Sonic the Hedgehog has garnered plenty of success in over 30 years of his career: five animated series, two movies (with a third one on the way), a comic book series by two publishers, and a long-running video game series beloved by gamers of all ages — all culminating into a single mega multimedia franchise. Sonic has had some ups and downs, including the infamous 2006 game that was supposed to reboot the franchise, but now he’s back on the right track following the release of the open-world venture Sonic Frontiers, as well as the release of The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, the visual novel by Sonic Team’s beloved and comical social media department.
With Sonic Origins Plus coming down the wire, adding more to the original compilation of the Sega Genesis titles — and rendering Classic Amy Rose as a playable character for the very first time by audience demand — we’re gonna take a look at some other games like Sonic that you can play right now. Some of them are even inspired by the gameplay styles of the Blue Blur’s adventures. Here are our selections.
You can also check out our list of the best Sonic games of all time.
Freedom Planet
If he showed his feminine side, Freedom Planet is basically what Sonic would’ve been like. It revolves around a spunky dragon girl named Sash Lilac as she ventures with her friends, wildcat Carol and basset hound Milla to stop Lord Brevon from stealing the Kingdom Stone and taking over the galaxy.
Freedom Planet was initially developed as a Sonic fan game using original content made by DeviantArt user Ziyo Ling for the main cast, but creator Sabrina DiDuro eventually turned the game into her own original IP, changing Lilac from a hedgehog into a dragon and replacing Dr. Eggman with a villain whose eyebrows resemble his mustache. Players can control any of the girls they choose, but the game serves as a love letter to the classic Sonic games with the loop-de-loops, hills, ramps, corkscrews, and rock walls present in each level.
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
In the first HD game of the Shantae series set after the good ending of Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse, the belly-dancing half-genie guardian of Scuttle Town tries to save Sequin Land from destruction after Risky Boots steals the blueprints for Shantae’s uncle’s latest invention, the Dynamo. With the power of her Hair Whip Attack and the ability to transform into different animals through dance, Shantae travels all over the island to collect components for the machine that could either protect her town or destroy it, depending on how it’s used.
Shantae: Half-Genie Hero is like Sonic in that the levels are divided into action stages in each zone that can be replayed to obtain new items that are only accessible if you transform into a certain creature. The soundtrack is also kicking thanks to Jake Kaufman and his mix of desert-style music and sound from other genres, like pop and rock.
Read our review of Shantae: Half-Genie Hero.
Kaze and the Wild Masks
When her best friend Hogo falls prey to an evil curse that spreads throughout the Crystal Islands, Kaze sets out to find the four titular wild masks to get to the bottom of it, all while dealing with raging living vegetables. Each mask allows the agile rabbit to unleash the powers of the animal guardians of the sky, land, and sea — eagle, tiger, lizard, and shark.
Kaze and the Wild Masks was heavily inspired by the Sega Genesis Sonic titles with the 16-bit-like visuals, though the graphics are crystal clear than those of its ‘90s counterpart. Plus the powers Kaze gets from the masks involve speed, flight, power, and even breathing underwater. Just like Sonic can crouch into a ball like a regular hedgehog and Spin Dash into his enemies, Kaze can use her ears to make them attack like nunchucks and cling to vines in addition to flying.
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse
Before Epic Mickey and before Kingdom Hearts, Disney worked with Sega to put out Mickey Mouse’s video game classic, Castle of Illusion. The plotline reads like a Halloween story, as Mickey goes to the titular castle to rescue his beloved Minnie from the witch Mizrabel, who wants to steal Minnie’s youth and beauty a la the Salem Witches of Hocus Pocus.
Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse came out a year before Sonic the Hedgehog made its debut, but it does carry a plot device that is similar to the Chaos Emeralds: the Seven Gems of the Rainbow. Just like Sonic has to find the Chaos Emeralds and use their powers stop Dr. Eggman’s plans for world domination, Mickey has to find all the gems in every illusion-riddled room of the castle and utilize them to stop the youthful version of Mizrabel.
Read our review of Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse.
Mega Man X
In the SNES spin-off set 100 years after the original Mega Man series, Mega Man X takes place in a futuristic world where humans and sentient Reploids live together in harmony. The game centers on an android named X, a member of the Maverick Hunters who, with the help of his partner Zero, has to stop the former military task force’s leader Sigma and the other Mavericks from bringing about human extinction.
Mega Man X feels more like a Sonic game than any original Mega Man title with its engrossing storyline themed around saving the world from robotic destruction. Just as the last level of every zone ends in a boss fight against Dr. Eggman, each level in Mega Man X (which can be played in any order) ends in a boss battle against its respective Maverick.
Read our review of Mega Man X.
Cuphead
Cuphead and Mugman venture around Inkwell Isle to collect soul contracts from the Devil’s runaway debtors after Cuphead loses a game to the Devil himself at his casino, forcing the brothers to make a deal with him to have their lives spared if they collect every soul or risk the Devil taking their souls if they fail. Knowing that the debtors won’t turn in their soul contracts easily, the cup-headed brothers gain the power to fire energy blasts from their fingers and take them down.
Players can control Cuphead and/or Mugman through the infamously difficult boss fights and run-and-gun levels much like they can control Sonic, Tails, and/or Knuckles in Sonic Mania and Sonic Origins. The character and world design take direct inspiration from the rubber hose animation style of 1930s cartoons made by Disney, Warner Bros. Cartoons, Fleischer Studios, and MGM Cartoon Studio, among others — much like Sonic was originally designed after Felix the Cat and Mickey Mouse, with his current design taking after Bugs Bunny.
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy takes the original Crash games of the PlayStation era and upgrades them with the high-definition CGI graphics of the 2010s. The orange marsupial travels through all the worlds as well as all through time and space to defeat his own creator, Dr. Neo Cortex, and stop him from taking over the world — not to mention rescue his girlfriend Tawna in the first game.
When the original Crash Bandicoot trilogy came out in 1996, critics compared it to the Sonic games with its unique blend of platforming and combat, in that it’s equal parts side-scrolling and equal parts third-person linear. The remakes retained that charm but were made even more cartoonish than the originals.
Read our review of Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy.
Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.
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