What is Peak 3D Sonic for you/What is your ideal Sonic 3D game experience?

[Cyb3rkn1ght]

So, I want to make a 3D Sonic Fangame in the future, but I gotta ask: What would you put in the game, for the best experience? Would you really need story? do you need plenty of playable characters? What moves could appear?these are the questions i'm asking you guys. think of this as a Survey of sorts.

My Perfect Experience has to be the Adventure Formula, yet having some boost elements, akin to Sonic: Dream Team. Multiple characters, with different character type, each of them having a optional route you can take. Then, mix that with exploration, good music, dynamic environments and great movesets, I think it would be the best.  How the game progresses depends if there's a story: if you go back into certain acts like Dream Team to complete missions and such, then a proper story is sufficient, but on the contrary, if we proceed through Zones like the Adventure games/Classic Games, that could make you have a sense of fast completion. If I had to guess, the fan service in this hypothetical Game would be having long-lost Characters make a debut appearance in a game! Characters from IDW, Classic games, or other forms of Sonic media would be AWESOME!

So, explain how you would do it! What is the name of the game? What characters and moves appear? what is the story? I'm excited to hear everyone's response!

[MGA_Gamer]

Sonic Dream Team is by far my favourite 3D Sonic game, and it should be the template for 3D Sonic going forward. If hardlight made a game like Dream Team, but had more characters and more than 4/5 zones at launch, that would be my perfect 3D Sonic game for sure.

[The Fighting Hornet]

Call it nostalgia blinded if you want, but the Adventure games were peak 3D Sonic for me. To this day, I'll never understand why Sega didn't build off of that formula for future games. I guess you could argue Sonic 06 was kind of the spiritual successor but that game just didn't get enough time to bake in the oven. The thing about characters is there's so many and they all have something that makes them unique. You know, it's funny, for a guy named Knuckles, Knuckles doesn't really do a lot of punching. I always wondered what Knuckles gameplay in a Sonic game would be like if they turned it into a 3D brawler with combos and whatnot. I think that could be interesting.

[TitansCreed]

Forces.
Give me short but fun levels. Just make the story engaging and the bosses slightly harder/interesting.

[Shiny Gems]

My ideal Sonic 3D experience would be in the form of Sonic Unleashed's daytime levels, with some of the improvements from Sonic Generations and hubworlds that are interactive and large as well as being like those of Sonic Frontiers. In the case of Sonic Unleashed, I loved the daytime levels' fast-paced gameplay and how it was done. I love the trial-and-error based gameplay from those games as well as the reflex-based gameplay. It felt so rewarding, satisfying and even fast. I would actually love to see future games use that kind of thing again. Sure, it is not ideal for some people, but I think this is something that would work and be a great experience!

[Knight Terror]

Generations/Colors

Boost formula is not dead.

[DaSonic]

My favourite in terms of story was the adventure era and frontiers. In terms of graphics, I would like zelda botw graphics (a mix of realistic and cartoony graphics) with killer rock music for a future 3D fangame. But make the story dramatic like omens or the adventure era, but not too dramatic, like "MARIA!!!" getting shot. Omens was a good fangame, and my personal favourite fangame. Overall: Good Story, Good Music, Good Hub Worlds, Good Level Design, Good Graphics = Peak Game

Thank you for reading.

[Cyb3rkn1ght]

On 6/1/2024 at 9:22 AM, MGA_Gamer said:

Sonic Dream Team is by far my favourite 3D Sonic game, and it should be the template for 3D Sonic going forward. If hardlight made a game like Dream Team, but had more characters and more than 4/5 zones at launch, that would be my perfect 3D Sonic game for sure.

I agree with this TREMONDOUSLY. if they capitalized the Dream Team formula more, I believe fans would be WAY happier. just a good OST, Great Storytelling and a brand new area, I think this would make both Boost and Adventrue Fans happy!
 

 

On 6/1/2024 at 9:41 AM, The Fighting Hornet said:

Call it nostalgia blinded if you want, but the Adventure games were peak 3D Sonic for me. To this day, I'll never understand why Sega didn't build off of that formula for future games. I guess you could argue Sonic 06 was kind of the spiritual successor but that game just didn't get enough time to bake in the oven. The thing about characters is there's so many and they all have something that makes them unique. You know, it's funny, for a guy named Knuckles, Knuckles doesn't really do a lot of punching. I always wondered what Knuckles gameplay in a Sonic game would be like if they turned it into a 3D brawler with combos and whatnot. I think that could be interesting.

you know, I really was thinking about putting Character-specific levels akin to SA1/SA2, where multiple Characters visit the same spot, but their levels are different. in this case, Knuckles would probably have Beat-Em'-Up sections, where you have to fight everyone in the arena to proceed. altogether, I plan on doing exactly that, but a tad different.

On 6/1/2024 at 2:59 PM, TitansCreed said:

Forces.
Give me short but fun levels. Just make the story engaging and the bosses slightly harder/interesting.

 

1 hour ago, Knight Terror said:

Generations/Colors

Boost formula is not dead.

These are both great, but I think it's just a personal issue, but I HATE Short levels. there's nothing to enjoy! you might as well skip the level, or make it a mini challenge. Granted, I don't like long levels, but it's annoying. especially when it's not fun. at all.

3 hours ago, Shiny Gems said:

My ideal Sonic 3D experience would be in the form of Sonic Unleashed's daytime levels, with some of the improvements from Sonic Generations and hubworlds that are interactive and large as well as being like those of Sonic Frontiers. In the case of Sonic Unleashed, I loved the daytime levels' fast-paced gameplay and how it was done. I love the trial-and-error based gameplay from those games as well as the reflex-based gameplay. It felt so rewarding, satisfying and even fast. I would actually love to see future games use that kind of thing again. Sure, it is not ideal for some people, but I think this is something that would work and be a great experience!

oh, YES. I absolutely LOVE this! mach sections would be a fun challenge for people to pay attention instead of "Hold Boost To Win". Trial and Error is something i wish more games do instead of giving the player a "Hold Your Hand" Powerup, like the Super Tannoki Leaf from SMB 3D Land.

loving these responses! Keep 'em Coming, I need more stuff for this game to be the best it can be!

Edited June 3 by Cyb3rkn1ght

[Cyb3rkn1ght]

1 hour ago, DaSonic said:

My favourite in terms of story was the adventure era and frontiers. In terms of graphics, I would like zelda botw graphics (a mix of realistic and cartoony graphics) with killer rock music for a future 3D fangame. But make the story dramatic like omens or the adventure era, but not too dramatic, like "MARIA!!!" getting shot. Omens was a good fangame, and my personal favourite fangame. Overall: Good Story, Good Music, Good Hub Worlds, Good Level Design, Good Graphics = Peak Game

Thank you for reading.

(Sorry for DP, this one didn't pop up when I wrote the first)

This is going to be a REAL hard blow to the Sonic games nowadays, but  in terms of what I have planned for this game, I have zero clue as to how I can make it "Dark" or "Dramatic". I mean, Eggman has been threating to planets, even Space and Time at one point, but what could drive the Maniac Mechanic to do such a thing? To do something so bad, that if you don't win, everything falls. I know how to cliffhang an audience, but to that extreme? I have nothing. As a lil spoiler for the Non-Existant Story I want the game to have, is that is ends somewhere in space. maybe he gathers stuff from all the locales you've been in (Super Mario Oddessy anyone?), and summon a creature, and as per-usual, he looses control of it, rampages, and it has the power to blip everything.

I'm just spitballin, but I have no confidence as to what I could do to fill that role, but music, World building, and level design is something I could probably do, given that I know what the gamer's want, and the type of challenge to give, at the right time too.

[DaSonic]

@Cyb3rkn1ght Yes, ending it with a cliffhanger in space would be epic! But what i mean by dramatic, is like, people dying. A perfect example of this is in Sonic 06, with Elise and Eggman dead in a point and blaze sealing iblis inside her soul. You want to make the audience feel something, whether that be anger for an enemy, or the sadness of the death of a character. Another thing is high stakes. Like the "weight of the world" in his hands. A blue hedgehog vs an immortal god who "eats dimensions for lunch" (get the sonic 06 reference). If you lose, everyone will die.

That's all i have to say, sorry for the late reply

 

oh yeah forgot to add. More playable characters = more fun!!!

Edited June 3 by Strickerx5
combined double post into one

[Setheatsdachillidogz]

Generations and colors are good but it feels like you just go in a strait line I like dream team and 06 being 06 was one of my first sonic games 

Also I like it when you have multiple paths that are accessible like sdt and I like more of an open rage level design with less platform sections and more speed with cues like unleashed and good room to boost

[Metal-Mouth]

Boost-style game, in the vein of daytime stages of Unleashed and the 3D sections of Generations, BUT, no side-scrolling sections or gimmicks.  No wisp powers.  No werehog.  OPTIONAL other playable characters (in the vein of just selecting a character, Mania style). Shadow has to be playable.  No short, side missions.  "Bosses" are instead very difficult levels. 

A darker story would also be nice (like SA 2).  I always like the darker stuff.  And, since we're in the realm of absolute fantasy, playable Darkspine Sonic.  Free to use on any stage.  Knuckles and Knuckles mode would be great (I don't know how that'd work in boost game though).  Ohhh, Sonic fighting Black Doom would be cool.  Annndd....Darkspine Shadow.  I'd die happy. 

Alrighty, make sense of all that and make it happen, haha. 

[Soulless Emperor]

For me, it would be sonic rush and sonic generations. 

[AlexHidanBR]

I think Sonic Colors minus the Wisps would be the ideal formula for 3D Sonic Games. Even with that nerfed boost introduced in Frontiers.

Frontiers' Cyberspace levels are the closest we get from this

[moonleaf]

This question is so interesting because of the varying types of game styles 3D Sonic games have played with. Admittedly, I’m not the biggest fan of Sonic Adventure or Sonic Adventure 2, mostly just due to the way they feel to play for me. The gameplay style itself is honestly incredible, but boost Sonic has its merits too I suppose. 
 

The ideal Sonic experience, to me, would be something in line with what Frontiers attempted to do, but with the overworld/“open zone” feeling more like Adventure and having platforming challenges that are meaningful and don’t rely on the boost or springs and boost pads as a crutch. With bite-sized platforming challenge levels, similarly to Cyberspace levels.

Ideally tho, get rid of boost and just focus on being a platformer again. Really sick of the mechanic overall and just wanna play a tightly designed Sonic game again

[The Fastest thing alive]

Sonic Adventure 1 all over again.