Sonic’s Birthday was the primary focus on this week’s Sonic Station Live Japanese livestream, but in covering all the major Sonic Central announcements, they included a full playthrough of Bridge Island Acts 1 and 2, including several special stages. The full footage is here (and timestamped), but underneath we’ll break down just a few of the details noticed within:
Online discussion has assuredly picked apart dozens of Summer Games Fest playthroughs, so some of these details may already be known. Even so, there’s a bunch of bits worth highlighting in the footage:
- Throughout the footage, a “Trial Version” watermark appears in the bottom-right corner. It looks very much like the kind that appears in Unity projects, suggesting this may be a Unity game.
- [40:53] When the game is training Sonic on the water Emerald Power, it notes that powers recharge when passing star posts. Throughout the video, when you see Sonic use an Emerald Power, an icon at the bottom-right corner shows the power being used up.
- Sonic clones running across the screen animate at a slower framerate. This will presumably make it easier to identify which Sonic is the one you’re controlling. They can also collect item boxes.
- [41:53] Magnets and Shields are either distinct entities or stack. When Sonic loses his shield to damage, a magnet remains. Also, the water transformation and waterfalls don’t disrupt the Magnet (so more Sonic Adventure and less Sonic 3).
- [42:24] Sonic pops a balloon with a ring attached, and is given 10 rings. Collecting 100 rings earns a medal.
- [42:29] The magnet doesn’t protect Sonic from damage, and he does lose it when he gets hurt.
- [44:12] Act 1 directly transitions into Act 2 without leaving the screen (like in Sonic 3).
- [44:24] A cute little visual touch, but it looks like some of the background flowers spin faster when Sonic runs past them.
- [44:48] Sonic can enter the air-launcher arches from anywhere in their path. The last one in the chain causes Sonic to follow a ring path while rolling on a rainbow.
- [45:01] A blue warp ring (like the yellow warp ring in Act 1). The player doesn’t use it. (Is it because the player already got the emerald?)
- [45:12] The player finds a different kind of warp hidden in the level (there was another in Act 1 that the player doesn’t use). It takes Sonic through a freefalling special stage to collect rings for a couple of seconds, and then respawns him back in the level at a different spot (possibly used for shortcuts?) There were no emeralds or medals in that special stage.
- [45:34] Sonic (as a single player) passes by Amy and a giant walrus cheering Sonic on in the background. (If you play Single Player, do the other characters appear as NPCs?)
- [46:08] That classic idle pose.
- [46:49] A giant loop with a countdown number. Sonic has to run through it that number of times to destroy it and get through.
- [47:00] Another small detail, but when you hit a Star Post, arrows appear to tell the player what direction to continue in.
- [47:04] As Sonic approaches the boss, sunset turns to night. This also happens at the beginning of Act 2 as day turns to sunset.
- [47:53] Sonic clones will attack from both sides of the screen.
- [48:21] Eggman defeat animation
- [48:35] The animal capsule is a roulette (and let’s be real, we all balance on the edge of it). Unfortunately, we don’t get to find out what the yellow fruit symbols are.
The stream also covered new trailers and merch announced in the latest Sonic Central, and featured birthday well-wishes from vtuber Korone and troublemaking mascot Chiitan. It also seems that Eggman has gotten the vtuber model treatment.
