If Sonic may seem strange, especially in the fact that he does not look like a hedgehog at any time, his design is sleek and aggressive to symbolize speed. But its original designer, the famous Naoto Ohshima (Phantasy Star, Burning Rangers, among others), did not achieve this bluish appearance in a single pencil stroke, looking towards the horizon. The latter groped, cleared tracks. There was even talk, shortly before starting the project, of a game that would take place in a universe Alice in Wonderland. Anecdote that Ohshima tells in a long thread on Twitter, thus enriched with the real genesis of the flagship title of the Mega Drive.
The hedgehog wall
Initially, therefore, the first sketches for what would become Sonic exhibited two small twin characters, all under the name of Twin Stars. As Sega’s creative explains: “First of all, I made a draft on my side, then I had to obtain the validation of the company. Only then the project could start. At the time, the original concept was Twin Stars. However, only certain elements had been approved. After really launching the project, I then thought about other characters.”
I made a draft of the game. An action game about twin brothers who protect the dream world from Nightmare World’s boss “Thirteen”. It evolved into Sonic.
私 は ゲーム 原案 書 を 作っ た。 ナイト メア 世界 の ボス 「」 から 夢 の 世界 を を 双子 の アクション。 ソニック に 進化 し し し し し し し し し し し し し し し し し し し し し し し し し し し し し し pic.twitter.com/nJECKnsI4w—Naoto Ohshima (@NaotoOhshima) January 21, 2023
It is also possible to discover a sonic almost definitive – at least the character itself – surrounded by the beginnings of Robotnik and a whole bunch of enemies who will not make the way to the final game. Without forgetting a young blonde woman in a red dress, also absent from the final cartridge.
