| Sonic R | |
|---|---|
 European box art | |
| Developers | Traveller's Tales Sonic Team |
| Publisher | Sega |
| Directors | Masamitsu Shiino Richard Lloyd |
| Producers | Yuji Naka Tetsuo Shinyu |
| Designers | Takashi Iizuka Shiro Mukaide Shun Nakamura |
| Programmer | Jon Burton |
| Artists | Yuji Uekawa Yoshitaka Miura |
| Composer | Richard Jacques |
| Series | Sonic the Hedgehog |
| Platforms | Saturn,Windows |
| Release | SaturnWindows |
| Genre | Racing |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Sonic R[a] is a 1997racing game developed byTraveller's Tales andSonic Team and published bySega for theSega Saturn. It is the third racing game in theSonic the Hedgehog series, and the first to feature3D computer graphics. The player races one of tenSonic characters in variousSonic-themedrace tracks as they attempt to stopDoctor Robotnik from stealing theChaos Emeralds and enslaving the world.Sonic R featuressingle-player andmultiplayergame modes, and while similar tokart racing games such asMario Kart, it places an emphasis on jumping and exploration. By collecting items and completing objectives, players canunlock secret characters.
Development began after the completion ofSonic 3D Blast in 1996 and took nine months. It was the second collaboration between Traveller's Tales and Sonic Team, and was designed to take advantage of the Saturn hardware. Sonic Team designed the race tracks, while Traveller's Tales handled implementation and programming using a customgame engine. The soundtrack was composed byRichard Jacques;Sonic R tracks, most notably "Super Sonic Racing", have been reused in subsequentSonic games.Sega released the game for the Saturn in late 1997, forWindows the following year, and for theGameCube andPlayStation 2 as part ofSonic Gems Collection in 2005.
Sonic R was the only originalSonic game released for the Saturn;Sonic 3D Blast is a port of theMega Drive game, andSonic Jam is a compilation of the first four mainlineSonic games. Initial reviews for the game were mixed, with retrospective reception being more negative. It was praised for its visuals and level design, but criticised for its poor controls, high difficulty and short length. Meanwhile, Jacques's soundtrack polarized audiences, who either found it catchy and well-produced or out of place in a racing game. Fan interest inSonic R inspired Sega to revisit the racing genre with games such asSonic Riders (2006).
Sonic R is a racing video game withsingle-player andmultiplayer modes. The player selects acharacter and participates in a footrace on one of five race tracks, competing for the fastest time ahead of the other racers.[3] Four characters are initially available, while the other six aresecret characters that become available when the player completes certain in-game objectives.[4] Although the gameplay is considered similar tokart racing games such as theMario Kart series,[5][6][7]Sonic R places an emphasis on jumping and exploration, as each track has multiple paths and hidden areas.[8][9] The tracks, although original creations are thematically based on the art style and environments of classicSonic games such asSonic the Hedgehog's "Green Hill Zone" andSonic the Hedgehog 2's "Chemical Plant Zone".[8] Players can also race through each track in reverse.[10]
During each race, the player can collectitems scattered across the track, bestowing advantages.Rings, a stapleSonic series item, are abundant; the player can exchange rings to gain a temporary speed boost or open doors leading to shortcuts or special items.[9] "Item Panels" give a random temporary advantage, such as a speed increase or shields that grant abilities such as being able to run across water or attract nearby rings.[11] Collecting five hidden Sonic tokens on a track and placing in the race will allow the player to challenge one of the secret characters; defeating themunlocks the character for play.[12]Chaos Emeralds are similarly hidden on different tracks, and the player must find them and place first during a race to obtain them.[13] Obtaining all seven will unlock Super Sonic as a playable character.[12]Sonic R allows the player to select the type of weather seen during races.[14] There is also a "Time Attack" mode, where the player races solo to get the fastest time, and a two-player competitive mode, increased to four-players in the Windows port.[12] In addition to the standard time trial mode, there are two others: "Get 5 Balloons", where five balloons are scattered across the track and must be located, and "Tag 4 Characters", where the player chases and must catch four others.[15]
Sonic R features ten playable racers, each with unique attributes and abilities falling in line with their usual abilities.[16]Sonic the Hedgehog is the fastest and can "double jump" (being able to perform a second jump in mid-air).[17]Tails is able to fly through the air for a short time,[17] andKnuckles the Echidna can glide through the air upon jumping.[18]Amy Rose, the last initially available character, drives a car, allowing her to hover over bodies of water and receive extra speed from driving over boost spaces.[18] Secret characters include Sonic's archenemyDr. Robotnik, who flies in hisEggmobile hovercraft and resists differences in terrain; robotic clones of Sonic (Metal Sonic), Tails (Tails Doll), and Knuckles (Metal Knuckles); Robotnik's robotic assistantEggRobo;[19][20] andSuper Sonic, a faster version of Sonic powered by the Chaos Emeralds.[9]
Amy's car, Dr. Robotnik'sEggmobile and Eggrobo are the only characters that cannotjump unless they hit aspring pointing up. Instead of the jumping ability, Amy's car is equipped with aturbo that reloads after a certain amount of time,[18] and both theEggmobile and Eggrobo can fire homingmissiles capable of stunning opponents.[21]
Sonic and Tails are about to take a holiday when Tails notices an advertisement for a "World Grand Prix".[22] While not initially interested, Sonic notices that Dr. Robotnik is also participating, which persuades him to change his mind and enter the race.[22] It is revealed that Robotnik has recently learned of the whereabouts of the rare and powerfulChaos Emeralds, with which he aspires to enslave the world, and that he intends to gather them during the World Grand Prix while using a group of robotic henchmen he has built to best Sonic.[22] Knuckles and Amy overhear of Robotnik's plan and decide to compete. Together, the four must balance both winning races and obtaining the Chaos Emeralds to keep them out of Robotnik's reach.[22]
After the completion ofSonic 3D Blast in 1996,Sega approachedTraveller's Tales about working on aSonic racing game.[8] Traveller's Tales, who had been working on a 3D graphics engine without a clear purpose at the time, found this to be a logical progression.[8] Traveller's Tales chose to rebuild aFormula One game they were developing into aSonic game.[23] Development started in February 1997 as a joint project between Sega'sSonic Team and Traveller's Tales.[8] The game was originally known asSonic TT (the TT standing for Tourist Trophy).[24] It was first publicly announced as "Phase Two of Project Sonic" (with "Phase One" beingSonic Jam).[25] The schedule was tight, and Traveller's Tales requested more freedom than they had withSonic 3D Blast.[26]
Sonic Team designed the race tracks and the game's general flow, and Traveller's Tales were responsible for the implementation and programming.[8] Each track was inspired by levels from previousSonic games such asGreen Hill and Casino Night, and it was due to the tight schedule that there were only five.[26] Secret areas and exploration phases were added to follow the series' traditions (Sonic Team also wanted a cross between a racing game and a platforming game), and for this reason a map was developed.[26] Sega of Europe producer Kats Sato handled communication with Sonic Team, as he was the only person who could speak both English and Japanese. Discussions led to the reward mechanisms, which Sato believed broadened the game. The courses' look and feel were inspired by otherSonic games, includingSonic 3D Blast. The 3D models were based on 2D sketches from Sonic Team. All models and animations were developed usingSoftimage 3D, while Traveller's Tales created their own tools for the remaining game development.[24][27] Implementing the two-player split-screen mode proved difficult; programmerJon Burton stated that this was mainly because it was difficult to ensure cheating was not too easy, so shortcuts were made challenging, with a penalty incurred if players got them wrong.[24] A major development goal was to maintain a consistentframe rate of 30 frames per second during gameplay. A customgame engine was developed to take full advantage of the Sega Saturn hardware,[8] and a graphical technique, described as "12 layer transparency", was used to make distanttextures somewhat transparent to conceal the Sega Saturn's limiteddraw distance.[28] Burton claimed thatSonic R could not have been replicated on other consoles during the timeframe, such as thePlayStation console, due to the technique developed specifically for the Sega Saturn hardware.[8]Environment mapping was achieved by writing what Burton described as a software version of the PlayStation's hardware rendering, as the Saturn's hardware was incapable of it.[29]
An early build was unveiled at theElectronic Entertainment Expo inAtlanta, Georgia in June 1997,[8] with Sega releasing screenshots of a "40% complete build" to various magazines shortly afterwards.[30] The builds would be largely the same as the final game, with the exception of minor tweaks, such as the "Resort Island" level being in sunset, rather than bright sunshine,[30] a change that was made because of the level's music track titled "Can You Feel the Sunshine?".[31] Traveller's Tales had used programming techniques inspired by those used on theNintendo 64, such as a type of fog known as "Pixie Dust".[26]
Hirokazu Yasuhara of Sonic Team went to England and fine-tuned the game due to lack of time for communication. Technical and scheduling issues caused Sato to change the game design, leading to a dispute with producerYuji Naka, and Sato removed his name from the credits.[24] The game's final release would be first in North America on 18 November 1997, with releases in other regions occurring in late 1997 for the Sega Saturn, and into 1998 for the PC version. The PC versions allowed the user to alter graphics details such as allowing to change betweensoftware rendering and3D acceleration or adjusting the game'sdraw distance, affecting how soon objects in the distance are visible.[32] Like many other previousSonic games during this time period, a largely unrelatedSonic R game was released as aTiger ElectronicsLCD handheld game around the same time in 1998.[33]
The soundtrack forSonic R was composed by British composerRichard Jacques ofSega Europe, who had also previously worked on the soundtrack of the Sega Saturn and PC versions ofSonic 3D Blast.[34] Work on the soundtrack began in March 1997 when Jacques travelled to Japan to meet withSonic creatorYuji Naka to discuss the musical approach to take for the game.[34] The first song written was "Super Sonic Racing", which would be used for the game's reveal in June at E3. British singerTJ Davis provided the vocals for the song, which Naka liked so much that he requested that she be featured in all the game's songs.[34] Jacques wrote all the lyrics for the songs with the intention that they would complement the on-screen action but still be appealing to someone who had never played the game.[34] Tracks were recorded and programmed at Sega Digital Studios, and then worked on for two weeks atMetropolis Studios in London, where a week was spent on vocals, and a week was spent on producing, mixing, and finalising the tracks.[34] Jacques stated that this task was amongst the most difficult in his career because the lyrics needed to "really mean something".[26]Sonic R features two separate mixes of each song in its in-game soundtrack; ones with vocals and instrumental versions, giving the player the option to disable vocals.[34] An official soundtrack CD was released on 21 January 1998.[35]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | 70%(PC)[41] 69%(SAT)[42] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| AllGame |   (SAT)[9] (PC)[36] |
| Computer and Video Games | 4/5(SAT)[43] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 8/10, 8/10, 8/10, 7/10(SAT)[37] |
| Game Informer | 7.5/10(SAT)[13] |
| GamePro | 3/5(PC)[38] |
| GameSpot | 5.6/10(SAT)[12] |
| Next Generation | 3/5(SAT)[39] |
| Sega Saturn Magazine | 93%(SAT)[40] |
The Saturn version ofSonic R received mixed reviews from critics at the time of its release, although retrospective commentary has been more negative. It received an aggregate score of 69 percent fromGameRankings, based on six reviews,[42] and the PC version received 70 per cent based on two.[41]
The game's visuals were considered its strongest feature.AllGame called the textures vibrant and noted they had "no pop-up or glitching",[9] andElectronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) felt the environmental details were lush.[37]EGM andSega Saturn Magazine highlighted the consistent frame rate (which rarely dropped below 30 frames per second) as a noteworthy achievement, with the latter favourably comparingSonic R to the Saturn version ofSega Rally Championship.[37][40]Next Generation hailed the game as "the most visually outstanding Saturn title" for its use oftransparency effects and reflective surfaces,[39] a sentiment echoed byEGM.[37]Sega Saturn Magazine cited the "Radiant Emerald" level, which is made from transparent polygons, as far superior when compared toMario Kart 64's "Rainbow Road".[40]GameSpot stated that the cartoonish style of previousSonic games worked well in 3D.[12]GameSpot,EGM, andGamePro criticised the background's graphical "pop-up", withGamePro opining that it ruined the multiplayer mode.[12][37][44] However,Sega Saturn Magazine praised the two-player mode for maintaining the same speed and graphical detail as its single-player counterpart.[40]Game Informer asserted that "the way they hid the background pop through translucent melting is innovative", but they panned the poor quality of the character animation.[13] Finally,Sega Saturn Magazine complimented the replay mode's more dramatic camera angles.[40]
Critical reaction to the game's level design was also positive.Game Informer found the tracks imaginative and filled with secrets, whileEGM found them to be "some of the most well-designed tracks ever".[37][13]AllGame,EGM, andGame Informer thought similarly.[9][37][13]Sega Saturn Magazine compared the level design to that of the 16-bitSonic games and Sonic Team'sNights into Dreams..., noting that "far more fun is to be gleamed [sic] from the exploration element" than "the temptation ... to leg it through each of the levels in a time trial-like way".[40] In a similar vein,Next Generation describedSonic R and Nintendo 64 contemporaryDiddy Kong Racing as "less of a racing title and more of a driving adventure game".[39]Sega Saturn Magazine commented on the replay value provided by alternate modes, such as "Get 5 Balloons!", but conceded that "five tracks don't really suffice, even with the reverse mode".[40]GameSpot,EGM, andGame Informer also expressed disappointment with the limited selection of levels.[12][37][13]
The controls and overall gameplay were criticised, with some questioning their accuracy and depth.GameSpot finished every level in first place within one hour using only one of the four initial characters. While the game also features a hard mode,GameSpot concluded that "Sonic R has more in the personality department than in the depth department".[12]GameSpot andGame Informer cited finding the Chaos Emeralds and hidden coins as difficult,[12][13] butGameSpot argued that such optional tasks offered little in return, because the hidden characters "are mostly robot versions of the already playable ones".[12] Moreover,AllGame believed the controls took time to get used to, but added: "Start sliding around corners and letting off the gas at the right times and you'll be finding all of the secrets thatSonic R conceals in no time".[9] Likewise,Sega Saturn Magazine called the controls "initially tricky ... but incredibly playable,"Next Generation stated "the proper techniques, with time, can be learned," andGame Informer concluded "once you get used to it, you'll find a real solid game".[37][39][40]Game Informer thought the game played better with the digital pad as opposed to Sega's analogue controller.[37]GamePro agreed that the controls were responsive, but to a fault: "At high speeds, it's nearly impossible to run in a straight line."[44]
Sonic R's soundtrack was particularly divisive.Sega Saturn Magazine described the "storm of controversy [that] surrounds the accompanying music", which "has come in for a bit of a slagging on the Internet recently for the addition of vocals." Although he was not a fan of dance music, Nutter stated that the tracks were "better than most chart stuff", while the included instrumental versions were sufficient "to appease everyone".[40]AllGame offered high praise for the soundtrack, which they called "One of the most inspired ... I've ever heard", whileGameSpot believed the songs gave the game "so much more personality".[9][12] Conversely,GamePro deplored the music as "unbelievably annoying".[44]Computer and Video Games complimented the music, saying it "fits the Sonic style perfectly", and is reminiscent ofSonic CD's soundtrack.[43]
Theported version of the game available inSonic Gems Collection was more negatively reviewed.Eurogamer called the game "too awkward to play for any length of time",[45] and1UP.com wrote the visuals were grainy—"mak[ing] it hard to tell where you're going"—and the controls were frustrating and imprecise.[46]GameSpot described "its laughably bad soundtrack" as "[its] only redeeming quality",[47] andGameSpy calledSonic R "a concept that works better in theory than in practice"—despite its "fantastic (if not bizarre) soundtrack".[48] Conversely,Jeuxvideo.com, in a negative review ofSonic Gems Collection, praised the game, arguing that it was the only decent game in the compilation alongsideSonic CD.[49] In a 2003 retrospective,Game Informer described the game as "decent, but unmemorable", whileGamesRadar includedSonic R in a 2014 list of the top 50 Sega Saturn games, calling it "a technical tour de force".[50][51] In 2013,GameTrailers ranked it as the second worstSonic game, behind 2006'sSonic the Hedgehog.[52] Game designerHirokazu Yasuhara, who helped Traveller's Tales rework the game in response to concerns over the quality of a preview version, has maintained that "the final version ofSonic R is actually quite good ... However, I do admit that the base concept ofSonic R, in which a player 'drives' running characters, is not great".[50]
Despite Sega releasing twoSonic racing games prior toSonic R,Sonic Drift andSonic Drift 2, for theGame Gear, developer Takashi Yuda cited fans requesting more racing games in the vein ofSonic R would be Sega's actual inspiration for revisiting the genre in future years.[53] This led to the development and release of thehoverboarding gameSonic Riders, although there are no connections between the two games other than both being racing games.[53] LaterSonic racing games includeSonic Riders sequelsSonic Riders: Zero Gravity andSonic Free Riders, and kart gamesSonic & Sega All-Stars Racing,Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed,Team Sonic Racing, andSonic Racing: CrossWorlds.
Songs fromSonic R's soundtrack were included in later games featuring Sonic in their original forms or as remixes, includingSuper Smash Bros. Brawl,[54]Super Smash Bros. Ultimate,Sonic Generations,Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing andSonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.[55]
The 2019 releaseTeam Sonic Racing features several references toSonic R, including remixes of songs from the soundtrack (including "Super Sonic Racing" and "Can You Feel the Sunshine?") and the use of the distinctive red "R" in the game's logo and on the in-game currency.[56]
On 28 September 2024, Jacques and Davis reunited for a live performance at theHammersmith Apollo in London as part of theSonic Symphony World Tour. They performed a medley ofSonic R songs featuring "Can You Feel the Sunshine?", "Living in the City" and "Super Sonic Racing".[57]
