SAGE 2023 - Demo Sonic & Blaze SAGE 2023

Really enjoyed it, here are some thoughts:

• Controls and gamefeel have been greatly improved from last year and I think the physics are very accurate to Rush now. Feels right to me.
• Grindrails, trick ramps, the boost's visual design (with the trail behind Sonic/Blaze) and the Unleashed speed meter on the right of the screen are all great ideas that hugely enhance the "cool factor" of the gameplay. Not to mention the trick combo meter which once again is a fantastic idea that adds to the chain style gameplay. I replayed levels multiple times trying to keep my combo chain going. I love games with features like these implemented. These were all genius additions.
• Homing attack range and speed are both perfect and work perfectly too.
• Sonic and Blaze's movesets have also been expanded from memory and I like how you've replicated their Rush movement styles.
• The sound effects like the grind rail SFX, walking SFX, music changes when going underwater and Sonic/Blaze's voice clips all help to make the game feel like a real breathing world and I really appreciate what may seem like small details like that. They have a huge impact on creating a great experience.
• I love the Rush inspired level intro title cards, very nice touch that adds a lot of personality
• Menu theme song still goes insanely hard
• That fish chase scene in level 2 makes you feel so cool. Same for Metro Heights levels 1, 2 and 3 (love the night theme!) and the world map where you run on the side of the skyscrapers.
• The little Unleashed inspired boss sections are a clever addition to mix up the gameplay and keep you on your feet.
• The moving background when underwater which indicates how deep Sonic/Blaze are is a really really nice touch.
• In terms of what can be added, I think a good alteration to the moveset would be to make the stomp come to a complete stop upon holding down instead of sideways. Atm in gameplay I've found pressing down leads you into a dropdash. I like the dropdash but I thought maybe it makes more sense holding sideways. Another idea of mine was increasing the speed of the spindash as well by a little since atm it's a bit on the slower side. Maybe could be inspired by Advance and Rush's spindash speeds or the dropdash speed in this game. Continuing the level design that prioritises flow like you already have done is a great idea too. The option for control remapping would also be nice as well. I imagine you're already aware of all of these things that I've mentioned.

I really like this game and I can tell you've put a lot of passion into your work. I really enjoy how the levels play with the flow of gameplay, speed and momentum as well as that reaction based gameplay that makes boost style games so engaging. Keep the amazing work up, I really enjoyed it and you've got a very fun game on your hands. This game is one of my highlights of SAGE. Will continue to keep an eye on this game!

I've been watching the development of this game for a while.
It has a familiar feel to it and I like that a lot. It personally reminds me a lot of elements from my own Sonic fan projects like Sonic Reloaded, and Sonic Rush Adventure X from years ago but fleshed out with your own flair. Now on to the review!

The hub world seemed a little confusing at first, but it's not a huge deal as you can get to where you need to go fairly easily. There's a spot on one of the buildings that if you're sent backwards on to some dash pads you will get soft locked. (Nothing a restart won't fix.)

Blue Coast Zone does a nice job of showing you what to expect, I love the chase sequence with the giant chopper.
The under water section with the orca could use some work as the animation for the direction you're facing constantly resets making the movement feel a little awkward but eventually I was able to navigate with no problem. With how fast you're meant to go these three acts feel nice to traverse and don't overstay their welcome.

The level art in some places could use some work, when you're underwater I feel like having a background change would be nice because it's a little jarring to see the same above ground background while underwater.

Metro Heights Zone. Now the first act was FUN! (and I'm not saying that because I S ranked it on my first try.)
I loved the gimmicks used here, they all had a nice flow to it which made the level really fun to play.
The first jump was a little punishing if you don't homing attack the first badnik right away, but by the time you get here the controls should be familiar to me. I think moving it over just a little bit would make it feel a little bit more fair. But that's just my suggestion. The motobug bikers were pretty cool, it's definitely giving that motobug quickstep challenge from Sonic Colors!

My only issue with this zone is that sometimes there are spots where you have to be boosting when touching a jump ramp to reach a higher path but the boost always seems to cut out just before hitting the ramp causing me to backtrack to try it again.
Act 2 and 3 are pretty challenging, there were a couple of spots I didn't expect a bottomless pit to be but overall I felt it was rather decent.

Then again I only played this demo fully as Sonic. I did try Blaze for a bit. I feel like she could benefit from alternate level designs. Give her something that suits her style rather than just being the same as Sonic. Like how Sonic 3 does this with Knuckles or Tails. (Though this isn't a big deal because the option to play as Blaze is cool enough already!)

I wanna give this game a 3.5/5 but I'll give it a 4. Room for improvement but a pretty nice experience overall.


TLDR; Fun 2D Boost Formula gameplay with lots of gimmicks that don't take too much away from the gameplay experience.
Some sequences can break with one resulting in a soft lock (ESPECIALLY in the hubworld.). Artwork and level design could use some work. With some more polish and gameplay fixes I feel like this can be rock solid 2D Boost game! Lots of improvement to be made but what you've shown here is pretty rad!