The Sonic franchise is one of the most cherished in gaming, with a long history of revolutionizing the platformer genre and creating one of the most recognizable mascots in the industry. In that time, Sonic has done just about everything that's expected from a major gaming mascot, from classic 2D adventures to racing games. There is one genre, however, that has proven to be rather difficult for Sonic to pin down, and that is 3D platforming. Nevertheless, the franchise's 3D lineup is preparing to expand with the 2022 Sonic game that is rumored to be titled Sonic Rangers.
As exciting as Sonic Rangers sounds, there is already a lot of pressure on the game. While the Sonic franchise has produced a number of impressive 3D releases, the last decade has birthed 3D Sonic games that have done considerable damage to Sonic's entire image. The effects of that damage can still be felt to this day, and although there's reason to be optimistic about Sonic Rangers and its Breath of the Wild comparisons, it's going to have to do a lot of work to get past Sonic's 3D reputation.
The State Of 3D Sonic Before Sonic Rangers
It deserves to be said that Sonic's 3D efforts weren't always as heavily criticized as they are today. The Sonic Adventure series and Sonic Heroes are largely considered to be great entries in the franchise, but somewhere along the way there was a serious drop in quality. The main culprit that many fans point to is 2006's Sonic the Hedgehog, colloquially known as Sonic 06. Aside from Sonic 06's strange narrative decisions, it was littered with bugs, excessively long loading screens, and frustrating gameplay mechanics. Sonic 06 was widely panned by fans and critics alike, and few have forgotten about its shortcomings.
After Sonic 06, it seemed like the franchise couldn't fall any lower, but for some time it actually began to dig itself out of its hole. Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations combined 2D and 3D in a way that fans enjoyed, and it seemed like Sega and Sonic Team might have finally hit its stride in the early 2010s. Unfortunately, 2014's Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric would come in to destroy all of that progress with yet another unpolished Sonic title that became infamous for its glitches and unpopular gameplay decisions. There hasn't been a dedicated 3D Sonic game since, with the exception of Sonic Forces, and few can blame Sega after all of the backlash it received.
How Sonic Rangers Can Avoid Past Mistakes
Sonic Rangers plans to be the first major 3D Sonic game since Sonic Boom, and it's going to have the tall task of picking up the pieces from over a decade of mistakes. While it may never be able to overshadow the reputation of Sonic 06 and Sonic Boom, Rangers does have a chance to stand out in its own way by being a quality game. If the game simply isn't a glitchy mess, that would already be a big step in the right direction, but ensuring gameplay is solid is just as crucial. Sonic Team has already compared Sonic Rangers to the iconic Sonic Adventure, so this could be a hopeful sign that Rangers will be focused on providing a polished experience.
Not much has been revealed about Sonic Rangers in the months since its initial announcement, but there's no doubt that there's already a great amount of pressure on it. The Sonic franchise has struggled with its 3D entries on more than one occasion, so it's understandable that the ambitions of Sonic Rangers might make some fans nervous. The recent release of Sonic Colors Ultimate does show that Sega is able to recognize when it does something right, so hopefully that attitude will carry on into Sonic Rangers.
Sonic Rangers is scheduled to release in 2022.