Megathread SAGE 2021: Express Your Love To The World!

[Dreadknux]

As you might know already, we LOVE the Sonic Amateur Games Expo at the Sonic Stadium. We are always writing about the games that are showcased at the event, you guys are always posting topics about the hottest titles, and generally everyone has a fantastic time!

This week, SAGE 2021 is well underway, and there's a huge number of games on show this year. From traditional Sonic games, to 3D platformers, ROM hacks and even engine frameworks to help you get your own project off the ground should any of these games inspire you.

You can check out the SAGE site right here:
https://sagexpo.org/

And our coverage has got off to a strong start with an awesome first look at Sonic Triple Trouble 16-Bit, written by our very own @Indigo Rush! https://www.sonicstadium.org/2021/08/early-look-sonic-triple-trouble-16-bit-sage-2021/

Here's some of the games that have caught my eye. What are some of the games you're interested in?

Pico Sonic

https://sonicfangameshq.com/forums/showcase/pico-sonic.985/

Sonic and the Mayhem Master

https://sonicfangameshq.com/forums/showcase/sonic-and-the-mayhem-master.106/

Sonic Discovery

https://sonicfangameshq.com/forums/showcase/sonic-discovery.1139/

Triple Trouble 16-Bit (obviously)

https://sonicfangameshq.com/forums/showcase/sonic-triple-trouble-16-bit.1130/

And of course the GOAT...

Big's Big World

https://sonicfangameshq.com/forums/showcase/bigs-big-world.1146/

Uunfortunately I can't play many of these as I'm stuck on a Mac! So if you guys want to do a deep dive on your favourite SAGE 2021 games, feel free to make a specific topic about it! Or share your thoughts on the show as we run through the week in this topic right here!  

[Tornado]

I'm looking extremely forward to the remaster of the Android version of Sonic Advance; which always seemed a bit like forbidden fruit since I could never manage to get it running on any of my phones.

[Indigo Rush]

I've obviously been going in hard for Sonic Triple Trouble 16-bit in TSS's news section, but it's mainly because I'm an absolute sucker for good attention to detail and commitment to an idea, and the sheer amount of love poured into making it look, feel and play just like a Genesis game is astonishing to me. It really goes the distance with that.

I've been toying around with a few others, nothing interesting to say that hasn't been said about the others just yet, but I will say the lack of 3D Sonic fangames, at least compared to previous years, is a bit interesting to me. Getting that blue guy to work on the Z axis is pretty tough.

[Tornado]

It blows my mind that Emerald Ties: Crossing Fates is still in development. I remember that being at SAGE like, 15 years ago.

[Wraith]

Not Sonic related but I want to encourage everyone to check out Starbuster. It's a great MMZ inspired action platformer and gets better every year.

https://sonicfangameshq.com/forums/showcase/starbuster-2021-demo.1092/

Tiny Thor also left a pretty good impression on me. It's got a really cool central gimmick that they should be able to get a lot of mileage out of in the full game, but even better than that for me is the artstyle. The spritework is insane.

https://sonicfangameshq.com/forums/showcase/tiny-thor.1055/

[FlameStream]

It's always impressive to see how many projects people are tackling within the scope of the franchise.

If there is one thing I wish people did more, it's to try to create games that fits other characters completely instead of just Sonic (or trying to make others play similar to him). After a few years, it can be a little tiresome to see a remix of the same feel.

That's why Big's Big World is exactly the kind of game that immediately caught my attention lol.

[Monkey Destruction Switch]

On 8/23/2021 at 3:26 PM, Tornado said:

It blows my mind that Emerald Ties: Crossing Fates is still in development. I remember that being at SAGE like, 15 years ago.

I have no history with Emerald Ties, but I played the current demo and was extremely pleased. Great graphics and gameplay. Was quite sad when it was over, in fact.

I neglected to play Sonic RPG last year, so I played it today and will hopefully play the sequel soon. I only wish I had played it sooner, I honestly absolutely love it. It was very short, but a treat from start to finish. The gameplay was extremely engaging, the story was intriguing, the graphics were great, and it perfectly captured my childhood favorite show. Unless you actively hate SatAM and actively hate RPGs, you should seriously consider checking it out

[Monkey Destruction Switch]

Have a few more recommendations to give. All 2D classic-style platformers.

Sonic Classic 2 and Sonic Hoshi

High-quality games with an authentic classic Sonic feel.

Sonic Totem

Very beautiful and unique spritework and environments. The spindash is really weak, which sounds bad (and sometimes feels bad, lol), but the level design is heavily based on maintaining momentum, which is pretty cool.

Sonic Frenzy Adventure

Incredibly fun game that, unlike the others on this list, has some modern Sonic influences, even though it's a primarily classic gameplay experience. Has some interesting and unique mechanics; for example, Sonic's double jump ability is based on power-ups he grabs, and you can switch between them at will. I haven't actually made it very far in this one, but I'm already loving it.