Sonic Heroes: Assembled
Sonic Heroes was Sonic Team’s first truly multiplatform game, and their second attempt at mixing the new with the old. It was a decent enough affair, but there is much room for expansion. In my opinion, a total remake would draw out its full potential and remove the negative stigma the game has retroactively garnered.
Team Gameplay: The main issue gamers had with Sonic Heroes is the team-based gameplay. While Sonic Team were trying to make it feel like Sonic 2 and 3, it didn’t quite make it. Controlling three characters at once was a hard concept to grasp for most, and took away from the fast-paced action they were expecting. Moreover, it was awkward at times depending on which character was in the lead, and the other two sometimes weighed him or her down.
So, I propose a different method. Instead of controlling three characters at the same time, you would only control one. The other two would be off screen, waiting to be tagged in. There would be no gates that automatically force you to use someone, either. Of course, the level design would have to allow for each character type to be used, thereby negating the need for said gates.
Zone Progression – Team Variation: Originally, each zone had you play mostly the same way with each team, with little variations in terms of length, paths, and objectives depending on the character/team. This is another nod to the Classic Era that was lost on a lot of people, as the game ended up feeling very repetitive, despite advertising claiming otherwise.
I suggest varying the zones by having each team go through it in a different area or time of day.
Narrative: Yet another Classic Era similarity was the bare minimum put into the story. While it did keep things going at a reasonable pace, a lot more could have been done to tell the tale better.
First, the writing needs to be smarter. Kids don’t necessarily need dumbed down plots to get interested in a story. On the other hand, a Narnian-style epic isn’t required for this game, either. Something cool, straight-forward, and involved would be best; a tale similar to a comic book in terms of drama, depth and detail.
All that being said, however, not every team should have the same exact tone (as stated in Zone Progression – Team Variation). I believe that each path should have a perspective that best fits that team. For Team Sonic, the action people already know and come to expect. For Team Rose, set a tone similar to DC Super Hero Girls or My Little Pony, but with a little more suspense. Team Dark’s story would have the kind of darkness and maturity you would expect from Samurai Jack or Dragon Ball. For Team Chaotix, however, their tone would have to be quite goofy, yet as noir as a Sonic game can allow (i.e. not too much) whilst focusing on the hidden mysteries the other three tales only seem to gloss over.
By the end, there should be no unanswered questions that can’t be filled in by Shadow’s own game.
Team Gameplay: The main issue gamers had with Sonic Heroes is the team-based gameplay. While Sonic Team were trying to make it feel like Sonic 2 and 3, it didn’t quite make it. Controlling three characters at once was a hard concept to grasp for most, and took away from the fast-paced action they were expecting. Moreover, it was awkward at times depending on which character was in the lead, and the other two sometimes weighed him or her down.
So, I propose a different method. Instead of controlling three characters at the same time, you would only control one. The other two would be off screen, waiting to be tagged in. There would be no gates that automatically force you to use someone, either. Of course, the level design would have to allow for each character type to be used, thereby negating the need for said gates.
Zone Progression – Team Variation: Originally, each zone had you play mostly the same way with each team, with little variations in terms of length, paths, and objectives depending on the character/team. This is another nod to the Classic Era that was lost on a lot of people, as the game ended up feeling very repetitive, despite advertising claiming otherwise.
I suggest varying the zones by having each team go through it in a different area or time of day.
- Team Sonic: As the litmus for the rest of the teams, Team Sonic’s path would be the usual route.
- Team Rose: As the game’s easy mode, Team Rose’s path would have to be similar to Team Sonic’s, but with a shorter length. The main difference would be that the visual aesthetic would be friendlier and peppier.
- Team Dark: The hard mode of this game must be made evident from the start. Team Dark’s route would be longer and more action heavy than Team Sonic’s, with a serious, more subdued aesthetic.
- Team Chaotix: The wild card of the game. Team Chaotix’ levels would veer off the beaten paths of the others; as if you wouldn’t even notice them if all the teams played the zone at the same time. The aesthetic would match their mission at hand. Side note: no rail grinding whatsoever, aside from Act Type B – Speed Route (see Zone Progression below).
- Act Type A: High-speed fully 3D platforming, with encouraged exploration. This type of act would allow the player to use any type of character and not feel as though they are forced down a linear path.
- Act Type B: Starts off similarly to type A, but would diverge somewhat early on. From that point, the player would have to choose between three different paths: Speed, Flight, and Power. Each path would present a completely different playstyle and challenge that would be taken by that particular character for the remainder of the act.
- Speed: Same platforming as Act Type A; Adventure/Unleashed style, no boost.
- Flight: Aerial, arcade-style combat. One of three templates can be used here – Gradius, Zaxxon, or Space Harrier.
- Power: Combo-heavy areas packed with enemies, similar to beat ‘em ups like Streets of Rage or Dynasty Warriors. If those examples are too much, the combat can instead take influence from Batman: Arkham or Prince of Persia.
- Act Type C: An obstacle course made for either character type to go through.
Narrative: Yet another Classic Era similarity was the bare minimum put into the story. While it did keep things going at a reasonable pace, a lot more could have been done to tell the tale better.
First, the writing needs to be smarter. Kids don’t necessarily need dumbed down plots to get interested in a story. On the other hand, a Narnian-style epic isn’t required for this game, either. Something cool, straight-forward, and involved would be best; a tale similar to a comic book in terms of drama, depth and detail.
All that being said, however, not every team should have the same exact tone (as stated in Zone Progression – Team Variation). I believe that each path should have a perspective that best fits that team. For Team Sonic, the action people already know and come to expect. For Team Rose, set a tone similar to DC Super Hero Girls or My Little Pony, but with a little more suspense. Team Dark’s story would have the kind of darkness and maturity you would expect from Samurai Jack or Dragon Ball. For Team Chaotix, however, their tone would have to be quite goofy, yet as noir as a Sonic game can allow (i.e. not too much) whilst focusing on the hidden mysteries the other three tales only seem to gloss over.
By the end, there should be no unanswered questions that can’t be filled in by Shadow’s own game.