As an early April Fool's Day joke, Sega has surprise launched a brand-new Sonic the Hedgehog murder mystery that's available now for free. In The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, players will take on the role of Tails as he investigates, as the name implies, the murder of Sonic. Needless to say, this is one Sonic the Hedgehog game that most Sonic fans never expected to play. That's exactly what makes it the perfect April Fool's Day surprise, though.Sega is well known for its great April Fool's Day jokes. For example, seven years ago Sega released a browser game named Big's Big Fishing Adventure 3, starring the fish-loving Big the Cat. Just last year, the team at Sega put together a fake Limited Edition of Sonic Frontiers with a bathtub and a waterproof Sega Mega Drive. Sega even released the first trailer for Yakuza: Like a Dragon on April Fool's Day years back. Yakuza fans wished it was real, which it was, as Sega had likely expected.However, this new effort from Sega may be its most impressive April Fool's Day endeavor yet. Sega has been hinting at something for April Fool's Day recently, joking that it had a new direction for the Sonic franchise. That new direction is The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, a free game available to download right now from Steam. "Happy April Fool's Day," says the Sonic team on Twitter, "Except it's real."
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is listed as a casual game in which players interrogate some of their favorite Sonic characters regarding the eponymous blue hedgehog's murder. Ironically, Sonic and his friends are attending Amy Rose's murder mystery-themed party on the Mirage Express. Figuring out whether Sonic's sudden demise is just part of the game or something more disturbing is what players will have to discover.
This quirky adventure game may at first seem quite darker than fits the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, but that's probably a hint of its true nature. And having fun with fans wondering what's going on is the point of April Fool's Day, after all. Sonic the Hedgehog fans will hopefully give the game a try and find out the fate of Sonic.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog will be available on any other platforms at this point in time. The trailer for The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog only mentions Steam. It also isn't clear if The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog will only be available for a limited time or not. Fans may want to download the game while they can. It's going to be hard for other game developers to top this April Fool's Day joke.
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is available now on PC.