Sega’s announcement of retro throwback title Sonic Mania at a Sonic the Hedgehog 25th anniversary Comic-Con presentation wasn’t the only big reveal. The company also finally confirmed a new major home console release for the franchise via a teaser trailer, though its cryptic nature still leaves what exactly the game will be up in the air.
Simply codenamed Project Sonic for now, the trailer had a rather ominous feel, showing a smoldering city being torn apart by gigantic robots before Sonic himself appeared. Rushing to save the day, he’s almost hit by flying debris before the reveal of an all too familiar face, that being the old-school “Classic” Sonic from the Genesis days and Sonic Generations. The two once again look to team up before the trailer ends with the tagline “Join the resistance,” and the promise of a holiday 2017 release.
While it would seem logical to assume this is an announcement for a possible Sonic Generations 2, Sega has already clarified that this game will be something completely different. The lack of familiar environments certainly seems to suggest that players won’t be going through reimagined levels from the series’ past once again. Considering that Generations got the best critical reception the series has seen since the Dreamcast days, maybe Sega will mainly be returning to its style of gameplay, while trying something new with the plot and setting.
One can only hope that the grim tone of the trailer doesn’t mean we’ll get an overly serious plot, as that was already poorly attempted with the infamous 2006 Sonic title. It’s also worth noting that, besides releasing on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, Project Sonic is now among the first titles confirmed for the Nintendo NX.
With late 2017 still a ways off, we’ll have to wait for more concrete details on what to expect from Project Sonic, and keep our fingers crossed that it can end up a better game than the last few entries in the franchise.