Sonic Dreams Collection
From Sonic Retro
Revision as of 07:37, 25 March 2021 by CartridgeCulture (talk | contribs) (Added Development section (needs some expansion))
| Sonic Dreams Collection |
|---|
| Latest version: 1.0.1 |
| Latest release date: 2015-08-11 |
| Engine: Unity |
| Credits: Arcane Kids, cyborgDino |
Sonic Dreams Collection is a fan game from indie development group Arcane Kids, released for Windows and OS X in 2015. The game presents itself as a collection of four prototype Sonic the Hedgehog games for the Sega Dreamcast and is a surreal perspective on themes of personal identity within the Sonic fanbase.
Contents
Gameplay
Each game in Sonic Dreams Collection features a different gameplay style, often encouraging player exploration that pushes beyond the boundaries of the intended play area. Much of the content in Sonic Movie Maker can only be discovered by purposefully exploiting a physics glitch, with players later acquiring the ability to destabilize the programming of the very levels themselves. Another, Eggman Origin, is initially inaccessible due to lack of fictional servers online and can only be played by opening the game’s file structure and running the hidden program SegaNet.
Make My Sonic
Make My Sonic is a Sonic the Hedgehog original character creator. Characters can be customized, posed, and photographed before being uploaded to SegaNet. Original characters will appear in Sonic Movie Maker and Eggman Origin, and any pictures taken can be exported to Twitter.
Eggman Origin
Eggman Origin is a mock MMORPG set in a featureless white limbo populated with talking egg mascots and half-buried earthworms. Original characters uploaded to SegaNet will appear here as heron-like creatures. By feeding enough earthworms to the bean-shaped Dr. Eggman in the center of the map, players can eventually feed themselves to the Eggman, and their original character will “ascend” to the Twitter-enabled website Chao Garden.
Sonic Movie Maker
Sonic Movie Maker is a first-person movie maker allowing up to six seconds of video to be recorded using different props, speech bubbles, and scenarios. While initially appearing innocuous, exploration past the boundaries of the stages reveal disturbing leftovers from the fictional developer. Created videos can also be exported to Twitter.
My Roommate Sonic
My Roommate Sonic is a virtual reality romance simulation featuring Sonic the Hedgehog and the player, his human roommate. Encouraged by the texting of the roommate’s close friend Dr. Eggman, staring into Sonic’s eyes for long enough results in being absorbed into him entirely. The roommate soon appears again, running through a crude abstraction of Green Hill Zone dressed as Sonic the Hedgehog, concluding with the message “i hope this is what you wanted”. Both Oculus and Vive headsets are supported, as is an option for non-VR play.
Audio
Composed by Arcane Kids co-founder Ben "torahhorse" Esposito, the game’s soundtrack was officially published to Bandcamp August 17, 2015.[1] A feverish mixture of classic vgm, frantic nightcore, and sparkling Dreamcast-era sounds, the soundtrack was composed to further emphasize the game’s theme of uncanny nostalgia. From the rubbery squeaks of turn-of-the-millennium computer application to the randomly-pitched tocking of on-screen text from early virtual reality software, Esposito’s sound design incorporates elements associated with vaporware and forgotten programming, such as the rubbery squeaks of turn-of-the-millennium computer applications to the randomly-pitched tocking of on-screen text from early virtual reality software.
After leaving SegaNet running and out of focus for around 45 minutes, it will begin playing Bossa Preciosa by Rafael Dovalo López until the window is returned to focus. The mute button that appears in the upper-left hand corner of the program fails to actually mute this song, will further appear in other corners of the window at unknown intervals.
Development
According to designer Ben Esposito, the development team treated the game as a work of art. They conceived and designed it to celebrate and satirize the modern Sonic fandom, which is known for its peculiarities.[2] The title references the names of Sonic compilations such as Sonic Mega Collection and Sonic Gems Collection.[3]
Versions
1.0.1
- Removed “@arcanekids” from default Sonic Movie Maker tweet.[4]
- Added cyborgDino credit to main menu.[4]