WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary by Ian Flynn, Aaron Hammerstrom, Thomas Rothlisberger, Tracy Yardley, Reggie Graham, Matt Froese, Clint, Travis, Justin, and Griffin McElroy, Mauro Fonseca, Valentina Pinto, Gale Galligan and Nathalie Fourdraine on sale now.
For 30 exciting years, the Blue Blur has saved countless animals and planets from the dastardly clutches of Dr. Eggman and a myriad of other terrible villains. In celebration of Sonic’s 30th anniversary, IDW Comics released Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary, a collection of stories centering on Sonic and his friends. One of the stories, Seasons of Chaos by Ian Flynn, Aaron Hammerstrom, Thomas Rothlisberger, Tracy Yardley, Reggie Graham and Matt Froese, acts as a sequel to the 2017 video game Sonic Mania.
Sonic Mania’s story picks up where the 1994 Sega Genesis games Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles left off. Shortly after defeating Dr. Eggman Sonic and Knuckles detect a large energy reading from Angel Island. Dr. Eggman also detects it and sends a group of EggRobos to investigate. The energy came from an artifact known as the Phantom Ruby. It’s power was so great it transformed the EggRobos into more powerful robots known as the Hard-Boiled Heavies. The true ending to the game has Sonic defeating both Dr. Eggman and Heavy King, leader of the Hard-Boiled Heavies.
Seasons of Chaos begins with Sonic, Tails, and Amy finding a green Chaos Emerald sitting out in the open in the Spring Valley Zone. Just as they find it, Metal Sonic appears and steals it. Determined to retrieve the Chaos Emerald from the evil robot, Sonic and Tails rush off, accidentally leaving Amy behind. Amy picks up the Emerald Radar that Tails dropped and heads off on her own. Soon after Amy begins her mission, she comes across Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel. The three become friends instantly and head out to find Sonic and Tails.
It doesn’t take long before countless other characters become involved with finding the Chaos Emeralds. It turns out Metal Sonic and Metal Knuckles are on the loose. Meanwhile, the rotten mercenary trio Bark, Fang and Bean show up and start causing trouble. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles reunite with Amy, Mighty and Ray only to also run into Dr. Eggman. It’s a wild conundrum everyone finds themselves in as they try to figure out who’s working for who, and why. Finally, Dr. Eggman reveals that Heavy King became too independent and took over Dr. Eggman’s entire operation. In an unlikely team-up, Sonic and company manage to defeat Heavy King and prevent him and Dr. Eggman from gaining control of all of the Chaos Emeralds.
Seasons of Chaos is a fun and exciting story not only because it acts as a perfect sequel to Sonic Mania but also because it features Mighty and Ray. Both Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel were first introduced in SegaSonic the Hedgehog, a 1993 arcade game released primarily in Japan. SegaSonic the Hedgehog featured Sonic, Mighty and Ray as they raced through isometric courses, dodging obstacles and hazards. Mighty and Ray haven’t been seen very much since their arcade debut, so their inclusion in Seasons of Chaos is really cool.
Celebrating Sonic’s 30th birthday by releasing a sequel story to an amazing game and having it feature two of his more obscure friends is a great and very thoughtful thing to do. Sonic has been the shining star of his respective series over the past 30 years, but his supporting cast of allies and friends are just as important as he is. As Sonic continues to receive exciting new games, comics and stories, hopefully, we’ll be able to see more of Mighty and Ray. Anytime is a good time for them to join up with Team Chaotix and get a brand new game all to themselves.
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