Sonic Dreams Collection
| Sonic Dreams Collection | |
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| File:Sonic Dreams Collection press splash image.png
Press release image containing the Sonic Dreams Collection logo in the foreground, and gameplay screenshots in the background
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| Developer(s) | SEGA |
| Distributor(s) | SEGA Hitmaker |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platforms | Microsoft Windows OS X |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Parody |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Sonic Dreams Collection is a compilation of unofficial, parodic Sonic the Hedgehog minigames developed by Arcane Kids and Archie Prakash[1][2][3] and released online as freeware on August 10, 2015. The collection received attention from many video game news outlets for its unusual and often sexual content, intended to lampoon the games' modern fandom.
Development
In a press release posted to "hedgehog.exposed", the website on which Sonic Dreams Collection was released, independent developers and self-styled "hacker supergroup" Arcane Kids claimed that they obtained a Sega Dreamcast development kit from eBay and unearthed four game prototypes from its contents, as well as other files that indicated the existence of a secret Sega development studio called MJSTUDIO.[4] Arcane Kids posted the games and files online as a protest against Sega's apparent attempts to keep the games' existence a secret.[5] However, the press kit also disclaims that Sonic Dreams Collection is a work of parody, discounting any official affiliation with Sega.[6]
Gameplay
Sonic Dreams Collection consists of four minigames; Make My Sonic, Eggman Origin, Sonic Movie Maker and My Roommate Sonic. In-game menus introduce these minigames as unfinished Sonic game prototypes found in a development kit Sega created for its Dreamcast console.
Make My Sonic functions as a character creator, allowing players to change the coloration of a 3D model of Sonic and alter the size and positioning of its limbs, as well as selecting a randomly generated name.
Eggman Origin is introduced as a vestigial massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), and is initially displayed as unplayable past its title screen, as it requests a connection to the defunct Sega Saturn- and Dreamcast-exclusive internet service, SegaNet.[4] However, by opening a separate file in the game's directory folders titled Seganet.exe and using Make My Sonic to create an avatar and "upload it to SegaNet", the player will be able to access an untextured map populated by several bipedal, egg-shaped creatures and Dr. Robotnik.[7] By feeding Dr Robotnik with worms dug up from around him on the map, he grows and the player completes the game and "ascends", with the number of ascensions posted to an online leaderboard at chao.garden.[7]
In Sonic Movie Maker, the player is tasked with finding a camera in the level and filming a movie of 6 seconds in length in order to proceed to the following scene. The areas in which the player films are populated by ragdoll models of Sonic and other characters such as Tails, Shadow, Rouge or Blaze, as well as objects such as pull cords, speech bubble sprites and Rings, all of which can be picked up, carried and placed by the player. Levels in Sonic Movie Maker include a prom dance floor, a motel, and a hospital room, and the minigame in general includes references to sexual fetishes such as vorarephilia and fat fetishism.
My Roommate Sonic puts the player in a first-person perspective sitting on a couch next to Sonic, with Dr. Robotnik encouraging the player by text message to pursue their romantic interest in Sonic. This is the only one of the four minigames that can be played using the Oculus Rift VR headset, and it is suggested in-game that the prototype was intended for the Sega VR, a cancelled virtual reality peripheral.
Reception
Sonic Dreams Collection received considerable media attention in the days that followed its release. Kotaku's Patrick Klepek was lost for words in describing its contents.[4] Nick Robinson and Griffin McElroy of Polygon posted first-impression videos of each of the minigames, including a successful attempt to connect to the "SegaNet" server and play Eggman Origin.[7] Laura Kate Dale of Destructoid called it "surprisingly polished".[8] Jon Fingas of Engadget felt that the game served as a comment on Sonic's sullied reputation and its fan community's peculiarities.[9]
See also
- Sonic: After the Sequel - Another unofficial Sonic game
- Somari - Another unofficial Sonic game
References
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