A minute correction regarding XG:Classic, it wasn't actually meant to be released in the state that it was. It, alongside several incredibly early revamped XG builds were leaked by some rather impatient people. However, it was actually more of a blessing in disguise since I have been making sure to keep an eye on those who do playthroughs of the leaked build to take note of any issues they came across. In other words, I've been treating it like a sort of global playtest. So far, I've noticed that people struggled with the Desert Dash act 1 boss due to how unclear to where its vulnerability periods are meant to occur, the Lightning Shield's double jump triggering a screen flash not being something that people with epilepsy would particularly be a fan of, alongside a couple other miscellaneous issues encountered.
Thank you for noticing the screen flash from the lightning shield, as someone with photosensitive epilepsy it was slightly bothering me. Nothing much at all, just a bit unpleasant to look at
Fun fact, Sonic Robo Blast 2 is so insane it has another fangame of its own that Pariah doesn't talk about, Sonic Robo Blast 2: Persona. It's a WIP rn but it's essentially a Sonic-y take on Persona and its combat, with heavy emphasis on Persona 3 in particular. A lot of mods for SRB2 work for SRB2:P as well, so check them out if you're interested!
I think I can speak for the entire Sonic Venture dev team when I say: thank you for including Venture in this video!!! It’s unfortunate to admit that we’re having to cut our ambition with the project a bit due to Dreams’ unsteady future, but it’s glowing reviews like this that make us want to continue with it. Again, thank you so so so much!
The most insane thing I have EVER seen in my life is a sonic fan game made on the doom engine with a Persona mod with a trails in the sky mod over it. I would never have thought that would be possible
If you never heard of them, check out "Dr. Eggman's Creature Capture" and Sonic 1 - The Next Level. It's two FANTASTIC romhacks that unfortunately not many people talk about nowadays, and are both made by the same dude, MarkeyJester.
Yo, a lead Megamix Mania level designer here, thank you very much for the kind words! We are indeed still making good progress, with the next release coming this SAGE/SHC season, hope you look forward to that too! Thank you for bringing attention both to our, as well as so many other Sonic fan projects with this video!
you probably already know if you follow the srb2kart team online, but theyre working on a sequel full blown called dr robotniks ring racers that might be coming out this year and its looking fantastic. its got lots of new mechanics, a more refined artstyle, and a TON of quality tracks. if you make another one of these vids itd be cool to see it mentioned
In my opinion, Sonic Robo Blast 2 is not just one of the greatest Sonic games but THE greatest Sonic game. Also, Sonic VR (the romhack) should be talked about more
It's interesting what you said about Sonic Utopia because those were my exact thoughts about Sonic Project Hero. Around the time Forces came out I spent a lot of time analyzing Sonic from every angle in an effort to try and understand the franchise on a fundamental level and understand what the creators had in mind and what their vision was. I came up with some ideas for how they could take the franchise going forward to try and right their wrongs and missteps, some of which they are now finally doing. Part of that was envisioning what could make a really great Sonic game. When Sonic Project Hero first came out I was surprised to see that a lot of my ideas were present in the demo Hero and his team created. Of course I have other ideas as well but it's really cool to see what they made.
@@MarkerMurkerI think the only sonic fangames out there with PERFECT physics translated into 3d perfectly is Project Hero, but unfortunately it's gonna be a while till we hear about it again as it's being developed into a full on fangame. GT's physics aren't perfect, and it's level design is FAR too big, but it's still a fun time, and even then, it's big level design means it's VERY replayable
@@johnnycakemusic4069 I don't like Project Hero's deceleration when making any kind of turn. GT doesn't have that, as far as I know. I'm not sure how those physics would work with smaller level design, I think it accounts for our max speed and sheer maneuverability perfectly. People say Green Hill was a perfect introduction to Sonic's style of gameplay. It was also a very open level.
@@MarkerMurker Well, what I meant when I said the level design was too large, is there's almost too many pathways. In the classic games, there was only about 2, maybe 3 at a time when going a single direction. In the adventure and boost games, there's about the same amount but usually the levels had one singular path. In Gt, there can be upwards of 9+ different pathways all at once going in the same direction, or even overlapping each other, and all those paths may vary in size, making gargantuan levels in horizontality and verticality, so much so, people mistake it for an open world game. Like, I like my levels more on the open side, but GT was a bit much. Sonic 3's open level design and exploration was for the multiple playable characters, the Chaos emerald rings and item boxes. GT does utilize the levels for similar-ish reasons but I think it's a bit too much
@@MarkerMurker I personally think that was a really good idea they had to do that. If you think about it, logically if you were to make a sharp turn while running or diving a car, you wouldn't be able to maintain your speed. I think it makes it feel more natural that way. Adventure doesn't do this and you're able to make extremely sharp turns without slowing down which can lead to the player being disoriented.
Something I really don't like about Fallen Star is that I can never tell if stuff is in the foreground or in the backgroud, is it just me? Sonic Galactic is probably my favorite on this list and it's just a demo lol. Also I wanna mention one ROMhack that I never see anyone talk about: Mobius Evolution. It's probably my favorite Sonic 1 hack
About Sonic Classic 2, its development stopped because the dev was discouraged by the lack of popularity, if I remember correctly. Which leaves it in a really buggy state. So if we can show some love to it, maybe he'll finish it. It's really close.
Triple Trouble isn't a "completely new game", it's a more a remake akin to something like the Resident Evil 1 Remake or Castlevania Chronicles that streamlines the experience, improves the visuals, adds new content and plays with your expectations (the best example being the Great Turquoise Zone boss).
Sonic Robo Blast 2's speedrun scene is also crazy, the current record is 2 minutes off the TAS, though for that reason it is also extremely intimidating to get into.
Sonic Frenzy Adventure is a full game that has been criminally slept on. It's a bit janky physics-wise but it works with the level design in a weird way. It really is more than the sum of its parts. e: It's development started in fucking 2004 and it was finished in 2020. Badass.
One very noteworthy fan game: Sonic Calamity. Nothing playable yet but from what I've seen of it, it looks like the absolute most perfect controls and physics you could possibly imagine for a 3D Sonic game.
What’s also funny about Sonic Smackdown, is that the creator, Streak Thunderstorm, was also the author of a fan game called "Sonic: Mecha Madness", which was a mix of 2D Fast-paced platforming (kinda like Advance series) and combat in one package. It’s too bad that very early demos are no longer available, because that game got through so many changes before it eventually got cancelled.
Yay, he mentioned Sonic Smasckdown! Game's great even with it being a bunch of reused assets from other fighting games. Some of them are funny, though like Balan just sraight-up being Dr. Strange. Some of them I feel could've been done better, though, like Blaze. She's just Akuma and Ken and while it's fun, it's also weird as fuck. Probably shoulda thrown some Kyo or Kula in their. Probably the biggest problem I have with it is something Maximillian Dood touched on. The game is kinda heavy on the ground, but really floaty in the air. It's not terrible, but it is something I tend to notice when playing and it's what keeps me from loving the game. Also wish the move lists were organized better. For anyone interested, the dev is working on an update/sequel called Ultimate Sonic Smackdown that's supposed to add rollback and original animations on top of new characters. It also has a new art style that I think is based on the Sonic Riders art. Last time I checked, it's still really REALLY early with just Sonic, so it's definitely gonna be a while.
The most exhausting timelapse for a sonic fangame is surely the one for sonic 2 hd. Since 2008 it's in development and after the demo release years ago it seems dead or on complete hiatus. A true shame
Ive gotten super into Sonic Blasting Adventure, pretty sure its the first sonic fangame ive played since ultimate flash sonic. Its a fan remake of the goddamn gameboy bootlegs and is actually super good. You can beat it in half an hour
I'm glad I wasn't the only one who notices how much influence Fallen Star took from Before and After the Sequel. Knew from the first stage that it they shared similar aesthetics what with the Hilltop look and Kirby-esque charm.
You're gonna have to make a part 2 to this, I can't believe you didn't include Hellfire Saga or Eggman Hates Furries. Yeah they're focused on bosses but the bosses themselves and the music is SO good.
I consider before and After the Sequel the truly best 2d Sonic fan games, especially because of the simple, yet, kind of expansive story, there's cutscenes, there's a want for continuity. I love that! The music the stages, the complete game
The best fangames imo are Before/After the Sequel and Sonic Robo Blast 2. BtS/AtS because of the soundtrack which is so godlike that even Jun Senoue himself sent an email of his approval. SRB2 because of the amount of time spent on developing it that it might as well be an official Sonic game and this isn't even counting the endless amount of insane wads.
A game that wasn't mentioned here, (probably because it's very recent) is Sonic the Fighters Blitz and I think you'd like it. Much like Smackdown, it's a fighting game made in I.K.E.M.E.N. which is basically an unofficial update to the M.U.G.E.N. engine. Haven't played it myself but from the footage I've seen of the game, it looks like KOF but with a Sonic twist.
15:10 Sonic Classic was the first Sonic fan game I ever played. I completed that thing 100%. I liked it so much I followed Hez's channel and Sonic Classic 2's development for many years, throughout my entire College life. If you to his channel you'll find comments there by my other channel from years ago. Sonic Classic 1 may not be one of the most well known Sonjc2 fan games, but it has a special place in my heart.
Side note: I do like that Sonic Time Twisted has some nod towards Fleetway Sonic the comic. I mean in one boss battle you fight Emperor Metalyx. Just letting you know. Some would say that the Sonic community does what SEGA don't and while I would hate to throw shades at SEGA and Sonic Team, there is a point to it. I mean SEGA is not managing Sonic that well and I don't see Sonic Team as competent developers. Well, they did make Sonic Frontiers but at the same time, Sonic Frontiers' work was kinda sloppy compared to what the community has made. (And compared to Spark the Electric Jester 3) I will say that 2D Sonic games made by SEGA and Sonic Team were darn near unbeatable, the community really needs to try to beat those with their own fangames. Though the fan community has made Sonic 1 Forever, Sonic CD Restored, Sonic 2 Absolute, Sonic 3 A.I.R., and Sonic 3 Complete, and when it comes to 3D Sonic games, SEGA and Sonic Team were completely outdone by the Sonic community. For the most part.
SONIC GT LOVE ACHIEVED!! .....kinda You just completely breezed over it and immediately went to Sonic Encore. You didn't talk about the other playable characters in GT or anything 🥺
Really pleased to see how the Sonic SMS Remakes have been mentioned in this video :) Hope you enjoy the third title that is in development. A lot of cool features and tie-ins to many SEGA franchises will be present, so stay tuned!
Just gonna say: Thank you for putting the effort into actually compiling so many good games here AND providing links to every game in the description IN chronological order! Now, all I need to do is somehow find the time to actually play more than 2 of those...😅
Weird name aside, Eggman Hates Furries is a really awesome boss-rush type fangame with some great fights and an amazing sense of speed, especially in the first boss. Plus it also has probably the most bizarre ending to any Sonic thing I've ever seen lol.
Ive never gotten the hype behind robo blast 2. It is the slippieriest thing in the world. Very hard to control. As a hardcore kart racing fan the kart racer is good. But it feels off. None of the characters feel like they have the right stats for me. Tbh the nights gameplay in the special stages is the most fun part for me.
Mod it. Trust me. If you're interested, take the time to read the SRB2 wiki and learn how to tweak the character movement values. It's actually really easy, and you can tune Sonic to move almost exactly how you want. Otherwise, I 100% agree with you. Too slippery. Also had to find a mod to replace the "thok" move.
@@thomased22legoyodagaming Bummer. Maybe some day when you do. It really is just grabbing a program, opening the game file in it, and changing a number or two. But, frankly, it's not the end of the world if you don't play it. 🤙🏾
As a fangame dev myself, I'm so glad you made this video! It's been difficult finding some of the more obscure quality fangames, so this video works really well as a guide to one of the coolest parts of this fandom, so thanks, Pariah!
I would like to also mention Sonic Vs. Darkness: True Nightmare Revived. It's basically like Sonic Dimensions but with it's own unique style. It has an original soundtrack featuring remixes of songs from Sonic Riders, and the level theming, while there is only 2 zones so far, is completely original based more so on the Advance and Rush games rather than the Genesis games. And like Sonic Dimensions, the game was on multiple year hiatus until recently, where the developers just released a demo that gives Shadow a brand new combat system. Definitely a fan game that I'm looking forward to seeing completed. Also, the results screen music SLAPS.
A lot of stuff here looks very appealing to me, some of those links in the description are getting clicked today. I think Sonic Robo Blast 2 is worth a deeper dive in particular though especially after that whopping heap of praise you gave it. Even sticking purely to the vanilla experience the road to 100% (200 emblems) offers tens of hours of content that's worth dissecting.
I’ve never really liked Sonic Robo Blast 2 all that much. The gameplay didn’t really make me feel anything, the music was pretty bland, and the game is an overall hum-drum experience to me. Sonic After the Sequel is light years better in my eyes. The fact it lets you disable special stages is something I’ve been perplexed hasn’t been in other fangames. I really hate special stages and I feel like they make every game they’re in worse.
....Because special stages are supposed to challenge the player? that's literally why they are in *every* single other fangame, even for ATS without disabling them. When you disable it, you are basically dumbing down the experience. The special stages let the players make a choice whether they want to smooth through the normal ending or go the extra mile for the true ending. Sure, you make think it's tedious, but it's always worth it for the true experience, not every fangame has to be ridiculously easy. If you really can't handle *easy special stages* like the Triple Trouble 16-bit special stages, then I got nothing to say.
Hold on a sec. I do enjoy some special stages, like all of the ones in the Classic games, including CD and Chaotix. I even kinda like the ones in Sonic Robo Blast 2! The ones in the fan games I haven’t played look fun too! I’m talking about the games after Sonic Adventure which have special stages, like the Advance games, the Rush games, and Mania. Those are the ones I don’t like(probably because I suck). I also didn’t really put much thought into that last sentence.
SRB2 HAS MODS,not that many fangames have mods and if they have mods its about 50 mods,but srb2 is a WHOLE OTHER STORY MORE THAN 100 PAGES OF MODS ON THE MB
A Sonic MetroidVania would make sense to exist, the original games weren't 100% about speed like the boost era became and instead did have some amount of off-path adventure, and the MV gear/upgrade system does match nicely with what the Adventure games had given us, mix that with multiple character styles and a Sonic MetroidVania could work. The main issue is just world layout, look at how the typical vania laid out, even in the more expansive ones the locale is typically very narrow in scope, whereas the scope of any Sonic world needs to be fairly vast, even just individual zones are often decently sized; and this is where I think a SonicVania would need to differ, not just world size but also tying various zones together in a cohesive layout, almost more of an open-world explorer than closed-room vania, where bosses are presented in open arenas, the typical stages could be some kind of challenge between two points, etc. An open-world vania-like would still have discrete paths between areas, but there's no hard division between room A and room B, but rather everything is meticulously tied together to be seamless yet not game-breaking where specific exploration paths are still encouraged; plus this open map would heavily assist in speed character level design, given they'd need more map real estate for their gameplay style, similarly flying/climbing characters would have their un-gated open verticality, etc. I think the concept is good, but worldbuilding needs to be thought of from a different angle to make it work; it'd be like a 2D analogy to the Adventure, 06, and Frontiers style, except much heavier on open zone exploration and possibly with some more RPG-like elements that better explain the story and character roster. The only major problem is the upgrade system, so much of movement tech just doesn't make sense within the upgrade context, it'd have to be forced as 'Sonic learned dropdash' or something similar which doesn't make sense from a story perspective as the character should already know their moveset, and I don't think there's enough items like shovel claws or bounce bracelets to suffice the longevity of a game like this; unique character unlocks could alleviate this a bit, then combine that with upgrades could extend it further, but how many contextual standpoints are there for this besides something like unlocking Knuckles and unlocking the shovel claws, does Tails, Silver, Blaze, Amy, etc. have chainable unlocks that would make the upgrade system make sense, especially when health and weapons are a bit irrelevant to Sonic, and the emeralds feel like a bit of a scapegoat for the upgrade system when they should instead be more of a story or special element. Maybe there could be some kind of synergy between upgrades and pickups, such as shields just being plain shields, but equipping something like a flame charm would allow for flame shields, this same charm would also allow for flame bounces with the bounce bracelet, etc.; there could also be some unique synergy between characters, agnostic upgrades, and pickups, such as a speed character with the flame charm and shield having a flame dash, yet digging characters like Knuckles could have a downwards flame drill, a flying character like Tails or Cream could get a flame boost, while a flying-digging character like Rouge would get the fire drill except have it be directional either horizontally or upwards, while having no pickup only allows for a lesser flame-based melee that isn't a power-up attack, then do the same for the various other elements presented in the Sonic games and character types. The previous would also encourage damage-less exploration, say gate off a specific area with the need for a powered-up move for a hyper-specific item, say a secret character, special zone, secret boss, etc.; or riff on the multi-character aspect and have gates that require a specific combined set of specific character types with specific elements and power-up, and keep in mind that the shield could just be one of many pickups that contribute to a modifier, and say have specific emerald special zones be gated in this way, make a true 100% of the game this extra step above everything else. I don't think a SonicVania would be impossible, 2D or 3D, but I don't think anyone is really in the right mindset to fully flesh out the concept just because it does deter from the sources so heavily it might as well be its own genre, there's also so many more concepts that could be explored as I've only really touched on a couple major ideas. Hopefully someone eventually takes the idea and runs with it, a proper SonicVania could be a banger.
Fangames has kept me active as much as the mainline Sonic games do. BTS & ATS are my favorites, both of them are actually on par with 3&K imo and the OSTS are bangers. And to add the cherrhy on top, you know its good with Jun Sonue gives you the thumbs on the music.
Sonic 3D in 2D is one that seems to start off really well, but gets a very frustrating difficulty spike a few zones in. I'm not sure if I will be able to ever finish it because where I left off I can't seem to find a way to harvest more lives.
dude i had the same experience, you cant figure out to dodge stuff until youve either run into them or played enough to know when their coming. its pretty overrated ngl and the gene gadget act 1 boss is easily the worst.
I've played spark the electric jester 1 & 2 & 1 is my most favorite game in general (no preference between 2D or 3D), spark 2 on the other hand though, haven't played it after the update that changed the true final boss music but before that update i didn't really like it, i do plan on playing it again sometime though, & then spark 3 after that
Found this video searching for what i assume was a fan made sonic game that came installed on my old pc, but ended up sticking around Definitely wanna check some of these out (especially World DX and Battle R) most of which I never knew of before, so thank you! :D
Also, I'd like to highlight some older fan games from the early 2000s. They're maybe not the most polished and don't have a lot in terms of physics, but I had a TON of fun with them because of the ideas presented and the content provided. Sonic Chaos Revolution Neo Sonic Universe Omni Khaos trilogy Chaomega (which is referenced in Sonic Classic 2) And the most polished and complete one, Sonic Time Attacked.
Srb2 has some of the most uncomfortable physics ive ever used. You cant run up hills, since sonic would just fall against the wall. Turning is weird, the camera is all sorts of uncomfortable... i mean if you like it thats fine but ugh
Pariah695, what do you think about Sonic Battle Mugan HD? Is it FANtastic? Who is/are your favorite character/s to play as? How good is that character?
I wanna say Eggman Hates Furries (yes thats the title) is a really fun and unique 2D Sonic fan game with it's own gameplay style. Also as far as not yet complete fan games Sonic Newtrogic Panic is a really cool one with a really unique and cool artstyle, as well as Sonic VS Darkness. SvsD is similar to Sonic Dimensions in that it is a Advance style Boost game with Sonic and Shadow. Shadow even has his own separate combat demo type thing.
You forgot about this fangame that actually needs more attention called "Sonic Beyond". ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KcMrADQxk-4.html If you never heard of "Sonic Beyond", it's a 2D game that should really exists and should've been playable 14 years ago. We need to make this happen guys.
After the sequel is really cool i just wish there was a good definitive version of it. ATS Omega's bosses are so fucking annoying it makes the game unplayable for me.
I am yet to watch the video, so who knows, maybe I'm lucky enough? But I am here to ask you Sonic fans for help with a fangame. I remember being around 10 or 11 years old when I came across a Sonic fangame in the defunct YoYo Games Sandbox that looked and played quite a lot like the Advance games. What made it special, though, was that it supported custom sprites, meaning you could literally play as ANY character you could think of as long as you had their sprite sheet downloaded and within the game's folder. I had a lot of fun messing around with it and playing a few levels as Shadow and Chaos! Does anyone remember its name?
He probably didn't want to get into it because of the insane controversy surrounding that game, and his comment section would have been a complete drain to read. I know I would have left it out deliberately, too.
there's a really obscure Sonic Fangame i don't see anybody talk about (which i can understand why...) and that is... Eggman Hates Furries. it's quite the odd game. it is fully completed, the gameplay doesn't feel like something you would expect in a Sonic game, but that story though... it's most likely to make a few people uncomfortable by the end
Thanks for this man, I set up most of these on my Steam Deck. The Sonic fan game rabbit hole is so deep that I didn't even know where to start. Definetly hoping for a part 2
One of my personal favorites is Sonic 3D and 2D a fantastic sequel to Sonic 3D Blast and Sonic 3 and knuckles showing what it would be like it they made a 2D Sonic game for the Saturn
POR FAVOR QUIERO VER YA UN FANGAME BASADO EN SATAM Y LOS COMICS DE ARCHIE POR FAVOR. QUIERO UN JUEGO EN DONDE SE PUEDA JUGAR CON SALLY Y LOS FREEDOM FIGHTERS. YA ESTOY CANSADO DE QUE SIEMPRE SE CENTREN EN SONIC Y UNA Y OTRA VEZ. YA ESTOY CANSADO DE PURO CORRER Y CORRER Y PURO BOOST.
SRB2 Kart isn't the only mod of SRB2 to completely change the genre! There's also SRB2 Persona, which essentially turns Sonic Robo Blast 2 into a Persona game.
One romhack I would personally recommend would be Sonic 1 Dragon Edition. It only has two finished zones but they feel so fresh and cool compared to nearly every other romhack I've played, they have neat aesthetics and fun level design. It even figured out how to make underwater stages more fun to play in, as you can hold the button to ascend as high as you want but can let go and then unlet go to sort of bob up and down underwater, its fun to control
