Sonic Mania Adventures, Episode 1: Sonic Returns

Sonic Mania Adventures, Episode 1: Sonic Returns

Original Release Date: March 30th, 2018

All throughout what can collectively be looked back on as the Dork Age of "Sonic" games – which stretches roughly from the release of "Sonic '06" to whatever Modern era game you like the most – fans of my age were begging Sega for something that seemed so simple. Why not take Sonic back to his roots? Why not make a 16-bit style throwback to the original Genesis games? The releases for the various handheld systems had been exactly that for a long time and those titles were a lot better received than the big budget releases. And Sega would half-heartedly acknowledge this request from time to time. "Sonic Unleashed" featured segments where the perspective would switch to a traditional platformer format, short lived respites between the boost shenanigans and werehog brawling. "Sonic the Hedgehog 4" was ostensibly meant to be exactly this but was botched by a number of poor decisions. "Sonic Generations" was obviously the closest we got to this prayer being answered but Sonic Team still felt the need to cut back and forth between Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic stages. In other words, this frustrating need to please two very different audiences, who wanted very different things, at the same time persisted. The idea to simply make Classic games for Classic fans and Modern games for Modern fans seemed out of reach. 

That would change with "Sonic Mania" in 2017, the first "Sonic" game to be universally beloved by the press in decades. It's not too hard to figure out what made this shift happen: Sega decided to let the lunatics run the asylum, at least for a little bit. "Mania" was made by a fan game creator and shows an obvious dedication and love of the original Mega Drive era, resulting in what could arguably be the best 2D-style game in the series. Christian Whitehead was not the only well-known fan who was allowed to do his own thing with "Mania." Tyson Hesse had risen from edgy sprite comics to popular fan artist to official contributor to the Archie books. The bastard would next be drafted to direct the animated intro to "Mania." Hesse's personal style was already heavily influenced by the "Sonic CD" opening, with his own touches of quirky humor added, which made him the idea choice to create this sequence. And it was glorious. Simply beautiful, as fun and carefree and exciting a piece of "Sonic" that had existed in decades. The kind of stuff that reminded old fans like me why we loved these characters in the first place. 

The animation was so well received that Hesse was invited back to do a trailer in the same style for the expanded physical release of "Mania" the next year, reintroducing Mighty and Ray to the world. The reception to these clips was such that a common refrain went up through the fandom: Why can't we get a full-length "Sonic" animated series in this style, with Hesse's involvement? At the time, there was no "Sonic" cartoon producing new episodes and the live action movie was still a few years off. Seemed like the time to strike, didn't it? Somebody actually involved with Sega Corporate must have had a similar idea because, in spring of 2018, we would kind of get exactly that. Animation – especially traditional animation, in which artists still physically draw each frame – is a long, drawn-out process that can take years to produce. Not to mention arguing with networks or streaming services can lead to less-than-ideal results, as Sonic Team has recently experienced with Cartoon Network's handling of "Sonic Boom." Everyone clearly wanted a Hesse-led animated series in the same style as his work on "Mania" but getting such a project out in a timely manner – much less soon enough to tie-in with the release of "Sonic Mania Plus" – was probably too tall an order to handle...

A rather brilliant compromise was found. Hesse would direct a series of six episodes, totaling only eleven minutes in length all together, and released directly to the "Sonic" YouTube channel, bypassing any exhausting network negotiations. New installments would drop at the end of every month starting in spring of 2018. The plot of "Sonic Mania Adventures" would link the end of "Sonic Forces" with the additional content in the "Plus" re-release, while giving us more of the Classic universe thrills and laughs we so clearly wanted. It wasn't quite what we actually wanted but it would allow Hesse and his team to maintain a high level of quality while making the Sega CEOs happy. The resulting "Adventures" was about as universally beloved as any "Sonic" content can be these days, ignoring the screeds of people who hate anything Classic era by default. The success of "Adventures" would create a habit of Sega dropping new, stylized animations onto YouTube every time they have a new game to promote, one of the best things the studio has done in recent memory.

Each episode of "Sonic Mania Adventures" only runs a few minutes each. I should probably review the entire series in one block. However, I gotta be me and what me does is ramble on about stuff for far too long, so expect individual reviews for each episode. The series kicks off with "Sonic Returns," so named because it begins with Classic Sonic returning to his home world or timeline or whatever it is. He immediately spies Eggman carrying some Flickies in an Egg Prison and leaps into action. This is soon revealed to be a trap, Sonic getting captured by a simple snare and stuck beside a ticking bomb. Eggman must appear to gloat, leading to much shenanigans and the reveal that the doctor is still after those pesky Phantom Rubies. 

Something that makes "Sonic Mania Adventures" such a delight is that it returns to the franchise's roots in more way than one. "Sonic Returns" obviously features many familiar bits of music, environment, and story elements, all designed to activate the serotonin centers of old people like me. However, a particular choice takes us back to the very first bit of "Sonic" media. Before the comics and the cartoons, there were the games themselves. The Genesis titles told simple stories through brief cut scenes that didn't feature word balloons, conveying the plot entirely through visuals and music. Back in the day, you'd play those games, provide your own words for the characters in your head, and imagine deeper interaction in-between the stages. It fired the imagination, in other words. "Sonic Mania Adventures" continues this trend by depicting the cast as speechless, the animation alone telling the story. I realize this was probably not Hesse and his team's decision. Sega has decided a while back that "Classic" Sonic would not talk. However, it ends up invoking the original experience of first playing these games in a surprisingly powerful way.

There's an easily uncovered reason why Classic Sonic and friends wouldn't talk. We all know that the character's original main inspiration were "rubber hose" style classic cartoons from the twenties and thirties. Sonic was very much a product of the nineties and would soon enough reflect that but Felix the Cat, Steamboat Willie, and Oswalt the Lucky Rabbit we're his immediate influences. This is reflected in "Sonic Returns." Mainly, in the way it revolves around a simplistic story of a smiling hero going up against a rotund, buffoonish enemy. Eggman setting traps for Sonic and attempting to capture him brings the straight-forward premises of "Tom and Jerry" or "Coyote and Run Roader." Eggman doesn't want to eat this little blue guy but he's still trying to get one over on him, only to be effortlessly undermined by the mischievous, slicker-than-slick hero. Like Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd or the Wolf and Red Hot Riding Hood, its as direct as can be. Baddie wants to get the hero but the hero is much too clever for that. Tale as old as time. 

And that simple kind of physical comedy is exactly what this episode features. When Sonic gets tossed along by a series of spikes emerging from the ground or fools Eggman into his own boobie trap, it's obviously in the style of old school chase cartoons. We certainly see this in Eggman's characterization as equal parts antagonist that vexes the hero and pathetic fool that he feels kind of sorry for, evident in the scene where Eggman whimpers and blubbers until Sonic tries to set him free. That the adversary is ultimately hoisted by his own petard could not be more in the fashion of classic animation. However, you can still tell that Tyson Hesse was directly involved in this, providing the storyboards. (Which, no doubt, resembled his comic work a lot.) The artist's quirky sense of humor and ability to get a laugh with a wacky but very expressive face remains intact. So much of Sonic's personality, his exuberance but also his attitude, are conveyed through the stretched mouth and squinting eyes. The fact that Hesse's Sonic can clearly be surprised by what happens to him actually adds some depth to this blue dude with 'tude. He can be caught off-guard. He's not infallible. Makes him a lot easier to root for, despite Eggman's machinations still providing little challenge for him. 

There is, simply put, an exuberance that is apparent in every frame of "Sonic Returns." You can tell that working on this short was a dream come true for everyone involved in it and that sheer joy never leaves. That the episode is only a few minutes long certainly doesn't hurt, not giving us enough time for that sugar rush high to ebb or run down. However, you can clearly see that "Sonic Mania Adventures" is largely inspired by the legendary "Sonic CD" opening animation. Not only in the spindly limbed character designs, which clearly draw from that intro. You also see it in the way Sonic runs, jumps, and moves. He doesn't merely speed off in one direction. He twirls around a tree, spins into the air, his limbs unfurling like a flying squirrel. He's having a good time, living his life and being a hero. That fun is infectious. When you combine it with the bright colors, the catchy music, the fun sound effects, you get a short that instantly captures the sense of freedom and speed that the original "Sonic" games produced, all beautifully and fluidly animated in a likable and playful style. 

Being made during the height of Marvel movie mania, it's not too surprising that "Sonic Returns" has a superhero movie style post-credit scene that teased the appearance of a fan favorite villain. The episode sets up a wider story, dropping a hint about those pesky emeralds, while still functioning as a totally entertaining work in its own right. In other words, in all of three minutes, it captures so much of what the Sonic experience should be about. I love it. I honestly can't remember if the rest of "Sonic Mania Adventures" is as good as this first installment, as I haven't watched them since they were new. Now, I'm very excited to see if the remaining episodes stand up to the quality of this one. [9/10]