The narrative is rarely the selling point of Sonic the Hedgehog projects. The characters were the most marketable aspect of the franchise long before the games stopped being enjoyable. People love the Blue Blur and his entourage of woodland allies so much that they'll tolerate any story about them. Sonic Prime is the rare exception in which the plot hangs together and gives the heroes a chance to shine.
Sonic Prime received a 24-episode order from Netflix in late-2020. The series has revealed 16 of those episodes so far. Its third season hasn't announced a release date yet, but both seasons have a cliffhanger ending. Fans will have the ideal experience with the series by binge-watching the full story when it's all available.
What happened in Sonic Prime season 1?
The story of Sonic Prime begins like most narratives in the franchise. Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Amy, Rouge, and Big are locked in a pitched battle with Dr. Eggman. Eggman intends to use the power of a new MacGuffin, the Paradox Prism, to defeat Sonic. Without thinking, Sonic attacks the Paradox Prism, breaking it into four pieces. The resulting explosion destroys Green Hill Zone and unravels the fabric of the universe. Each Prism shard creates an alternate reality called a "Shatterspace." Sonic lands in his first new reality; a dystopian cyberpunk metropolis called New Yoke City.
Sonic discovers variants of his friends struggling to fight the oppressive governing body. New Yoke City has been corrupted by the Chaos Council, a group of five Eggman variants who rule with an iron fist. After capturing Sonic, they discover the existence of the other Shatterspaces and plan to conquer them all. Sonic must gather the Prism shards to oppose the Eggmen and save his home. Unfortunately, he's catapulted into a new reality whenever he touches a piece of the Prism. He visits a version of Green Hill populated by primal versions of his friends and a waterlogged reality flush with pirates. Sonic tackles the problems of each new reality before moving on. As the first season ends, Sonic is launched into the Void, the space between Shatterspaces. He encounters Shadow, who informs him that their home was destroyed.
What happened in Sonic Prime season 2?
Most of the second season of Sonic Prime is a mad dash to rebuild the Paradox Prism. The first season spent a lot of time on tangents in alternate realities, but the second is much more focused on the main quest. Shadow attacks Sonic, berates him for his impulsiveness and lays the blame for the shattered world at his feet. He brings Sonic to what's left of Green Hill, a barren facsimile of their home with ghostly apparitions of their friends. Shadow insists on taking over the effort to fix the Prism, but he discovers that only Sonic can travel between Shatterspaces. New Yoke City's version of Tails, Nine, created regulators for Sonic's energy, but Shadow finds he can't use them. Begrudgingly, the longtime rivals agree to work together to fix the Paradox Prism.
Sonic returns to the forest world Boscage and the pirate world No Place to gather their shards. The Chaos Council and their army of robots follow Sonic to each Shatterspace. Sonic is forced to give up the shard in Boscage to save his forest-dwelling friends. In No Place, he is betrayed by the Dread Pirate Knuckles, who wants the crystal for himself. Universes converge as Sonic returns to New Yoke City with an assortment of variants. The Council unleashes Chaos Sonic, a robotic doppelganger who matches the Blue Blur's power. With the help of his friends, Sonic and Nine return to the ghost of Green Hill to fix the Paradox Prism.
How does Sonic Prime season 2 end?
Shadow is wary of trusting Nine. He warns Sonic repeatedly that Nine's intentions might not align with theirs. Sonic and Shadow are tasked with buying Nine time while he fixes the Paradox Prism. They fight wave after wave of Eggman's robots. The Council imbues a pair of Eggman variants with Paradox energy to make them more powerful. In response, Nine gives Sonic Paradox energy to combat them. The Council constructs a massive titan in the shape of the original Eggman. Sonic matches its frequency to destroy it. Nine reveals that there's one more shard to be found. It's hidden in the Grim, a blank world that Nine plans to craft into a perfect home. Nine explains that he won't be rebuilding Green Hill. He's convinced restoring the old world would unmake New Yoke City and the other Shatterspaces. Nine admonishes Sonic for rushing into situations without considering the feelings of others. Nine decides he can't trust anyone and takes the Paradox Prism with him to the Grim.
Both seasons of Sonic Prime end on dark cliffhangers. The action builds to a climax before a character reveals the darkness underneath the triumph, then the credits roll, and fans wait for the next entry. Sonic Prime digs into the weaknesses of the Blue Blur as a character, adding a bit of depth to a fun story. Fans will have to wait for the next eight episodes to see whether Sonic can bring his home world back together.