Both old and new Sonic fans have been craving a new game that features the Chao Garden mechanics originally found in Sonic Adventure. However, even as Sonic Team has said that the pet-raising mini-games would be brought back with enough support, the fan-favorite Chao have been relegated to mascot-like status as the feature hasn't been used again in the last twenty years. Like many similar forgotten features, this has led some fans to take matters into their own hands. YouTuber Chadtronic aims to bring back the familiar pet simulator with his own game called Poglings.
Once Chadtronic and his company Yojoyco Studios sought out to make their first indie game, it was understood fairly early on that Poglings was going to need things that made it stand out from other life simulation games. While the aim Poglings was to capture the same feelings that came from raising the Chao, there needed to be things that made up for what went alongside the Chao Garden experience like Sonic's Action Stages. Poglings was designed to be an adventurous pet simulation game, and Yojoyco Studios, and its partner Right Nice Games, decided to take further inspiration from other games that bring out similar feelings, such as Animal Crossing.
Poglings: How Animal Crossing and Zelda Influence the Wild Vine Islands
It's understandable as to why a game seeking to resurrect the feelings of old 2000s era games would look to Animal Crossing for inspiration as the game started off as a GameCube classic around the same time the Sonic Adventure games ended up on the same console. However, it seems as if Poglings looks to what Animal Crossing: New Horizon brought to the series as familiar mechanics like fishing, bug catching, and watering plants help gather resources to make players' nests of Poglings grow, rather than help customize things.
In an interview with Game Rant, Chadtronic also says that Zelda games have played a part in shaping the Wild Vine Islands, the main setting of Poglings. But he wishes to leave plenty of surprises for when players can experience the game themselves, he doesn't want to spoil exactly how the other Nintendo franchise has inspired him just yet. However, there's a big emphasis on the adventure part of Poglings and how expansive the Wild Vine Islands really are, so Zelda fans are likely to feel at home with the relaxing game, just as Sonic and Animal Crossing fans might be.
"To quickly describe it, the Wild Vine Islands are a chain of islands the Poglings inhabit. The game sets you on your own adventure where one of the islands becomes your own. Your island will have a lot of detailed areas you can explore, like your nest, the beach, a cave, and so on. A lot of the characters you meet will set up camp and live on your island. There’s also an entire area solely dedicated to racing Poglings which, in size, is bigger than your island!"
Poglings Aims to Deliver the Best of Old Games in a New Way
While the inspirations that makeup Poglings are easy to spot, the game isn't trying to be a spiritual successor to them. The indie title has sought out ways to fix outdated mechanics to streamline gameplay, but it also re-invents things to strike out as its own separate and complete title. Characters and locations in Poglings have their own place on the islands as there's a story to unravel while having fun spending time with the cute dragon-like "poliwog" creatures. Chadtronic tells Game Rant that while the game is still subject to changes, the team can't wait for players to put hundreds of hours into it like they would the GameCube games that inspired it.
Inspiration and aspects from Animal Crossing really helped shape how you progress in Poglings. However, a lot more work has gone into expanding these ideas beyond what Animal Crossing does with them. Some things we re-invented, some things we did not. But most importantly, our goal was to take what people loved about the original ‘side content’ like you mentioned, and enhance that concept with a world that feels more complete with its own story. Poglings has its own lore and unique cast of characters that we’re really excited for players to discover and meet.
Poglings still has a bit to go before it's fully released, but a Kickstarter is scheduled to launch sometime this spring with the potential for an early access demo for backers. Chadtronic hopes that those who are interested in either playing the game early or snagging some exclusive merchandise for Poglings will follow the Kickstarter campaign, so they can claim their desired rewards fast. For those who wish to know more about Poglings and the world of the Wild Vine Islands, new details about the game are posted to its social media handles on Twitter and Instagram.
Poglings is currently in development for PC and Nintendo Switch.