Sonic the Hedgehog (2020 video game) (Johnsonverse)

Sonic the Hedgehog is a 2020 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega and Paramount Digital Entertainment, based on the movie of the same name, which in turn is based on the video game franchise of the same name. It follows the plot of the movie closely, with Sonic teaming up with Green Hills Sheriff Tom Wachowski to stop the evil government agent Dr. Robotnik from capturing Sonic. It uses an enhanced version of the Hedgehog Engine.

The first Sonic game since the acquisition of Sega Sammy Holdings by Johnson Industries on July 31, 2019, the game was released exactly one year later for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, Macintosh, Linux, Mandatum, and Chromebook. It was critically acclaimed for its voice acting, music, graphics, faithfulness to the story, and gameplay, which was touted as an improvement over previous Sonic games such as Sonic Forces.

Premise and setting
Sonic the Hedgehog is a platforming game about Sonic teaming up with Tom to recover his bag of portal rings while evading Dr. Robotnik. Each Zone is split into two Acts: one in which Sonic is played, and one with Tom. There are exceptions, such as a Sonic-exclusive level called "Sonic's World", which acts as a tutorial for controlling Sonic, and "Green Hills, Montana", which acts as a tutorial for controlling Tom. There are also boss battles in which Sonic and/or Tom must fight Robotnik's machines that occur throughout the game.

Sonic and Tom's styles, despite both being set in a third-person perspective, are completely different: Sonic's style is a high-speed, action-packed platformer, while Tom's style is more realistic, as he sprints slower, and has a sprint meter.

Multiplayer
In this mode, multiple players each play as Sonic, with their name above the character. Up to 200 players can participate in a given session.

Plot
Having been forced out of his home planet as a baby by a tribe of echidnas who wanted to use his power to take over his world, a blue alien hedgehog named Sonic, who now lives on Earth, must recover his bag of portal rings from the top of the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco, California. He teams up with Green Hills Sheriff Tom Wachowski and his wife Maddie to go to San Francisco. Meanwhile, an evil scientist named Dr. Ivo Robotnik has been sent by the United States government to capture Sonic, who had accidentally caused an EMP blast that knocked out all power across the Pacific Northwest, and Sonic, Tom, and Maddie must stop the evil doctor from capturing him.

Development
Development began on August 1, 2019, one day after Johnson acquired Sega. Tim himself wanted the game to "feel like you're playing the daytime stages in Sonic Unleashed", as one of his criticisms with recent 3D Sonic games was that "they just weren't all that fun", pointing to recent games like Sonic Forces as an example. Tim also personally oversaw the game's development to ensure it would be of "exceptionally" high quality.

Cutscenes
For cutscenes that are pre-rendered, the animation is provided by Marza Animation Planet, and for in-game cutscenes, the human characters were motion-captured, while Sonic, Longclaw, and the echidna tribe were freely animated (Sonic's facial expressions notwithstanding).

Music
The composer, Jun Senoue, has worked on many Sonic titles in the past. He was told by Tim to incorporate "many elements that people expect from a Sonic game while adding a slightly realistic touch". The music for the results screen, a remix of the song that plays in the Competition results screen in Sonic Mania, was reused from Team Sonic Racing, as Tim liked that particular cue, albeit remixed even further. The song "Gotta Go Fast" by Chizzy Stephens, which had been considered for the movie but was rejected in favor of "Speed Me Up", was used in the credits, while an instrumental version of "Speed Me Up" was used in the title screen and main menu.

Voice acting
Ben Schwartz, who voiced Sonic in the film, reprises his role here. Tom was voiced by Nolan North, and Dr. Robotnik was voiced by Mike Pollock, reprising his role from the games.

Reception
The game received acclaim from critics and fans. On IGN, it received a