Theory: Could Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces Reveal how Classic Sonic Became Modern Sonic?

[SpongicX]

Is it possible that Sonic Mania and Forces are somewhat direct prequels to Sonic Adventure? I'm aware Sonic Forces is a modern game, and is somewhat a sequel, but as for Classic Sonic's story, it could be a prequel that bridges the gap between Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic Adventure, using Sonic Mania and Sonic Forces plots to connect them. Sonic Adventure implied that Sonic hasn't seen his friends in years, so it is possible that the plot of Sonic Mania and Forces show what happened to Classic Sonic,  when being sent to the world of Modern Sonic, and a time paradox could have occurred, which transforms the past to look more like the modern Sonic designs.  The beginning of Sonic Adventure could take place moments after the plot of Sonic Forces for all we know. 

Maybe something happens to Classic Sonic's world, and changes the appearance of everyone, and Classic Sonic is transformed into Modern Sonic, and starts exploring the new world he now lives in, and tests out his new abilities, like his homing attack. However, this would likely anger a bunch of Classic fans, so it's likely not going to happen. Regardless, Sega's already done the damage of changing Sonic’s designs, and confirming in Sonic Generations that Classic Sonic was Modern Sonic's younger self, yet Sonic Forces claims he's a hedgehog from another dimension. Maybe he's both? It's possibly a time paradox. It’s already implied that something happened to cause Classic Sonic to drastically change appearances between Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and Sonic Adventure, and Sonic Forces might reveal how it all happened. 

It's just a crazy theory, and likely won't happen, but who knows? It could also bridge the gap between the Genesis and Modern games, and reveal how Sonic is in the human world all of sudden, while still having bizarre landscapes throughout. Sonic Forces seems to imply that Infinite was able to fuse worlds together, which is why a bunch of levels look like hybrids of past levels from Sonic games.  Sonic Forces could end with Classic Sonic noticing the changes made to his appearance, and the world, along with realizing he can suddenly talk.  Although things look different, Sonic is just relieved to know he stopped Infinite, and saved the future. He  then starts exploring the new world, and starts having the time of his life, the game could end with Sonic being on a roof in Station Square, and say the infamous line "Aw yeah, this is happening." Yes, I'm aware that would be cringe filled, but it would still finally give an explanation for how Sonic 3 & Knuckles suddenly went from that to Sonic Adventure. 

[Waveshocker Sigma]

I would enjoy this actually being the case solely for the chaos that would ensue afterwards.

I'm already expecting Forces to end with a hard reboot on the series story wise, so this just adds icing on the cake. lol

[Diogenes]

There's nothing that needs to be explained, though. A fair amount of time passed between 3&K (or whatever you consider the last canon classic game) and SA, the characters grew a little (if you choose to acknowledge the differences in designs at all) and the greater focus on story let them show things that a 2D platformer would ignore. And I don't see any benefit in retconning what was originally just the ordinary passage of time into some massive world-changing supernatural event almost two decades after it happened.

17 minutes ago, SpongicX said:

It’s already implied that something happened to cause Classic Sonic to drastically change appearances between Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and Sonic Adventure,

...implied by what?

[SpongicX]

2 minutes ago, Diogenes said:

There's nothing that needs to be explained, though. A fair amount of time passed between 3&K (or whatever you consider the last canon classic game) and SA, the characters grew a little (if you choose to acknowledge the differences in designs at all) and the greater focus on story let them show things that a 2D platformer would ignore. And I don't see any benefit in retconning what was originally just the ordinary passage of time into some massive world-changing supernatural event almost two decades after it happened.

...implied by what?

Implied by the fact that Classic Sonic is a younger Sonic. I doubt Sonic drastically changed appearance between Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic Adventure, just because of age. Sonic Generations confirmed Classic Sonic is in fact a younger Sonic. Something must have happened to drastically change their appearances. Either that, or Sega really doesn't give a crap, and refuses to come up with a good excuse for why the designs are different between the Genesis and Dreamcast/modern generations. Age does not make people change that drastically, like changing eye color. Especially considering their ages before and after. How did Amy go from a 8 year old to a 12 year old, while everyone else aged only by two years? 

 

[Rusty Spy]

Is it really THAT far-fetched to just accept the completely normal idea that characters in the series get older and GROW UP? Did I miss the game where we find out time DOESN'T pass in Sonic's world and nobody ages?

 

And why? Why in the holy mother of fuck do peoples heads explode at the concept of humans existing in the same world as Sonic when, last time I checked, the main villain of the series is a human being? Why do people just nonchalantly act like Eggman doesn't count as proof of humans existing. It works make LESS sense if Eggman WAS the only human in Sonic's world.

This is exactly what I hate most about the narrative in Sonic games. The fact that nothing can ever have a simple explination or just go without saying. That everything instead has to have a convoluted reason annoys the shit outta me.

[Dr. Mechano]

1 minute ago, SpongicX said:

Implied by the fact that Classic Sonic is a younger Sonic. I doubt Sonic drastically changed appearance between Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic Adventure, just because of age. Sonic Generations confirmed Classic Sonic is in fact a younger Sonic. Something must have happened to drastically change their appearances. Either that, or Sega really doesn't give a crap, and refuses to come up with a good excuse for why the designs are different between the Genesis and Dreamcast/modern generations. 

 

He got taller. And he started wearing green contact lenses.

Not really a drastic change, honestly.

Just now, Rusty Spy said:

And why? Why in the holy mother of fuck do peoples heads explode at the concept of humans existing in the same world as Sonic when, last time I checked, the main villain of the series is a human being? Why do people just nonchalantly act like Eggman doesn't count as proof of humans existing. It works make LESS sense if Eggman WAS the only human in Sonic's world.

Furthermore, Eggman wasn't even the only human in the pre-Adventure games. Witchcart says hi.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

2 minutes ago, Dr. Mechano said:

He got taller. And he started wearing green contact lenses.

Not really a drastic change, honestly.

And we already know why he lost weight.

 

[Diogenes]

1 minute ago, SpongicX said:

I doubt Sonic drastically changed appearance between Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic Adventure, just because of age.

We've been given not one single hint that there's any reason beyond that, though. In, again, nearly two decades. Time enough for there to be teenage fans of the series who weren't even alive when the game came out. If it ever mattered they would've explained it a long time ago.

There's no implication at all that there was some secret untold story that would explain why Sonic looks different.

[Sean]

Do we really know that Witchcart was a human though. Judging from her appearance and name it seems she is of a particular species of mobian that is simply a disembodied torso attached to a minecart

[SpongicX]

6 minutes ago, Diogenes said:

We've been given not one single hint that there's any reason beyond that, though. In, again, nearly two decades. Time enough for there to be teenage fans of the series who weren't even alive when the game came out. If it ever mattered they would've explained it a long time ago.

There's no implication at all that there was some secret untold story that would explain why Sonic looks different.

Calm down, this is just a theory made up for fun. No need to take it so seriously. I even acknowledged it's likely not going to happen in the game, so what point is there in constantly acting like it's crazy? I already acknowledged that this is just a crazy theory, so what point is there in arguing against it? 

[Diogenes]

Just now, SpongicX said:

Calm down, this is just a theory made up for fun. No need to take it so seriously. I even acknowledged it's likely not going to happen in the game, so what point is there in constantly acting like it's crazy? I already acknowledged that this is just a crazy theory, so what point is there in arguing against it? 

May as well close the thread if you don't want any kind of reaction to it.

[SpongicX]

8 minutes ago, Diogenes said:

May as well close the thread if you don't want any kind of reaction to it.

So I apparently don't have the right to start a topic to share an idea? What's wrong with making posts, just to share an idea? Why does every post need to have feedback? What's wrong with not getting feedback? All people ever do is complain anymore... No matter what I do, it seems like people try finding reasons to complain, just for the sake of it.  If you don't agree, fair enough, but if I already acknowledged that I'm aware of how crazy this sounds, then what reason is there to complain about it? That's the whole reason I admitted it was crazy to begin with, because I knew people would complain if I didn't, yet people are still complaining...  People always seem to want to find excuses to complain, yet no explanation or details to explain why people are complaining.

At least when I disagree with something, I give detail as to why I disagree with something, while trying not to offend anyone personally. You're not saying anything to defend your claims. All you're doing is suggesting they look different, because they aged. You are assuming I don't have proof to explain myself for why I think Sonic  Forces could reveal how Classic Sonic changed to look like Modern Sonic, but news flash, you don't have evidence to support your claim either. It seems hypocritical to question me for voicing an opinion, despite not giving explanations for your own claims either. 

The bottom line is, we don't know how Sonic changed appearance, because Sega never revealed it. Because there are no explanations, there is no clear answer. I was just making a suggestion, so there's no point in flat out assuming I'm wrong, despite having no proof for your reasons at all either. Why try talking like I'm wrong, when I wasn't trying to say I was right or wrong?  You didn't present your thought as a possibility, you worded it like you're trying to say you're right, and I'm wrong. I'm not trying to say I am right or wrong, so what point is there in trying to debunk my thought for the sake of it? 

[RedFox99]

24 minutes ago, SpongicX said:

Why does every post need to have feedback? What's wrong with not getting feedback?

Ummm dude... that's kind of the biggest features of posts: to get comments. It's almost likely you'll get response. I think you and the others need to calm down. When you share a theory with others, you should probably expect others to give their opinion on it. That's part of the science method.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

So my question. Why is this in the Showcase forum?

[Diogenes]

3 minutes ago, SpongicX said:

So I apparently don't have the right to start a topic to share an idea?

You have every right to start a topic to share an idea. You do not have the right to tell people they can't criticize it. Discussion is the entire point of a forum, and discussion entails some people not agreeing sometimes.

3 minutes ago, SpongicX said:

At least when I disagree with something, I give detail as to why I disagree with something, while trying not to offend anyone personally. You're not saying anything to defend your claims.

My defense is Occam's Razor. Entities are not to be multiplied without necessity. Ordinary aging and/or the shift in designs not actually existing in canon are enough to explain things, and there's no evidence of any special event being responsible, so there's no reason to invent one.

3 minutes ago, SpongicX said:

You are assuming I don't have proof to explain myself for why I think Sonic  Forces could reveal how Classic Sonic changed to look like Modern Sonic, but news flash, you don't have evidence to support your claim either. It seems hypocritical to question me for voicing an opinion, despite not giving explanations for your own claims either.

The burden of proof is on the person making the claim. If you think you have proof, you can post it, and we can discuss it.

3 minutes ago, SpongicX said:

Why try talking like I'm wrong, when I wasn't trying to say I was right or wrong?

Why are you so upset that I'm talking like you're wrong if you supposedly aren't talking about being right or wrong?

3 minutes ago, SpongicX said:

I'm not trying to say I am right or wrong, so what point is there in trying to debunk my thought for the sake of it? 

It's called "having a discussion". Again, sort of the point of these forums.

[Osmium]

If you have criticisms or disagree with me, shut up, you only spread toxicity! What do you think this is, a public forum? 

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

4 hours ago, Jovahexeon Ace Joranvexeon said:

So my question. Why is this in the Showcase forum?

 Seriously. Wouldn't this be a better fit for the Green Hill Zone forum????

[Sean]

because I didn't notice it when I made my last post

(psst next time just report it)

[Flyinpenguin117]

Apparently Classic Sonic in Forces isn't the same as Generations and is from another dimension, so even if that was the case, I doubt Forces is the game to reveal it.

[DoubleXXCross]

And besides, if we're trying to treat both versions of Sonic as strictly canonical to one another in every single detail of the presentation, Classic Sonic is older than Modern Sonic.

It's almost like broad-strokes continuity is a concept nobody understands anymore…

[RedFox99]

40 minutes ago, DoubleXXCross said:

And besides, if we're trying to treat both versions of Sonic as strictly canonical to one another in every single detail of the presentation, Classic Sonic is older than Modern Sonic.

It's almost like broad-strokes continuity is a concept nobody understands anymore…

Never heard ofnghag before; would you explain it?

[Osmium]

The problem with this whole thing is that Generations completely fucked what should have been a very simple thing. Before 2011 you could respond what Sonic Team always intended to the question "why do classic and modern Sonic look different" and that is that this is how Sonic always looked. It's simply a different style for Sonic that was necessary for 3D camera angles. Generations made the notion of two different Sonics canon (and exaggerated the differences in their design which makes this whole thing worse but that's completely another topic) and made it more complicated than it was before. Now Forces decides to bring up classic Sonics from other dimensions (????) and I don't even know anymore. 

All I know is that modern versions of characters always looked that way, they were just drawn in a different style pre-1998 and that's how it was always supposed to be. 

32 minutes ago, RedFox99 said:

Never heard ofnghag before; would you explain it?

He's probably talking about how Sonic was originally 18 then changed to 16. Modern Sonic is only 15. 

[JohnSMan]

I don't think there needs to be an elaborate explanation behind Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic's visual differences. Sonic is Sonic, and that's good enough for me.