The Sonic the Hedgehog series is no stranger to animated promotions for upcoming releases. Following the Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings and Sonic Racing CrossWorlds: The Animation projects, SEGA once again teams up with animation house Studio Giggex to create Sonic 35th Anniversary: Memories and Beyond.
Honoring the series 35 years of adventures, this animated short delivers with outstanding action sequences, genuinely heartfelt moments, and one of Sonic’s first major rivals getting the spotlight they deserve.
Super Metal Brawl – The Premise of Sonic the Hedgehog: Memories and Beyond
Sonic and his friends storm one of Eggman’s bases to secure the ever-elusive Chaos Emeralds. But the mad doctor has a plan up his sleeve, with his right-hand creation, Metal Sonic, ready to fight the blue blur. However, things quickly turn against Sonic and friends.
Metal Sonic steals Sonic’s bio-data and, now empowered by his skills and abilities, is a major threat to Team Sonic. Tails notices that Metal Sonic is expressing Sonic-like mannerisms and comes to the realization that the metallic double has Sonic’s memories too.
By awakening those memories, do they stand a chance at defeating a version of Sonic that is unbound and willing to go all out?
A Stellar Afterimage – Animation
The most impressive part of the production is the animation. Seeing glimpses of Studio Giggex’s action chops with Dark Beginnings animation proves they have the chops for stellar fight sequences. But the sheer brutality that Metal Sonic unleashes on Sonic and friends was a sight to behold.
When the metallic hedgehog turns into his super form, the visual touches are awesome. Seeing Shadow fight Metal’s afterimage, while in the background Knuckles is bouncing around like a literal pinball from Metal Sonic attacking him moments earlier, is one example of the creativity of seeing the Sonic series speed in new ways.
Other highlights included seeing Sonic’s friends working together, something we don’t usually see in Sonic media outside of productions like Sonic Prime or Sonic X. I loved seeing the entirety of Team Sonic working together to fight Metal Sonic.
Beyond the Speed – The Characterization
Alongside stellar animation, I enjoyed seeing a more nuanced take on Sonic’s and, by extension, Metal Sonic’s personality.
Sonic loves and cares about his friends, but he never directly says that out loud. He expresses it through actions and by standing alongside them during the toughest of trials. Meanwhile, Metal Sonic longs to become the real Sonic, having an inferiority complex programmed into him.
So, as Tails activates Sonic’s memories that are now within Metal, seeing the robotic double act like his real-life counterpart works on two levels.
Metal Sonic
For a moment, Metal Sonic is the real Sonic, and when he has the ability to crush Sonic once and for all, he gives up all that power back to Sonic at the end of the animation. But a part of him, maybe, still has Sonic’s memories. That opens the door for exciting character moments for Sonic’s original rival in future games.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Meanwhile, seeing Sonic’s memories of his first encounters or most cherished moments with his friends was powerful. He cares for them, and while it’s been explored in productions like Sonic Prime, it’s far more effective here.
His brotherhood with Tails and Knuckles, love for Amy, the trust Rouge has for him, and the mutual respect Shadow has with Sonic: these moments define Sonic as a person. Seeing his loved one on the verge of death at the end of the short, unable to be the hero like he usually is, is a humbling moment.
It makes his speech toward them at the end of the short that much more effective. These friendships are the true Chaos Emeralds that power him forward.
Memorable Sounds – The Music
It wouldn’t be a great Sonic project without an awesome soundtrack, and Memories and Beyond delivers. Featuring original music for the major battle sequence, alongside melodies and an emotional remix of ‘It Doesn’t Matter’, I walked away from the animation eagerly awaiting the full OST to release.
Major shoutouts to the sound design, with the buzzsaw sound effects and the sheer intensity of some moments amplifying the stellar animation.
Missing a Page – Lack of Context
If I had any issue with the animation, it would be the lack of a ‘build-up’ toward the big fight that kicks everything off. While it’s believable that Tails and Amy would join Sonic on any adventure, characters like Knuckles (who guards the Master Emerald), Rouge (an agent for G.U.N.), and Shadow (a loose cannon, so to speak) wouldn’t just join Sonic on any random adventure.
Adding an extra two or so minutes to explain why they are involved in the animation would’ve been a welcome touch, as a fan of the series.
Closing Thoughts – Happy 35th Anniversary, Sonic the Hedgehog
In many ways, Sonic 35th Anniversary: Memories and Beyond is the final celebration piece. Containing amazing animation, stellar audio production, and a story that touches the heartstrings, as a die-hard fan, I loved the short from start to finish.
This animation, joined with efforts like continued support for Sonic Racing CrossWorlds, fun parties like Club Chaos, and even more exciting releases on the horizon, makes me hopeful for Sonic the Hedgehog‘s future.
May we see you make another 35 years of memories as we go further, beyond.