Supersonic in a Single Step

"Ring ring ring----"

As he ran, each time he caught a golden ring, the speaker would play a crisp and pleasant sound effect.

Compared to the electronic synthesized sound of 8-bit audio, it is significantly cleaner and doesn't have that harsh, tiring quality.

The entire opening section consists entirely of long straightaways.

It wasn't until they reached the end of the road, where a ring floating in the sky appeared in the distance, that Masahiro Sakurai suddenly realized what was happening.

I haven't even jumped yet!

This was the first time Masahiro Sakurai had encountered a platforming game like this.

But clearly, it's time for my first jump.

"Swoosh"

As he pressed the jump button, Sonic, who was almost a blur, suddenly took to the air and curled himself into a ball like a real hedgehog.

Then—it started spinning!

Well, this kind of situation is quite common in old games like Contra.

However, in an era when graphics technology was limited, this design was purely intended to prevent the jumps from appearing too stiff.

As for where we are now, Masahiro Sakurai can clearly sense that this was deliberately designed.

We need to make him turn it!

Sonic's original thick spikes curled out after he was curled up, resembling the serrated tracks of Metal Slug, giving him a rather aggressive look.

This uncompromising, sharp design style is indeed quite different from the family-friendly atmosphere that Super Mario emphasizes.

Although the visuals are vibrant, they don't rely heavily on dark tones and unsettling color schemes like those used in Biohazard, which is primarily a depressing work.

But the feeling it evokes is that unstoppable drive that belongs only to youth.

Admittedly, Sonic may not be as universally appealing as Nintendo's style.

But in his area of expertise, he truly excelled.

"So deeply moved that even Masahiro Sakurai himself couldn't help but cheer."

This moment feels like sitting on the back of a motorcycle, enjoying the breeze.

All that's needed is the purest sense of speed to awaken the madness hidden deep within.

Suddenly, the game slowed down, as if entering bullet time.

"Press A"

A prompt that could hardly be called a QTE popped up, instructing him to press the jump button again.

At the same time, a cursor, resembling a scope, was locked onto the enemy monster not far away.

As he watched Sonic spinning rapidly through the air, Masahiro Sakurai felt a stirring in his heart.

He didn't even need to do anything; he already knew what would happen next.

"Boom!"

Sonic, who was spinning so fast he was practically spitting out sparks, suddenly left a long trail after Masahiro Sakurai pressed jump again, and then crashed into the locked enemy in an instant.

Before he could even process the indescribable feeling of exhilaration, the cursor suddenly moved to the next enemy.

Sonic didn't land directly; instead, he used the recoil from Tackle his enemy to roll and bounce back into the air.

Almost instinctively, Masahiro Sakurai pressed the jump button again.

"Boom!"

Then again and again----

"Boom! Boom! Boom!----"

With several consecutive charges, he sent an entire enemy pack flying.

In a world where we've long been accustomed to the fast-paced gameplay of 8-bit games, and even 16-bit games haven't seen much improvement, Sonic's pace, which is even more exaggerated than arcade games, is simply unbelievable.

It had only been a short while, but it had already instantly transported Masahiro Sakurai back to the first time he played Metal Slug.

At that time.

That ultra-fast-paced, arcade-style gameplay seems to have become a symbol of Sega's gaming culture.

Looking at the whole world, it seems that only they can achieve this style.

Bring the arcade experience home!

At first, everyone just took it as a slogan used by Sega for advertising.

It's simply about promoting how superior Genesis's performance is.

But now it seems that, with games like Metal Slug and Sonic the Hedgehog, and even older games like Temple Run,

It was only after the adaptation of the work that Masahiro Sakurai gradually realized his previous understanding of this GG language----

That seems completely wrong!

Bringing an arcade machine home isn't just about showing off its features—

What people are talking about is the kind of smooth, fast-paced gaming style that only arcade games can achieve.

These are things that other gaming platforms find difficult to do.

Despite it being an act that seemed to be pushing the console's lifespan to its limit, Masahiro Sakurai failed to perceive any concern from Sega.

It's as if they have absolute confidence, confident that Sega is not worried about whether you'll quickly get tired of it due to aesthetic fatigue.

It's as if they were already prepared to continuously release new games that stimulate players' senses before they get bored.

"No wonder they have the eye to discover my talent, they're amazing!"

Thinking of this, Masahiro Sakurai threw his head back and laughed.

However, in such a fast-paced environment, even a moment's lapse in concentration could be fatal.

A piranha suddenly emerged from the water the moment he tilted his head back and bit him unexpectedly.

"Ring ring----"

The golden rings rang out, and the golden rings that Sonic had already put in his pocket were all spat out by the injury, scattering all over the ground.

Surprisingly, despite being a punitive mechanism, this approach has been surprisingly well-received.

It's much better than dying outright.

Although the score boost from the gold ring was gone, in its place, I was no longer sent back to the checkpoint to start all over again because of a small mistake.

For a work that emphasizes speed, coherence, and fast pace, this design does indeed effectively preserve the sense of speed that has been painstakingly built up.

"That was close!"

Masahiro Sakurai quickly gripped the handle, no longer daring to lose focus.

It seems that the gold had saved his life.

"A steep downhill curve?"

After passing through that area, a long, downward slope clearly appears ahead.

This design is rarely seen in past platform jumps.

Typically, if this is needed, people will use tile splicing to create a stepped sloping effect.

Such smooth and continuous lines and curves are simply unheard of.

"He?"

However, before he could speed up, Masahiro Sakurai suddenly noticed something unusual.

The slope appeared to be teeming with enemies.

This is very wrong.

Logically speaking, this map design is clearly intended to help him relax after the earlier challenges.

It should be meant to let him guzzle it all in one go and have a good time.

The presence of monsters means he needs to constantly engage with them, making it impossible for him to simply run away.

Judging from the quality of the previous map design, this is clearly not the level they should be at.

"PressX"

Just as he was thinking this, the game seemed to have guessed his thoughts, and a new UI suddenly appeared in the lower left corner of the screen.

It was a progress bar, a blue-framed progress bar, which was now full.

[X-Boost]

What else is there to say? Let's go!

"Bang!"

The moment the push button was pressed, a white, umbrella-shaped cloud of air burst out around Sonic and enveloped him backward.

At the same time, a deep, loud, and intense airburst sound came from the speakers.

Then, in a split second, Sonic accelerated to an unprecedented speed, dashing forward at a near teleportation speed.

As for the monsters that were originally on the road?

Sorry, I thought it was a speed bump. We're all trying our best to live.

"Sound----sonic boom?"

That white cloud of gas just now looked exactly like a sonic boom from an object breaking the sound barrier at high speed, right?

Does that mean Sonic accelerated by one millisecond just now at 0-100 km/h?

Can one step lead to supersonic speed?

What was the point of fiddling with my legs like that on the way here?

Is it Figure 160?

I recall Sonic's arrogant pose with his finger waving in the title sequence.

Masahiro Sakurai suddenly chuckled.

Isn't this what they call "Hey, just kidding"?

This is a typical "no rush, let's play along" approach.

Only those with absolute confidence in their own abilities have the resources to play like this.

"Wow, this is so cool!"

Not only is he handsome, but he's also awesome!

It was so awesome!

Rather than a skill-based platforming game, it's more like a pure work created for pure enjoyment.

Even with poor skills, it's easy to complete.

However, to achieve the best possible collection and a faster completion time, certain skills are clearly required.

This is a typical work that is easy to learn but difficult to master.

However, Sega seemed determined to deliver a series of climaxes in one go. Before this exhilarating acceleration had even completely ended, at the end of the steep downhill slope, something unexpected happened—

A 360-degree loop!

It's like the kind of structure you only see in a roller coaster.

It takes the centrifugal force generated by high speed to grip the ground tightly in order to pass.

"Swoosh)))"

But who exactly is Sonic?

Without pausing for even a moment, it glided through the large loop, leaving a trail of shadows.

For a fleeting moment, even Sonic himself—the entire hedgehog—was suspended upside down on the giant loop.

It's less like running and more like riding a roller coaster.

Whether it's the sense of speed, the exhilaration, or the thrill of rushing past enemies and collecting gold rings, everything has been executed to the extreme.

"When I get into Sega, I want to make games like this too!"

If a person can create one work like this in their lifetime, perhaps they can live a life without regrets.

If he were the one who developed this game, he would even have the urge to have it engraved on his tombstone.

Having lived most of my life and played countless games, it seems that this is the kind of work I've been waiting for all along.

"With a whoosh, in Masahiro Sakurai's already somewhat dazed eyes, Sonic slid from one side of the screen to the other in the blink of an eye, passing through the ring at the finish line."

He didn't even look at his customs clearance and settlement data.

Because none of that matters anymore.

Regardless of the outcome, the process itself had already given him a good time.