his newly acquired Sonic the Hedgehog cartridge and the accompanying the Flash Sonic comic, walked blissfully home.

For him, these past few days have been the most exhilarating time of his life.

The reason is simple: they received a reply from Sega.

The reply clearly stated that although the headquarters did not approve of him, the newly established AM10 was very satisfied with his portfolio.

The letter even mentioned that he would be invited to a first-round interview in a few days.

Isn't this a sure sign of reaching the pinnacle of life?

Hehe----hahahaha----"

Whenever he thinks of this, Masahiro Sakurai can't help but smile.

"Well, that's a story for later. Right now, the most important thing is to play this new game as soon as possible."

He looked at the card box in his hand; the blue cartoon hedgehog was giving him a thumbs-up.

It was as if it knew it was about to be promoted to Sega.

"Hey, thank you so much!"

As he walked, he overheard the conversations of passersby.

"Hey, look at that guy, the one grinning like an idiot. Isn't that the newly released Sonic the Hedgehog he was holding?"

"It really does seem so!"

Upon hearing this, Masahiro Sakurai straightened his back even more.

It's not just a newly released game, but also a new game from the best game company in all of Japan where he's about to join.

"Hey, I heard Sega is making a side-scrolling platformer this time too."

Platforming? Like Super Mario.? Are they crazy? Super Mario Bros. 3 has only been out for a short time!

In the field of platform jumping, there is an indisputable consensus within the industry.

That is, Super Mario is undeniably the strongest.

No matter how excellent other works are, at most they can only reach the level of being second only to one person and above ten thousand others.

For Sega, a company that had just risen from the ashes, venturing into this field rashly was tantamount to suicide.

"Who can argue with that? But I've heard that Sega is now allied with Gamenova, so who knows, maybe they're giving them technical Support?"

No, no, no.

The person who answered shook a finger, striking a knowing pose, "You're an amateur, aren't you? Gamenova has never done platforming before."

"Eh? So you mean—two laymen?"

"That's right, Nintendo is the authority in this area."

"Damn, then I don't understand. Why are they—"

Shh, stop talking, they're glaring at us.

After saying that, the two glanced at Masahiro Sakurai, whose eyes were filled with malice, and reluctantly quickened their pace to create distance between them.

"What bad luck!"

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Masahiro Sakurai's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed.

Encountering two such annoying people really ruins any good mood.

Nintendo's expertise in platforming games is undeniable.

Even Masahiro Sakurai would find it hard to disagree.

After playing Metal Slug, he developed a vague expectation for this powerful machine.

Some unrealistic expectations.

Sega is directly competing with Gamenova, so there must be a reason why they dare to release a new side-scrolling action game at this time.

"Alright, then let me see what you're capable of, baby."

Finally arriving home, Masahiro Sakurai didn't waste any time. Without even glancing at the manga, he quickly inserted the cartridge, plugged in the power, and turned on the device.

"SE~GA~"

The Sega console's signature startup sound emanates.

[Produced by SonicTeam]

With just one glance, Masahiro Sakurai realized that Sega was not quite as others had described.

Because this hedgehog's role is clearly different from that of the goofy Mario.

At first glance, Masahiro Sakurai could tell that it seemed to be targeting the youth market.

Sonic is handsome and confident, with the spirited and dashing air of a young man.

As the music played, his fingers swayed along with it.

It's like saying you're all no good.

Their arrogance knows no bounds; it's a perfect outward expression of the Game Nova state.

But this attitude, in fact, hit everyone's bullseye.

Adolescence is a period when one doesn't yet have a clear understanding of their own abilities and is arrogantly oblivious to the world around them.

Everyone claims to be the protagonist of the world, the center of the story.

This distinctive character is exactly what everyone wants.

If we really trace back to the original Sonic, it does indeed have many similarities to Super Mario on various levels.

Similarities.

Jump up and stomp enemies to death, search for hidden items concealed in the tree canopy --

If you're familiar with Super Mario, you'll probably have a strong sense of déjà vu when you first see the original Sonic.

In that era, this was Sega's own predicament.

In that era when Sonic's unique mechanics were not yet fully developed, all they could do was proceed cautiously, learning as they went.

However, regardless of the circumstances, this design was ultimately not satisfactory for Lin Lixin, who was busy establishing new IPs for Sega.

So Ping and Lin Lixin simply used the increasingly mature version from later generations as a blueprint to create a simple plan for Yuji Naka and his team.

This includes changing the combat to the more sophisticated, accelerated aiming Tackle of later generations, instead of Mario's stomp style.

At the same time, there is the most important design concept: simplified operation.

Apart from the necessary directional keys, almost all of Sonic's interactions in this generation can be performed using the jump button.

Of course, Lin Lixin also gave Yuji Naka and his team some extra help with the level design.

The imprint of thought is a terrifying thing.

If Sonic doesn't actively break free from these commonly accepted notions, Sonic map design could very well become a disaster.

Because in this day and age, when you mention platforming, everyone probably thinks of the classic first stage of the Super Mario.

The design process will naturally be subtly influenced by it.

To be fair, if it were any other platforming game, there would be no problem in learning from or imitating Nintendo's level design.

After all, Nintendo is indeed a master when it comes to level design.

But not Sonic the Hedgehog.

Its maps must be expansive, incorporating numerous straightaways and ramps, as well as a multitude of 360-degree loops and tunnels purely for technical stunt.

If you were to design a map with the same meticulous approach as Super Mario, it would actually ruin the player experience.

Simply put, it means stopping at a certain point.

Sonic's acceleration is linear; it takes a certain amount of time to accelerate from a standstill to top speed.

If numerous obstacles and enemies interfere with the process, then each time the player hasn't had time to add...

If you rush through it, it will be interrupted immediately.

If you hold your breath in your chest, unable to let it go up or down, you'll eventually be unable to feel any pleasure.

Whether the early Sonic was intentionally designed that way is uncertain, but given the limited capabilities of the technology, it's understandable that it couldn't achieve the same level of smooth movement as later versions.

However, being able to understand something doesn't mean it's acceptable.

Now that Lin Lixin has taken over and even switched to the ATHENA chip, which is much better than MD, we naturally have to find a way to make it the best it can be.

Thus, what is ultimately presented to players is this seamless, super-large map achieved through streaming data.

Masahiro Sakurai blinked as he gently pressed the start button.

Surprisingly simple.

There were no fancy steps, the game just started.

It's like Super Mario.

There's no character selection, no level selection, and no complicated character creation system.

It simply and directly tells the players that the game has begun.

He had hoped to see a design like the one in Metal Slug.

From the very beginning, Masahiro Sakurai noticed the most fundamental difference between this game and Super Mario.

It's almost as if it were just for showing off; Sonic's world is filled with a lot of sloping and curved surfaces.

A row of golden rings floated and spun not far ahead.

Even gamers who have never played any video games will instantly understand what this is.

This is clearly a collectible.

Veteran players like Masahiro Sakurai, who could memorize the stages of the Super Mario long ago, are naturally even more familiar with it.

This thing is clearly designed to compete with the gold coins in Super Mario.

In platforming games, collectibles not only provide extra challenges and bonus points, but also serve as guides.

It's a soft guide left by the designers for the player, providing a recommended route.

"Hmm----"

So far, aside from its excellent graphics and more three-dimensional map design, this game hasn't given Masahiro Sakurai anything truly "eye-opening."

"Don't let me down, Sonic."

This guy calls himself Sonic the Hedgehog.

Press the forward button, Sonic obediently begins to move his feet.

At first, he seemed no different from Mario or any other platformer character.

The only thing worth noting is perhaps Sonic's bright red shoes.

Even in such a colorful world, his shoes were exceptionally eye-catching.

Masahiro Sakurai didn't have to wait long.

Within just a few seconds of starting, he immediately realized that the situation seemed to be far beyond his expectations.

Sonic's feet were moving faster and faster, visibly faster and faster.

He ran faster and faster, keeping pace with them.

When it reaches a certain threshold, it even transforms into a turbine-like shape reminiscent of those in cartoons.

Sonic's feet curled up, obscuring his steps; only a faint red glow remained.

"No way?"

Masahiro Sakurai suddenly felt that his vocabulary was not enough.

If I knew Chinese, I'd want to yell, "Holy crap!"

I've never seen a side-scrolling action game like this in my entire life.

Rather than saying this guy ran too fast, it's more accurate to say he flew too low!

The long straightaway at the start, coupled with a series of gold rings, allowed him to have a blast.

This isn't platforming at all.

This is clearly a race!

This thing is even more fun to run than a racing game!