On April 1st, 2023, SEGA released a short point and click adventure, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog. I've always been a fan of Sonic. I owned the original Sega Genesis, watched Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog tv show, saw the recent movies with my kids, and enjoyed Sonic Mania. The Murder of Sonic was (and remains) free and short, so I picked it up. The premise is simple. Amy is hosting a murder mystery birthday party aboard the Mirage Express. She is joined by Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Rouge, Shadow, Blaze, Vector, and Espio. You play a microwave attendant on his first day aboard. The only other characters are the conductor and the train itself. This is the last ride for the conductor who is retiring after three decades. The Express has many robotic arms that aid in the working of the train and the comfort of the guests.
The murder mystery has simple rules. Everyone is given a role, a starting room, and a motivation card. For example, Rouge is a business tycoon (who wants to steal something aboard the train), while Knuckles is a sheriff. One character is the murderer, and can kill if they share a room with someone.After the characters are introduced, and the protagonist gushes over how much he loves and adores Sonic and friends, the game begins. The characters leave the dining car to station themselves around the train. After they leave, the Sonic groupie you play is left alone with Amy and Tails.
Suddenly, the train lurches forward and the three characters are thrown into a closet. Debris falls across the door, blocking the exit. Tails, the perennial sidekick, makes me his assistant. He reveals his identity as the detective. Amy is a journalist. Neither can be the murderer. Tails teaches the player how to gather evidence (click on scenery), talk to other characters, and interrogate them. The last involves choosing between dialogue options, and presenting evidence that contradicts the other person's statements (choose objects from the inventory). If the player chooses incorrectly, Tails lets them try again until they choose correctly. After presenting the appropriate evidence, there is one final step. Tails says, “Think, What Would Sonic Do?” A mini screen pops up. It shows Sonic running on an isometric track of three or four lanes. On this short course Sonic must collect a specific number of rings to win. He must do this while dodging obstacles like spikes, lasers, and enemies that cause him to drop rings, and pits which end the level prematurely. Sonic runs forward continuously. The player is limited to changing lanes or jumping. Hidden guide rails prevent Sonic from running off the edge. When the player collects enough rings the character confesses to their concealment. If the player loses they must repeat the Sonic Think! Game until they win.
These are the mechanics of The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog. They are simple, easy, and short. The puzzles are simple, requiring only basic guesswork. The player's inventory has eight slots, but rarely are there more than three or four objects. Each dialogue point offers three choices, and it is normally clear which is the correct answer. Even the Sonic Think! Sections are very easy, until the very end when they are mildly challenging. If the player makes a mistake at any point the game lets them retry until they correct it.
After solving the puzzle of the closet. Tails, Amy, and the protagonist exit to a scene of horror. Sonic lies before them, dead in the dining car! When the protagonist approaches, Sonic mutters a few words before lapsing into silence. The protagonist worries that Sonic has actually died, but Amy and Tails assume this is part of the game, not a real murder. Excitedly, they continue into the next room, and the protagonist is forced to join them. The player has a simple map: six rooms laid out in a linear path. The player explores forward, with no choice of deviating. Each compartment includes scenery to explore and two characters to interrogate.
Like the mechanics, the story of The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog offers no choices. Any appearance of choice is a deception. The conversations are bland, filled with generic dialogue. The mystery isn't compelling. The player briefly interacts with each character. They are rarely all together. Their personalities are not well developed. They feel like themselves, from what little I know of them. Tails and Amy are bubbly, Knuckles and Shadow are taciturn and gruff. Sonic is dead, and the other characters are there.
At the end of the ride, the story leads to a predictable and dull conclusion. One of the characters did in fact murder or “murder” Sonic, but it doesn't feel like a discovery, more like a plodding progression to the inevitable answer. There's a final twist, which doesn't set the game on a new track. And then, with a final Sonic Think! minigame or two, it ends.
In conclusion, the only reason to play The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog is for the love of Sonic. Those who want to watch him and his friends cosplay as murder mystery characters in a simple point and click adventure may be satisfied. The charming visuals of this short adventure are its single strength beyond the branding. The plot, gameplay, and characterization all move in slow motion from beginning to the final station.
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