A Sonic Adventure Analysis: Through The Looking Glass

[@BadnikMechanic]

My favourite part is the Terminator =p

[@Terminal_Apotos]

Get Amy a Plasma Rifle so she can take out Zero.

[@Cybershell13]

Haha I did not know about those dandelions, very neat.

[@Terminal_Apotos]

The Great Sonic Lore Master

[@HalfDuck]

Your 'slow runs' didn't go slow enough, it seems

[@FattyFatMatt]

My fav sonic lore KZbinr (next to Pariah 695) is here

[@DragonSword227]

Oh lookie, it's the worst Sonic KZbinr... 😒

[@-CHEEZA]

hey man

[@ThatSoni]

Zamn I didn’t even think about how the cops shooting at Chaos helps justify Chaos’ rage. That’s actually really rad!

[@kieranstark7213]

And the Mezoamerican-esque echidna tribe lead by the provenly evil Pacahamic trampling over the Chaos like Sonic in the Meta Era!

[@darkhorse744]

He might've simply attacked people off screen, Chaos WAS willing to endanger all of Station Square and even the world at the end of Sonic Adventure.

[@alwayssleepy2476]

I’ve been playing Sonic adventure since I was a kid and idunno how I never noticed that parallel with the cops and the echidna tribe fighting chaos at 18:17. Little clever details like that from the developers at sonic team makes me appreciate the game’s story and world building. Also, Fantastic video, every time you upload a new video I am impressed how much effort and analysis you put in your videos. I absolutely love your content and I am happy to be a Patreon member. Keep up the amazing work as usual dave.

[@SSJ22Terris]

I mean as a big Tails fan, and a fan of his story in this game, I’ve always thought Tails’ story was about overcoming his low self-esteem. I mean he was instrumental in getting Sonic to the death egg in Sonic 2, and was a solo playable character in 3. He’s always been capable, it’s just his upbringing and the bullying he endured skewed his sense if self worth and capablity. That’s what his story is about. Beyond that, the character themes to my reckoning more so characterize the characters at the beginning of their story than anything. Unknown of M.E. Definitely fits knuckles at the beginning of the story less than where he ends up, and regarding adventure 2, Throw it All Away, and Fly in the Freedom feel better representative of their positions at the start of their stories.

[@TheGreatBackUpVIDEOS]

51:44 For the record, this is what is known as a flat character arc. The character does not develop because they are already a fully fledged person with their own self-actualization fulfilled. Their main struggle comes from the challenges they are LITERALLY fighting again. Goku from Dragon Ball is an example of this, he doesn't need to change who he is as a person, he's already fine as is. Not to say he has no flaws, he just doesn't need to change and will not change because that's not what his character is about in the story. They simply sail through the story rather than change or be changed by the narrative.

[@discardedbiscuit5449]

Sonic Adventure has a lot of small details, I like all those secret/out of the way areas that actually utilizes the spindash...which then kinda bothers me that they're not utilized like that really at all in the main level paths, the Spin dash has a lot of utility but it feels like only a few people working on the levels really acknowledged them. even then that's just its base use of scaling walls. it has a bunch of uses, it's a makeshift dodge roll you charge up, a long jump, a super jump when used up hills, probably other things. The potential of the Spindash in 3D feels like it's mostly misunderstood until they just threw it away entirely.

[@SamuelSarette]

1:04:13 "your family was rich" Nope, just had the Windows 95 version.

[@sonicfreak94]

Great video overall. I'm always happy to hear some love for Sonic Adventure. I have some corrections though. 28:00 The camera's field of view changes, which also increases the perception of speed. Speed Highway is the only stage in the game which does this. Can confirm, implemented widescreen+FOV fix and had to spend some time making sure this worked correctly. 59:21 This is not quite true. The game could easily handle 3 playable characters on screen at once, even on the Dreamcast. Keep in mind that Tails is a controllable character in Sonic's stages, and this has no meaningful impact on performance. In fact, the game has theoretical support for 8 *controllable* characters at once. If memory or processing power was the concern, the cutscene *before* the boss would be far more limited. The cutscene is in regular Mystic Ruins with no smoke or mirrors, which consequently means that it has way more unique geometry and textures than the boss fight, and has 5 characters on screen simultaneously, all being CPU-controlled and animated (Eggman is technically a "playable" character, by the way!).

[@Shamii]

Always love getting a peek behind the curtain with stuff like this. Thanks for all your hard work alongside the rest of the X-Hax team!

[@HonerableG]

So it’s probably because coding the cpu for the assistant characters would have been too hard to implement for gameplay. I think the Tails stages show that off well enough, sometimes Sonic gets stuck (at least in DX). I’m sure this also tracks with the Classic Sonic tradition of everyone fighting the same bosses in the same part of the storyline alone.

[@EthanMickanen]

You ever watch a video that makes you feel like it changes your life? Yeah, this is one of them. I’ve only ever played a bit of sonic adventure DX and thought the game was a lot of fun. And had no idea how detailed everything was. I saw your link for this video on Twitter after talking about the dandelion and thought that it was super cool! Wonderful video! I love watching things like this

[@BadnikMechanic]

Thank you! I'll be taking a look at other games in future so please consider the subscribe and bell notification!

[@colleenfrances]

The dandelions 🥺💕 I've never noticed them before! I adore little details in games like that. I would like to see you talk about SA2 next!

[@BadnikMechanic]

SA2 is the next one! First video is on the history of the game. Then we do the analysis. So... click the subscribe and bell button since they take a while to make and release!

[@kyasarintsu4047]

the detailed, more-organic level design of SA1, with all of its unique assets and setpieces, are what I find so admirable about it. By comparison, later games (including its direct sequel) feel like they're just made with tilesets and abstract floating-block obstacle fields.

[@DragoonEnRegalia]

It's understandable for SA2 because of its smaller team & unkind development conditions, but it seems like Iizuka and co. just conveniently forgot about all their design ambitions with SA1, or really thought people only cared about the setpieces vs. the meaty middle parts. There's nothing like Red Mountain, Sky Chase, or Speed Highway in the games that followed soon after, let alone the scrapped Windy Valley beta with its very ambitious ideas for transplanting 2D Sonic tropes into 3D.

[@theogofguitar]

Saga response is open world Sonic closest we get to Adventure with….a bunch of floating platforms and rails that are not native to said world….but hey it’s fun….if they only would give us SA momentum physics

[@kma4835]

46:36 that slow walk away combined with the Bloody hell reaction has me cackling haha bravo amazing video u have pointed out so many details I took for granted in this game had no clue about the water section of lost world have that connection with the chaos emeralds! So many small details blew right over my head amazing analysis!

[@BadnikMechanic]

Lol thanks! Where I can I like to have some fun with how I present these games.

[@topazlight1586]

Regarding the Lost World temple, I think it's probably just supposed to have been partially buried in earth over the years from disuse, rather than the bottom having been destroyed in... apparently a perfect way for the top to just fall nicely onto the ground exactly aligned with how it was originally. It's also possible that in-universe mythology about Chaos predates the Echidna tribe's fall at his hands, and so the temple's architecture was built to worship the mythological Chaos before they evoked the real Chaos's wrath.

[@AdmiralJuicy]

My opinion on Tails' gameplay is that he is day dreaming about being faster than Sonic and making him the leader instead of a follower all the way until the final stage where he actually wins. It makes much more sense from a narrative standpoint.

[@maxenswlfr1877]

And then in game, Sonic is so bad that he literally can't win half the stages without you helping him

[@LeafRazorStorm]

Only ten seconds in, I am SO glad you're in the "Sonic 06 was Sonic Adventure 3 all along" camp.

[@Nic_2751]

The amount of detail put into Chaos and his story was way more impeccable than I initially perceived.....

[@Ryoland]

Tails - could be solo played in 2 and 3, he mimic sonic in 2, learned to fly in 2, mastered flight in adventure, piloted a mech in adv 2 as a hero and fighter, and then threw ring boxes in 06.... he went from a fun, semi brave character to luigi without any bravery.. his gameplay is less fun, and hes suddenly a coward... The complaint is valid, tails is legitimately worse now then in past games.

[@snintendog]

I like the fact he has to Actively tear down Tails to make Amy's story better and still fails to convince me that adventure tails is worse than modern tails. Adventure/classic tails: Not as strong as sonic or as fast but is smarter on how he uses what he has. Modern tails: let me make a machine to interpret charades and cowers away from the guy he apparently fought 1 on 1 many times before. the less said about modern Amy the better.

[@greenlightning6803]

I’ve never seen something so funny and interesting at the same time Seriously I was captivated the entire video good work

[@BadnikMechanic]

Thank you! It's my intention to make the other vids I have planned a combination of humour and urm... educational? lol not sure if that's the word I'm looking for but we'll go with it for now!

[@inactivemirgannerdz]

I was TODAY years old when I learned you can pick up the bombs the monkey robots throw... I LOVE videos that make me see games I've grown up with and played a million times in a new light and even show me things I NEVER NOTICED before or even knew about.

[@numbug1234]

I... half disagree with your assessment of Tails. I don't think the gameplay inherently undermines it, and that's mainly for one important detail - Tails breaks these levels by *flying*. Something that Sonic cannot do. So he's literally not just doing what Sonic can already do, he's using his own skills in the mix. But the reason it's only half of a disagreement is because, as you said, Tails's campaign is extremely easy, to the point that even the rank A challenges are a complete cakewalk. Maybe it's because kids aren't very good at being fast (source: my nephews can play games sorta decently but are absolutely terrible at anything that requires trying to be fast, that's literally it), but it's too easy to hold the narrative framework in place, made even worse by those auto-guiding booster rings. With how thoroughly Tails can break the stages, it would've been better if the AI Sonic is a pro at getting through these sections, especially in the rank A versions of the stages. That buggy bit in Emerald Coast was actually caused by the Sonic Adventure DX port, which changed the physics for the worse. And got a terrible PC port. And that port got a terrible PS3/XB360 port. And *that* got a terrible Steam port.

[@ULTIMA-2]

39:53 YOU CAN PICK UP THE BOMBS? I've been playing this game for damn near 20 years and I never knew that-

[@smoogieboogie1694]

Your videos on Sonic Adventure made me discover this channel and now I'm subscribed! I really hope you make a follow-up video going in-depth on all the characters' stories. It seems like you'd actually have a lot of good stuff to say about Big the Cat from a story perspective, something I'm desperate to see.

[@Dingberg01]

I've played through this game so many times and watched so many hours of analysis videos and there were still tons of cool details very interesting insights in this video that I've never seen or heard before. Plus the presentation, the writing, and even your jokes and general presence were great. Definitely gonna subscribe and I'd love to see more game analysis videos like this from you in the future, Sonic or otherwise!

[@BadnikMechanic]

This comment put a very happy smile on my face :)

[@KingZevon]

For future games, I genuinely believe you could do an entire series JUST on Metroid. The amount of environmental detail in nearly every Metroid game is insane.

[@aster4jaden]

That explanation about Chaos 4 and the water is fascinating, I listened recently to another KZbinr who did a Retrospective about Sonic Adventure and they mentioned the water in Chaos 4's battle and they thought it was that way to make the battle easier. I like how you realized it's more to do with Lore reasons instead.

[@wgbee1242]

24:27 Or, and hear me out, Chaos was literally in the mystic ruins after his defeat on the Egg Carrier

[@dantesdiscoinfernolol]

Notes I took down while watching: -This is making me want to play Sonic Adventure again...which was probably one of your motivations for the video, so good job! -Every dig against Sonic Forces makes me more powerful. It's not a good game, but the simple fact I did somehow enjoy my time with Sonic OC Simulator 2017 more than Sonic Lost World amuses me. -I get what you're saying about SA2's rail introduction vs Generations', but now I'm wondering if it's possible to make the rail intro fit in Green Hills... Like, maybe take the cave sections and make them look like a mine? Have gems and minecarts in the background of the caves, so the rails have a diagetic reason to be there? Wouldn't be a perfect fix, but it's interesting to think about a redesign. -Never clicked how symbolic Lost World (the level) is, or how Chaos gets attacked by the police with no provocation just like in the past... I always thought of Adventure as one of my favorite Sonic stories, if I had to choose only one, so I'm glad it holds up to deeper analysis so well! -Surprised you didn't bring up my favorite NPC storyline: the guy who you find on dates at different points in the story _with two clearly visually different girls_ who eventually gets in trouble when both girls discover each other. -"At the risk of alienating half the Sonic base, which of Tails and Amy does a better job with their story?" Me, whose fav characters besides Sonic are both of them tied: _oh no_ -Actually, I think you hit the nail on the head at the end of the Tails analysis: it's not that Tails couldn't stand on his own at the start, it's that he _CAN,_ and for the first time in the series, he has to consider the idea. He _CAN_ get to the end of levels very easily due to his flight, and he _CAN_ help with the Tornado or his tech know-how or his tails in ways the others can't. I know you brought up Imposter Syndrome as a joke, but that's not a terrible way of putting it. For a kid whose best friend runs at the speed of sound, has saved the world numerous times, and isn't afraid of anything, it could be easy to view any of his own skills as no big deal when he's not as cool as Sonic is - and that's how Tails talks about his accomplishments at the start! "Oh darn, my custom built plane powered by one of only seven magic gemstones I located by myself crashed. Sorry, Sonic, guess I'll have to try harder, haha!" (Gifted kid imposter syndrome? In MY '90's game? It's more likely than you might think...) -Kinda off-topic, but I do really appreciate you pointing out why Tails reaction in Forces isn't completely indefensible. I still personally don't like it and find the scene contrived, but that's most of Forces' story. Tails canonically is generally only good in a physical fight if he has sufficient weaponry or help, and he IS a child. Whose best friend/brother has been missing for months while the world burns. And he's caught unarmed. It kinda fits, it just doesn't mesh well with all the other times Tails is playable and functionally not too different from the other characters. -AMY! THAT'S MY GIRL! I see what you mean about her more clearly developing via her cutscenes and gameplay than Tails. She definitely makes the _bigger_ change of the two, which makes sense looking at how they were portrayed in the previous games. Tails has often been playable in mainline games, but Amy's campaign needed to do a bit more heavy-lifting to get people to appreciate her becoming a hero. (Also, I love the possible idea that she only gets the boost she needs to defeat Zero because it hurt her friend. Little me had something in my brain permanently rewired watching her destroy a several story tall robot in Sonic X because it broke a bracelet she made for Sonic. She's just a normal girl, full of love and a little bit of rage, with a massive hammer. What's not to love?) -Look, man, I can't examine the upgrades from an analysis perspective. I just know that watching Tails do that infinite spin dance via upgrades makes my brain happy, and I miss that feather hair pin for Amy every day. -Whoo, tiny background details in video games! (Altho now I kinda wanna search through newer games to find other things like that... Maybe not Forces, but something like Colors has a lot of cute stuff in the background. And I'm currently playing through '06 for the first time, and am very amused by the fruit you can kick around the hub world by breaking barrels.) Good video, very cool.

[@Seth19995]

Hello Dave, I came from Sam’s stream from your discussion. It was very interesting and you explained things very well. Looking forward to watching more of your content!

[@BadnikMechanic]

Oh thank you! I'm glad you found my ramblings interesting lol. Wasn't very well prepared for the discussion so glad my points came across. Next vid is an sa2 retrospective. Then we do the analysis like this vid.

[@mighty_king92]

There was one very important thing to take away from all of this: Sonic Forces has BLOCKS

[@BadnikMechanic]

BLOCKS! BLOCKS! BLOCKS! BLOCKS!

[@thetruemarioandsonicfanboy]

Sonic Adventure is my favourite 3D Sonic game of all time the graphics looks amazing and outstanding.

[@MazzEffect7]

Really appreciate the effort you put into this. Easily your best video yet!

[@BadnikMechanic]

Also huge thank you to your support for my work on Ko-Fi! Seriously, that blew me away!

[@MazzEffect7]

@@BadnikMechanic You're very welcome!!! And you'll be happy to know that you pronounced my name correctly haha.

[@quirky-artist-charlie]

I really enjoyed your analysis of how Tails’ and Amy’s story meshed/didn’t mesh with their gameplay, and I would genuinely enjoy a video from you analyzing the same for the other playable characters. Thank you for this analysis video!

[@ArctiqZero]

My headcanon is that the mural of Chaos appeared before Chaos wiped out the Echidna tribe. The Echidna tribe might have the ability to use the Master Emerald to see into the future and carved it into the mural room that housed the emerald before it was moved out of the temple. Doesn't make much sense why there would be so many traps that led into an empty room. This foresight has happened once before too. In the room right before the emerald shrine in Sonic 3K's Hidden Palace contains another mural depicting Super Sonic.

[@wreday720]

Genuinely one of the best videos I've watched on this platform - great content mate gotta subscribe for more

[@BadnikMechanic]

Thank you. SA2s version of these 2 vids coming in the next week or two.

[@harrisongomes-porter]

I too love SA 1 and 2 and I like SA 1 more than 2. I've seen maybe all the adventure retrospectives and I must say I have not seen any like these two that you've done. Incredible insight that you've provided and things I haven't realized about these games. Great work on these.

[@somecitrus7561]

Amazing and informative vid, had no idea about stuff like the hidden Chaos 0 fight mechanics or the dandelions...

[@radoxretroz7880]

Excuse me what?!??!! You can throw the bombs back at the monkeys?!!

[@BadnikMechanic]

YES!

[@radoxretroz7880]

@@BadnikMechanic also only just saw the dandelion part, blown away

[@reddodeado301]

I thought you could knock Chaos 0 off the poles by attacking his fist that he uses to punch you?

[@BadnikMechanic]

If you can, that's a new one on me lol. I just moved out of the way since I figured it was an attack!

[@reddodeado301]

@@BadnikMechanic I might be misremembering a Speedrun from a few years ago, so I guess I'll try to check if that's actually true on my own since all the runs I see now skip that attack.

[@saniccc1987]

I loved this! It’s always great to see more lengthy Sonic content here on KZbin. Keep up the good work my friend.

[@juliencapron3326]

This is the best video I've ever watched on KZbin. I just watched the 90 min straight because I was totally hooked. How I'd love to watch the same for SA2! Thank you

[@BadnikMechanic]

Thank you so much for your wonderful comment! Yes, SA2 will be the next one I do! The first SA2 vid will be a history video (similar to the one I did for Adventure before this video), Then the 2nd video is the analysis video (like this vid). Please hit the subscribe and bell button! lol because they'll take a while to make!

[@kumatorahaltmanndreemurr]

You’ve made me appreciate Amy’s gameplay style a lot more. I always liked the story presented in her campaign but originally found the sluggish gameplay mildly frustrating. However, I can totally see now how that complements her character arc! I’m kinda surprised I didn’t pick up on it before honestly

[@nickandreodrums]

Man this video is probably one of the best I've ever seen. Well done!

[@BadnikMechanic]

Thank you! Really appreciate the comments!

[@theogofguitar]

The terminator theme similarities that I refuse to believe are intentional are amazing and never even considered as a huge Sonic and Terminator fan

[@2Klipss]

Absolutely amazing video , taught me so much about a game that I thought I've done all the research and easter egg hunting I could do. 10/10. Need this for games like Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door, SA2 ofc and much more alike!!

[@BadnikMechanic]

SA2 is the next one I'm doing. So please subscribe and push the bell =p

[@leodroid8653]

Amazing video, awesome to watch over one hour and a half of talking about one my favorite games, I would like a video about Sonic Adventure 2 if possible.

[@BadnikMechanic]

They're on the way! First SA2 vid is like the retrospective. Then the 2nd one is like this one.

[@MarcoBeSomething]

@@BadnikMechanic Excited to see those videos, I just finished SA2 and even though I think it’s much more polished than SA both have their fair share of issues but are still fun to play in the modern day. Between the two I just enjoyed playing the first game more because of gameplay variety.

[@Flare8295]

I'm gonna have to remember that Light Speed Attack trick for Chaos 0 & Egg Hornet thanks for the info

[@JRokujuushi]

I'm not entirely convinced the snake imagery in the temple is supposed to be based on Perfect Chaos. The mural accurately depicts Chaos with back spines and the flaps that hang down behind the eyes, while the rest just looks like snakes, with two large fangs toward the front of the mouth that Chaos doesn't seem to have. In fact, based on the etymology of the word "echidna," their temple having snake imagery makes sense. From the Merriam-Webster online dictionary: "borrowed from New Latin, genus name, going back to Latin, 'snake, viper (as an attribute of the Furies),' borrowed from Greek échidna 'viper, creature of myth combining the bodies of a woman and a snake,' of uncertain origin."

[@ericdissing]

Hi! Randomly saw you engaging with people on Twitter and you linked your video. I’m so glad I accidentally saw a reply of yours. Subbed

[@BadnikMechanic]

Thank you very much. Woking on the 2 SA2 vids now, the first one is a history of vid. Then I release the 2nd which is like this video.

[@alyj8606]

First off, amazing video watched it all the way through. I would also like to state that the dandelions were referenced in one other retrospective. In Hazel's sonic adventure is beautiful, she clearly and distinctly states "peep these dandelions" hope you take down your video soon, thanks

[@flaregamer64]

While Sonic Adventure 2 is my absolute daring, I also have a lot of respect for the original adventure (well original would be the wrong word, it was SADX on the GameCube). It took me significantly longer to beat this game because I was didn't know how to access Windy Valley. One day I did figure it out when I was older and felt very stupid. It is a fault of the adventure field not being super straight forward granted. Gamma best bot.

[@BadnikMechanic]

SA2 is going to be the next game I do, but I think you should still give this one a watch, it's... got quite a lot of cool stuff in the vid.

[@flaregamer64]

@@BadnikMechanic Yes of course I'm going to watch this video when it drops

[@lgill6710]

Love these longer videos, can't wait to see what other games you look at in this style,I'd also love a SA2 followup to this video. Great video 👍

[@HillTopTerebi]

I was today years old when I learned you could pick up the monkey badnik's bombs in Emerald Coast. This video is fantastic! Great job!

[@BadnikMechanic]

Thank you!

[@CHMernerner]

I always tell everyone SA1 is masterpiece and my favourite and why i never found eggman's living quarters..

[@GameMaster0097]

Fantastic video! I did have some points I wanted to add to the discussion, sorry for the essay lol: 8:03 While you only bring up the first stage, it does sound like your generalizing Generations use of Grind Rails as a bit lazy since they don't naturally fit within the environment, but tbf, SA2 doesn't perfectly integrate Grind Rails into the environment either. Green Forest, Final Rush, and Sky Rail do suffer from lazy use of grind rails that haven't had much though placed into them. The point of comparison works when comparing the first stages of the games as you do, but it's worth pointing out that it doesn't work when comparing the games as a whole. Granted, this isn't a SA2 analysis, but the point of comparison was brought up. 22:06 Minor thing, but isn't the emerald purple, while the switch is red? It's not purple near the center either, as it's more just a very faded red. You have to stare VERY hard for it to look like purple. And the next 2 switches are different shades of blue, while he's holding a green emerald. Could also just be how everyone perceives colors differently lol 35:30 I disagree that this is a good tutorial for starting off the game. For players who don't have much experience playing games (especially back in 1998) as you said, they will just run straight into Chaos, while some more experienced players would jump. Just running straight at Chaos and getting hit is not a good first impression. Letting players run around in an open environment, ala Mario 64's Castle (or the very first section of Emerald Coast... while better as a starting point, it's not great as a starting stage as a whole, more on that in the next section of this extremely long essay lol) is a much better first way to introduce the player to how Sonic would control instead of a very narrow environment where the camera swings up into the sky after 2 hits and disorientates the player. They should learn that getting hit drops their rings just by playing naturally and getting hit, as opposed to smacking into Chaos within 2 seconds of play. Another thing about the fight is that if the player stands around for a few seconds to get their bearings on their first ever 3D game, Chaos smacking them immediately isn't a great idea either. It's worth looking at Sonic's contemporaries at the time that released between 1996 and 1998 such as Mario 64, Spyro and Crash Bandicoot. I would say that Mario and Spyro started the player in a much better, easier to learn environment which made a better first impression even if Mario and Spyro do use text boxes to explain how to jump and such. I'll mention Crash later on. 39:11 I don't 100% agree that Emerald Coast is a good opening stage to the game. It doesn't really give the player that much freedom (besides like the opening 5 seconds of the stage) to actually get a handle on how Sonic controls. For the player, especially with a character as uniquely controlling as Sonic, they need a safe opening stage to actually get to grips with how a extremely fast character controls, not a stage where you're over a bottomless pit almost the entire time. You reach the first bottomless pit (the part with the springs) almost immediately, which would probably kill a new player since they may run by the springs while trying to get used to how Sonic handles. While there are a few spots you can jump off the path, for most of the stage navigating off the linear path laid out for you kills you as you're surrounded by the ocean. The ocean wouldn't be a problem if there was more ground for you to navigate on, but you aren't given much room to really move Sonic. Another mark against it is that it's one of the most automated stages in the game. Boost pads and scripted events are laid out in quite a number of places in the stage. The player should have a nice, safe environment to play with Sonic's mechanics, not get thrown around like a pinball. One last thing to mention about this stage is the beginning of Act 2 where you do the Wall Run next to the waterfall. Why does jumping next to the waterfall kill you? Why not have ground there that connects to the next section. Remove the guard rails and allow people to fall there because it CLEARLY looks like there should be ground there. Crash Bandicoot is an interesting comparison as the starting island has a starting section similar to Emerald Coast, where it gives the player a section free of hazards to give you a chance of moving Crash with no repercussions. That said, also like Emerald Coast, it very quickly throws you at bottomless pits. In this case, I wouldn't really see it as a determent to Crash since the point of the game is to be an extremely difficult game where you will game over countless times and is extremely punishing, as well as the fact that players would probably be able to quickly adapt to Crash's movement. Crash Bandicoot is basically just a 2D Game with a 3D perspective with easily the most simple control scheme when compared to Sonic, Mario, and Spyro. Sonic is a game with a much higher learning curve for the average player. 1:21:02 While people pointing to these sections as the best moments of the game might be part of the increase of automation in a game like Forces, another part of the reason is due to less time given to the games as well as a smaller staff list. Sonic Adventure had 6 level designers, while SA2/Heroes had 2, Forces had 3. SA2 has (in my opinion) a more linear, scripted, generic design to its levels than SA1 because the team had significantly less time to design them. Personally, I would say Generations has the best level design in a 3D Sonic game, with it being the game that has by far the most alternate routes. The scope of these stages was only achieved since Generations had 8 level designers on it who were given the time to design these huge stages. They were not small stages that could be pumped out 1 after another by 2 people. It is worth pointing out though that SA1 does have quite a lot of automation to it, well beyond just segments like the Whale Chase or the Skyscraper run. The game has ton's of boost pads placed on the ground simply for them to be there, in places that don't really help the player at all, as well as the fact that every loop is automated. Interestingly enough, the game actually does have loop physics, but they are a bit wonky due to not having enough time to properly implement them (they work really well if you Spin Dash through them though). I hope it doesn't sound like I was complaining about the video or anything. This was a wonderfully made video that I can tell you poured your heart and soul into. I cannot wait to see the videos you put out in the future. Keep up the great work man👍

[@theharvardyard2356]

Good points! The opening boss/level do engage in a lot of poor design decisions that he ignored.

[@angelkatamari]

Amazing!!! Lost World is my favorite stage and it is so so underrated. I'd be interested in any new videos in the same format, but maybe most especially one on Sonic Heroes.

[@CyclonX]

Well I suppose the mistake of Chaos imagery being everywhere has been inadvertently fixed by Frontiers lore now lol

[@deathray252]

Excellent analysis! As someone who’s played the game to death, you managed to point out so many details I’d never put together. Quick question: how did you get all those tracking shots in game? I’ve seen a free cam for the game, but how did you manage to have sonic moving independently while the camera is doing its own thing?

[@BadnikMechanic]

Thank you very much. So the camera work, there's a mod called 'meme maker'. But a better name for it would be 'Movie Maker'. It essentially gives you a photo/movie controls for the game.

[@BadnikMechanic]

There are however one or two shots where I had to brute force the camera to do what I wanted.... Like when the camera is 'tracking' Sonic and tails walking past the 'windows' in Lost World.

[@deathray252]

Ah, I didn’t realize meme maker was as robust as that, I’ll have to give it a shot. I’ve been watching through more of the video since I last commented, and you’re very effectively putting into words the subtle game design principles that put the adventure games (sans the third one) in a separate league from the modern titles. Here’s hoping that the series can take a step back towards greatness with frontiers! Not holding my breath, but since the IP isn’t going elsewhere any time soon, hope’s all I got

[@BadnikMechanic]

@@deathray252 well in a few days I have a video on Frontiers out. I suspect you'll find it interesting since I go deep into design there too. There is some very good things, and also not so good things. Currently working on 2 SA2 videos. One is a history vid, the other is similar to this one, so... lol please subscribe and click the bell... and tell your friends XD

[@AlexLorentzenloganjamesalex]

Even though the very first video game I played was Sonic the Hedgehog for the Genesis in 1995, I was so young that the first mainline Sonic game I must have actually beat would have been Sonic Adventure DX for the Gamecube so it will always hold a special place in my heart. That Tikal T-pose makes me chuckle every time I see it, I'm still surprised they didn't change it with the DX releases. I always figured the temple had just been buried over time as happens in the real world but looking at your side by side pictures and the cliffs in the background it seems pretty obvious that it must have been destroyed. I also just always assumed that because Eggman says the tablets predicted Chaos forms that they were somehow prophetic and therefore never questioned how the temple was built before they encountered Chaos but again I think you are right about it being a warning about what they experienced (also the flashbacks made me think they might be able to see the future for some reason but I think that is mostly just child brain logic I had when I first played it). I always saw Tails as a character like Michelangelo from the Ninja Turtles. In the Ninja Turtles Michelangelo has the most natural talent but the least drive to train his abilities. Similarly to the Ninja Turtles where my favorite was Raphael but if I was ever playing pretend with my cousins someone older than me would get to be him and I would have to be Michelangelo, if I ever played pretend Sonic with my cousins someone older would always call dibs on Knuckles even though he was my favorite and I would be forced to be Tails. In the Genesis Sonic games as a kid I noticed straight away and I always thought it was strange that Tails was just as fast and strong as Sonic but could ALSO fly, as the modern kids would say I thought everyone was sleeping on Tails. In Sonic Adventure when we finally got dialog and more characterization but Tails continued to be just as fast and strong as Sonic with the additional ability to fly, I saw Tails as that same trope that you see whenever a story has a person that is just so naturally good at something (or everything) that they have no desire to even do it because it is so easy (or any idea that what they are doing is normally difficult). Basically, Tails being younger and not having the same motivation as Sonic and also showing up after Sonic was already seen as something of a hero lead Tails to put Sonic on a pedestal where he doesn't even realize he can do everything Sonic can and being younger is more easily frightened even of things that he is capable of overcoming easily if they are scary. Admittedly as a kid I never had access to his theme lyrics or tried to listen to them that closely so I never took those into account. I like your idea's about Tails but my headcanon will always try and justify that cognitive dissonance between his abilities in-game and his words/actions in cutscenes.

[@ABlob]

Nice use of free cam. I like also how you pointed out how the ancient civilation used primitive traps while Eggman uses mechanical ones. And despite Generations being my favorite, yeah, it's a bit weird how the rails in Green Hill often hover in the air. And huh, I thought the temple design was more just snake themed instead of chaos... Gotta think more about environmental design in video games now. :) ...But I really friggin' hate the Cook & Becker Sonic book though, it was such a disappointment when I got it, lmao

[@juneru2]

Fantastic video, I already loved Sonic Adventure but I appreciate this game so much more now.

[@Jamfrog35]

1:00:44 - 1:01:15 You know...him in the mech in sa2 makes more sense when saying it out loud.

[@code2519]

any news on the Sega world London statues or any others

[@jqiro_]

Im one of those who has Sonic 06 as my favorite sonic game

[@AFriendRemembers]

Just want to say - amazing video, so many complex thoughts about one of my favourite games!

[@djayace1827]

I know this is obscure about Lost World, but it's Canon that Gerald Robotnik researched the entire interior of the Temple just as Sonic has, but 50 years prior. So... He's made it to the Mural section, which means he's gone through all 3 acts as well. Imagine him running from the rock.... 😅😅😅 (He also went to Angel Island to find the giant Mural of Super Sonic fighting Eggman in Sonic 3.)

[@bushybeardedbear]

I dunno, I think your Tails analysis is pretty damn fair. He's literally just not aware of how good he is. If he tries to take the stages as Sonic does, he loses. But by just embracing his most basic ability of flight, he makes the whole thing trivial. In a way, your analysis still validates the later criticisms of his character in forces. We've played games where he's a secondary protagonist, not just a side character. We've played games where he solves problems, stages, in ways only he can do. We know he can fly, he's as smart as Eggman but more focused, he can even fight but in his own fashion. So, I guess when we see him cower against Phantom Ruby Chaos 0 despite knowing he can do better it echoes the earlier adventure characterisation where he's essentially just lacking _confidence_ in his abilities not _lacking_ the abilities themselves. And I guess then, anyone's going to have their confidence shook in a post apocalyptic doom land... But it might have served Tails better if he'd hidden behind Omega and got a gadget out in Forces... I dunno, I think I'm rambling now.

[@bushybeardedbear]

Also, chapter 5's title almost made me feel like Sonic Adventure Monkey's Pawed us not just on the series but in some vast existential way it ruined 20 years of human history. 😐

[@bushybeardedbear]

And now the video is almost done? I await your twelve hour video essay on how Big The Cat is actually the best character and central lynchpin of the Sonic universe.

[@bushybeardedbear]

Dandelions To Blocks is also a good review scale... 🤔

[@DJHoboMan]

1:19:43 what is this??? jun singing?? where is this footage?? excellent video by the way lmao definitely has me thinking about tails differently now

[@BadnikMechanic]

It's from a VHS tape of the Sonic adventure announcement event.

[@SnowyOwlKonnen]

While I could see the cops being the first to attack being a possibility in the beginning, it is just as likely for Chaos to be the one to start trouble and requiring police intervention. Nothing is shown of what happened between Chaos' escape from the Master Emerald and Sonic's intro cut-scene, so you could make any assumption on what happened. One could make any theory on what actually happened. Also, I disagree on your assertion that the statues around the Echidna city being Perfect Chaos. They are clearly snakes, and I don't see how the two can be confused aside form being reptilian looking.

[@knuckles9250]

this completely changed my view on Sonic Adventure

[@BadnikMechanic]

Working on the SA2 version of this. Hopefully it too will change your view! Or cement it!

[@spinballpac-man]

1:00:15 Great continuity joke here!!! Honestly thought Tails’ head fell off for no reason! 🤣🤣

[@EmeraldLavigne]

How does this video have so few views?!? It's really good!

[@BadnikMechanic]

lol please share it on... wherever Sonic fans hang out these days XD. But for reals that would help a lot!

[@zizo5349]

PLEASE do another video like this for Sonic Adventure 2.

[@BadnikMechanic]

Working on it. First one is due out soon, it's the retrospective, then the next one is like this vid.

[@-CHEEZA]

this was a vewery interasting analasys

[@eishikibahamut]

sonic can pilot an aircraft on his own. He even has his very own plane with his name on it.

[@gokenji1194]

THANKS for the vid. so, Frontiers needs more blocks?

[@DragoonEnRegalia]

WRT the Echidnaopolis temple, I don't think its symbolism contradicts the story at all. Yes, those are serpentine effigies crawling up the spire and lining the lower terraces, but they're not distinctly Chaos-like so much as they're styled after (faux) Nahuatl snake gods. There's a distinct difference once you reach the new temple, which has more malformed, not quite snake-like monsters throughout its architecture. The stone snake room gives me more of an Ouroboros metaphor than one pertaining directly to Chaos, and the mural at the end couldn't be more different from what you see in the past. It's clear that Perfect Chaos thoroughly traumatized the surviving echidna, to the point that it reshaped their whole religion & cosmology, mandating a new temple to warn the outside world of who they now fear.

[@Terminal_Apotos]

When you showed their first 3D Games it really hit me how SA2 was only their 2nd 3D game even though it doesn’t feel like it as much as SA1 feels like their first 3D Game. Probably because of how much it improved on it.

[@NinjaKingAce]

Something minor I wanted to point out; You keep referring to Tails' Story as the "2nd Campaign." You're assuming that everyone who plays this game, plays through Sonic's Story, in its entirety, before even touching the other campaigns. Sonic's Campaign, as you said, is the longest and arguably the hardest. Meanwhile, Tails' Campaign is much shorter and by far the easiest. In a casual playthrough, a first-time player might get stuck on a level as Sonic, play through that level as Tails, and come back to Sonic once they're more confident. In a way, mirroring Tails' growth into a more self-assured person. I know, because that was my experience. And I think that was the intention. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure their campaigns are designed that way so that Tails' Story would be the first one you beat, and Sonic's would be one of the last

[@Swearproof64]

Part 2 reminds me a lot of the Metroid series, at least the 2D games. Think about Super Metroid, you’re able to break the limits of the world by using power ups in clever ways. Rewarding player intelligence is something that distinguishes a great game from a good game. Keep up the good work man! Excellent video!

[@kevin_kevinson]

Excellent video. I still miss having a Tails that used to do something even if it wasnt much. Tails really does need a rework.

[@superwariobros9108]

58:43 you called chaos 4 chaos 6. I hope someone got fired for that blunder

[@superwariobros9108]

OH FUCK

[@superwariobros9108]

Im a dumbass 🤡

[@BadnikMechanic]

@@superwariobros9108 My entire extended family have been deported back to the phantom zone!

[@superwariobros9108]

@@BadnikMechanic hope it gave you a nice laugh for my blunder lol.

[@TLBidoof]

Take a shot every time he says Sonic Adventure does something “nearly right” (I am not responsible for your inevitable death)

[@canaldecasta]

The vid is cool and all. But nothing I already did not know. You don't impress me, brit boy- WAIT WHAT 39:51

[@BadnikMechanic]

KA-Boom!!! In British!

[@spinballpac-man]

45:28 “Oh dear! Dave’s trying to find those made up turtles again! 😤”

[@DijaVlogsGames]

Really enjoyed this one! Hope the clicks pick up over time.

[@KibblezanBitz]

I do still appreciate Tails' arc in this game. In film talk, many talk about character arcs starting with a "lie the character believes." In all fairness, usually this manifests as a negative belief about something external to the character, but Tails believes he always needs Sonic's help even though he is demonstrably useful and capable, so that is clearly a lie he believes about himself. I can't speak to whether the developers and writers had any of this in mind, but death of the author and all that jazz, Tails's issue reads perfectly fine as a self-esteem problem than as a capability issue. In this light, his arc can be read as, rather than discovering hitherto unknown ways he can be a hero, recognizing ways he has been a hero but hasn't been giving himself due credit for. I'd even go as far as to say his gameplay does reinforce that, because even though he races Sonic to the end of the level and those races end up being extremely easy because of his busted flight ability, he's still accomplishing tasks in a manner unique to him. It's not that Tails can't accomplish the same kinds of goals as Sonic, just that he can't accomplish them the way Sonic would. Sonic can blow his way through obstacles, Tails uses his flight, an ability that is entirely unique to him. The climax of his story is the moment he learns self-esteem. You say yourself he has imposter syndrome, but is overcoming that not an okay arc at least? I will concede that the final boss is too easy for him though. Perhaps a more aggressive pattern or a time limit or harder to reach weak points would contribute more to feeling of a weaker character overcomibg a challenge, but hey, Sonic Adventure isn't the first game to suffer from ludonarrative dissonance, and it won't be the last. Anyway, great video. I can't help but watch every longform Sonic Adventure video I come across and this one was especially fascinating.

[@AsteriskGamer]

I've gotta ask: How in the WORLD are you getting these shots where the camera is still while a character walks around the area in Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2?

[@BadnikMechanic]

A combination of a few mods and just a few tricks with manually forcing the camera to remain still. In the case of SA2. Though I'm not sure I use this trick in this video. Exploiting the delay between when the "death" camera triggers and the game respawing the character.

[@BadnikMechanic]

Also I just checked out your channel... Holy cow I'm so following you now! Those covers are great!

[@AsteriskGamer]

@@BadnikMechanic oh, sweet! I appreciate it! 😁

[@Hynotama]

You really need to play Sonic P-06, like yesteryear!

[@basiltheleafeon]

39:52 I had no idea you could do this after all these years lol

[@BadnikMechanic]

Somewhere out there, someone has defeated their first badnik this way!

[@francjirachi]

Cool video overall, but I just wanted to say, were you seriously trying to say that the police have no reason to shoot a freaky monster thing that eggman released in the middle of the city?

[@BadnikMechanic]

Yes, because like I said in the video, Chaos is presented as a 'monster' but he doesn't do anything to justify the police turning up and shooting him. Name 1 crime he's done in front of the Station Square police department that justifies it.

[@francjirachi]

@@BadnikMechanic It dosen't need to do a crime, it's an alien looking creature that has supernatural powers, released by a crazy scientist that yells that it is a god of destruction. We start the adventure with Sonic's POV and we see the police already on a chase, so even if we don't see it, Chaos could already displayed some type of power (like how he is jumping from cielings) It's very clearly a monster that could put the city in danger, It's not like Chaos is a normal person walking in the city. And there is the whole, we don't know if this unknown creature can kill us all, so we better try to kill it first before it can get to us (Kurzgesagt explains it better in his the Dark Forest video)

[@BadnikMechanic]

@@francjirachi Precisely, you don't know, you have no literal reason to shoot it. But they did. Let's hope the 5-6ft tall anthropomorphic Sonic characters who are building airplanes, running at the speed of sound, lifting cars defying physics by flying don't cross paths with the authorities. You'd think that in a world where characters have those abilities, one guy whose only crime was 'obscuring the clock' wouldn't instantly be gunned down.

[@ToaArcan]

As someone who frequently complains about Modern Tails, it's never been simply "Adventure 1 good, modern bad," but rather the pre-meta/brand era as a whole. In the game following this one, Tails _is_ a fighter. Sure, he does it via a big robot rather than on foot, but the Cyclone isn't a running-away machine. Tails sees Sonic get arrested and decides he needs to launch a full-frontal assault on the military. Not only that, but his intelligence comes into play as he essentially becomes the strategist for the heroes, and while he still makes errors, he's fully capable of taking on Eggman at his own game. SA1 and 2 form a complete narrative that builds on the games that came before it. In the classic games, Tails is a playable character, and he is just as capable as Sonic. He's maybe a bit slower, but he plays identically in 2 and near-identically in 3. The only area he really lags behind is Super transformation, not getting his until 3. His problem isn't that he's less capable than Sonic, it's that he _believes_ he's less capable than Sonic. SA1 is the story of him overcoming that, as well as really coming to grips with the capabilities he has that give him an edge, both technically and physically. The Tornado, the plane he essentially borrowed from Sonic, is destroyed early in the story, and replaced with a new, superior plane that he built himself. And the way that his levels are broken is by exploiting his flight, an ability Sonic doesn't possess. At the end, he finally faces Eggman one-on-one, and wins. The next game follows on from that. Tails has finally found his confidence, and while the game places greater emphasis on his technical skills in that one compared to the balance that SA1 uses, it still works, and it's bolstered by other games from this era having him contributing on foot. Meanwhile, the modern Tails is a character that needs Sonic to holds his hand during the scary parts of Disney movies. I think the best way to demonstrate the gulf between the two is via Sonic Heroes. Because Heroes' Tails writing is already a step back from SA2, since Tails is back to looking to Sonic for direction, but it's nonetheless still there. He's still actually playing a role in things. Even at a point when he gets scared, by the haunted castle zone, he still forges ahead. If they made Sonic Heroes in the modern era, Tails and Knuckles would've delivered Eggman's letter to Sonic and then stayed in the Tornado while Sonic did everything solo. Tails was a scientist and fighter both for seventeen years before SEGA decided he had to suddenly wasn't that anymore. Even the _plane_ regressed, the Tornado 2, Tails' super-cool new plane from this game, was replaced first by the Tornado-1, and just completely by the classic Tornado from Lost World onwards.

[@SuperrSonic]

Incredible analysis. I of course don't need to be further convinced that this game is wonderful to play even today, but I found this very enjoyable and even learned some neat things. The KFC thing is hilarious. I didn't care about Tails being easy mode when I was a kid, having the option of flying around big 3D environments was what made Tails fun. Knuckles had some of that too but Tails was simply on a bigger scale.

[@Flare8295]

This is my favorite Sonic game and the best Sonic game ever made this game really did everything nearly perfect

[@Andrewalbacia]

Andy Crane really out here calling Sonic and Knuckles blasé.

[@TheReZisTLust]

As a colorblind person I never would have seen the colors of the panels be the emerald ones

[@DataDrain02]

52:13 If I recall, though, in the Japanese version. He sounds a lot less unsympathetic. I might be remembering this wrong. But I feel like he just said "I got it" in Japanese. But, again, I could be misremembering. Still, this IS a common issue in dubs. Changing the character's tone and inflection changes the personality.

[@gio_setsuna]

Came here from the twitter clip,awesome stuff

[@BadnikMechanic]

Thank you! The SA2 version of this is nearly done so, please subscribe and click the bell for more!

[@SnaksiXD]

58:40 YES! Finally!! I'll be able to use the tried and true method of shooting down any interpretations about a video game that isn't spelled to the player face first! It worked with the establishment of the Classic timeline and it sure as hell works here. * inhale * Well, who's to say that they really fought Chaos 4 together? The game never shows the trio fighting him, so it must clearly mean that two of the characters really sat back and relaxed while one of them defeated him. And to try and bring the comics into this is a very structurally unsound attempt of trying to claim your interpretation as true. If it didn't happen in the game, it's not real. Thank you, thank you.

[@SEYMOURTHEGREAT]

Amazing, informative and funny, SA2?