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Not to be confused with Sonic Adventures.

The Original Hero Is Back!


— Tagline

Sonic Adventure (ソニックアドベンチャー Sonikku Adobenchā?) is the first 3D platformer video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It is the first Sonic game on a sixth generation console. The game was released in late 1998 in Japan for the Dreamcast.[1] An updated edition was later released in the second half of 1999 worldwide, under the name of Sonic Adventure International (ソニックアドベンチャー インターナショナル Sonikku Adobenchā Intānashonaru?) in Japan.

In Sonic Adventure, Dr. Eggman has discovered the mighty monster known as Chaos, whom he plans to use to destroy Station Square and build Eggmanland on its ruins. To prevent their nemesis from achieving this goal, Sonic and Tails embark on an adventure to secure the seven Chaos Emeralds. Along the way, their old friends Knuckles and Amy, as well as E-102 Gamma, a robot created by the doctor, and Big the Cat, who has lost his friend Froggy, get involved in the skirmish as well and learn of Chaos' past through mysterious visions.

As the first 3D Sonic game, Sonic Adventure was highly anticipated and received critical acclaim on release. It was praised for its visuals, presentation, and gameplay, but criticized for its voice direction and glitches. The game sold over 1.27 million copies in the United States alone, making it the top selling Dreamcast game.[5] It received a sequel in 2001, marking the tenth anniversary of the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

Plot[]

Spoiler warning: Plot, ending details or any kind of information follow.

Storylines[]

Sonic Adventure title screen

The title screen of Sonic Adventure.

Three thousand years ago, the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald were both kept at an altar near the territory of a clan of echidnas, specifically the Knuckles Clan. A peaceful echidna named Tikal, daughter of Chief Pachacamac, befriended the Chao that lived at the altar and their protector, who was the water god Chaos. When Pachacamac sought to expand his clan's territory, he wanted to steal the Chaos Emeralds and use their power to defeat his rivals. Although Tikal and the Chao stood against him, he ordered his soldiers to charge anyway, resulting in many Chao being injured. This enraged Chaos, who transformed into Perfect Chaos and destroyed all of the echidnas, except for Tikal, who sealed herself away in the Master Emerald with Chaos, and the magic caused the area surrounding the shrine to become Angel Island, also known as the continent in the sky.

In the present day, the evil scientist Dr. Robotnik, better known as "Eggman", happens to stumble across the Knuckles Clan's ancient shrine while building his underground base at the heart of the Mystic Ruins' jungle. There, he manages to decipher some stone tablets, which tell of the legend surrounding Chaos. Eager to use the beast for his own selfish intentions, the doctor finishes his newest stronghold, Final Egg, and starts to work on building the Egg Carrier, an all-purpose aerial fortress. Additionally, he creates the E-100 Series, an army of shooting Badniks. Eggman's plan is to tame Chaos and use him to destroy Station Square to build his own city, Eggmanland, on its ruins; with the Egg Carrier and the E-100 Series created to help him achieve this goal.[6][7]

Sonic[]

Sonic Adventure Sonic cutscenes 16

Sonic arriving to face off against Chaos after Station Square's police force retreats.

Underneath a glittering sky in nighttime, a familiar shadow runs through the populated city of Station Square. This figure, which passes cars on the highway, runs on the walls of buildings, and jumps across rooftops, turns out to be no one other than Sonic the Hedgehog, who has just returned home after a long journey to train himself. While he is enjoying himself, however, he hears a blaring siren and then notices the Station Square Police Department staff rush to City Hall. Following the police, he sees them surround Chaos, only to notice upon opening fire at him that their weapons are useless against him. As the staff retreats, the hedgehog steps in and defeats the beast, but he escapes through a water drain. Meanwhile, Dr. Eggman has been observing his nemesis' clash with Chaos, confident in the latter's supremacy despite his defeat.[8][6]

The next day, Sonic is relaxing by a pool in Station Square until he sees Tails crash on the beach in his newest biplane, with the hedgehog wondering what he will do with the young cub. Hurrying to Emerald Coast, he finds his friend seated next to the wreckage. The two later have a small conversation in Station Square where the fox tells the hedgehog that he was using the plane to test the power of a Chaos Emerald he had found. Sonic is then convinced to come to Tails' Workshop in Mystic Ruins to see a project of his. However, when they get there, Dr. Eggman shows up to steal the fox's Chaos Emerald. With the heroes refusing to hand the Emerald over, the doctor tries to take it by force with his Egg Hornet, but is defeated. However, he still manages to steal the Emerald from Tails. He then reveals Chaos to the heroes and gives him the Chaos Emerald, turning him into Chaos 1. Eggman gloats that with every Chaos Emerald he gives to Chaos, the creature becomes more powerful, with his ultimate plan being to make him invincible with all seven Emeralds and then use him to destroy Station Square and build Eggmanland. After that, Eggman and Chaos 1 retreat. Sonic and Tails thus decide to counter the doctor's plans by securing the other Chaos Emeralds to prevent the vicious creature from transforming any further.

Sonic Adventure Sonic cutscenes 60

Sonic and Tails about to fight Knuckles.

Sonic and Tails quickly find two Chaos Emeralds: one in Windy Valley and later at night another in Casinopolis. However, after leaving the latter, Eggman ambushes the duo and steals one of the Emeralds before knocking them out with sleeping gas. The next day, they come to. Continuing onward regardless, the duo goes to Icecap and retrieve another Chaos Emerald. However, they run into Knuckles, who believes the hedgehog has stolen some of the Master Emerald's shards. The two fight, only for Sonic to drop his Chaos Emeralds during the scuffle. The doctor then shows up and takes the Emeralds, having tricked the echidna into fighting Sonic so he could steal the Chaos Emeralds while they were occupied, and gives them to Chaos 2, transforming him into the aquatic yet still vicious Chaos 4. Regardless, the three heroes still defeat him.

In the aftermath, Eggman's Egg Carrier appears and picks him up, prompting Sonic and Tails to chase after the vessel in the Tornado. However, the plane gets shot down during the fight with the doctor's ship, and the hedgehog falls down in Station Square. While looking for his friend however, he runs into Amy, who asks him to protect Birdie, a bird she is looking after. Although he refuses to heed the pink hedgehog's request, they are found by E-100 ZERO. While the blue hedgehog is ready to face the robot, Amy heads into Twinkle Park in hopes to getting a date with her friend after seeing that "cute couples get in free". Sonic follows Amy into Twinkle Park, but loses track of her. Knowing she is in danger with ZERO hunting her, Sonic tries to find her. After finding no signs of her in Speed Highway, he sees her being hauled away by the robot in Station Square.

Sonic Adventure Sonic cutscenes 109

Sonic and Tails landing on the Egg Carrier.

Following ZERO and Amy to Mystic Ruins, Sonic tries to save the latter, but the Egg Carrier then arrives and picks her and the robot. As he chases the vessel into the Red Mountain, it eventually escapes his reach. Fortunately, Tails shows up in the Tornado 2, and the hedgehog hitches a ride with him as they chase after the Egg Carrier together. Following an aerial battle with the Egg Carrier, Tails realizes he has forgotten to turn the landing gear on, and the duo crash-lands on the ship. As they try to get to the bridge, however, as Eggman demonstrates, the Egg Carrier changes shape, making the duo's trek harder. Taking a detour through the Sky Deck, the two arrive as Amy is confronting Dr. Eggman, who grabs Birdie and takes a Chaos Emerald out of the pendant he is wearing. He then calls in E-102 Gamma and orders him to get rid of the heroes before leaving. Sonic fights the robot, but Amy stops him from destroying him, insisting that he is her friend. Deciding to trust the pink hedgehog, Sonic leaves Gamma be. However, the Egg Carrier then begins to lose altitude. The blue hedgehog thus has Tails take Amy to Station Square while he goes after Eggman.

Sonic soon finds Eggman, only to see that he has given the two more Chaos Emeralds to Chaos, transforming him into the savage Chaos 6. Big the Cat then shows up, with the intention of rescuing his friend Froggy from inside the creature. With his help, the hedgehog defeats Chaos 6. After the battle, Sonic meets Knuckles as the doctor leaves. Trying to catch his nemesis, he follows him off the Egg Carrier. Landing in a part of Mystic Ruins with an ancient shrine in it, Sonic sees a floating orb heading towards it. Believing that it is trying to show him something, he ventures into the shrine, and eventually finds a mural with Perfect Chaos depicted on it. He then finds himself taken to the past, where he sees the Altar of Emerald on fire. Finding Chao lying on the ground and Tikal running towards the Master Emerald, he is taken back to the present. There, Sonic finds Eggman flying towards the Final Egg. Following him into the heart of the base, the hedgehog confronts him and his Egg Viper. After defeating him, Sonic sees his nemesis retreat and reunites with Tails once again for a bit of R&R.

Tails[]

With Sonic away on his journey, Miles "Tails" Prower has devoted himself to tinkering in his workshop at the Mystic Ruins.[8] One day, he tests a prototype of a Chaos Emerald-powered biplane he has recently created above Station Square. Though everything goes well at first, the Emerald's power soon becomes too powerful for the plane to handle,[9] causing it to suddenly malfunction. After a short, wayward trip through the city and several close calls, the aircraft ends up crash-landing on an island in the emerald sea nearby, with Tails seated next to the wreckage. Fortunately, Sonic, who witnessed this event, has come in to help his friend.

When Tails and Sonic return to Station Square, the hedgehog asks his friend what had happened for him to crash like that, to which the fox replies that he has been attempting to use the Chaos Emerald to power his plane. He then convinces Sonic to go with him to his workshop in the Mystic Ruins to show him something. When they arrive however, they encounter Dr. Eggman, who exchanges some banter with them and demands them to hand over the Emerald. As the heroes refuse to comply, the evil scientist attacks them with his Egg Hornet. In the aftermath, the doctor is defeated, but manages to snatch the gemstone from Tails with the Eggmobile's claw attachment. Soon after, he reveals Chaos to the duo and gives him the Chaos Emerald, turning him into Chaos 1. Overjoyed with seeing that the stone tablets were correct about Chaos and his relationship to the Emeralds, Eggman reveals his plan to find the seven Chaos Emeralds and give them to the creature to destroy Station Square and build Eggmanland over its ruins. After the two villains retire, Tails and Sonic agree to look for the Emeralds before the doctor gets them first to keep the ferocious beast from getting any larger.

Tails and Sonic collect two Chaos Emeralds: one at the Windy Valley and later that night the other one in Casinopolis. However, after exiting the latter, Eggman ambushes them with sleeping gas, putting them to sleep and allowing the doctor to steal one of their Emeralds. The next day, the duo heads back to the Mystic Ruins to acquire another Emerald in Icecap. Soon after though, they encounter Knuckles. Due to a misunderstanding, Tails and the echidna fight. Eggman, taking advantage of the situation, snatches away the Emeralds, once again giving them to Chaos, transforming him into Chaos 4. After the heroes defeat the creature off, the doctor escapes to his Egg Carrier. The fox and Sonic give chase in the Tornado, but the plane gets shot down in the process. Tails lands alone in the dense jungles of the Mystic Ruins. After a flashback to when he first met the hedgehog, he decides to do without his friend and ventures into the jungle in search for a Chaos Emerald to finish his project. He finds one here, but runs into Big the Cat's friend, Froggy, who proceeds to swallow the gem. After giving chase through the Sand Hill, Tails catches up with the frog and gets the Emerald, but is taken back in time and meets Tikal. When returned to the present, the cat accidentally gives Tails a shock, causing him to lose grip of Froggy as a result, before the young cub shifts his attention to his task.

Using the Chaos Emerald, Tails finishes his newest invention: the Tornado 2. During the flight, the fox meets up with Sonic at the peak of the Red Mountain, and the two give chase to the Egg Carrier. Despite the odds, the two manage to land on the aerial fortress, though Tails realizes he has forgotten turn the landing gear on beforehand. However, Eggman immediately activates the transformed state that deactivates the monorails, forcing the heroes to go through the Sky Deck. In the aftermath, they find the doctor confronting Amy and Birdie. The scientist snatches Birdie using the Eggmobile's claw and takes a Chaos Emerald out of his pendulum. He then calls in E-102 Gamma to get rid of the heroes. After a short battle against the robot however, Amy convinces Tails not to destroy him, as he is her friend. Tails decides to trust Amy, sparing Gamma's life. With the Egg Carrier losing attitude, Sonic has the fox take the pink hedgehog to safety while he goes after Eggman.

Sonic Adventure Tails and Egg Walker

Tails facing Dr. Eggman's Egg Walker.

While the Egg Carrier falls down to the ocean, Tails and Amy make it safely to Station Square. As the two separate, the fox spots Eggman in his Eggmobile crash-landing nearby. Devastated over the Carrier's destruction and Chaos' defeat, the furious doctor decides to launch a missile to destroy the whole city, but it turns out to be a dud. Angered, Eggman blasts the doors of a skyscraper and goes to detonate the missile himself. Tails, realizing that the fate of the city is in his hands, gives chase. After a long endurance race through the night, the fox reaches the missile first and deactivates it. Frustrated at his failure, Eggman deploys the Egg Walker and threatens Tails to leave before he is turned into mincemeat. All of the scared citizens run for shelter, leaving the fox to face his fears and fight against his nemesis on his own. In the end, Tails wins and the citizens cheer for him as the doctor is forced to leave. While heading back to the Mystic Ruins, the fox meets up with Sonic, his fears finally conquered.

Knuckles[]

SA Emerald Alter 2

Knuckles faces off against Chaos after he emerges from the broken Master Emerald.

On a stormy night, Dr. Eggman's Egg Carrier approaches Angel Island. There, Knuckles the Echidna is contemplating his life at the Altar of Emerald. Suddenly, however, a streak of lighting breaks the Master Emerald into smaller Emerald Shards that get scattered around the world. From the gem emerges Chaos, whom the echidna believes to have shattered the Emerald. When he attempts to attack him, the creature blindsides him and escapes, as Angel Island begins to fall into the ocean, near the Mystic Ruins. Fortunately, the island is still buoyant enough to float in the water and not sink. Afterwards, Knuckles begins to travel around the world to find the missing shards of the massive jewel.

Arriving in Station Square, Knuckles finds six shards of the Master Emerald, three in Speed Highway and the other three in Casinopolis. After leaving the latter, however, he is flashed into the past to a place he has never seen before but is somehow familiar to him. He overhears Tikal trying to stop her father, Pachacamac, from invading someone's "sacred grounds", but returns to the present before getting the details. Back to the present, the red echidna spots Dr. Eggman heading into an elevator in the nearby hotel. He notices the shine in the doctor's hand and believes it to be a piece of the Master Emerald, so he follows him. Ending up in a restaurant area, Knuckles corners the villain, who reveals that he has a Chaos Emerald instead. Wanting to use the opportunity to use his adversary as a guinea pig nevertheless, he reveals Chaos and gives him the gem, transforming him into a vicious Chaos 2. Regardless, the hero fights against the ferocious creature and defeats him. Undeterred, the doctor tells the echidna that Sonic is after the Emerald Shards as well (which is a total lie). Knuckles demands an explanation, but his enemy declines, saying that it would "ruin the surprise" before departing. The echidna leaves as well, deciding to go find the hedgehog.

The next day, Knuckles goes back to the Mystic Ruins and finds three more Emerald Shards at the Red Mountain. Soon after, he finds Sonic and Tails with a Chaos Emerald in the former's hands. Confusing it for a fragment of the Master Emerald, which causes him to believe that Eggman was right, he attacks the hedgehog, ending up in a short battle that ends with Sonic dropping his Emeralds. In this moment, the doctor shows up and claims the jewels for himself, which he uses to transform Chaos into Chaos 4. Realizing his mistake, Knuckles fights the monster, defeating him in the process. As the villain retreats to his Egg Carrier, the echidna continues his quest for the Emerald Shards. He finds three more deep inside of the shrine of his race, but is sent back to the past in the aftermath a second time. In that vision, he finds himself at the Altar of Emerald, where he sees Tikal's fruitless attempt to convince Chaos and his Chao to leave the place before her father attacks it.

Sonic Adventure Knuckles and Chaos 6

Knuckles about to fight Chaos 6.

As the vision fades, Knuckles finds himself back in front of the present-day Altar of Emerald. However, the Master Emerald is still incomplete. Fortunately, the gem shows an image of the Egg Carrier, which the echidna believes to be where the last three shards are. However, he has no idea where the fortress is. As he walks across the bridge, he spots E-102 Gamma heading to the Final Egg. He follows the rogue robot through the jungle and to the fortress, leading him to the ship, which takes off. There, he finds the last shards, but ends up getting sent to the past, this time with the Altar of Emerald under a thick flame. He walks over to Tikal and attempts to find out what is going on, but when Tikal rushes to the Emerald, he is sent back to the Egg Carrier. Knuckles spots Eggman and Chaos and rushes towards them. The doctor retreats, with Sonic on his heels, and leaves Chaos, who is now a savage Chaos 6, standing in the echidna's way. After a long battle, the creature relinquishes the Chaos Emeralds and retreats. Meanwhile, the Egg Carrier loses attitude and begins exploding. Taking the six gems with him, Knuckles flies back to Angel Island.

Back at Angel Island, Knuckles had restored the Master Emerald to its normal state, allowing the giant gem to hoist the island back into the heavens. The echidna is once again at peace.

Amy[]

Having take up residence in Station Square, Amy Rose is bringing groceries home as she thinks back on how bored she is of her mundane life in the city and misses the old days where she would go on adventures with Sonic and facing different bad guys. However, with her friend now gone, all she can do is shop until she drops. Suddenly, however, she sees to her shock that the city is shadowed by Dr. Eggman's Egg Carrier. As the pink hedgehog suspects that the doctor is back, she is hit in her head by a small bird falling down from the giant vessel. Just as Amy takes notice of the bird, she spots E-100 ZERO, one of the villain's robots, land nearby. After picking the bird up, the pink hedgehog notices that the robot is chasing her and runs away with the bird in her hands. Fortunately, she manages to lose the machine by hiding in the nearby Burger Shop. After her new foe has left, she deduces that this "Birdie" has escaped from Eggman, who is now hunting him. Amy thus promises to protect Birdie and stay by his side by all costs.

Afterwards, Amy finds Sonic in the Casino Area. Surprising him upon approaching, she asks her friend to take care of Birdie for a while, but he refuses and runs away, only to be followed by her anyway. Once the pink hedgehog and the bird catch up to Sonic near the Twinkle Park, however, ZERO shows up again. While the blue hedgehog prepares to fight the villainous robot, Amy notices the park's free entry for cute couples and goes in, expecting her friend to follow her, which he reluctantly does. Inside the area, she and Birdie have to run away from ZERO, who is hunting them. Once they assume they have lost it and Sonic, however, the robot ambushes them and takes them to the Mystic Ruins, with the blue hedgehog following ZERO. Unfortunately though, he is unable to save his friends.

Sonic Adventure Amy and Gamma

Amy confronting Gamma at the Prison Hall.

Now finding herself trapped in the Egg Carrier's Prison Hall with Birdie, Amy attempts to comfort him as E-102 Gamma, another one of Dr. Eggman's robots, arrives to their prison cell to demand the bird, but the pink hedgehog repeatedly refuses. This prompts the robot to ask her for her motivation for not complying, and she retorts by asking him why he wants Birdie. When Gamma does not provide a clear answer, she instead tries asking him to help them out. However, he deems it illogical that she has feelings for something she knows nothing about. This makes Amy pity Gamma for not knowing about love. Suddenly, Birdie flies up in front of the robot, triggering something in the latter, who tells them to escape as he unlocks the hedgehog's cell. As a confused Amy leaves her cell, Gamma tells her that they are in danger as they are approaching the Mystic Ruins base. Seeing that the robot has a good side to him, she offers him her friendship before departing with Birdie.

After escaping the Prison Hall by beating Dr. Eggman's high score in a Hedgehog Hammer game, Amy and Birdie make their way through the Hot Shelter whilst avoiding getting caught by ZERO, who is hot on their trail again. Once they successfully escape though, the pink hedgehog is taken to the past by Tikal's spirit, where she sees the female echidna at the Altar of Emerald meeting the Chao. Once Amy regains her senses, she finds herself at the Egg Carrier's Pool, where she and Birdie continue their escape. After going outside, however, Dr. Eggman appears in the Eggmobile and corners the two. Immediately after, luckily, the hedgehog spots Sonic and Tails and begs them to save her. Meanwhile, the doctor snatches the bird from her hands and takes a Chaos Emerald from his pendant, which the heroes are all surprised to see. Having no use for Birdie anymore, Eggman dispatches Gamma and orders him to dispose of the group. Following a brief fight between the robot and the blue hedgehog, the latter is about to finish off his rival. However, Amy stands in his way, pleading for him not to destroy Gamma as he is her friend. Ultimately, her friend complies to her request and lets him be. In the aftermath, Tails notices that the Egg Carrier is losing attitude, prompting Sonic to have him take Amy and Birdie to safety while he goes fight Dr. Eggman. The pink hedgehog bids farewell to Gamma, telling him that they will see each other again, before departing with the fox. The fortress soon crashes into the Great Sea.

Sonic Adventure Amy and Birdie family

Amy bidding farewells to Birdie and his family.

A while later, Amy, Birdie and Tails land in Station Square, where the former two part ways with the latter. Afterwards, the pink hedgehog's thoughts drift back to Sonic and how he always seems to rescue her, which makes her wish that she was more independent. As she talks with the bird about how he surprised her by having a Chaos Emerald on him, she notices a picture of his siblings inside his pendant. Concluding that Dr. Eggman is holding them captive too, she decides to help her little friend find them. Following a clue she got from Gamma, Amy decides to check out the doctor's base, deep in the jungles of the Mystic Ruins. Upon arrival, however, they are ambushed by ZERO once again, prompting them to escape. Having no success in finding Birdie's family there, the heroes decide to return to the Egg Carrier, which is now harmlessly floating in the sea. There, the bird finds his siblings and is about to leave with them. However, ZERO knocks him out with its telescopic fist. Upon noticing the perpetrator of the attack, an enraged Amy unleashes her anger on the robot, which she ultimately destroys after a battle. In the aftermath, she turns her attention to Birdie, who fortunately recovers and begins flying around after some trouble. The bird and his family subsequently turn to the hedgehog as their way of saying thanks, and she tells them to go live in peace. After the birds have then flown away, Amy takes her leave, determined to make Sonic respect her and make him hers.

Gamma[]

Sonic Adventure Gamma and Robotnik

E-102 Gamma with Dr. Eggman upon his activation.

Coming online at the Final Egg, E-102 Gamma, the second robot in the E-100 Series, is met by his creator Dr. Eggman, who orders his robot to obey him and only him from now on. Next, the doctor makes Gamma go to the shooting range at the Final Egg, just like his "big brother", E-101 Beta. Complying to Eggman's orders, Gamma passes his test and is commended by his creator for his efforts despite not believing that he had what it took. The villain then tells E-102 that his newest air fortress, the Egg Carrier, needs a solid crew, and as such summons Beta to have the two machines battle each other to see who gets to stay onboard. Following a short duel, Gamma is able to defeat his "older brother", despite Eggman placing his bets on E-101. Pleasantly surprised by E-102's victory, the doctor acknowledges that he had seen his potential and thus permits him to serve onboard his airship. However, when Beta shows interest in coming along as well, the villain gives him special permission too, noting that they can always use a "spare set of parts". In the aftermath, the Egg Carrier takes off.

A moment later, Eggman announces to Gamma and his "brothers", E-103 Delta, E-104 Epsilon, and E-105 Zeta, to find and capture Froggy, a frog with the unique feat of possessing a tail. The doctor explains that the amphibian is vital for his plans and thus orders his robot crew to go out and find him. Gamma tracks Froggy to the Emerald Coast, where he snatches the frog out of Big the Cat's hands and leaves. However, he is suddenly taken back to the past of the Mystic Ruins by Tikal, specifically to the Altar of Emerald. Unable to recognize this location, Gamma meets the female echidna, who shows him about Chaos and his Chao, and about how her father plans to take the Altar of Emerald for himself. Immediately after though, Gamma is sent back to the Egg Carrier with Froggy in hand.

Sonic Adventure Gamma and Beta

Gamma watching Beta being horrendously remodeled.

Soon after, Gamma and his comrades argue over whose frog is the correct one, but stop when Dr. Eggman walks in. As he sees that his minions have failed their mission, the irritated doctor scolds them for their incompetence, telling them that the frog he wants is insane, has Chaos' tail and has swallowed a Chaos Emerald. However, when he notices that Gamma is carrying Froggy, he does not take long to praise Gamma for his success. The rest of the E-100 Series robots are soon after teleported away and discarded, and Eggman gives E-102 a new mission: to go to the Prison Hall and bring him Birdie, a bird that is incarcerated with Amy. However, the robot accidentally gets into the wrong room, where he spots Beta undergoing a terrifying remodulation process, leaving a mark in the silent but shocked Gamma. Returning to his assignment, he enters the Prison Hall, where Amy tells him to go away from her cell. The robot demands Birdie from her, but she repeatedly refuses to hand him over. Gamma questions why, but instead, the pink hedgehog asks why he wants him, to which he replies he has no data on it. Seeing that he does not know it himself, Amy believes that Gamma will hurt Birdie and tries asking him to help them out instead. As she pleas to his sense of sympathy, he wonders why she would save something useless to her, prompting the hedgehog to pity him for his lack of emotions. Suddenly, however, Birdie flies up to Gamma and looks at him. As something triggers in the robot, he tells Amy to get going as he releases her from her cell, noting that she is in danger as they are approaching the Mystic Ruins base. Having seen that Gamma is a good person and not like Eggman's other robots, she offers him her friendship and best wishes before taking her leave with Birdie.

Returning to the Egg Carrier Hall, Gamma is instructed to head into the ammunition room and pick up an upgrade by Eggman over the P.A. before being ordered to come to the Rear Deck. Upon arriving there, the robot offers his services to the doctor, who orders him to eradicate Sonic, Tails and Amy, who have gathered on there. After the villain has left, Gamma engages the blue hedgehog in a hostile fight. Just as Gamma is about to dispose of Sonic, however, Amy interferes, asking the latter to leave Gamma alone because he is her friend. Soon after though, the Egg Carrier begins to lose attitude. Sonic thus has Tails take Amy to safety while he heads out to defeat Eggman. As the blue hedgehog races off, the pink hedgehog thanks him for his heroic rescue before turning her concerns to Gamma, whom she asks to leave the doctor and come with them. Gamma wonders why she is helping him, to which she explains that they are friends and that even Birdie wants the best for him by wanting him to abandon the villain. At Tails' subsequent insistence, Amy leaves and is lifted off the Egg Carrier by the fox while bidding Gamma farewell, who proceeds to fly off the Egg Carrier, just as it crashes into the sea.

As Gamma arrives at the Mystic Ruins' Station Area, he has gotten a new look in life. Now recognizing Dr. Eggman as an enemy and his fellow E-100 Series robots as allies, the robot deletes the doctor's Master registration and embarks on a quest to find his "brothers" to "save" them. Having detected Delta at the nearby Windy Valley, E-102 "rescues" him by destroying him and liberating the Animal inside of him. Next, he tracks Epsilon to the Red Mountain, where he destroys him and frees the Animal inside. In the aftermath, however, Gamma realizes that he does not know where Zeta and Beta are. Deducing they are on the Egg Carrier, which is now harmlessly floating in the sea, the robot takes a raft and goes to the crashed vessel. There, Gamma makes his way through the Hot Shelter and destroys a remodeled Zeta. Later, he reviews the remaining E-100 Series units he has to save: Beta and himself. Soon after, he spots E-101, who has now been turned into E-101 Beta Mk. II, and goes after him. Following a mighty battle, E-102 manages to defeat his older "brother". However, before exploding, Beta deals a finishing blow to Gamma, who is heavily damaged by the attack and attempts to walk away. Meanwhile, a cream-colored bird is freed from the remains of E-101 and flies up to look at Gamma, who succumbs to his damage. As an image of Birdie's family, which includes the cream-colored bird and a pink one, then flashes before his eye, Gamma collapses and blows up, releasing the pink bird that had been powering him. This bird then joins up with the cream-colored one to find Birdie.

Big[]

Sonic Adventure Big and Froggy intro

Big seeing a crazed Froggy escape.

On a peaceful night at the Mystic Ruins' jungle, Big the Cat is sleeping in his hut with his pet and best friend, a frog named Froggy, until a light in the sky falls nearby, causing a small tremor. This prompts Froggy to go out to investigate. Just outside the hut, he spots a moving puddle of water which leaps into his mouth. Soon after, Big wakes up because of the noise, surprised upon noticing that his friend has grown a tail. A rouge and insane Froggy then eats the cat's Chaos Emerald and runs away, concerning his owner, who cannot understand this behavior as the two have been friends for years. Having been left behind, Big goes after Froggy.

In the morning, Big's chase of Froggy has lead him to Station Square, where he sees the crazed frog go in the sewers. He follows his pet to Twinkle Park. The cat manages to fish the amphibian out, but the latter retreats. His search for his friend takes him back to the Mystic Ruins, where he finds Froggy once again in Icecap. Much to his frustration, however, his friend escapes again. Not one to give up though, Big goes to the Mystic Ruins Station Area, where Tails has Froggy in his hands. Unfortunately, the fox accidentally lets go of the frog, who escapes again. Speculating his friend might have returned to Station Square, the cat goes to the Emerald Coast, where he finds Froggy once again. Suddenly, though, E-102 Gamma appears and snatches the amphibian before fleeing, prompting an unlucky Big to chase after the robot.

Following Gamma, Big boards the Egg Carrier and tries to pick up Froggy's scent. However, it does not work, so he locates Froggy at the Hot Shelter, where he rescues his friend again. However, he is suddenly taken to the past by Tikal, where he finds himself at the Altar of Emerald. There, the feline watches the female echidna being allowed passage into the shrine by Chaos. After noticing the Master Emerald and the seven Chaos Emeralds surrounding it, Tikal has finally understood the function of the massive gemstone from her grandmother's ancient mantra. In the aftermath, Big is taken back to the present, where he and Froggy attempt to escape from the Egg Carrier, as otherwise his efforts will have failed and no one will be there to save them both. Fortunately, the vessel's emergency alert deactivates, allowing the duo to use the airship's monorail to go outside. There, Big and Froggy encounter Chaos 4 and Dr. Eggman, the latter of whom orders the creature to snatch the frog. Suddenly, the amphibian releases the Chaos Emerald he had swallowed earlier, and Chaos uses said gemstone alongside one the doctor gives him to turn into Chaos 6. Eggman then explains to the savage monster that Froggy is possessed by his tail, and that regaining said tail will make him complete. Unfortunately, Froggy jumps into Chaos 6, causing him to lose his tail while the latter regains his own. Luckily though, Sonic enters the scene and prepares to defeat the monster. With the hedgehog and Big's combined efforts, Froggy is liberated from the beast. As the cat celebrates his reunion with his friend, Sonic tells them to leave while he defeats Chaos. Complying, Big thanks the hedgehog for his help and heads for the Egg Carrier's landing stripes. There, he finds the Tornado 2, which he and the frog use to leave the falling airship.

Sonic Adventure Big and Froggy

Big and Froggy returning home together.

Soon, it is revealed that Big and Froggy have made it home safely and are enjoying their peaceful life again. They celebrate their reunion by dancing and fishing together.

Super Sonic[]

The last story, unlocked by beating all six previous storylines, begins with the damaged Tornado 2 next to Big's house, with its Chaos Emerald still inside it. Soon after, Angel Island falls back into the ocean. Meanwhile, Dr. Eggman is in the Eggmobile, making his way through the Mystic Ruins' jungle while muttering about his hatred for Sonic, knowing that he will not spoil his master plan. As he boasts about this new plot, he stops upon spotting Chaos, who has survived the crash of the Egg Carrier. Meanwhile, Knuckles is at the Altar of Emerald, trying to figure out why the floating island has fallen again when the Master Emerald is intact. Deducing that the six Chaos Emeralds he has brought with him have something to do with this, he plans to give them to Sonic for advice, when he notices an unconscious Eggman nearby, telling him that something terrible has happened and that Chaos is involved, but he is unable to elaborate. The echidna approaches the doctor, unaware of the fact that Chaos is near too.

Meanwhile, Sonic himself is relaxing next to a tree at the Mystic Ruins Station Area, considering taking another vacation as he believes his nemesis has learned his lesson again. However, Tails appears and tells him that Angel Island has fallen again. When the duo goes to check what is going on, they see Knuckles and Eggman laying unconscious near the Altar of Emerald. As it turns out, Chaos has betrayed the doctor and has stolen six of the Chaos Emeralds upon attacking the echidna and the villain when Knuckles reveals the beast is still alive. Eggman, enraged with the creature's treachery, hops into his Eggmobile and sets off to get payback on the monster. Knuckles, meanwhile, tells Sonic that Chaos is a fearsome foe and that he cannot get the last Emerald, or otherwise they will be done for. As the hedgehog is about to go find the seventh gem with Tails, he is taken back to the past by Tikal once again, where he finds himself near a burning Altar of Emerald. There, he sees the female echidna and the native Chao trying to stop the former's father, Chief Pachacamac, from raiding the shrine. Not pleading to his daughter's demands, Pachacamac has his men rampage the area, injuring many of the local Chao. Upon noticing this, Chaos, consumed by rage, harnesses the seven Chaos Emeralds and turns into Perfect Chaos, killing Pachacamac and his soldiers. In the aftermath, Sonic goes to check on an injured Tikal, who sees the destruction surrounding her and uses her prayer to tap into the Master Emerald's power in order to stop Chaos' rampage.

Sonic Adventure Station Square destruction

Station Square being destroyed with a deadly flood by Perfect Chaos.

Soon after, Sonic finds himself in the present again, where he immediately sets off with Tails to find the last Chaos Emerald, which the fox thinks is still at the Tornado 2. Once they approach the damaged plane near Big's house, however, Chaos, in the form of a pillar of water, takes the gem and retires, much to the heroes' concern. Later, on what appears to be a normal day, Station Square suffers from a catastrophic flood by Chaos, now turned into the draconic and very violent Perfect Chaos with the power of the seven Chaos Emeralds, who leaves the entire city in ruins. Chaos appears from a nearby skyscrapper in the form of an orb of water and lets forth a thunderous roar before his eyes flash open. Entering the scene, Sonic sees the titanic beast, calling him a real menace after arriving. Soon after though, he sees the Egg Carrier 2, a successor of the original Egg Carrier, which Dr. Eggman has created in case Chaos rebelled against him. As the doctor opens fire on the beast, however, his airship is easily decimated by the monster with a powerful laser, causing it to fall nearby and send the doctor flying away with a giant explosion, which makes Sonic angry.

As all hope seems lost, the hedgehog is approached by Tikal, who explains that her heart has always been with the Master Emerald as well as Chaos', but he is filled with rage and anguish, stating that if it goes on, he will destroy the world like he did centuries ago. Chaos absorbs the Chaos Emeralds' power and scatters them across the city, and Tikal insists that Perfect Chaos has to be sealed inside of the Master Emerald again. Sonic, however, disagrees, stating that this solution will not change how Chaos feels inside; instead, his heart will remain in turmoil and his rage will persist, leaving the creature trapped forever. Tikal then asks what choice do they all have. Soon after, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, the pink bird that had been powering E-102 Gamma and Big approach him and give him the unpowered Chaos Emeralds. The fox explains that Perfect Chaos only used the negative power of the gems, and that the hedgehog can harness their "real" power, to which Knuckles reluctantly agrees with. The citizens of Station Square cheer Sonic's name as Tails explains that negative forces are not the only way to empower the Chaos Emeralds, that their positive feelings toward others can make them work, and that their hearts together form awesome powers. Sonic thus uses this power to transform into Super Sonic and engage the beast in a mighty battle. In the end, Chaos is defeated and is reverted to his normal form. Having been neutralized by the positive energy of the Emeralds as Knuckles states he has changed again for the better this time, the creature is approached by several Chao and Tikal, the latter explaining to him that the former have been staying alive for generations and living peacefully with humans. With the fighting now being over and harmony having been restored, the circle of life moves on, and the female echidna thanks Sonic and his friends for their efforts and departs with Chaos into heaven.[10] With this conflict now having come to an end, the hedgehog sees Dr. Eggman flying away in the Eggmobile, and leaves the scene himself in search for more adventures.

Characters[]

Image Character Biography
GemsCollectionPlus Sonic 1 Sonic the Hedgehog

He's the world's fastest, hypersonic hedgehog![8]

With a strong love for freedom, the only thing Sonic hates is oppression.[8]

Despite his short temper, deep down he's a really nice guy who is 100% committed to helping those in trouble whenever and wherever he can.[8]

Sonic's adventure begins as he is returning home from a long journey...[8]

Tails-11 Miles "Tails" Prower

This sweet-natured fox is a natural born mechanic with the unique ability to fly high in the sky using his two special tails.[11]

A long time friend and admirer of Sonic, Tails devoted himself to tinkering in his workshop while Sonic was away on his journey. Tails' adventure beings one day when, in the midst of performing a flight test with his latest aircraft invention, he suddenly began to experience engine trouble and...[11]

Knuckles 4 Knuckles the Echidna Knuckles is one wild and powerful spiny anteater. Although blessed with an honest, straight-up personality, he often lacks flexibility. With his powerful arms, he can glide through the air to attack and land some serious punches. Guardian of the Master Emerald for as long as he can remember, one seemingly normal day his world is shattered and a new adventure begins...[12]
Amy 1 Amy Rose

Always bright and cheerful, Amy is the self-appointed girlfriend of Sonic. Possessing a strong competitive streak, she is second to none when in control of her Piko Piko Hammer.[13]

With many fond memories of her Sonic-chasing days, she's thrilled when their two worlds collide again with the sudden appearance of a huge spaceship one day...[13]

E-102 Gamma 1 E-102 Gamma Created by the evil Dr. Robotnik, E-102 Gamma is an E-100 series gunner robot. Shortly after his "birth", Gamma must pass a test that will enable him to join an elite unit of robots. His destiny then takes a drastic turn when he meets a certain frog with an unusual tail...[14]
Big 1 Big the Cat

This giant cat is one laid-back and easy going fellow who loves to fish and is never without his favorite rod and lure.[15]

Big leads a tranquil life, together with his buddy "Froggy", in a hut in a serene part of the jungle. Until one day when Froggy suddenly underwent an unusual transformation...[15]

Robotnik 8 Dr. Robotnik Yes, just as we all feared, the mad scientist is back and more ruthless than ever before. In the past, Sonic and friends have managed to ruin all his evil plans, but are those days over?! A new battle has begun and this time, Dr. Robotnik ("Eggman" to Sonic and his pals) has at long last figured out how to harness the massive ancient power of the 7 Chaos Emeralds to destroy the world![16]
Chaos 1 Chaos This mysterious liquefied life-form that had been trapped in the Master Emerald was released by Dr. Robotnik to do his evil bidding. Chaos grows bigger and more powerful with each emerald that Dr. Robotnik adds to him. What will happen to the world if Dr. Robotnik manages to add all seven Chaos Emeralds...?[16]

Gameplay[]

Sonic Adventure is a 3D third-person action platformer video game, with some parts taken from earlier Sonic games. The player controls Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Gamma, and Big, each with their own gameplay and point of view of the story. Additionally, after completing all these stories, the player will be able to play as Super Sonic in the game's battle with Perfect Chaos. The game is divided up into two types of levels: Action Stages and Adventure Fields. The division of Action Stages and Adventure Fields are a serious departure from all previous Sonic games.

Sonic Adventure features many Action Stages that can be played with certain characters. Unlike past games however, the Action Stages are not automatically acceded for the player; instead, the playable character must find their entrance points in the Adventure Fields of the game. Adventure Fields are non-linear game stages, generally designed for (light) puzzle solving, exploration and plot advancement. They contain very few items (enemies, Rings, etc.). Every Adventure Field links to the other Adventure Fields and a Chao Garden. They also have four Emblems each. They are each packed with various Level Up Items for different characters. As the player progresses with the story, more areas will be opened in the Adventure Fields for the player to explore.

All Action Stages of Sonic Adventure have Rings scattered in them. While one of the most common elements in the game, Rings are very important as they serve as the playable character's main method of protection against attacks; should the playable character be hit by an obstacle or enemy, they will survive at the cost of losing all their Rings. However, if the player is damaged without having any Rings on them, they will lose a life, or get a Game Over if they do not have any lives left.

Sonic Adventure also features Sub Games. Sub Games are minigames based on Action Stages. When the player completes a Sub Game in Story Mode, they unlock it on the Sub Game menu located on Trial Mode. For some Sub Games, the player can use any character, but some of them require the use of the character(s) from Story Mode. The player can get two Emblems from each Sub Game, from achieving high scores. The second emblem requires a much higher score than the first. The scores appear at the end of a Sub Game. The player cannot get two Emblems per character but can use any to get one Emblem (if it allows more than one character).

Also introduced in Sonic Adventure is the Chao. Chao primarily inhabit the Chao Gardens as a sort of intelligent virtual pet for the player to raise, an "evolution" of the A-life system from Nights into Dreams Chao can be taken with the player by downloading the minigame Chao Adventure to their VMU.

Character-specific gameplays[]

Sonic[]

ECSONIC9

Sonic in Emerald Coast, the first Action Stage in his story.

Sonic the Hedgehog's gameplay is, for the most part, the same as that from earlier Sonic games, as it involves high-speed gameplay. The fastest of the playable characters, Sonic can perform an Spin Dash to gain instant speed in seconds and use the Homing Attack to target an obstacle or enemy and attack them.

In addition to his normal moves, Sonic gains extra abilities as he collects Level Up Items. For example, collecting the Light Speed Shoes allows him to perform the Light Speed Dash. Conversely, he can collect the Ancient Light in order to perform the Light Speed Attack. Then there is the Crystal Ring that allows him to charge the two aforementioned moves in less time.

Tails[]

Miles "Tails" Prower's gameplay is, for the most part, similar to Sonic's, except that he is slightly slower. To compensate for this, he can fly for some time and perform the Tail Swipe to attack his enemies. While not being able to perform the Spin Dash, Tails can still curl into a ball while running, which also vastly increases his momentum on linear downhill slopes.

Tails' Action Stages are races against specific opponents. To win these Action Stages, Tails must get to the goal before his opponent does.

Tails can gain better abilities by collecting Level Up Items throughout his story. By collecting the Rhythm Badge, he can perform the Rapid Tails Attack, and the Jet Anklet allows him to fly faster than normal.

Knuckles[]

Knuckles the Echidna's gameplay is similar to that from past games. Moving slower than Sonic and Tails, he can glide to reach platforms in the distance with ease. In addition, colliding with a wall while gliding will allow him to climb that wall. He can also throw punches to attack nearby enemies and objects. Much like Tails, Knuckles is also able to curl into ball while running.

Knuckles' Action Stages have him collecting three Emerald Shards hidden in each Action Stage. Once he has collected all three Emerald Shards, he will have cleared the Action Stage.

Knuckles' abilities can be upgraded by collecting Level Up Items. He can perform a Maximum Heat Knuckles Attack by collecting the Fighting Gloves. He can also collect the Shovel Claws to perform the dig technique.

Amy[]

TPAMY9

Amy in Twinkle Park, the first Action Stage in her story.

Amy Rose's gameplay is different from that of the other characters. Running slowly and making small jumps instead of the Spin Jump, she can use her Piko Piko Hammer to perform a Hammer Attack, which is her main method of attack. While in midair, she can also perform a Jump Attack as a variation of the Spin Attack. Additionally, while running, she can perform the Hammer Jump to launch herself into the air.

Amy's Action Stages have her having to run away of E-100 ZERO, who seeks to catch her. The player needs to complete some puzzles while avoiding ZERO's attacks in the Action Stages. The pink hedgehog's Action Stages will be cleared by grabbing a local Goal Balloon.

Amy's moves can be upgraded by collecting Level Up Items. For example, she can collect the Warrior Feather to perform the Spin Hammer Attack. Then there is the Long Hammer, which increases her moves' attack range.

Gamma[]

WVGAMMA2

Gamma in Windy Valley, the third Action Stage in his story.

E-102 Gamma's gameplay is different from that of other characters. He can use the Laser Gun to target his enemies and destroy them with the Homing Missile Launch.

Gamma's Action Stages have him destroying Badniks to free the Animals inside them. Unlike other characters, Gamma has a time limit to clear his Action Stages; should that time run out, the player will lose a life, or get a Game Over if they have run out of lives. Destroying Badniks gives the player some additional time. Once all the Badniks have been destroyed, the Action Stage will end.

Gamma's abilities will be upgrades as he collects Level Up Items. For example, he can collect the Jet Booster to perform the hover. Then there is the Laser Blaster that allows him to perform more powerful Homing Missile Launches.

Big[]

ICBIG19

Big in Icecap, the second Action Stage in his story.

Big the Cat has a unique gameplay style. For combat, he can use his Fishing Rod to perform a Lure Attack, which he can use to attack enemies in front of him.

Big's Action Stages have him using his Fishing Rod to catch Froggy. However, the player can also catch fish to gain extra points; the larger the fish is, the more points the player will receive. Once a fish or Froggy bites the lure, the player will have to reel it in. Once the player has caught Froggy, the Action Stage will end.

Big can collect Level Up Items to upgrade his abilities. For example, the Life Belt allows him to float into the water unless the player wants to dive in it. The player can also collect the Power Rod, which is a more powerful version of the Fishing Rod.

Scoring system[]

Main article: Point#Sonic Adventure

Controls[]

General[]

Button formation Movement
Analog-Stick Move
Controlpadds up/down Change camera angle
L/R Pan the camera
DreamcastB/X Button Dreamcast/Y Button Dreamcast in front of item Pick up/Set down item
DreamcastB/X Button Dreamcast/Y Button Dreamcast + Analog Thumb Pad Shake item/Cuddle Chao
Jump > DreamcastB/X Button Dreamcast/Y Button Dreamcast Throw item
START Pause

Character specific[]

Button formation SAdventure-Sonic-Life Movement
A Spin Jump
A (midair) Homing Attack
DreamcastB/X Button Dreamcast Spin Dash

Button formation SAdventure-Tails-Life Movement
A Spin Jump
A (midair) Propeller Flight
DreamcastB/X Button Dreamcast Tails Attack/Rapid Tails Attack
Move + DreamcastB/X Button Dreamcast Spin Attack

Button formation SAdventure-Knuckles-Life Movement
A Jump
A (midair) Gliding Jump
DreamcastB/X Button Dreamcast Punch Attack
DreamcastB/X Button Dreamcast + A Dig
(requires Shovel Claw)
Move + DreamcastB/X Button Dreamcast Spin Attack

Button formation SAdventure-Amy-Life Movement
A Jump
DreamcastB/X Button Dreamcast Hammer Attack
Move + DreamcastB/X Button Dreamcast Hammer Jump
DreamcastB/X Button Dreamcast + Move Spinning Hammer Attack
(requires Warrior Feather)

Button formation SAdventure-Big-Life Movement
A Jump
DreamcastB/X Button Dreamcast Carry heavy item / Cast rod / Lure Attack

Button formation SAdventure-Gamma-Life Movement
A Jump
A (midair) Hover
(requires Jet Booster)
DreamcastB/X Button Dreamcast Laser Gun/Homing Missile Launch

Objects[]

Items[]

Gimmicks and obstacles[]

Characters[]

Playable characters[]

Non-playable characters[]

Enemies[]

Stages[]

Action Stages[]

No. Sonic Tails Knuckles Amy Big Gamma
1. Emerald Coast Windy Valley Speed Highway Twinkle Park Final Egg
2. Windy Valley Casinopolis Hot Shelter Icecap Emerald Coast
3. Casinopolis Icecap Red Mountain Final Egg Emerald Coast Windy Valley
4. Icecap Sky Deck Lost World N/A Hot Shelter Red Mountain
5. Twinkle Park Speed Highway Sky Deck N/A Hot Shelter
6. Speed Highway N/A
7. Red Mountain
8. Sky Deck
9. Lost World
10. Final Egg

Adventure Fields[]

Chao Gardens[]

Sub Games[]

Bosses[]

No. Sonic Tails Knuckles Amy Big Gamma Super Sonic
1. Chaos 0 Egg Hornet Chaos 2 E-100 ZERO Chaos 6 E-101 Beta Perfect Chaos
2. Egg Hornet Knuckles the Echidna Sonic the Hedgehog N/A Sonic the Hedgehog N/A
3. Knuckles the Echidna Chaos 4 E-103 Delta
4. Chaos 4 E-102 Gamma Chaos 6 E-104 Epsilon
5. E-102 Gamma Egg Walker N/A E-105 Zeta
6. Chaos 6 N/A E-101 Mark II
7. Egg Viper N/A

Development[]

Background[]

In the early-to-mid 1990s, Sega was amongst the largest video game developers at the time, namely due to the success they gained with the Sonic the Hedgehog series and its eponymous protagonist. By this time, the fifth generation of video games was introducing new capabilities never before seen with 3D graphics and other innovations in the industry. In November 1994, Sega released their new console, the Saturn, which was successful in Japanese markets but was overshadowed by Sony's PlayStation in the United States and Europe, which was much more powerful and easier to develop games on.[17]

After the release of Sonic & Knuckles in October 1994, series co-creator and producer Yuji Naka was getting tired of developing Sonic games and returned to Japan amid tensions between the Japanese and American members of the Sega Technical Institute.[17] The release of the Saturn was the perfect opportunity for him to follow a new direction, and he and the rest of the Sonic Team began work on an original title, Nights into Dreams.[18] While Naka intended to finish the game in one year and move on to making a Sonic title, Nights would take two years to develop.[17]

Meanwhile, Sega of Japan began work on a new Sonic game with an isometric view: Sonic 3D Blast. To manage the project, they turned to British developer Traveller's Tales. The title would be released for the Mega Drive and the Saturn to lukewarm reviews. Meanwhile, with the release of Sonic Spinball in 1993, the American members of the STI wanted to make a 16-bit game based on the Sonic the Hedgehog television series. Their request was denied at first, but they were allowed to work on the project, named Sonic Mars on the Sega 32X. Development soon shifted to the Saturn as Sonic X-treme, planned as the first 3D entry in the franchise. However, multiple factors led to the work being canceled, leaving the Sonic series without a major title for the console. In 1997, Traveller's Tales released Sonic R, a racing spin-off game for the Saturn, to mixed reviews.[17]

Many have credited the Saturn's failure to the lack of a Sonic mainline game for the system.[19] It was also noted that, by mid-1997, the series had been "shuffled into the background" and that Sonic was "already retro" only six years after his debut, with director Takashi Iizuka feeling was not only because of that, but also due to the character himself having felt very safe, boring and conservative, as opposed to the fresh image he had when he debuted.[20]

Conception[]

Sonic World Sonic Jam

The Sonic World in Sonic Jam, one of Yuji Naka's experiments to make a 3D Sonic game for the Sega Saturn.

After finishing Nights into Dreams, Yuji Naka thought of the concept of a 3D Sonic game around August 1996, and began experimenting to see how Sonic would work on a 3D environment; one of these attempts included the Sonic World seen in Sonic Jam.[21] Around the same time, Takashi Iizuka, who had also developed Nights into Dreams, proposed to Naka that they should develop a role-playing game (RPG) Sonic game.[22][23]

Development of Sonic Adventure began in April 1997, around the same time Sonic R's development was wrapping up in the United Kingdom,[24] with the name "Project Sonic".[25] It had a team of twenty members: seven programmers, ten artists and three game designers; the game was originally developed to be released on the Sega Saturn.[21] When they made a prototype of the game on that console, however, they found out that the Saturn was only able to use manipulated sprites to present a display that represented polygons. Then, Sega informed Naka of the Dreamcast, which he believed could help the team create the best Sonic game possible; as such, they moved development to the new console.[20][21][26][18] The timing of the new game with the new hardware turned out to be rather fortunate, as Sonic Team had influence in the Dreamcast to match its vision of Sonic Adventure; since the console was in its planning stages of development, they were able to send requests to the hardware team about the memory they needed to run the game.[20] The development team focused on graphics and high resolution for this game, with Naka reflecting that they had pushed the Dreamcast "as far as [they could] at present".[27] Approaching the end of the project, the crew expanded to having over sixty people working on the title,[21] with a peak of 130 developers for around two months.[28]

Design[]

Nanbei7

Sonic Team at Tikal's temple.

As a launching game for the Dreamcast, Sonic Team needed to show off what the console was capable of doing in an appealing way to the public.[20] In order to achieve a more natural, realistic feel to the exotic levels like ruins and jungles, the core members of the Sonic Team traveled to the Americas in November and December 1997. The team's journey began in the northern part of the peninsula in the Chichen Itza, from there the team traveled southward along the Eastern side of the Peninsula where they also visited Cancun, Tulum and finally Tikal. The team then left the peninsula traveling down through Central America, into South America, Peru, where they visited Cuzco, Machu Picchu and then Ica. The Chichen Itza and Tikal provided the aesthetics concept of the shrine of Knuckles's race, Chaos and the serpents drawing on the walls of the temple;[29][30] Cancun and Tulum provided the concept of Emerald Coast;[31][32] Cuzco provided the Altar of Emerald;[33] Machu Picchu provided the design of Windy Valley;[34] and Ica provided the the aesthetics for Sand Hill.[35] However, the trip was not all fun and games, the team having unexpected encounters with giant spiders, snakes, and Yuji Naka caught a fever at 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Farinheit) before arriving at South America.[25] At the end of it all, the team returned to Japan in one piece, full of enthusiasm to create the game. During the trip, the developers photographed the actual ruins, then processed that data, and used them in-game as textures to create a sense of realism and enliven the feeling of adventure.[36]

Sonicadventurecomparison

Comparison between the early gameplay footage and the final release.

According to Naka, the biggest hurdle the team faced when making the game was that they did not have any actual hardware, which was completed only two months before the game's 1998 release.[24] Another challenge he encountered when developing Sonic Adventure was the creation of the levels; since Sonic was a very fast character, he spent a lot of time creating giant maps that he would not have needed to create had he developed a game for another franchise like Mario.[21] This forced him and the team to adopt a completely different approach of level design and make solutions that were not needed in 2D games. In the beginning, they would build a model of the stages, play through it, scrap it, make the whole level from scratch, and repeat until they felt satisfied with the result.[20] Because of this, certain levels such as Lost World and Windy Valley were rebuilt dozens of times.[23] In addition, the developers ditched the traditional method of creating levels on paper, and instead adopted a method of designing 3D maps using 3D tools from the beginning and making corrections when testing the levels.[37] Even with the ability to make as many requests for the hardware as they could, Sonic Team faced several technical difficulties: at the time, Sonic's height marked down at one meter, but having a character at that height run very fast required the stages to be several kilometers long and the data to get to very high sized for a single level. As such, the developers had to split single stages into various smaller maps that would allow the game to fit the allowed memory size.[20] Naka also thought of reusing these same maps for the other playable characters to add variety.[21]

Gameplay mechanics[]

Sonic Team prioritized making the player feel exhilarated by the speed throughout Sonic Adventure. They additionally made the camera in such a way that the players would not get lost while playing; in other words, they tried to make it change its angle depending on the terrain and always show the direction the player has to go. Furthermore, the camera was made to produce dynamic action, such as looking downward when in high places to create a feeling of nervousness, and from the side whenever the character would run through loops and such.[36]

The developers felt it would be a waste of time to just have Sonic run through the various stages and finish them in no time. As such, they thought of ways they could leverage their assets effectively; from that, the remaining five playable characters' abilities were born. Since these had unique playstyles, Iizuka figured they should each have their own stories and goals to accomplish, so he thought it would be interesting to have an overarching story that was told from each of the characters' perspectives. The first two characters, apart from Sonic himself, were Tails and Knuckles. The team decided to have the former's gameplay adopt portions of the hedgehog's stages and turn them into one-to-one races. As for the echidna, they designed his game style to contrast with that of Sonic. Since the red character's original bio said he was a treasure hunter, Iizuka instantly got the idea of having his levels revolve around treasure hunting in a 3D space. Amy, who debuted in Sonic the Hedgehog CD, also became playable. The developers chose a less combat-oriented gameplay style despite her Piko Piko Hammer; since the aforementioned characters all engaged in "aggressive behavior" as the core fun factor of the game, Iizuka thought of giving Amy a play style that was more about the thrills of technical gameplay, hiding from pursuers and running away when an enemy popped up.[20] During development many wrote into Sega, requesting a new character that would shoot enemies, but they thought that giving the characters a gun would be odd.[27] The developers, however, had the idea of making one of Dr. Eggman's Badniks be a playable character, giving place to the shooting gameplay in the creation of E-102 Gamma.[20] The most unusual inclusion, Big the Cat, came from Sonic Team wanting a character that would break up the action from all the other characters.[27] They decided to present the players with fishing gameplay, since they had water in the game.[20]

In order to join up the stages in Sonic Adventure, the developers implemented hub worlds in the form of Adventure Fields. These were created so that the player could be drawn deeper into the world, with progression being marked by the collection of power-ups and the unlocking of new areas through newfound abilities and advancing in the story, an idea that Iizuka conceptualized with inspiration from The Legend of Zelda.[20] There were also many discussions on the cutscenes in the game in Japanese; some wanted to have Sonic only speak English with subtitles, while others wanted him to speak in "his own language". In the end, it was decided to just have the characters speak Japanese.[25]

Characters[]

The developers had problems representing the existing characters in 3D; for instance, Sonic's "big" head obscured the rest of his "small" body. As such, it soon became clear that the hedgehog's basic design had to be changed to make him taller and alter his head-to-body proportions.[38] The feeling that the cast's designs were "dated"[20] and that Sonic was being perceived as a "cute guy",[25] combined with concerns at Sega that the characters were feeling more "Japanese" than "Western" or "American",[38] allowed the team to give them a refresh. At the time, other "retro" games like Pac-Man and Space Invaders were achieving popularity again by popping out with indie music and "urban street" fashion. According to art director Kazuyuki Hoshino, this made the team want to make Sonic appeal to this type of subculture.[20]

Harmony 154 Sonic designs

Proposed redesigns of Sonic, clockwise from top left: by Satoshi Okano, the promotional artist for Sonic Jam; Yuji Uekawa, the character designer of Sonic R; Naoto Ohshima, one of Sonic's original creators; and Takumi Miyake, the designer of Knuckles' Chaotix.

An internal contest was held at Sega to determine who would be in charge of the character redesigns. The participants included Yuji Uekawa (Sonic R character designer), Satoshi Okano (Sonic Jam promotional art), Naoto Oshima (Sonic's original creator) and Takumi Miyake (designer for Knuckles' Chaotix). Uekawa was the winner, though he would take some inspiration from the other entries for his final design.[39][40] Using Akira Toriyama's style of deformation and line art style, Susumu Matsushita's airbrush art, and the cartoon designs of Walt Disney and Looney Tunes as inspiration, he began examining what had made Sonic's original design so popular; he concluded that the character was iconic due to his eye shape and long quills, which made him recognizable just by looking at his silhouette. As such, for the redesign, Uekawa prioritized the lines of his quills, always showing their curvature, regardless of Sonic's position.[38] The character was given longer limbs and twisted styles,[20] and to further express his dynamism and strength, Uekawa drew him using a calligraphic line expression used in many comics.[38] Iizuka subsequently noted that the new design was more suitable for 3D than the original and more compact one, which was meant to be seen from the side.[41][42] After Sonic's design was finished, Uekawa was tasked with redesigning the rest of the Sonic cast to have the same design and style; as the basic design was already locked in, he had no problems in adjusting the other characters.[38] Though the designs were made in 2D, it later paid off as it helped translate the characters into 3D, and the style was made to represent the fashion trends at the time and to fit with club music, which Hoshino himself was really into at the time.[20]

Aside from the redesigns, the developers made even more changes to the characters. One such decision was to controversially introduce the name "Dr. Eggman" to the Western world, which used the name "Dr. Robotnik" instead. Simultaneously, the nickname "Tails" replaced the more traditional "Miles" extensively used in Japan. Iizuka stated in retrospect that this was done to unify the names across regions since the franchise was regaining its lost popularity.[20]

Junichisan

Jun'ichi Kanemaru (pictured here in 2016) became Sonic's voice actor in Japanese beginning with Sonic Adventure.

As of 1998, the Sonic cast never really had a voice; the only times the characters spoke were in the various animated media at the time and a few arcade games, but Sonic Adventure became the first major title in which all of the cast was voiced. At first, people like Iizuka were reluctant to give Sonic a voice, and various meetings were held where the team would decide the voice actor for the character. However, believing that voices would be essential for the future of the series, Iizuka spent a very long time researching for a voice actor for the character; during this time, he listened to countless demo tapes of samples of various voice actors. Rather than status, Iizuka was looking for a voice actor that would fit Sonic's personality perfectly. With Sonic also being more popular overseas than in Japan, it was intended to have Sonic naturally speak in English from time to time. As such, it was very difficult to decide on a proper voice, because the trait was such that the character would speak in English interchangeably, so Iizuka was concerned about what intonation he would use when he spoke in English, amongst various other things. Meanwhile, while dubbing for a Japanese dub of the American sitcom Growing Pains, voice actor and singer Jun'ichi Kanemaru was approached by a Sega official who was looking for someone to voice Sonic. Iizuka was convinced that Kanemaru was the perfect fit for Sonic upon hearing the demo tape of his voice, and thus he became the voice actor of the character ever since.[43][44]

Sonic Team also wanted an enemy that was completely separate from Dr. Eggman, and also something that could only be created on the Dreamcast. Wanting something liquid and transparent, the character of Chaos was thought up. Presenting the original concept art and idea to Naka, Chaos was approved on the spot, his role in the game cemented.[45][20]

Soundtrack[]

The sound director and lead music composer of Sonic Adventure was Jun Senoue, who had already composed tracks for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and the Sega Mega Drive version of Sonic 3D Blast. Back then, there were two types of music in Sonic games: the tracks in the Mega Drive games and the "house-dance" music in Sonic the Hedgehog CD and Sonic R. Since this game was a big turning point for the franchise, being the first fully 3D title and the first one in a new console, the team decided to change the music genre as well.[46] After extensive trial and error, they chose to have rock music as the game's soundtrack in order to synchronize with the atmosphere on the screen. Each of the tracks in the game were not pre-recorded, but rather live tracks that were made to demonstrate the potential of the Dreamcast.[37] Senoue wanted to retain the classic Sonic soundtrack whilst adding a harder edge to it; various of the tracks from previous games he had composed were reused in Sonic Adventure. These included the jingles from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and various of the tracks in Sonic 3D Blast.[20]

The game's main theme is entitled "Open Your Heart" and is performed by Crush 40 (under the name "Sons of the Angels"), making Sonic Adventure the first Sonic game that had the band perform the soundtrack. The soundtrack of Sonic Adventure has been distributed through four albums:

  • Sonic Adventure: Songs With Attitude Vocal Mini-Album contains the five character themes and the main theme ("It Doesn't Matter", "My Sweet Passion", "Lazy Days (Livin' in Paradise)", "Believe In Myself", "Unknown from M.E.", and "Open Your Heart").
  • Sonic Adventure Original Sound Track (Digi-Log Conversation) contains all of the music tracks of the game.
  • Sonic Adventure Remix contains remixed character theme songs in addition to the five character themes and the main theme from Sonic Adventure: Songs With Attitude Vocal Mini Album.
  • Sonic Adventure Original Soundtrack 20th Anniversary Edition contains an abridged number of the music tracks from Sonic Adventure Original Sound Track (Digi-Log Conversation) and along with some other game soundtracks in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, this soundtrack album was released in order to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.

Promotional[]

Sega made it a top priority to keep Sonic Adventure a secret until shortly before its release. Despite these efforts, screenshots were leaked onto the Internet in mid-1998. Yuji Naka presented the game to Edge in mid-August.[27]

Case sleeve scan

The case of the Sonic Adventure Production Presentation VHS.

To promote Sonic Adventure, a Japanese website was set up that would reveal details about Sonic Team's trip through Latin America, as well as the logo of the game and Sonic's new design. Additionally, on Saturday, 22 August 1998, an event known as the Sonic Adventure Production Presentation (SONIC Adventure 制作発表会[47] Sonikku Adobenchā Seisaku Happyōkai?) was hosted at Tokyo International Forum Hall A in Yūrakuchō, first from 10:00 to 11:00 and then from 13:30 to 14:30. The presentation, featuring Naka, showed off various parts of the game, including its plot, characters, development, stages, and other things such as the Chao and Chao Adventure. The admission was free, with no tickets being required, and visitors could purchase Sonic-related souvenirs. For those who could not make it to the event, it was also available on VHS.[36][47] In addition, a pamplet, named Sonic Adventure Tokyo International Forum Unveiling Booklet, alongside a pin set, were available.[48]

Prior to the worldwide release of the game, Sega made an exclusive deal with Hollywood Video to allow customers to rent a Dreamcast with a non-retail version of the game, Sonic Adventure: Limited Edition.[49][50] The promotion began in July 1999 and took place at 1055 Hollywood Video stores across the United States. Additionally, DiC Entertainment's Sonic Underground was commisioned to help promote Sonic Adventure.[51]

Release[]

HATSU01

From left to right: Amy, Tails, Yuji Naka, Knuckles, and Sonic promoting Sonic Adventure during its release.

Sonic Adventure was first released on 23 December 1998 in Japan. On that day, various murals of Sonic were painted across Shibuya in Tokyo.[52] Additionally, Yuji Naka and some other people disguised as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy appeared to support dealers in Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, and Akihabara.[53]

After the game's release in Japan, Sega and Sonic Team believed the game was not as finished as they would have liked it to be.[citation needed] In February 1999, Sega's vice president Tadahiko Hirose announced that Sonic Adventure would be released along with Virtua Fighter 3tb and Sega Rally 2 as launch titles for the Dreamcast's international release.[54] In June 1999, Sega announced that Sonic Adventure would be one of the five titles in the Dreamcast's "Masterpiece Collection".[55] The North American version of the game includes Japanese and English-language audio tracks, as well as Japanese, English, Spanish, French and German subtitles.[56] Online gameplay and downloadable content were also added for the localization.[57] The game was released worldwide in late 1999; in Japan, the updated version was re-released under the name Sonic Adventure International (ソニックアドベンチャー インターナショナル Sonikku Adobenchā Intānashonaru?).

Reception[]

 Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
GameRankings 86.51%[58]
Review scores
Publication Score
AllGame 4/5 starsStar fullStar fullStar fullStar empty
Computer and Video Games 5/5 starsStar fullStar fullStar fullStar full[59]
Edge 8/10[60]
Famitsu 38/40[61]
GameRevolution 3Star fullStar fullStar halfStar empty
GameSpot 9.2/10
IGN 8.6/10[62]

Sonic Adventure received generally favorable reviews from critics, and was acclaimed by reviewers for being the first fully 3D Sonic platformer, with some going so far as to call it one of the greatest video games of all time, although future ports and remakes, such as Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut, have had more mixed reception. The current GameRankings average ranking is 86.51 out of 100.[58] It became one of the few Sega All-Stars games.

The Japanese video game magazine Famitsu gave the game a score of 38/40.[61] Although criticized for its camera system, framerate issues, and fishing stages with Big, the game was still highly praised for retaining the fast and enjoyable gameplay that Sonic was known for in 2D as well as the game's graphics, multiple character storylines, and soundtrack. Brandon Justice of IGN rated the game an 8.6 out of 10, criticizing various glitches and voice acting while praising the game's visuals and gameplay.[62] As of August 2006, Sonic Adventure has sold over 2.5 million units worldwide, making it the best-selling Dreamcast game.[63] This includes one million sold in the United States.[5]

At the time of its release, Sonic Adventure was acclaimed by the Arcade magazine as a "quantum leap forward" in aesthetics and visual detail in video games,[64] estimated by Hyper to exceed that which was possible on high-end PCs.[65]Computer and Video Games stated shortly after release that "Sonic Adventure is one of the best games ever made" and marveled that "many things you thought were impossible to see and experience in computer games are now here."[59]Edge's preview stated that graphical features like an "amazingly detailed cityscape" showed off the Dreamcast's potential, comparing it to Super Mario 64's role for the Nintendo 64, and exclaimed that "as a showcase of what the machine can do, Sonic Adventure is perfect."[60] Speculation arose that the game could save the Dreamcast,[64][66] which had not sold well so far by the end of 1998,[64] or even re-establish Sega as the dominant console manufacturer after the relatively unsuccessful Sega Saturn.[67]

Cast[]

Role English dub actor Japanese voice actor
Sonic the Hedgehog Ryan Drummond Jun'ichi Kanemaru
Miles "Tails" Prower Corey Bringas Kazuki Hayashi
Knuckles the Echidna Michael McGaharn Nobutoshi Canna
Amy Rose Jennifer Douillard Taeko Kawata
Big the Cat Jon St. John Shun Yashiro
Tikal Elara Distler Kaori Asoh
Default menu voice
Dr. Eggman Deem Bristow Chikao Ōtsuka
E-102 Gamma Steve Broadie Jōji Nakata
Pachacamac Tōru Ōkawa
Station Square announcer Lani Minella Kaho Kōda
Egg Carrier announcer
Mystic Ruins announcer Steve Broadie Nobutoshi Canna
Police Captain
E-103 Delta Steve Broadie
E-104 Epsilon
E-105 Zeta
Chao Tomoko Sasaki
Sonic Team original voice (Reused audio from NiGHTS into Dreams) Lynn Eve Harris
Additional voices Lani Minella Nobutoshi Canna
Steve Broadie Kaho Kōda

Pre-releases[]

Image Name Platform Description
Sonic Adventure Limited Edition box front Sonic Adventure: Limited Edition Dreamcast Released in the United States in July 1999, being available for rent for two months.

Re-releases[]

Image Name Platform Description
Sonic adventure dx Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut Nintendo GameCube
PC
Released in 2003 and 2004.
Sonic-adventure-xbla-box Sonic Adventure Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
PC (Steam)
Digitally released in 2010 and early 2011.

Downloadable content[]

When Sonic Adventure was released on the Dreamcast, Sega regularly uploaded content onto the in-game site that would unlock already programmed, yet hidden, data. Sega had many downloads for Sonic Adventure as it was a launch title for Dreamcast as well as the Dreamcast's most popular game (selling 2.5 million copies as of June 2006). Most of these downloads were events and challenges that mostly took place in Station Square. These events were to celebrate an actual event or for competitions that were hosted by Sega.

International[]

Dreamcast Launch Party[]

Welcome to the Dreamcast Launch! This is just the beginning.

Message from poster.

One of the first things made available was the Dreamcast launch party in Station Square. Around the city, banners and balloons featuring the Dreamcast emblem and logo were set up and would thank people for supporting Sega and Sonic Team, as well as pointing out that there was plenty more in store. While the posters and language varied, mainly because of the different swirl color, it is generally the same Dreamcast posters and balloons that thank the player on behalf of Sega and Sonic Team when jumped at.

Halloween Party[]

Halloween Party is being held at Twinkle Park now!

Message from poster.

From October 19 to December 28, 1999, Sega released Halloween decorations for Twinkle Park. Scattered around the level, graffiti has been tagged all over the walls and floors wishing the players a Happy Halloween, while Jack-o-Lanterns in witch's clothing danced around. "Trick or Treat" would occasionally come up while walking on the graffiti. Station Square also would have posters advertising Twinkle Park's Halloween party.

Christmas Party[]

Merry Xmas!! Please keep in touch with Sonic.

Message from Christmas tree.

From December 17 to 28, 1999, this download placed Christmas trees outside of Station Square and the town center. Jumping at them will give a festive message as well as changing Station Square's theme to the Acapella version of Dreams, Dreams from Christmas Nights. Heading to the other parts of Station Square will reset its theme back to its usual theme.

The Christmas Party download has a flaw that prevents the player from finishing Sonic's story mode if installed. The largest Christmas Tree found in Station Square occupies the same space as the ID card that opens the way to Speed Highway. When the card appears, the Christmas Tree will not allow the player to get close enough to actually pick it up.

Y2K Celebration[]

A happy new year in 2K! Wish you a good new year!

Message from poster.

With the year 2000 on the horizon, Sonic Adventure was given a Millennium Ring that floats around Station Square and two in several stages. Upon touching one, the player is given a message wishing them a happy new millennium, while being asked to support Sonic during that time. As this occurs, Palmtree Panic's Japanese present theme plays in celebration. There are also various posters around Station Square with the following messages: "Knuckles digging through 2K!" "Tails smiles through 2K!" and "Sonic runs through 2K!"

Samba GP[]

A new track was made available for download, titled "Samba GP." The track was released to celebrate the arrival of Samba de Amigo, although oddly enough, the track had little to do with Samba de Amigo aside from the fact that it uses an instrumental version of Sonic R's "Super Sonic Racing", which is a playable song in Samba de Amigo. Upon completing the track, the player could save their score and upload it online to compare against others. Worth noting is the fact that this was the final update to the game that included any actual changes to the main game itself. Afterwards, Sega began to focus on Time Attack contests within the regular game.

Voice Packs[]

Files that allowed different character voices in the Menus. Files were released for Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Big, Gamma, Dr. Eggman and Tikal.

United States[]

AT&T/ODCM[]

AT&T and Official Dreamcast Magazine teamed up to release three Time Attack contests. One involved blazing through Speed Highway as Sonic, the next involving Knuckles collecting treasures in the Mystic Ruins, and the final one involving Tails surfing through ten specially marked gates in Sand Hill. Prizes were awarded to the quickest scores. A total of fifteen winners would be awarded one-year long subscriptions to the Official Dreamcast Magazine, nineteen winners would be awarded a Dreamcast game, and five would receive an AT&T Premium Package for a whole year. It is likely that the grand prize received all three. This contest ran from October 29 to November 19, 1999.

Europe[]

Reebok DMX Competition[]

Contestants from across Europe could download a specially designed version of Emerald Coast. Gamers were required to retrieve five pairs of hidden Reebok DMX trainers, which Dr. Eggman had stolen from Sonic's wardrobe, while still competing for the fastest completion time. Times were then uploaded to Sega's servers so that contestants could gauge their rating. The winners would then be notified via e-mail and their names published on the Sonic Home Page and Dreamarena at the end of the competition. The prizes included a personalized Dreamcast pod and £1,000 worth of Reebok sportswear. Neil Riddaway won the challenge by finishing in 46.09 seconds.

Emerald Coast cannot be completed if this pack is loaded. Upon reaching the tunnel to transport Sonic to the second section, a signboard will prevent progress and touching the sign will tell the player they need to delete the DLC file in order to play the rest of Emerald Coast.

Japan[]

Christmas Trees in Station Square[]

Released sometime around the Christmas season of 1998, this DLC scattered Christmas trees around Station Square. Touching them would reveal a Japanese message and play various Christmas songs, depending on what tree the player touches.

Kadomatsu[]

Released in the closing days of 1998 (along with a bugfix version released shortly after it was posted), this DLC added Kadomatsu decorations around Station Square. Touching them would show a message in Japanese and play some traditional Japanese folk music, with the message and music varying similar to the Christmas 1998 DLC. This pack was thought to have been lost for over twenty years due to no player preserving the associated files but it was rediscovered on a memory unit purchased from Japan in late 2019.[68]

Hedgehog Hide and Seek[]

Released on 12 February 1999, Famitsu held a contest where players had to track down five pictures of actual hedgehogs that were placed around Station Square. To start the game, one must jump to the red sphere in front of the train station. Once all pictures are found, the player would then have to go into the station and jump at the light blue sphere to finish the game.

Yukawa Senmu QUO MiniGame[]

The Yukawa Senmu QUO MiniGame DLC consisted of the player running around Station Square and Mystic Ruins to try and collect six "Mr. Yukawa" cards (three in each area) in the shortest time. This was a promotion from January 22 to February 22, 1999, where 50 winners would get a ¥500 QUO card with a picture of Hidekazu Yukawa, the Sega manager on the Dreamcast box. The QUO card is a universal pre-paid card that can be used in over 10000 convenience stores and other locations in Japan.

Jewel Chao[]

Special Chao that were available in the Black Market on the Sonic Adventure website. Only three were available for Sonic Adventure and only in Japan. They were the Emerald Jewel Chao, Sapphire Jewel Chao, and Ruby Jewel Chao.

Voice Pack (International)[]

A special version of the Voice Packs was released for Sonic Adventure International. The main difference between the two is that this one includes every voice file compiled in one file. The various voices are activated randomly in the menus.

Adaptations[]

Comics[]

Archie Comics produced a tie-in story arc that began in Sonic the Hedgehog #79 and concluded in Sonic the Hedgehog #84, with the thirteenth Sonic Super Special, "Sonic Adventure," taking place in between.

Sonic the Comic also included a ten-issue loose adaptation of the game, which was notably the final story arc ever produced for the series.

Sonic X[]

The Sonic X anime series included a six-episode adaptation of the game's events between "Pure Chaos" and "Flood Fight", known as the "Chaos Saga". This adaptation was mostly faithful to the game's plot, with the Japanese version even being a word-for-word adaptation at some points. However, parts were written in for characters that did not appear in Sonic Adventure such as Christopher Thorndyke and Cream the Rabbit.

Trivia[]

  • This is the first ever modern Sonic game.
  • According to Takashi Iizuka, Sonic Adventure was the hardest Sonic game to develop as of 2022.[10]
  • Sonic Adventure is the first Sonic game to feature downloadable content, as the Dreamcast was the first ever video game console to have online capabilities out of the box. DLC ranged from celebratory holiday decorations in the Adventure Fields and a few levels, such as on Christmas and Halloween, to national ranking contests and the addition of the Chao Black Market.
  • The game has sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling Dreamcast game.[69]
  • In the beginning of Super Sonic's story, even with English voices activated, Sonic will yawn in his Japanese voice.
  • In the original Dreamcast version of the game, if one were to insert the disc into a PC, special wallpapers hidden on the disk will be available for download. There is also a list of main console Sonic games prior to the release of Sonic Adventure (although Sonic the Hedgehog CD is absent). It reads:
SERIES TITLE:
SONIC the Hedgehog, 1991
SONIC the Hedgehog 2, 1992
SONIC the Hedgehog 3, 1994
SONIC and KNUCKLES, 1994
SONIC JAM, 1997
SONIC Adventure (for Japan), 1998
  • The screenshots from the ending are from the initial Japanese release in all Dreamcast versions and the GameCube enhanced port in further re-releases.
  • Not counting the Sonic World in Sonic Jam, this is the first Sonic game to feature a hub world.
  • This game is represented in Sonic Generations. Speed Highway reappears as the first stage of the Dreamcast Era in the home version, while Emerald Coast appears as the first stage in the portable version. Also, Perfect Chaos appears as the Gate Boss of the Dreamcast Era in the home version.
  • This is the first Sonic game to have a different level entrance screen style. The other is Sonic Unleashed.
  • Some tracks in the WMA files and sound test are not heard at points in the game where the name suggests it should play.
    • The Egg Carrier was meant to have a different track for when it had landed in the sea.
      • This track, however, is used during the cutscene when Gamma finds E-101 Beta as E-101 MKLL.
    • Amy was meant to have a track named "Amy: Hurry Up", that supposedly was meant to have played when she was being chased by ZERO.
      • This track was instead used during the cutscene in Tails' Story when Eggman launches the Giant Missile on Station Square. (Since Amy was in the beginning of this cutscene, it could be named after Amy telling Tails to hurry up)
    • Many prototype images from the Dreamcast were re-used for the promotion of Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut.
  • Ryan Drummond said in an interview this is his favorite Sonic game.
  • Hot Shelter is the only stage where Sonic is not playable.
  • Sonic Adventure was listed in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die, along with the original Sonic the Hedgehog and its sequel.[70]
  • During the credits on the Dreamcast version of the game, there are screenshots with a number of differences from normal gameplay. Screenshots with considerable changes (aside from lighting changes) include:
    • In the image where Sonic sees Tails crash at the beginning of his story, the skybox is stretched.
    • In the image where the orca chases Sonic, there are no Dash Panels.
    • In the image of the tornado course in Sonic's version of Windy Valley, there is much more debris flying around than in normal gameplay.
    • In Casinopolis' image, the vault is filled with 269 Rings. This number is impossible in gameplay.
    • The image of Eggman ambushing Sonic/Tails is set at the wrong time of day (this is the same time of day used for this scene in the AutoDemo of the game).
    • In the image of Tails in Icecap, Tails rides a different snowboard.
    • The image depicting the aftermath of the defeat of the Egg Walker is set at the wrong time of day.
    • In the image of Tails in Speed Highway, the helicopter is present in the background.
    • This image is considerably different from the cutscenes in the game. The best-matching cutscene is the one from before Amy enters Eggman's base, but that one is shown from a different angle. Amy also does not wear that expression and birdie is missing from the image.
    • This image depicts Gamma from when he is sent to the past. While this does happen in his story, Gamma is in the Mystic Ruins temple in the image, an area he cannot enter.
    • The image of Gamma batting E-103 Delta depicts the event in an arena much bigger than the one seen in gameplay.
    • The time of day in some of Big's images does not match those in gameplay.
    • In this image, Super Sonic is never seen from this angle.
    • During Super Sonic's ending, Knuckles is seen without his Shovel Claw and Tails is seen without his Rhythm Badge, despite both being mandatory to obtain in order to complete their stories and unlock Super Sonic's.
    • Knuckles is the only character who appears with Level Up Items in his images (even before he is permitted to add them).
  • During Amy's flashbacks, some of the backgrounds seen come from unused layouts of some of the Action Stages, like the early Windy Valley and Sky Deck.
    • There are also some changes in Gamma's flashbacks, like differences in lightening. Also when Gamma remembers Beta being rebuilt, Beta's eyes are black instead of red, the front bars have different textures and the background is very different.
Sonic Adventure DX 2017-08-02 16-30-05-736

Tails taking damage from Sonic's Spin Dash.

  • In Sonic's story, whenever Tails is near Sonic while the latter is doing one of his attacks in gameplay, Tails gets damaged despite having no impact on Sonic's progression during the stages.
  • Knuckles' theme played the least in his story compared to any other characters' stories, with it only being heard one time. He is also the only character whose theme is not played at the beginning and the end of his story.
  • Concept art for Dr. Robotnik depicts him closer to his original classic design.
  • Another concept art for Robotnik depicts him with a robotic left arm, a bit similar to his one seen on his Sonic the Hedgehog television series design.

Videos[]


References[]

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  2. Sonic Adventure. Sonic Team. Sega. Archived from the original on December 11, 2003.
  3. Sonic Adventure. Chipsworld. Archived from the original on September 18, 2002.
  4. DREAMCAST REVIEWS & GAME LIST. Future Gamez (July 16, 2001). Archived from the original on June 28, 2001.
  5. 5.0 5.1 US Platinum Videogame Chart. The Magic Box (December 27, 2007). Archived from the original on January 10, 2016.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Story". Sonic Adventure Tokyo International Forum Unveiling Booklet. August 22, 1998. p. 5.
  7. "All Star Cast". Sonic Adventure Tokyo International Forum Unveiling Booklet. August 22, 1998. p. 9.
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast) United States instruction booklet, pg. 18.
  9. ZedArchive (April 10, 2022). Sonic Adventure Production Presentation At Tokyo International Forum (1998) [ENGLISH CC] (Japanese). YouTube. Retrieved on October 7, 2022.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Game Informer (July 12, 2022). Sonic Frontiers: 123 Rapid-Fire Questions With Takashi Iizuka. YouTube. Retrieved on July 13, 2022.
  11. 11.0 11.1 Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast) United States instruction booklet, pg. 20.
  12. Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast) United States instruction booklet, pg. 22.
  13. 13.0 13.1 Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast) United States instruction booklet, pg. 24.
  14. Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast) United States instruction booklet, pg. 26.
  15. 15.0 15.1 Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast) United States instruction booklet, pg. 28.
  16. 16.0 16.1 Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast) United States instruction booklet, pg. 31.
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 "History". The History of Sonic the Hedgehog. Les Editions Pix'n Love. September 6, 2013. pp. 54-65. ISBN 978-1-926778-96-9.
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External links[]

Sonic Adventure

Main article · Scripts (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Big, Gamma, Super Sonic) · Story Screens (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Big, Gamma) · Credits · Glitches · Beta elements · Gallery · Pre-releases (Limited Edition, DX Demo Version) · Re-releases (DX, 2010)
Sonic the Hedgehog console mainline games

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