While The Game Awards brought plenty of new game announcements and reveals, it also brought the trailer for a certain highly anticipated movie. After fans have been wanting to see what this movie is turning out to be for a while, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has shown off incredible visuals, a jam-packed story, and the faces of two new characters. While the movie being titled Sonic the Hedgehog 2 makes fans think of the second game, it seems the movie is aiming to be a bit more like Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
Many fans who have seen the trailer may also recognize the story beats from Sonic's third game. While simple, the classic Genesis title is one of the series' first attempts at having a plot for the blue hedgehog's adventures. The story deals with Sonic and Tails going to investigate Angel Island, and quickly being stopped by Knuckles the Echidna, who somehow managed to hit Sonic so hard he was thrown out of his Super Form. This allows Knuckles to steal all of the Chaos Emeralds for Dr. Robotnik, who he was working for in this title.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Trailer Breakdown
While the way Knuckles is revealed, stopping Sonic's super-powered Spin Dash and throwing him into the ground, is most definitely a homage to the opening of Sonic 3, there's far more to be found in the trailer that shows that this is the direction this movie is going towards. There's a shot featuring Sonic in front of what seems to be a Chaos Emerald temple, with waterfalls surrounding it. There could be a chance that this is the Sonic movie's version of Angel Island, but there are a few shots that are even more interesting.
In three shots, Sonic and Tails are seen in an almost arctic landscape. One has them enter a pub out in the cold as they're bundled up in jackets and winter clothing, and another has Sonic re-directing one of Robotnik's missiles at him as he, Tails, and Jim Carrey's Eggman are all in some sort of icy cave. A series of shots in the trailer confirms exactly what this is meant to be referencing - Ice Cap Zone from Sonic 3 & Knuckles, as Sonic is seen snowboarding away from robots just as he had done in the game itself.
Why Adapting Sonic 3 & Knuckles is a Great Move
While the movie is called Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and is set to primarily feature Tails, there wasn't too much of a direction to go on from there in regards to the second game. Sonic 2 was mostly without a story, with the instruction manuals only going into the story of how Sonic met Tails if at all. This would leave a Sonic 2 movie without a plot, but luckily Sonic 3 introduced one that seems to have been used to bridge the gap almost flawlessly.
The simple fact that this movie is based on Sonic 3 is most definitely enough to excite plenty of Sonic fans, as Sonic 3 & Knuckles is most commonly seen as the best of the classic 2D Sonic titles by a majority of the franchise's supporters. It may be a light spoiler for the movie, but it's shown that the movie Knuckles is working with Robotnik, so there's most likely going to be a scene where Knuckles realizes he's been tricked by him. Most likely, this will happen before the movie's finale, leading all of the series' prominent characters to come together to stop the final threat.
However, fans aren't just getting a movie based on Sonic 3, it seems. The Sonic 2 trailer sees Sonic getting ready to run down a building, standing on top of it on a clear moonlit night, which reminds many fans of the opening cutscene of Sonic Adventure. What elements Sonic 2's movie adaption takes from other games exactly will need to be seen when it comes out in April next year.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 hits theaters on April 8, 2022.