| Sonic Dreams Collection | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Arcane Kids |
| Publisher(s) | Arcane Kids |
| Designer(s) | Ben Esposito Arjun Prakash |
| Series | Sonic the Hedgehog (unofficial) |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, OS X |
| Release | August 10, 2015 |
| Genre(s) | Parody, art |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Sonic Dreams Collection is a 2015 parody art game by Arcane Kids for Microsoft Windows and OS X. It contains four minigames presented as unfinished games in Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog franchise: the character creator Make My Sonic; the massively multiplayer online role-playing game Eggman Origin; the interactive movie Sonic Movie Maker; and the dating sim My Roommate Sonic. The minigames are described in-game as having been developed by a nonexistent Sega studio for the Dreamcast in the late 1990s and are accompanied by fictional development histories. The game originated from concepts several individuals made during a Sonic-themed Valentine's Day event on the game-sharing website Glitch City. It lampoons the modern Sonic fandom, which is known for its peculiarities.
Arcane Kids released Sonic Dreams Collection as freeware on August 10, 2015, accompanied by a satirical press release claiming the contents were discovered in a Dreamcast software development kit they purchased on eBay in 2013 and alleging Sega tried to keep them a secret. The game quickly caught the attention of many video game journalists, who were intrigued by its absurd nature and content. They characterized the game as scary and bizarre, but also considered it a work people should be interested in playing and noted its commentary on the series' fandom. Kill Screen went on to name Sonic Dreams Collection among the best games of 2015.
Gameplay
editIn Sonic Dreams Collection, the player selects one of four single-player parody minigames based on the Sega game franchise Sonic the Hedgehog.[1][2] Though unofficial, the minigames are presented as real, unfinished Sonic games for the Dreamcast developed by MJSTUDIO, a nonexistent Sega development studio, in the late 1990s.[3][1] They are listed in the order they are said to have been developed in, with a fictional development history provided.[4]
- Make My Sonic is a character creator in which the player alters the appearance of a Sonic the Hedgehog model. The player can change his coloration and alter the size and positioning of his limbs. After this, they select a randomly generated name.[3] The game states Make My Sonic was MJSTUDIO's first Sonic game and was created in 1996.[1] The studio apparently intended it to be compatible with the defunct Internet service SegaNet so users could import their character into supported games, believing Sonic would work in any game genre.[5]
- Eggman Origin is a vestigial massively multiplayer online role-playing game[3] alleged to have been created in 1997.[6] It is initially displayed as unplayable beyond the title screen, as it requests a connection to SegaNet.[3] However, by opening a separate file in the game's directory folders (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 Doctor Eggman. By feeding Eggman with worms dug up from around him on the map, he grows. After this, the player completes the game and ascends into the sky, with the number of ascensions posted on the online leaderboard chao.garden.[6]
- Sonic Movie Maker is an interactive movie in which the player is tasked with finding a camera and filming a six-second film 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. Levels in Sonic Movie Maker include a prom dance floor, a motel, and a hospital room.[3] The game states Sonic Movie Maker would have been a technological achievement but was canceled in 1998 when Sega management discovered its references to sexual fetishes such as vorarephilia and fat fetishism.[1][7]
- My Roommate Sonic is a dating sim presented from a first-person view. The player sits on a couch next to Sonic, with Eggman encouraging the player by text message to pursue their romantic interest in Sonic.[3][8] The game suggests My Roommate Sonic was canceled in 1999 because it was supposed to be used with the unreleased Sega VR headset. It is the only minigame that can be played using the Oculus Rift. Completing it unlocks an extra level in Sonic Movie Maker.[8]
Development
editSonic Dreams Collection is a fan’s game. We’re not making fun of the fans necessarily, just celebrating the weirdness of it. Sonic fans kind of hated it for that. I hate any kind of brand that uses anti-corporate language to promote a corporation.
Ben Esposito on how Sonic Dreams Collection was targeted at the Sonic fandom.[9]
Sonic Dreams Collection was developed by Arcane Kids, an independent game developer known for releasing joke video games like Bubsy 3D: Bubsy Visits the James Turrell Retrospective (2013) and Pokémon Millennial Edition (2014).[10][11] It was programmed using the Unity game engine.[4] According to designer Ben Esposito, the development team treated the game as a work of art. They conceived and designed it to celebrate and satirize the Sonic the Hedgehog series' modern fandom, which is known for its peculiarities.[9]
The minigames in Sonic Dreams Collection were developed separately during the game-sharing website Glitch City's "Sonic is My Boyfriend" Valentine's Day event;[12] Sonic Movie Maker, for example, was created by former Electronic Arts employee Arjun Prakash.[13] Afterward, Prakash and two Arcane Kids members decided to merge the games they made (Sonic Movie Maker, Make My Sonic, and My Roommate Sonic) to form Sonic Dreams Collection. Development lasted for another three months, progressing through weekly sessions on Glitch City with the help of other contributors.[12] Prakash did not receive much credit for his involvement.[13]
Sonic Dreams Collection was released on August 10, 2015 as freeware for Microsoft Windows and OS X computers, on the website hedgehog.exposed.[10] The site contained a press release in which Arcane Kids claimed to have discovered the game's contents in a Dreamcast software development kit they purchased on eBay in 2013 and posted them online as a protest against Sega's apparent attempts to keep their existence a secret.[3] The press release does disclaim that Sonic Dreams Collection is a work of parody, discounting any affiliation with Sega.[14] To download the game, visitors have to type in the password "grandpa".[10]
Reception
editIn the days following its release, Sonic Dreams Collection received a considerable amount of media attention for its absurd content and intention to lampoon the series' fandom. A day after release, VG247 called it a "piece of gaming history."[15] Kill Screen declared it the 13th best game of 2015, writing that although it was bizarre and inappropriate, Sonic Dreams Collection provided a thoughtful homage to the series' fandom and was "hilarious".[16] Esposito has said some Sonic fans were offended by the game because they felt it was ridiculing them.[9]
Summarizations of the game ranged from "weird shit" (PC Gamer)[11] to "surprisingly polished" (Destructoid).[1] The Daily Dot questioned why the game even existed and wrote it took the Sonic fandom's weirdness to a new level,[17] and Polygon's authors expressed concern they were not allowed to write about its contents.[7] Upon learning about it, Eurogamer's writer said he thought it was "an innocent enough NeoGAF post" that turned into "something much more sinister."[18] Eurogamer and Kotaku were lost for words in describing Sonic Dreams Collection's content, with Koraku describing the whole experience as haunting.[3][18] VG247 did not explain the game in detail, believing readers needed to play it themselves to understand. They also disagreed with The Daily Dot's comment about the peculiarities of the fandom, saying "[Sonic Dreams Collection] isn’t even scraping the surface of the places those people go."[15] In addition to mocking the fandom, Engadget found the game served as a comment of the state of the Sonic franchise and its sullied reputation.[2]
Journalists characterized Sonic Dreams Collection's minigames as unsettling and bizarre; Destructoid wrote they ranged from "creepy sexual fan service and Sonic community parody to something truly nightmare inducing."[1] Of its games, writers were most intrigued by Sonic Movie Maker. PC Gamer called it the highlight of the game,[11] while Kotaku, Polygon, and Destructoid were left in shock from playing it.[1][7][3] Polygon—which produced walkthroughs of all four minigames—described Make My Sonic as random,[5] Eggman Origin as scary,[6] Sonic Movie Maker as horrifying,[7] and My Roommate Sonic as "tak[ing] things to the next level".[8] Engadget wrote players would finish Sonic Dreams Collection within minutes but that they would likely come back, finding it "uncanny at recreating both the vibe of crude fan art and Sega's turn-of-the-century zeitgeist, that sense that the Dreamcast would usher in a brave new era for the blue hedgehog and his friends."[2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Kate Dale, Laura (August 13, 2015). "I want to get sucked deep inside your dreams Sonic". Destructoid. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ a b c Fingas, Jon (August 16, 2015). "'Sonic the Hedgehog' tribute games reflect a mascot's fall from grace". Engadget. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Klepek, Patrick (August 10, 2015). "I Filmed A Sonic The Hedgehog Orgy". Kotaku. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
- ^ a b Arcane Kids (August 15, 2015). Sonic Dreams Collection.
- ^ a b Robinson, Nick; McElroy, Griffin (August 10, 2015). "Sonic Dreams Collection's character creator is just the tip of the hellish iceberg". Polygon. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^ a b c Robinson, Nick; McElroy, Griffin (August 18, 2015). "Hacking our way into Eggman Origin, the scariest Sonic MMO to never exist". Polygon. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Robinson, Nick; McElroy, Griffin (August 11, 2015). "Sonic Movie Maker is the most world-shakingly horrifying game we've played all year". Polygon. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
- ^ a b c Robinson, Nick; McElroy, Griffin (August 14, 2015). "Confessing our feelings to everyone's favorite hedgehog in My Roommate Sonic". Polygon. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^ a b c Kotzer, Zack (June 14, 2016). "Confessions of an online prankster: a good laugh with Ben Esposito". Kill Screen. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
- ^ a b c "This is a command: you have to play Sonic Dreams Collection". Kill Screen. August 19, 2015. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
- ^ a b c Savage, Phil (August 11, 2015). "Sonic Dreams Collection is today's weird internet curio". PC Gamer. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
- ^ a b Arcane Kids (August 11, 2015). "A letter from AxK". Pastebin.com. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ a b "archie prakash". don't die. February 12, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
- ^ "Sonic Dreams Collection Press Kit". HEDGEHOG EXPOSED 2015©. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
- ^ a b Hillier, Brenna (August 11, 2015). "Horror show compilation of lost Sonic games is today's Internet darling". VG247. Retrieved June 5, 2018.
- ^ "High Scores: The Best Videogames of 2015". Kill Screen. December 22, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ Khan, Imad (August 12, 2015). "These minigames are a Sonic fan's worst nightmare". The Daily Dot. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ a b Bratt, Chris (August 11, 2015). "Video: Eurogamer plays Sonic Dreams Collection". Eurogamer. Retrieved June 5, 2018.