The Wisps, or; Throwing the Baby Out Instead of the Bathwater

[Multikaris]

I personally have come to the conclusion that the Wisps are perhaps the biggest missed opportunity of the series, and one of the worst things present in the franchise as of this date. Over the years, the Wisps have lost any redeeming factors they have had, one by one. Now, they do not even remotely resemble their original selves in purpose at all. The original portrayal of the Wisps was actually a great idea, decently executed, but with some degree of flaws.

 

Sonic Colo(u)rs

 

In their debut appearance, Wisps had several factors that made them quite interesting. In gameplay, players would be able to find and unlock Wisps to open up new areas of levels to find collectibles and earn better ranks, and in the multiplayer, combine Wisps for devastating results. Wisps could be hung on to and saved for later in the level, and had multiple uses. Spikes, for example, could be used either to harm enemies, scale walls, or activate mechanisms. Seeing old abilities added by them was necessary due to the limitations of the Wii controller and the demand for simplicity, but only the Spin Dash and Light Speed Dash were brought back. However, the Wisps were still somewhat flawed in the end.

 

Wisps were well-known for supplanting the various other characters in the series with their abilities. SEGA claimed that they would add other characters back when they perfected Sonic’s gameplay, but Lost World evidenced that this was perhaps merely a euphemism. Wisps were also exclusive between versions. A Pokemon-esque transfer gimmick could have worked to bring Wisps from one version to another to unlock more and optional new paths. This game was also notable for being one of very few times Wisps were plot-relevant. Sonic befriends a wisp named Yacker, who serves with Tails as mission control. To begin with, Yacker is not as prominent as similar characters from Sonic’s “Young Adult period”, like Shahra. Hence, he ends up being less developed, and ultimately less likable and relevant. What we see of him includes that he likes to dance around and… that’s basically it. No real history or motivations. Sonic isn’t really bonding with him, and Tails doesn’t get enough focus to see how his connection to Yacker is like.

 

The Wisps are shown as semi-sapient creatures with a language of their own that Tails can translate using the Miles Electric. His initial translations were poor, and resulted in strange phrases, with words that would likely have no equivalent in their language. (Maybe Tails was using a roundabout translator?) Tails’s translator could have become a more major device, eventually discovering more secrets about the Wisps and their world. A major point of the Wisps is how they return environmental messages to the franchise, especially in their homeworld. Their homeworld, and it is implied the other planets, were overtaken by Eggman’s industry, as the Wisps are pressed into capsules and Badniks. Perhaps, these Badniks would gain increased power from the Wisps, gaining new abilities? This is not really explored. Later, Eggman discovers the ability to taint Wisps, resulting in the Void and Frenzy Wisps, plus one more Wisp, the Black Bomb, that will be discussed later. This is in pursuit of a Hyper-Go-On Energy, said to perhaps be stronger than the Chaos Emeralds (to the point where they are squirreled away in Game Land), that Eggman desires. This energy is never lusted after again, only the specific powers of them, by Sonic.

 

Of all the overtaken planets, only Planet Wisp is shown freed before the end, with the rest merely released from the center that Eggman ostensibly constructed. Their additions by Eggman are never demolished, nor purified like they were in CD. Even with the boost gameplay in mind, this is a bit of a missed opportunity to see how the planets look like cleared of the Eggman. Some more subtle elements of environmental messages occur, such as Eggman mentioning the exotic plants are endlings, trivializing the oceans, and releasing pollutants. Polluting even asteroids for his sense of vanity. Leaving guests in danger in his attractions and even parking. This message actually goes both ways, with raw nature being said to endanger guests in certain areas of the park, such as the parking lot. Starlight Carnival even represents light pollution, perhaps? The very resort is an example of excess, as Eggmanland has already been made.

 

All in all, this is the Wisps’s best showing, and their only good one in my honest opinion. A well-welcomed return to the environmental messages of the series, with several fresh twists.

 

Sonic Generations

 

Wisps made an appearance in one stage of each game. While they were simplified greatly compared to their past role, it is understandable given that they both only appear in one stage and in a game without multiplayer. What’s not understandable, is that these hamperings were carried over to Sonic Lost World, with no excuse for this.

 

Sonic Lost World

 

The Wisps return, minus every interesting game mechanic, quality of life factor, or story relevance. Gameplay-wise, the Wisps have lost a lot of their concepts from Colors. The combination maneuvers have vanished, with multiplayer Wisps being as static as they have become in the campaign. Wisps lost most of their multiple purposes, with one of the new ones having only one possible use. Wisps could no longer be unlocked and brought to old stages to find secrets. Rather than being held onto and activated in seamless fashion, Wisps had nag screens demonstrating their usage. Worse still was that they now had motion controls needed for use, and worst of all is what happened with them story-wise.

 

The Wisps had no relevance, no explanation for their appearance. No-one except Sonic notices them or uses them. This stings much greater when we get to one of the new Wisp types added in this entry. The Chaos Emeralds lost yet more relevance as a result. Now they are, rather than hidden away in Game Land, simply appearing as a prize for Red Ring collection. Why would anyone here pass them up, especially a so-called “Master of Chaos’ like Zavok? Eggman, now Baldy McNosehair, has gone back to using the Small Animals in capsules and Badniks, when the Wisps have been shown to be superior in providing energy. Badniks have become smaller, plainer, and simpler compared to their predecessors in the past games, or so large and cumbersome they are barely motile. The small animals are shown to be ineffective at powering them, and Eggman’s entire operation has become ridiculously inefficient. Wisps are only placed into individual pods, rather than into Badniks or large capsules, which is made a whole lot more confusing when we get to the ham-fisted Voodoo Shark that came up two years later. Wisps could also be obtained through a Socialization Bonus.

 

The game introduced new breeds of Wisp to the series. Of these, two are prime material for discussion, the first as a massive missed opportunity, and the second as perhaps the very worst Wisp ever created. The Black Bomb Wisp appears to be a corrupted Wisp, so corrupted in fact that its color has been totally drained, leaving it black with a jagged, red maw. It has no eyes, only protrusions resembling eyeballs, bulging outward. The continued existence (or even manufacturing) of corrupted Wisps, Wisps even more corrupt and wretched than those Sonic has encountered before, with a power so destructive as to be utterly suicidal in its explosive fury, and yet… it’s only a social trade bonus with no in-level appearances and no story relevance. Sonic never noticed what makes it so different from even Void and Frenzy, which are absent here. He never sheds a tear over their corruption, never fears for his own life as he uses their demented power. The other, Rhythm, is a Wisp so utterly useless that it is only good for some weird, mandatory puzzles to cross gaps. This Wisp, was even argued as one of the few Wisp species that should be abandoned entirely due to being so awkward and contrived, by the120cxx on the SEGA Forum.

 

While Yacker shows up as an item delivery man, he has even less to do with the story than Knuckles. Knuckles! The guy who’s more or less turned into Squidward, a prideful loser who is pushed around by small animals and barely does anything else. Both could easily have been removed. Sonic never comments on his presence in the game at any point, nor does anyone else. Small animals even power the invisible level gates of the game, making it seem more of the obvious paywall without the paying that it truly is. The small animals have become a premium currency, gathered in mini-games and over the course of play.

 

During the final duel, Eggman uses the life energy of the Earth as a weapon. Sonic, this time, doesn’t even accept the “aid” of the Wisps, on top of his previous friends, and rushes headlong into battle. Eggman’s machine uses attacks previously provided by the energy of Wisps, without their influence. This battle is a duel, pure and simple. Yet it doesn’t seem like Sonic would win this duel, especially with how Eggman uses the energy of the whole planet. The only way Sonic won was because he’s the protagonist and he has to win all by himself with no aid. Pure and utter Kishimoto/Kishimontaff logic to the extreme. We do not see any influence of the complete outrage and total loss of all respect for Eggman that Sonic must now feel due to his actions here.

 

Sonic and Eggman have now become mortal enemies. And it’s the Wisps’ fault.

 

Sonic Runners

 

While the Wisps shared their job with Chao and many, many others, they received a strange explanation for their presence in other titles. They apparently “decided to stay on Sonic’s world” due to their sheer gratitude towards Sonic for saving their realms. If this is the case, why then, are the Wisps still in bondage when we see them? Why do the corrupted Wisps continue to exist, to the point where new ones are discovered?

 

Sonic Forces

 

This game was really the straw that caused cancer in the already broken back of the camel for me, with the Wisps being weaponized as “Wispons”, which is overall a good idea, but one quibble… WHY IS THERE A VOID WISPON? The Void is a corrupted Wisp, something made by Eggman. Why would everyone feel so casual about using them, even shaping weaponry to resemble them? The Wisps, however, have largely made their exit from Sonic’s gameplay, with the White Wisps being a generic pickup for boost power. The Chaos Emeralds hadn’t returned either, which in this case actually makes sense; in a situation this big, and with the Phantom Ruby this powerful, the Chaos Emeralds were better left out entirely if they weren’t relevant, which is why I agreed with the concept of making them paid DLC. Otherwise, it would raise more questions. If the Chaos Emeralds were there, why wouldn’t the Resistance make a grab for them?

 

Non-Sonic Team Media

 

In Team Sonic Racing, Wisps return as the pickups for the racers. This makes sense in a spinoff racer, especially that Planet Wisp is now a stage. And apparently the planet is being overrun by technology anyway, though more subtly than before, as lampooned by Rogier Van Der Weide.  Another corrupted Wisp also appears, this one a sickly cyan known as the Jade Ghost. The Wisps’ environmental message has been ignored, and is now contradicted by SEGA.

 

IDW comics also feature Wispons, including Whisper and her Variable Wispon. They give the same ham-fisted explanation as in Runners there. Otherwise, they've been largely decoration, with a backstory inferred to be the same as the game ones. Even post-reboot Archie had Wisp-inspired creatures called Dark Arms.

 

In Sonic Dash 2: Sonic Boom, Wisps gained an equivalent species known as the Sprites. These entities have a few interesting mechanics to them, but no plot relevance whatsoever. Sprites can be matured to form better ones. Spirits can also be sold off or leveled up. Some are one-use, others can be used multiple times. Hey, doesn’t this feel like the Chronicles Chao Garden a bit? These beings remain exclusive to Dash 2, and never popped up anywhere else in Boom.

Sonic Colors Ultimate added the Jade Ghost from TSR, and also did animated shorts which gave Wisps more prominence, with a team of Wisp “Freedom Fighters” and a prominent Jade Ghost. Sadly, they are never named, and for some reason the Jade Ghost is treated as a natural Wisp rather than a corrupted one.

Repairing Wisps

 

How could the Wisps be repaired, rather than dumped? Go back to how they were used in Colors, in the gameplay and in story relevance. They should only appear if the story dictates that they should. If they have to be involved gameplay-wise, their mechanics from Colors are still the best mechanics they have had. Such as finding and unlocking Wisps, combining powers, etc.  Making them compatible with other characters may not actually be that difficult. Though really, the120cxx once pointed out that most of the Wisps were redundant with the other characters, to which I replied to him that every single one was. The few Wisps he did not find redundant were Void, Rhythm, and Cube. I then posited that Tikal could be Void, Big could be Cube, and Vector could be Rhythm. Another user debated the argument, saying my analogies make zero sense.

 

Maybe explore more of the lore of these creatures, even tying them into past lore as well? Planet Wisp could become a fascinating locale. Even the other worlds they’ve come to inhabit could be nice to see.

 

Any other things you’d like to see done with the Wisps? 

[MadmanRB]

Well if used properly yes the Wisps can be made to have good mechanics and can aid as helpers.

And actually hate to say it but i liked the wispons in forces, one of the few redeeming factors of the game for me.

The only issue with the wispons and the mechanic is the execution, you can tell by gameplay they were added later on in the games development giving them a rather uneven feel.

Wity refinement and better gameplay the wispons would be a great addition, especially if it was tails who used them, I can so totally see him using wispon technology or even being its inventor (if he wasnt so badly written in forces argeflargleblargle)

[Dr. Detective]

To be perfectly honest, I'm long past the point of caring about how the wisps fit into the grand scheme of things.

Their presence feels as though it's acting as a substitute for things I'd like to see make a return. Now that might not actually be the case. SEGA/Sonic Team probably won't make the other characters or item boxes return should the Wisps leave but the fact remains that my consciousness is pinning some of the (probably irrational) emotional blame on them regardless. I don't really see much potential for them, personally.

I got into a bit of conversation about this a while back and my position being in favor of having an explanation was more of a "if you're going to include them, at least do this" sort of thing. It's an incredibly easy thing to fix and I tend not to be lenient when I feel they're being extra lazy for no real reason. 

However, I'm all for seeing them just leave. Energy wasted seeing how they could be incorporated better is energy that could be used on those other things I care more about. It's just how I feel.

1 hour ago, Miragnarok said:

SEGA claimed that they would add other characters back when they perfected Sonic’s gameplay.

When did they make this claim? I think I would have obsessed over that tidbit like Smaug and his fucking treasure if they had said something like that. 

 

[Blue Wisp]

I can explain. SEGA doesn't pay us enough and our union doesn't want better working conditions, thus we've been forced to work ad honorem until SEGA makes a good game. 

The future is looking grim for us. 

Send help.

No but seriously why were the Wisps in Forces? That was the biggest shoe-horn of the century. The only reason the Avatar had a Wisp Gun was because...?

[Jango]

I love that Sonic saves the creatures in Colors and proceed to use them as ammunition during the war in Forces, poor bastards. Maybe they like it, I don't know. Their reason to be in Generations was obvious and acceptable, it's Planet Wisp... But Lost World? Is the Lost Hex an alien planet? Also, WTF is the Lost Hex? What is anything in that game? Sonic Lost World is the worst Sonic game in terms of story in recent times. At least they "tried" with Sonic Boom. Failed hard, but tried. 

Then there's the cherry on top that is TSR. I've never said they didn't fit as weapons, heck, they literally ARE weapons in Forces, but when you make a racing game set in the Sonic world, you'd expect the goddamn Sonic world shit to be used as itens... There's a thousand of stuff that could be used and make for some awesome fan service even (the blue shell equivalent could be the barrel from Carnival Night).

Well, it's better than baseball mit I guess... 

In a nut shell:

Wisps in Colors: hm, okay, they're actually fun to use.

Generations: oh, I see, it's their planet, that makes sense, and I like both rocket and spikes.

Lost World: ... Why are they here exactly?

Runners: okay, you stayed because of Sonic and you're fun to use again.

Forces: just get the heck out here.

TSR: please leeeeeave!

[Salamander]

The Wisps are, thematically, completely broken at this point.  They're back each time solely because they were popular exactly once, but it's a complete shoehorn affair that has literally no story relevance; they're a bit like the Chao, in that respect.  Forces exposes the truth that Wisps aren't back for gameplay reasons either, because Sonic Team had to invent completely new gameplay for them because they couldn't justify the original.  Team Sonic Racing was either mandated to use them to continue the push, or possibly is just unoriginal; neither would be surprising.  I strongly suspect that Sonic Team is crossing their fingers that Wisps will be merchandisable one day, and haven't gotten the message yet that it's not going to happen.

[SBR2]

I don't know this seems like complaining about Shield Boxes to me. They're Power Ups that's it. They've explained in Runners that the Wisps chose to stay and help Sonic. It's never really seemed like that big a deal to me.

[Multikaris]

57 minutes ago, SBR2 said:

I don't know this seems like complaining about Shield Boxes to me. They're Power Ups that's it. They've explained in Runners that the Wisps chose to stay and help Sonic. It's never really seemed like that big a deal to me.

Above, I explain why that explanation actually opens up more questions than it answers. For example, why do corrupted Wisps continue to exist even though they were cured in Colors? They have also regressed gameplay-wise as well.

 

Also, FFWF, they’re even worse than Chao. Their early returns kept all the original mechanics and even expanded upon them. And even when they were reduced to collectibles, material relating to their original lore showed up (Angel Island was still the basis of the last two stages). And Sonic Team knew when to keep them out, as shown with games like 06. But Wisps? They’re EVERYWHERE, and even when nothing relating to their lore is present. I’m also starting to think that they’ve been mandated into other media after the failure of Boom, and wouldn’t be surprised to see them in the live-action film.

[Sonic Fan J]

42 minutes ago, SBR2 said:

I don't know this seems like complaining about Shield Boxes to me. They're Power Ups that's it. They've explained in Runners that the Wisps chose to stay and help Sonic. It's never really seemed like that big a deal to me.

I get what you're saying, but the problem with the comparison is more along the lines of the shield monitors never having a narrative like the Wisps did. Sure we could always ask who made the monitors and why are they all over the world like Rings (comically in Chaotix Eggman himself was trying to unravel the mystery of the rings in the Japanese Manual) but the question has never had an answer. Conversely, even as powerups we are introduced to the Wisps narratively before we are introduced to them as a gameplay element with their narrative being directly tied to them being captured, enslaved, and experimented upon by Eggman being the reason that they are available as powerups. Once Eggman is removed as the reason for them being powerups everything about them get called into question with their original narrative being the reason why. Of course their is a solution; change the way they are obtained as power ups that fits their narrative. We know that a number of Wisps supposedly stayed behind because they liked Sonic, so to me a better solution for power ups using the wisps would be to have the Wisps appear as rewards for good play (or bail outs for bad play). Say for example you collect twenty loose rings without getting hurt in 3 seconds or less, now a Hover Wisp appears as a reward and you can choose to collect it and then use the Light Speed Dash if you want. It encourages different playstyles and fits with the narrative of the Wisps. So while not a perfect solution, it shows that they are ways it can be changed to be fresh and dynamic without bringing  the narrative into question.

[Rowl]

The Wisps from Sonic are for me, what the Dreams Eaters are in KH. Both of them are fun gameplay gimmick, not do not really serve a real purpose in the overall story of their specific universe. 

The Wisps can only really work well in Sonic's narrative, if their are established characters of his universe that live side by side with Sonic. Kinda like with the Toads in Mario. 

[Diogenes]

27 minutes ago, Sonic Fan J said:

Of course their is a solution; change the way they are obtained as power ups that fits their narrative. We know that a number of Wisps supposedly stayed behind because they liked Sonic, so to me a better solution for power ups using the wisps would be to have the Wisps appear as rewards for good play (or bail outs for bad play). Say for example you collect twenty loose rings without getting hurt in 3 seconds or less, now a Hover Wisp appears as a reward and you can choose to collect it and then use the Light Speed Dash if you want.

That feels like putting the cart before the horse, introducing an awkward gameplay mechanic just to try to conform to the narrative.

Personally I think if they wanted to keep the wisps around they should've just stuck with Colors' reasoning; wisps are just "powerup" versions of small animals, Eggman collects them for various evil plans, you save them and they help you out in return.

[Sonic Fan J]

8 minutes ago, Diogenes said:

That feels like putting the cart before the horse, introducing an awkward gameplay mechanic just to try to conform to the narrative.

Maybe, but I am known for overthinking and complicating things anyways. But even then, I've played lots of games over the years with reward systems and I think a simple one that provides a momentary bonus wouldn't really hurt so much as it encourages being experimental in how you play. Of course

10 minutes ago, Diogenes said:

Personally I think if they wanted to keep the wisps around they should've just stuck with Colors' reasoning; wisps are just "powerup" versions of small animals, Eggman collects them for various evil plans, you save them and they help you out in return.

your solution also works without any problems. Going with your solution though I'd probably make tougher enemies like in Sonic 4 or hard to hit enemies like the gold bots in SA2 be how you get a Wisp since they can totally change the way a level flows if they aren't more difficult optional pick ups. It's part of why I'm partial to my idea (beyond the obvious bias) as keeps them out of easy reach but also provides the freedom to experiment with how you approach a level and what you want to do. Regardless though, how Forces handled them from a presentation stance definitely did not work.

[Kazhnuz]

I think that believing that they actually replace multiple-characters, design-wise, is a misconception. And I think that most proposition of replacing wisps by other character is often clunky.

I agree more that that they are related to box items… but kinda different in one big way. Whereas the box items give you a passive power-up that auto-activate, wisps gives you an "active" one that is activated. That's why I think that they should be complementary. Box Items to buff you up, Wisps to do some things. (I'm talking about the basic use, Wispons are a completely different use, gameplay-wise). And that's where the Wisps should be changed in one way : you should be more free to play with the concept. Most often, the games give you a wisps as they give you a stage gimmick. You are here, you must do the thing to advance. I think that they should encourage the player to "play" more with the wisps, by keeping a wisps and reusing it later, by being able to experiment with them, etc. And often making less obvious where the wisps could be useful. In Sonic Forces, by using them to bypass area, they made both a mistake (in that it's sometimes completely OP) and a better idea, with using really the wisps to get alternate path and as that a reward (if we can say that making a too short game even shorter and easier is a reward). I think that in a more "open" Sonic games, they should put them in place where their use isn't always obvious, for instance.

I kinda like the wisps being a reward for fighting a "big" ennemy, for instance. Another possibility would be to hide them, etc. I see basically two possibility : making getting them a reward, or making using them well a reward.

Also, some of the most gimmicky ones could be completely dropped, like the rythm… except as a wispon if they reuse them, because it could be a pretty cool one. I actually would love if all wisps got a wispons, some of them could be pretty awesome (I can picture a giant claw for the frenzy wisp). Also, another thing I'm happy is that Forces dropped the transformation part and just used directly the power. I'm not fond of the appearance that Sonic take when he is transformed.

 

For me, the narrative problem isn't that much a problem, at least not really more than anytime that the ST reused a supposedly one-game component… which is basically ever. Not explaining in game… is a bit of a shame, but kinda understandable : it's such a secondary element that it would be a waste of narrative game, in games that have already too much of it. Secondary pieces of media like mobile or comics are a good way to tackle that, imho. They also don't have to be too much involved in the actual story, except if they get a way to have secondary stories (with "dumb side-mission" with dialogs boxes, or stupid stuff like that), because it would also be a waste of narrative space for me. Better focus on the actual story, especially with how much they need to use it better with how much it's sparse…

Basically, I prefer them like they are now, for narration. As some kind of cute powerup that doesn't take too much narrative space. It's mostly their gameplay use that I would improve.

[Indigo Rush]

The Wisps never bothered me that much. The worst thing about them is their implementation has never really been impressive or revolutionary, and frankly their use as weapons in Team Sonic Racing makes the most sense. 

Fact of the matter is that they're fixtures in the series along with the small animals and Chao. There's nothing inherently wrong with their presence or use as a power-up. Sonic Team just needs to be a little more creative with their use in gameplay if they're going to play a role.

Narratively, though, I couldn't care less. 

[Multikaris]

On 12/3/2018 at 8:27 PM, Dr. Detective Mike said:

To be perfectly honest, I'm long past the point of caring about how the wisps fit into the grand scheme of things.

Their presence feels as though it's acting as a substitute for things I'd like to see make a return. Now that might not actually be the case. SEGA/Sonic Team probably won't make the other characters or item boxes return should the Wisps leave but the fact remains that my consciousness is pinning some of the (probably irrational) emotional blame on them regardless. I don't really see much potential for them, personally.

I got into a bit of conversation about this a while back and my position being in favor of having an explanation was more of a "if you're going to include them, at least do this" sort of thing. It's an incredibly easy thing to fix and I tend not to be lenient when I feel they're being extra lazy for no real reason. 

However, I'm all for seeing them just leave. Energy wasted seeing how they could be incorporated better is energy that could be used on those other things I care more about. It's just how I feel.

When did they make this claim? I think I would have obsessed over that tidbit like Smaug and his fucking treasure if they had said something like that. 

 

I also wonder what would come and replace the Wisps if they ever left, if the characters truly aren’t returning after how Forces worked out. 

On 12/4/2018 at 7:41 PM, Indigo Rush said:

The Wisps never bothered me that much. The worst thing about them is their implementation has never really been impressive or revolutionary, and frankly their use as weapons in Team Sonic Racing makes the most sense. 

Fact of the matter is that they're fixtures in the series along with the small animals and Chao. There's nothing inherently wrong with their presence or use as a power-up. Sonic Team just needs to be a little more creative with their use in gameplay if they're going to play a role.

Narratively, though, I couldn't care less. 

I disagree about them having the right to be staples just yet. They don’t have much ties to the established lore of the series, aside from their own. Their own lore even shows them to be outsiders to Sonic’s world, and the Chaos force itself. Even Flickies seem a little more connected, with their dimensional portals bringing special stages and the Sol Dimension behind. Wisps do expand the lore in a new direction, spaceward, a concept only previously explored by Sonic Team due to the Black Arms. They also reinforce the organic battery concept when used well, and placed into Eggman’s machinery.

[DabigRG]

Geez, melodramatic much?

 

I'm [not] sorry, but can I find it hard to take some things seriously nowadays whenever I see the jargon "likable" attached?

[Diogenes]

1 hour ago, Miragnarok said:

They don’t have much ties to the established lore of the series

Man what fucking does at this point.

They're at least thematically fitting as small, innocent creatures that exist to be captured and saved, and if the series is just going to keep bumbling forward and never stopping to examine what it's even supposed to be about that's about as good as we can reasonably expect.

[DabigRG]

On 12/3/2018 at 11:08 PM, MadmanRB said:

And actually hate to say it but i liked the wispons in forces, one of the few redeeming factors of the game for me.

Yeah, the Wispons are pretty neat.

 especially if it was tails who used them, I can so totally see him using wispon technology or even being its inventor (if he wasnt so badly written in forces argeflargleblargle)

On 12/4/2018 at 4:37 AM, Jango said:

I love that Sonic saves the creatures in Colors and proceed to use them as ammunition during the war in Forces, poor bastards. Maybe they like it, I don't know

To be fair, Sonic himself doesn't use them.

And IDW [over]explains it well enough in context.

On 12/4/2018 at 5:27 AM, FFWF said:

They're back each time solely because they were popular exactly once, but it's a complete shoehorn affair that has literally no story relevance; they're a bit like the Chao, in that respect

So, like Metal, Shadow, and a couple of other things then?

[Multikaris]

2 hours ago, Diogenes said:

Man what fucking does at this point.

They're at least thematically fitting as small, innocent creatures that exist to be captured and saved, and if the series is just going to keep bumbling forward and never stopping to examine what it's even supposed to be about that's about as good as we can reasonably expect.

Indeed, I already mentioned them as He evolution of the small animals and stuff like Little Planet. And fitting thematically is a major plus, unlike certain (admittedly most) OTHER things that popped up in the franchise this decade. 

[Tarnish]

I think the only real reason we have Wisps in almost every damn Sonic game at this point can be explained by: it's Iizuka's new fetish, along with the boost formula. Trying to give more deeper meaning to it is like looking for things that don't exist.

[DabigRG]

9 hours ago, Tarnish said:

 it's Iizuka's new fetish, along with the boost formula. Trying to give more deeper meaning to it is like looking for things that don't exist.

Actually, didn't he or one of the programmers admit that they don't really get why people love the boost?

[Tarnish]

3 minutes ago, DabigRG said:

Actually, didn't he or one of the programmers admit that they don't really get why people love the boost?

Dunno, I never heard of that, but that doesn't mean much as I'm not that interested in what he or Sonic Team in general has to say anymore.

But they're definitely not trying too hard to move away from the boost either.

[DabigRG]

11 minutes ago, Tarnish said:

Dunno, I never heard of that, but that doesn't mean much as I'm not that interested in what he or Sonic Team in general has to say anymore.

But they're definitely not trying too hard to move away from the boost either.

♪Dana-nanaNAna-NAAAAA!,♩

[Shadowlax]

13 hours ago, DabigRG said:

Actually, didn't he or one of the programmers admit that they don't really get why people love the boost?

I wouldn't be surprised if no one knew why anyone liked most if not an of parts of sonic as a franchise.

[Marco9966]

22 hours ago, DabigRG said:

Actually, didn't he or one of the programmers admit that they don't really get why people love the boost?

Source?