About team-based gameplay in Sonic games (what is your preference on them?)

[Shiny Gems]

Now, to start off, we had a game called Sonic Heroes, which had a very team-centered form of gameplay. With that, it had three characters per team, and the gameplay had those characters work together to perform moves more than a single character doing things on their own.

Now, sorry, but I have to bring this up: There was the rather infamous Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, which had four characters that were playable that went around together. Each character was able to do things more so on their own without teamwork, but there may have been some instances of team effort there.

And if you want fewer in numbers for a team, or just a tag team, there is Sonic Advance 3, which featured a tag-team gameplay system where characters could mostly do stuff on their own, but work with the other character in some way, as well as gain special abilities. That, of course, is kind of based on the mechanic that started in Sonic 2 where Sonic and Tails acted as one playable character, and Sonic could hang onto Tails' hands when he was flying.

There is also Knuckles Chaotix, but let's leave that out.

Now, tell me; if you would like to see a team based form of gameplay in Sonic games, how many characters would you want to be playable at once? Also, how would you like a team-based form of gameplay to work in Sonic games?

I'll start off; personally, I would like it to be three per team like in Heroes, only you could choose your own characters for the team you play as rather than it being all pre-selected. Each character would be able to do their normal moves without teamwork, but the team you play as would have different "Team Blast" attacks, depending on who it is you have put on your team, kind of like the team attack feature in the remake of Super Mario RPG. (The Legend of the Seven Stars one) The characters each might also get two special abilities from the other two teammates they are teamed up with like in Sonic Advance 3. The gameplay itself would be more speed style and less flight and power-based.

So, what about the rest of you? If you like team-based gameplay, how would you all like it to work?

Edited March 5 by Shiny Gems

[Wittymations]

I personally don't enjoy them. Mostly because I rather be playing a specific character at any given moment.

I sorta liked what they did with Sonic 4 Episode 2, I suppose. Where it's just one character you're controlling with an NPC that you occasionally do team-based moves. I can't remember if you could control Tails over Sonic. Anyway, I guess that's just a 2D variant of Heroes but felt different.  Weird how I sorta liked that when I dislike 2D Sonic more than not.

Anyway, if I had a choice, it'd be "don't." But if it's have to do, make it where it's just a follower that you  occasionally use.

[Shiny Gems]

Thanks for the response, @Wittymations. That said, I would like to tell everyone else who is reading this about doing something you just did, if that is okay...

Everyone who is reading this topic; feel free to say you don't want team-based gameplay if you don't want it, but please (as in I'm encouraging, not forcing anyone) consider telling what choice you'd go with if you had to go with something about team-based gameplay.

Edited March 5 by Shiny Gems

[castell-neath]

I like the Triple Trouble 16bit version / Mania Plus where you can flip between 2 characters by pressing button ... If I want to go fast? Sonic  fancy exploring that High platform? Tap, Tails. Simple as that. Just give us good combos to work with. Granted, this may wotk better in 2d games.

Edited March 5 by castell-neath

[SadVlad]

7 hours ago, Shiny Gems said:

Now, to start off, we had a game called Sonic Heroes, which had a very team-centered form of gameplay. With that, it had three characters per team, and the gameplay had those characters work together to perform moves more than a single character doing things on their own.

Now, sorry, but I have to bring this up: There was the rather infamous Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, which had four characters that were playable that went around together. Each character was able to do things more so on their own without teamwork, but there may have been some instances of team effort there.

And if you want fewer in numbers for a team, or just a tag team, there is Sonic Advance 3, which featured a tag-team gameplay system where characters could mostly do stuff on their own, but work with the other character in some way, as well as gain special abilities. That, of course, is kind of based on the mechanic that started in Sonic 2 where Sonic and Tails acted as one playable character, and Sonic could hang onto Tails' hands when he was flying.

There is also Knuckles Chaotix, but let's leave that out.

Now, tell me; if you would like to see a team based form of gameplay in Sonic games, how many characters would you want to be playable at once? Also, how would you like a team-based form of gameplay to work in Sonic games?

I'll start off; personally, I would like it to be three per team like in Heroes, only you could choose your own characters for the team you play as rather than it being all pre-selected. Each character would be able to do their normal moves without teamwork, but the team you play as would have different "Team Blast" attacks, depending on who it is you have put on your team, kind of like the team attack feature in the remake of Super Mario RPG. (The Legend of the Seven Stars one) The characters each might also get two special abilities from the other two teammates they are teamed up with like in Sonic Advance 3. The gameplay itself would be more speed style and less flight and power-based.

So, what about the rest of you? If you like team-based gameplay, how would you all like it to work?

I loved Sonic Heroes. It's one of my all time faves! But hearing you talk about this makes me feel like you would absolutely love Sonic SMS 3. It basically has everything you were talking about. You should definitely check it out and let me know your thoughts afterwards. I don't think you will be disappointed.

https://sonic-sms-remake.blogspot.com/p/three.html?m=1

[Iko]

I wouldn't mind something like Sonic Forces did with the avatar: in some levels you play as two characters (Sonic and the avatar), and you move them together at the same time... depending on the move that you perform, one character or the other will act, but you are technically controlling just one "entity".

The downside of this system is that you will never be able to fully play as one character... for example, if you have Sonic, Tails and Knuckles in the same "entity", you would never be able to homing attack, because as you double jump, Tails would take the lead and fly instead (that's just an example, it's not necessarily the only option).

Think Rick, Kine and Coo in Kirby Star Allies, instead of disappearing, all 3 of them are always on screen (one is controlled by the player and the others follow), though they function the same as they do in the actual game, the controlled one changes depending on the move.

Edited March 8 by Iko

[regularmilo]

Sonic Mania Plus nailed this concept with being able to swap between two characters. I even like the roulette style of collecting them through monitors and losing them when you die. It really spices things up.

And heck, I really kinda like the combi-ring in Chaotix. I think the fault of that game is the level design. Had the levels been actually fleshed out, I think the combi-ring system could have been used to pull off some cool stuff. As it is, I'm pretty good at flinging the characters around to gain speed and air.

[Maple Syrup]

Why is no one talking about Sonic Advance 3? You can use only 2 characters to play! I haven't played this game that much but I played the first level and it was pretty cool. I heard that the Cream/Knuckles combo is real powerful! 

[Sonicfan787]

10 minutes ago, Maple Syrup said:

Why is no one talking about Sonic Advance 3? You can use only 2 characters to play! I haven't played this game that much but I played the first level and it was pretty cool. I heard that the Cream/Knuckles combo is real powerful! 

Agreed! Advance 3 is actually one of my favorite Sonic games. I would say that 2 was better but that character combo was great. It's something I wish more modern Sonic games brought back

Edited March 12 by Sonicfan787