Darker Atmosphere for Sonic?

[BlueBlur64]

So, I've been playing Shadow The Hedgehog again recently and I realized that the darker atmosphere in the game was actually pretty enjoyable, if different from how Sonic normally is. That's when I got to thinking: What if Sonic games had a darker atmosphere to them?

I mean, story moments like Sonic getting launched in the capsule in Sonic Adventure 2 would actually be a lot darker from the Hero Side if you didn't see him using Chaos Control to get out of it during the same scene and the whole ruined future thing in '06 (while cliche) along with Sonic's actual death (as much as I hate to admit it) was actually kinda dark as well.

So, I'm wondering what you guys think. What would you guys think if Sonic games had a more darker feel to them overall?

Edit: Uh, whoops! Looks like I clicked on the wrong board! Heheh, sorry. This is embarrassing. Could someone move this please? Sorry.

Edit 2: TY for move.

Edited April 2, 2012 by BlueBlur64

[Cola]

I would not like a video game series about a cocky, blue, anthropomorphic, talking supersonic hedgehog and his young, orange, two-tailed fox mechanic friend (who can also fly) fighting an obese, insane scientist shaped like an egg to have a darker atmosphere.

It's kinda like asking Batman to dance around in a field of rainbows and unicorns.

[#EndyGate]

I could personally care less about a darker atmosphere, I'm content as long as the story is enjoyable

[Kuzu]

I like my Sonic games whimsical thank you very much.

[sonfan1984]

Darker Atomosphere for Sonic if it's actually done well. Sonic Adventure 2, Unleashed or even the storybook games with some dark elements to it is the only games IMO that got the darker atmosphere right without it feeling too forced or out of place. Shadow the Hedgehog feels like a bad parody of dark games like I really don't like their approach to it. Shadow in Sonic Adventure 2 is 10x more badass then the one in the Shadow game and he haven't cussed or use any kind of weapon to be 'edgy'. Sonic 06 is a complete mess overall.

Edited April 2, 2012 by sonfan1984

[Scott]

I personally looooooove the dark atmosphere in some of the Sonic Games, alot of people don't as y'know it's originally a colourful vibrant game aimed at kids but I love it which is probably why I enjoyed Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic 06 alot wouldn't mind a dark 2D sonic game too

[-Mark-]

Adventure 1 and 2 struck the right balance in terms of dark-and-serious-but-not-too-dark-and-serious plots, as far as I'm concerned. The rest either falls into 'barely existent light hearted fluff' or 'dark for the sake of dark'.

Admittedly, I would say that even Sonic 06 wouldn't have overstepped the mark, were it not for the horrid 'realistic' style and the fact the plot and game in general were just a mess. Visual style aside, tone-wise the plot wasn't much darker than the likes of the Adventure games, at least not to the comically blatant extent that Shadow was.

I don't like Sonic games and plots being overly dark (read: SatAM), but at the same time I want them to be substantial enough and serious enough for me to be able to actually invest in them and enjoy them. Of course, it's all about balance really, and let's not forget that 'serious' doesn't have to mean 'dark'.

EDIT: Apologies in advance if this offends anyone, but from my experience I've found that most people who want Sonic to be 'dark for the sake of dark' generally tend to be 12-15 year olds who are at that awkward stage where they still like something 'for kids' despite peer pressure telling them that they should grow out of it and therefore blame the series for not growing up with them (or if not blaming, at least wishing it would) because they're at a stage where they feel insecure with themselves about liking something that's primarily for children. Of course, by the time they hit around 18-19, they've realised that peer pressure sucks and it's cool for them to like what they want to like regardless of the target demographic.

Seriously, the number of Sonic fancharacters you come across with horrifically emo pasts involving drugs, abuse and teen pregnancy is hilarious. Because, you know, that totally fits in with the Sonic universe, am I right?

Edited April 2, 2012 by -Mark-

[Soniman]

Sa2 and Sa1 somewhat was they closest they ever got to doing it right and I'm still not crazy about it (Sa2 at least).

Games like Heroes, Unleashed, and Colors which are much more lighthearted in nature, tend to be more unique and have its own charm and general atmosphere to it something that you can call SONIC, that's what I want to see more of.

It's perfecttly fine to have dark elements every now and then, as long as it doesn't take over and mutates the series into something it's not like Shadow and 06.

Edited April 2, 2012 by The Grossenator

[Scar]

The content and execution of the plot, dialogue, character animations/gestures and interactions, as well as stuff like environment construction and music/sound design are far more important to me than the tone of the game. I want to be invested in the plot, with the darker themes to come through underneath. A layered narrative if you will. Visuals, sound, dialogue and all the stuff mentioned above are far more important to delivering a more potent and memorable narrative.

As long as the stories never, ever, EVER retread the steps of Shadow and 06. The former of the two was the pinnacle of immaturity in Sonic games. The latter was confusing and generally terribly written.

[Diogenes]

It would suck. Sonic isn't made for a dark setting/tone/story; everything from the art style to the characters' personalities to the common settings clash with trying to make something dark and deeply serious. That's not to say that every game has to be like Colors or Generations, but they should aim for something more like a decent Saturday morning cartoon; some serious threats and occasionally some deeper issues, but overall an upbeat and optimistic tone.

[Burnt Ash]

A darker atmosphere for Sonic wouldn't necessarily be bad, given some good, recent attempts of it in games like Unleashed, and the Storybook games. As for ShTh, and 06, I don't think those two games are very good attempts for a darker atmosphere for Sonic. ShTH had some good moments in it, with some good humor to lighten up the tone (one slightly memorable line from Shadow in that game, is that one line he says when taking the Chaos Emerald from Sonic's ship thing. Something about candy.), although those good parts of ShTH were marred by the bad parts of ShTH. As for Sonic 06, it took itself way too seriously, to the point where it could almost be considered laughable.

Sonic Unleashed, however, brings a brilliant atmosphere with some dark elements alongside it. In contrast to ShTH and 06, Unleashed's atmosphere is a lot more enjoyable. For Sonic at least, I'd love to see a darker atmosphere not unlike Unleashed.

[Johnny Boy]

Well In terms of atmosphere I would like it to be kind of like Unleashed. The story was lighthearted in the beginning and got darker towards the end. That's how I personally think how things should work, but then again I'm more than happy with the direction the games are taking now.

Besides the last time we tried a "dark and edgy" atmosphere we ended up with the abominations known as Shadow and 06. Sa2 was the only game that did a dark storyline right IMO.

[Chili Dawg]

Some dark climactic moments here and there? Sure. SA1, Unleashed, and the storybook games handled this fine, even SA2 did, though they did start pushing it a little. Stuff like Shadow where it's all in yo face "look, twelve year olds, we have guns, this makes us cool, right?!!! RIGHT!?!?!" is just... no. It adds nothing to the game beyond making the story more obnoxious, as opposed to you know, good.

[Nepenthe]

This doesn't necessarily count as "dark," but I would prefer events in Sonic games to consist of convincing urgency and danger. Sonic's capsule dilemma is one example, although urgency and danger doesn't necessarily have to have overtly dark implications in the first place.

[Jeffhog]

I'd prefer having a more serious atmosphere again first, something along the lines of Unleashed: wasn't entirely corny, wasn't too dark, just perfect.

[Urban Flow]

I personally looooooove the dark atmosphere in some of the Sonic Games, alot of people don't as y'know it's originally a colourful vibrant game aimed at kids but I love it which is probably why I enjoyed Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic 06 alot wouldn't mind a dark 2D sonic game too

This right here. While I enjoy how Sonic Originally is, I wouldn't mind a more darker or to be more clear, Mature approach.

[BlueBlur64]

Darker Atomosphere for Sonic if it's actually done well. Sonic Adventure 2 is the only game IMO that got the darker atmosphere right without it feeling too out of place or feels like I'm playing a whole different franchise with Sonic characters staring in them. Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic Adventure 2 is 10x more badass then the one in the Shadow game and he haven't cussed or use any kind of weapon. Sonic 06 is a complete mess overall.

Oh, yeah. While I did like Shadow's darker atmosphere, they did go pretty overboard at times where it just became Narmish. Adventure 2 probably is the best example of a darker atmosphere, actually.

Adventure 1 and 2 struck the right balance in terms of dark-and-serious-but-not-too-dark-and-serious plots, as far as I'm concerned. The rest either falls into 'barely existent light hearted fluff' or 'dark for the sake of dark'.

Admittedly, I would say that even Sonic 06 wouldn't have overstepped the mark, were it not for the horrid 'realistic' style and the fact the plot and game in general were just a mess. Visual style aside, tone-wise the plot wasn't much darker than the likes of the Adventure games, at least not to the comically blatant extent that Shadow was.

I don't like Sonic games and plots being overly dark (read: SatAM), but at the same time I want them to be substantial enough and serious enough for me to be able to actually invest in them and enjoy them. Of course, it's all about balance really, and let's not forget that 'serious' doesn't have to mean 'dark'.

EDIT: Apologies in advance if this offends anyone, but from my experience I've found that most people who want Sonic to be 'dark for the sake of dark' generally tend to be 12-15 year olds who are at that awkward stage where they still like something 'for kids' despite peer pressure telling them that they should grow out of it and therefore blame the series for not growing up with them (or if not blaming, at least wishing it would) because they're at a stage where they feel insecure with themselves about liking something that's primarily for children. Of course, by the time they hit around 18-19, they've realised that peer pressure sucks and it's cool for them to like what they want to like regardless of the target demographic.

Seriously, the number of Sonic fancharacters you come across with horrifically emo pasts involving drugs, abuse and teen pregnancy is hilarious. Because, you know, that totally fits in with the Sonic universe, am I right?

Oh, man, hell no. I'm not talkin' about that fan character shit, that's just not right. But yeah, I agree, it's a lot about balance.

Sa2 and Sa1 somewhat was they closest they ever got to doing it right and I'm still not crazy about it (Sa2 at least).

Games like Heroes, Unleashed, and Colors which are much more lighthearted in nature,tend to be more unique and have its own charm and general atmosphere to it something that you can call SONIC, that's what I want to see more of.

It's perfecttly fine to have dark elements every now and then, as long as it doesn't take over and mutates the series into something it's not like Shadow and 06.

Personally, while I agree Heroes, Unleashed, and Colors tended to be more lighthearted, I wouldn't say that's not the only thing Sonic can be, though I do agree it shouldn't like overstep it like Shadow or '06 did.

The content and execution of the plot, dialogue, character animations/gestures and interactions, as well as stuff like environment construction and music/sound design are far more important to me than the tone of the game. I want to be invested in the plot, with the darker themes to come through underneath. A layered narrative if you will. Visuals, sound, dialogue and all the stuff mentioned above are far more important to delivering a more potent and memorable narrative.

As long as the stories never, ever, EVER retread the steps of Shadow and 06. The former of the two was the pinnacle of immaturity in Sonic games. The latter was confusing and generally terribly written.

I agree with the layered narrative idea. Darker stuff coming through underneath would probably be a good way to get a darker atmosphere into Sonic. Also, about Shadow and '06, I know the stories were outright ridiculous, but to be fair, parts of the darker atmosphere seemed pretty enjoyable, though. It's weird, but you can like the atmosphere of something without liking the story.

A darker atmosphere for Sonic wouldn't necessarily be bad, given some good, recent attempts of it in games like Unleashed, and the Storybook games. As for ShTh, and 06, I don't think those two games are very good attempts for a darker atmosphere for Sonic. ShTH had some good moments in it, with some good humor to lighten up the tone (one slightly memorable line from Shadow in that game, is that one line he says when taking the Chaos Emerald from Sonic's ship thing. Something about candy.), although those good parts of ShTH were marred by the bad parts of ShTH. As for Sonic 06, it took itself way too seriously, to the point where it could almost be considered laughable.

Sonic Unleashed, however, brings a brilliant atmosphere with some dark elements alongside it. In contrast to ShTH and 06, Unleashed's atmosphere is a lot more enjoyable. For Sonic at least, I'd love to see a darker atmosphere not unlike Unleashed.

I believe the quote you're looking for is the ol' "taking candy from a baby" cliche. Anyway, I think Unleashed came off a bit TOO bright in the early parts of it and Chip actually proved to be detrimental to the atmosphere by being completely annoying any time he does something, sometimes even in light-hearted scenes.

[Burnt Ash]

Ah yes. The taking candy from a baby line. I dunno why, but that line is probably my favorite from ShTH, probably one of my favorites from Shadow as well. As for Chip, I don't really think he was detrimental to Unleashed, he served as a good comic relief character in a few cutscenes, however, at certain parts of the story, specifically the one in Adabat (right before Eggmanland), he does know when it is time to be serious and whatnot.

[Jetronic]

I wouldn't mind some dark elements, although an entire game shouldn't be dark. Just some songs or even a location or two would be good. Like for example, having music like

and

like a dystopian feel in some places if you catch my drift.

[Diogenes]

This right here. While I enjoy how Sonic Originally is, I wouldn't mind a more darker or to be more clear, Mature approach.

Why is a series about a brightly colored talking cartoon hedgehog, his equally colorful cartoon animal pals, and a silly mad scientist villain suited to becoming darker and more mature?

[Nepenthe]

I believe the quote you're looking for is the ol' "taking candy from a baby" cliche. Anyway, I think Unleashed came off a bit TOO bright in the early parts of it and Chip actually proved to be detrimental to the atmosphere by being completely annoying any time he does something, sometimes even in light-hearted scenes.

Chip is a shining example of how to be a comic relief character without upstaging the main plot just for the sake of comedy. His journey to get more tea in Professor Pickle's office is genuinely funny; Orbot and Cubot could stand to learn a thing or two.

This thread is moving faster than I am. Time to sleep.

Edited April 2, 2012 by Nepenthe

[BlueBlur64]

Chip is a shining example of how to be a comic relief character without upstaging the main plot just for the sake of comedy. His journey to get more tea in Professor Pickle's office is genuinely funny; Orbot and Cubot could stand to learn a thing or two.

This thread is moving faster than I am. Time to sleep.

Meh, I think I'm a minority on that, I guess. I personally hated Chip, but eh, we'll just agree to disagree on that.

[Voyant]

Give me something like Unleashed an I'm happy.

[Soniman]

I found Orbot and Cubot funnier than Chip ever was to be honest :/

Edited April 3, 2012 by The Grossenator

[Kuzu]

I like the Adventure games as being games to take themselves seriously in a generally lighthearted franchise, but I don't think the series needs to take itself completely seriously overall. It can be a generally upbeat, whimsical series about a Hedgehog and his friends beating up their nemesis but has moments that take itself seriously.

Basically it should be a silly, optimistic series that should know when to take itself seriously, as opposed to everything being serious with very few lighthearted moments. I know everyone can go on about "Just because Sonic is a cartoon doesn't mean it can't be serious" but that's the thing, it is a cartoon by proxy it should be primarily lighthearted unless its target demographic aren't children. Having a children's show take itself almost completely seriously leaves much to be desired.