Sonic Heroes Was a Fun Experiment That Sega Should Revisit Someday

Sonic the Hedgehog’s evolution into 3D gaming can be a hit or a miss, depending on the games that have pushed the envelope on the series’ ethos on high-speed platforming gameplay.

Throughout the history of Sonic’s 3D games, there have been three responses from fans: excitement for games like Sonic Adventure and Sonic Generations, contempt for games like Sonic ‘06 and Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric, and more tepid responses for games like Sonic Lost World.

Sonic Heroes, released on the original Xbox, GameCube and PlayStation 2, belongs in the latter category of Sonic the Hedgehog games, with most fans not having strong feelings for the game, compared to higher watershed moments in the franchise.

While it may not be the best moment for Sega’s mascot, Sonic Heroes should be remembered for the number of things it did well and how these concepts could be revisited in the future.

Heroic Feats

The best thing that Sonic Heroes does is how it emphasised teamwork and coordination, since the player had access to three characters at the same time. This is an evolution of Sonic and Tails’ dynamic in the original 2D games and the Sonic Adventure games’ emphasis on different playable characters.

And it didn’t just focus on the main trio of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. It also shone a spotlight on more obscure characters like the Chaotix team that consists of Espio, Charmy, and Vector. This truly made the world of Sonic alive and filled with varied characters.

Besides having three characters at the player’s disposal, there were also three different character types, each equipped with different abilities and attacks. Players had to swap around depending on the obstacles that came their way.

There was also an oft-forgotten multiplayer mode that allowed two players race in a handful of different modes. This is still untapped potential for mainline 3D Sonic games, so it being an optional mode was a fun bonus.

Blue Blunders

That said, Sonic Heroes was not perfect, of course. It had more than its fair share of blunders in terms of execution. Sonic Heroes on the PlayStation 2, in particular, was a glitchy and janky mess compared to its counterparts on the Xbox and GameCube.

Besides that, the linear level progression of Sonic Heroes also rubbed people the wrong way, especially since it came after the more open nature of Sonic Adventure. It also didn’t help that, barring a few differences here and there, each of the four playable teams in Sonic Heroes went through the same levels.

One jarring omission is, of course, the ever-popular Chao Garden, which was a virtual pet simulator featured in both Sonic Adventure games. These were a nice break from the high speed action, letting players lean back and play a couple of minigames.

In terms of its story, the scope of Sonic Heroes isn’t as epic as the last few Sonic games that preceded it. Sure, Robotnik and Metal Sonic are up to their usual shenanigans, but it wasn’t anything that fans hadn’t seen before.

Next Evolution

Since then, there hasn’t been a Sonic game that emphasised teamwork and the option to play other characters besides Sonic. Sonic ‘06 featured segments where players assumed the role of other ancillary characters, but not to the extent that Sonic Heroes offered.

Besides spin-off games, fans have not been able to go on a full-on adventure with the likes of Rouge the Bat or Cream the Rabbit. There has also been the addition of brand-new characters in various Sonic media that have not made a playable appearance.

So, a brand new game that allows players to create an adventuring party made up of their favourite characters in the Sonic franchise would be a dream come true. It could also address many of Sonic Heroes’ shortcomings in a modern style of gameplay.

The upcoming Sonic Frontiers looks to be an open-world take on the Sonic formula that many have asked for, but it remains to be seen whether we can play as anyone besides Sonic the Hedgehog.

Maybe after Sonic Frontiers, we’ll see a game that embraces the wild and wacky characters in the wider Sonic universe and allows players to go on a true platforming adventure that accomplishes what Sonic Heroes initially set out to do.