A Fan Is Making a 3D Open-World Sonic Game

Sonic Utopia marries several different ideas from the Sonic.

By Blake Hester

YouTube user The Great Lange recently released gameplay footage for a 3D open-world Sonic game that he's been creating, called Sonic Utopia.

"Sonic Utopia is an experiment that not only tries to expand on Sonic gameplay in an intuitive way in 3D, but also aims to capture the best of Sonic's style and tie it together in a cohesive experience," a description of the game explains. "Nearly everything in this demo, from art to sound to the gameplay engine, was made from scratch."

Seen in the footage below, Sonic Utopia marries several different ideas the Sonic series has implemented over the years. Taking on the classic blocky worlds and character models of the early Genesis games — Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, 3, as well as Sonic and Knuckles — The Great Lange adds more contemporary gameplay mechanics such as free roaming and 3D combat, as seen in later Sonic titles, such as the Sonic Adventure series and Sonic Unleashed.

This is obviously not\ an official Sega game, so there's no guarantee it will ever see a full release, especially if Sega requests the game be taken down. It's also worth noting Sonic's transition from 2D to 3D has been met with contention and mixed reactions, as was the case with Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) and Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric

Speaking of those poorly received games, Sega seems to be taking considerable steps toward bringing its flagship series back to its former glory. Earlier this year at Comic-Con, Sega announced Sonic Mania, a nostalgia-focused new direction for the series that has us excited for Sonic again.

To try Sonic Utopia for yourself, a demo can be downloaded here at the link.

Blake Hester is a KY-based writer. Follow him on Twitter @metallicaisrad.

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