Soleanna (ソレアナ Soreana?), officially the Principality of Soleanna (ソレアナ公国[2] Soreana kōkoku?), is a location that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, being the setting of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). It is a beautiful island[3] city-state on earth. Being a tourist attraction and also notable for its industries, the country is a constitutional monarchy that is ruled by the family of Princess Elise the Third.
Description[]
The city of Soleanna is a constitutional monarchy, with an economy dominated by tourism and precision machinery.[1]
Being a principality, Soleanna's reigning monarchs eschew the title "king" or "queen";[note 1] Soleanna's sovereign is generally known as "Duke" if male and either "Duchess" or "Princess" if female. The small nation is apparently wealthy and prosperous, with its urban environments bearing resemblance to modern Mediterranean cities. However, Soleanna is shown to possess highly advanced technology, as is evident in Aquatic Base, a research lab underneath the ancient royal palace located in Kingdom Valley.
The city worships a deity known as Solaris, "The Eternal Sun God", who is honored during the "Festival of the Sun". Soleanna's sovereign during the events of Sonic the Hedgehog is the young Princess Elise, introduced while presiding over this ceremony. In the game's timeline, the ancient castle that used to house the royal family in Kingdom Valley has been abandoned after the Solaris Project accident. The new castle is on an island off of Soleanna Castle Town near Soleanna New City – although it is unclear if this remains true in the new timeline after the game.
Soleanna New City[]
Soleanna New City is an Adventure Field in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). One of the three overworld areas in the game, this area is an important hub for Action Stage access, Town Missions and hidden medals.
The commercial and industrial center of Soleanna, the Soleanna New City is decidedly more modern-looking than its counterpart Soleanna Castle Town. Tall buildings and wide roads have taken over from rustic boutiques and cobbled footpaths; there's even a modern port area with warehouses and ship-loading cranes, and the headquarters of the Rimlight Corporation can be found here. There are a couple of G.U.N. agents quietly operating here, as Shadow the Hedgehog can discover. The Soleanna New City isn't all business, however, as it also hosts Soleanna's marina, where colorful yachts crowd the jetties.
Festival of the Sun[]
Soleanna, being a cultural center, is the holder of numerous celebrities. The most famous event is known as the Festival of the Sun. The sun has been always sacred in the city, it is an important part of the culture of Soleanna, and the citizens give thanks for the sun by honoring the traditional sun god, Solaris.
Crisis City and Paradox[]
There are some hints that Crisis City is, in fact, Soleanna in Silver's future. The ruined buildings bear physical resemblance to those seen in downtown Soleanna during the main timeline. Further indications come in the form of Eggman's still-active base, and Elise's apparent hallucination of Soleanna in flames, with Iblis in the center, during the opening cutscene of Sonic's story.
In other media[]
Books and comics[]
Archie Comics[]
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, Soleanna was a Human/Overlander settlement in Eurish, created as a part of the Hidden City Initiative, and a city-state of the United Federation. In this timeframe, it was ruled by Princess Elise.
After the Super Genesis Wave re-wrote history, Soleanna became largely undistinguishable from its game counterpart.
IDW Publishing[]
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing, Soleanna appears in the form of the Dusty Desert. In this media, Dusty Desert holds one of Dr. Eggman's abandoned bases, which has become inhabited by a desert-dwelling family. The family manages to fend off thieves and intruders using the traps of the pyramid and the great Egg-Golem. Rough and Tumble eventually tried to rob Eggman's base once, but were scared off by Rouge.[4]
Blaze the Cat and Silver the Hedgehog set off on a trip to visit Soleanna together, as Blaze had heard it was beautiful that time of year.[5]
Sonic Channel[]
2021 cover stories[]
in 2021 Cover Stories by Sonic Channel, Soleanna makes an apperance via the setting of Kingdom Valley. Soleanna itself is mentioned through Silver who went to visit the town to tell of the imminent disaster that would befall a bridge in the valley, but due to Silver's blunt honesty in admitting he was from the future, no one believes him.[6]
Otherworld Comedy[]
In Otherworld Comedy by Sonic Channel, Soleanna Castle town features as the setting for the Otherworld conjured by the Phantom Ruby prototype that Princess Elise and Silver the Hedgehog find themselves in. Within the otherworld, the castle town remains relatively unchanged, save for the fact that it now contains an ice skating rink in which Elise and Silver practice and perform in an event on. Once the Phantom Ruby Prototype is destroyed, the Otherworld ceases to be and the Castle Town returns to normal.[7]
Trivia[]
- The eagle is the symbol of Soleanna.[8] This is exemplified by the medals marked by an eagle, the birds that appear in the Action Stages, and Solaris' head which is shaped like an eagle.
- It is a popular belief among the the citizens of Soleanna that there was once a great fire in the country and that a big eagle came and saved the entire city.[9]
- During the scene in Sonic's story after they come back from the future, Sonic picks up a newspaper. If you look closely at it, it's called the Daily "Soreana".
- In the nighttime version of Sonic Unleashed's Skyscraper Scamper, there is a neon sign reading "Soleanna Hotel" (but misspelled as "Soleana") in yellow.
- Soleanna is based on and has a similar style to the water city of Venice, Italy, which may be how Silver got his original name.
- Soleanna is well known for its delicious food, such as their juicy fruits which are said to be world famous, with apples being their most renowned produce due to their crisp texture and sweet juices.[10] Many Soleannan recipes use these apples as a hidden flavouring, Soleanna's seafood is also stated to be popular, with the Frite Sandwich being a local favourite 'junk food'.[11] Crab is also seen as a world-wide delicacy due to its juicy meat and intense flavour. Turning down trying this crab is compared to turning down a "date with the princess".[12]
- According to Silver, Soleanna is actually an island nation when he says, "I'm sure the guy I'm looking for is still on the island".
- The people of Soleanna celebrate many festivals, including the Soleanna Apple Festival, the Water Target Tournament, the Ring Race, and most importantly, the Festival of the Sun, where they pay honor and tribute to Solaris.
Notes[]
- ↑ Although the deceased Duke of Soleanna is referred to almost exclusively as a "Duke" throughout Sonic the Hedgehog, Rouge does refer to him as "the former king" during a conversation in Kingdom Valley. The title "Queen", however, is used in reference to Elise by her father: "Become a strong queen who won't cry no matter what happens."
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sonic Team, Blindlight (24 November 2006). Sonic the Hedgehog. PlayStation 3. Sega. Cutscene: To the ancient Soleanna Castle (Shadow Episode). "Rouge: Ah, Soleanna, the city of water. It has a constitutional monarchy, you know. The primary industries are tourism and crafting precision machinery. The current sovereign is Princess Elise the Third."
- ↑ ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ【公式】 on Twitter. Twitter. Sega (30 August 2021). Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved on 31 August 2021.
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), Silver's Story.
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2019, "Curse of the Pyramid"
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog #64, "Misadventures, Part 2"
- ↑ Sega (24 September 2021). ソニック & シルバー 前編 (Japanese). かべがみカバーストーリー. Sonic Channel. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021.
- ↑ Sega, Sonic Channel (24 March 2023). 異世界大喜利 2023年4月【シルバーとエリスは何を......?】 (Japanese). 異世界大喜利. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved on 13 December 2023.
- ↑ Sonic Team . SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (Japanese). Action Stage: Kingdom Valley. Sega. Retrieved on 22 August 2016.
- ↑ Sonic Team (14 November 2016). Sonic the Hedgehog. Xbox 360. Sega. Area/level: Soleanna New City (Sonic Episode). "Woman: A long time ago, the city of Soleanna was hit by a huge fire. A big eagle appeared, and saved the whole city..."
- ↑ Sonic Team (14 November 2016). Sonic the Hedgehog. Xbox 360. Sega. Area/level: Soleanna New City (Silver Episode). "Middle-Aged Man: Hey, are you a tourist? Let me tell you about Soleannan cuisine. / The sweet, juicy fruits of Soleanna are world-famous, especially apples! / They're crispy, yet bursting with sweet, flavorful juice! Soleannan apples are enjoyed worldwide. / Apples are used as hidden flavoring in all kinds of Soleannan cooking, too. Try one if you get a chance!"
- ↑ Sonic Team (14 November 2016). Sonic the Hedgehog. Xbox 360. Sega. Area/level: Soleanna New City (Sonic Episode). "Middle-Aged Man: Soleanna is well-known for its seafood, but you need to try the local junk food, the frite sandwich! / It's fresh vegetables and fish, deep-fried and put in a bun with fresh lemon juice."
- ↑ Sonic Team (14 November 2016). Sonic the Hedgehog. Xbox 360. Sega. Area/level: Soleanna New City (Shadow Episode). "Middle-Aged Man: First and foremost, you've got to try the seafood. Soleanna is surrounded by the sea, and the seafood is to die for. / The Soleannan crab, in particular, is world-famous for its juicy meat and intense flavor! / Coming to Soleanna and not eating the crab is like turning down a date with the Princess!"