Sonic Team lead can’t help himself, wonders “how have we gotten to 30 years with no RPGs” and hopes to make the forbidden Sonic RPG before he retires
The sands of time have largely forgotten the Sonic RPG that already exists
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In 33 years, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has somehow spawned just one official RPG, and it didn’t even come from the Sonic Team mothership. That was Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, aBioWaregame released on the Nintendo DS in 2008, and while you’re recovering from the psychic damage of that information, have some more: Sonic Team lead Takashi Iizuka hopes to make a Sonic RPG of his own before he retires.
Iizuka discussed this particular dream in a recent interview withGood Vibes Gaming(thanks,Eurogamer), affirming that he’s a big fan of RPGs and can’t help but wonder, “‘Why haven’t we done a Sonic RPG in all this time? How have we gotten to 30 years with no RPGs?!'”
“I’d like to hopefully work on a Sonic RPG at some point before I retire fromSega,” Iizuka adds. “But you know, that’s just a dream right now… There are no concrete plans at this point.”
Now that Iizuka has said it out loud, it is surprising that we haven’t gotten any Sonic RPGs outside of fan games, especially given Sonic Team’s experience with various Phantasy Star RPGs. I don’t know think the Sonic tapestry would be a great fit for Phantasy Star’s approach specifically, but the hedgehog’s large and colorful roster of friends, the many memorable item pickups seen throughout the games, and the series’ collection of stunning environments and music could certainly become the foundation for a compelling RPG. I’m picturing something turn-based with combat bonuses tied to precise button inputs, maybe with a tag-team system like Super Mario RPG meets Trails.
The wildest kart racer I’ve ever played might just be this Sonic fan game so mechanically dense it opens with a 45-minute tutorial.
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Austin freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and he’s been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They’ve yet to realize that his position as a senior writer is just a cover up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he’s kept the ruse going with a focus on news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.
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