Sonic The Hedgehog Games You Cannot Buy Anymore

Key Takeaways

Sonic’s defunct games like
Sonic Eraser
and
Sonic Jump Fever
provide interesting, albeit challenging, gameplay experiences.
These obscure Sonic titles are difficult to find legally, often requiring emulation, original discs, or specific devices for gameplay.
Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
was a short-lived mobile port, missing key Mario & Sonic characters, and offers a unique gaming experience.

As someone who grew up in the golden age of Sonic games, I can’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia when I come across these forgotten gems. The mobile versions of Sonic Unleashed and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games are prime examples of what happens when great ideas meet limited resources.

Recently, Sonic the Hedgehog has been experiencing a surge in popularity. His films surpassed expectations, potentially earning an Academy Award nomination for video game movies. Additionally, his games have seen significant enhancements. For instance, Sonic Frontiers had its moments but introduced a fresh aspect to the series, while Sonic X Shadow Generations polished an already excellent game by weaving a new narrative about Sonic’s dark-edged rival, Shadow.

For those new to Sonic the Hedgehog, they can dive into his past titles such as the timeless hits like Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Sonic Adventure 2, or opt for more recent ones like Frontiers and Generations. They might also spend quite a bit to uncover lesser-known games like the exclusive Sega 32X game Knuckles Chaotix. However, some Sonic experiences that were once available are now out of reach due to their discontinuation.

8 Sonic’s Schoolhouse

Class Dismissed

Sonic The Hedgehog Games You Cannot Buy Anymore

Developer: BAP Interactive and Orion Interactive
Platform: PC
Released: October 1996

The PC game titled “Sonic’s Schoolhouse” was an educational title featuring the well-known hedgehog character, aimed at helping young children with reading, spelling, and math skills. Intriguingly, Shinobu Toyoda, who was Sega Entertainment’s CEO then, likened it to “Doom” for kids due to its first-person perspective. Notably, this game opted for the unique control setup of WXAD instead of the more common WASD.

Although you might find it challenging to purchase the game since most people seem to have moved on from selling their old discs in yard sales, and online searches don’t yield much result, there’s a silver lining: the game can still be played as it’s available for download on MyAbandonware.com. However, whether it works smoothly with current hardware is something you’ll have to test out.

7 Segasonic The Hedgehog

Fans Didn’t Join In On Its Isometric Rolling

Developer: Sega AM3
Platform: Arcade
Released: September 1993

Similarly, individuals have the option of acquiring the game character, Segasonic the Hedgehog, either through emulation or by purchasing one of its original arcade machines. It was a platformer with an isometric view, allowing up to three players to control Sonic, Mighty the Armadillo, and/or Ray the Flying Squirrel (without their abilities from Sonic Mania) as they navigated through various levels to defeat Robotnik together.

The game was never adapted for consoles because Sega struggled to recreate its unique trackball controls in a home environment. Moreover, as the machines become scarcer, some enthusiasts are restoring their own cabinets to experience emulated versions of the game. It’s quite an undertaking to enjoy Sonic hanging out with his lesser-known pals.

6 Sonic Eraser

A Puzzling Puzzle Game

Developer: Sega Corporation
Platforms: Sega Genesis, PC
Released: 1991 (Genesis), 2004 (PC)
Delisted: 1992 (Genesis), circa late 2000s (PC)

Attempting to outdo Tetris in its own domain, Sonic Eraser was a falling block puzzle game where players aimed to match symbols and eliminate them from the screen. As they successfully eliminated more, they’d earn more points, but eventually, the screen would fill with debris and bring an end to their game. It wasn’t as user-friendly as Tetris, and due to a MIDI misinterpretation, its soundtrack was disorganized. Nowadays, it can only be played through emulation since it never had a physical release.

Initially, this game could only be accessed through two online services that were exclusive to Japan: the 1991 Sega Game Library (which enabled the Genesis console to connect to the internet) and the 2004 Sega B-Club. Since then, enthusiasts extracted the ROM files from these services and shared them online. Western fans had a glimpse of the game during its potential inclusion in the Sonic Gems Collection, but ultimately they had to resort to exploring the internet’s vast expanse to play this peculiar title.

5 Sonic Runners

Leaving The Past Behind

Developer: Sonic Team
Platforms: iOS and Android
Released: February 2015 (Canada & Japan), June 2015 (international)
Delisted: July 2016

One might struggle to come across both “Sonic’s Schoolhouse” and “Segasonic” if they search diligently and have some extra funds, but it’s impossible for them to purchase the game “Sonic Runners” legally anymore. This was a 2D endless runner in which players aimed to achieve high scores by leaping over obstacles, employing items, and amassing as many crystals as possible to maintain their combo streak.

In this game, players could unlock various characters by either accumulating in-game rings or purchasing Red Star Rings with real money. Characters like Tails, Knuckles, Mephiles, Sticks, and others each had unique skills and stats to help them excel. However, the game was discontinued in 2016 to pave the way for its sequel, Sonic Runners Adventure, which is still active today. Despite offering more power-ups, it features fewer playable characters. Fans of Mephiles and Sticks may feel let down by this development.

4 Sonic Jump Fever

The Fever Was Terminal

Developer: Hardlight
Platforms: iOS and Android
Released: April 2014 (Canadian iOS), July 2014 (international iOS and Android)
Delisted: November 2018

Prior to creating “Sonic Dream Team”, the developers at Hardlight previously launched “Sonic Jump Fever” for mobile devices. This title was a follow-up to “Sonic Jump”, a vertical platformer where gamers controlled Sonic by tilting their phones while he continuously jumped through levels. In “Fever”, an exciting new element was introduced: a fever meter. When this gauge was full, it enabled players to propel themselves upwards along ring trails using the Lightspeed Dash technique.

Additionally, this game included a multiplayer feature that allowed friends to challenge each other for top spots on the leaderboard. However, many found it less enjoyable due to difficulties locating Sonic within the game’s backdrops and experiencing awkward controls compared to the initial version of Sonic Jump. Unfortunately, the game had a short lifespan, being taken off the market in 2018 after just a few years.

3 The Sonic Cafe Games

A Vast Menu Lost To Time

Developer: Sonic Team
Platforms: i-mode, EZweb and Vodafone cellphones
Established: January 2001
Discontinued: December 2007

Similar to its successor, the original “Sonic Jump” is no longer available too. Alongside it, games like “Sonic Tennis”, “Sonic Golf”, “Sonic’s Napoleon”, “Nakayoshi Chao”, “Sonic Fishing”, “Sonic Darts”, “Sonic Hopping”, “Tails no Flying Get”, “Amy’s American Page 1”, “Shadow Shoot”, “Sonic’s Casino Poker”, and even a version of “Sonic the Hedgehog” for mobile phones from the year 2000, which only had one act of Green Hill Zone, have also disappeared.

As a devoted Sonic fan, I’ve got to share my reminiscences about the unique gaming experience provided by the Sonic Cafe, an exclusive mobile service available only in Japan. For a monthly subscription fee, players like me had access to an array of Sonic games and more. Some of its quirky minigames even made their way onto Western phones through Sega Mobile, such as Sonic Jump and Sonic Backgammon. Unfortunately, the Cafe shut down permanently in 2007, leaving a trail of enchanting and peculiar games floating in cyberspace.

2 Sonic Unleashed (Mobile)

A Portable Take On The World Adventure

Developer: Gameloft
Platforms: Blackberry 8900, J2ME phones, Android
Released: June 2009, 2011 (Android)
Delisted: Circa 2012

Some individuals had their initial encounter with Sonic’s 3D boost gameplay in Sonic Unleashed, which was available on Xbox 360 and PS3. However, some ended up playing a lower-resolution version on the Wii and PS2, missing out on the graphical enhancements of the HD version. A very small number might have played the boost and Werehog combat via the mobile adaptation of the game.

Essentially, the mobile adaptation of “Sonic Unleashed” was a simplified 2D variant of the original game, resembling the “Sonic Rush” series in terms of gameplay. However, due to the limitations of Blackberry, J2ME, and early Android phones, it didn’t offer much. The game had issues with buggy performance and sound quality. It was launched only in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, and the Middle East. Despite this, players generally preferred Sonic’s boost gameplay over the Werehog version.

1 Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games

Going Off Piste Into Obscurity

Developer: Venan Entertainment
Platform: iOS
Released: January 2010
Delisted: February 2010

You can easily find any of the old Mario & Sonic Olympics games, but it’s quite unlikely you’ll stumble upon Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. Essentially, it was a mobile adaptation of the Mario & Sonic Winter Olympics game, with Mario and his pals noticeably absent from the roster. Instead, players were limited to choosing between Sonic and his allies for a selection of winter games.

The game was exclusively available on iOS devices, but it was removed from the Apple Store just a week after its release, and neither Sega nor Apple have explained why. Since it was officially licensed by the International Olympic Committee, there may have been legal complications with Nintendo, although this hasn’t been confirmed. What remains is that it was the first Sonic game of the 2010s to be released.

2024-10-27 17:04