Telltale announces “The Adventures of Sonic”

The latest in a long line of adventure game licensing deals

Telltale games has been making a name for themselves recently – starting in 2005 with their adventure game adaptation of the graphic novel “Bone“, they have come to define episodic gaming with properties like Sam & Max, and Monkey Island. Not content with video game characters, they upped the ante by branching out in to popular entertainment licenses, producing even more episodic adventure games for the likes of Strongbad, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, The Walking Dead, and DC Comics’ Fables. Today, Sonic the Hedgehog joins their killer line-up.

You cannot get ye chili dog.

“The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog” is a 5 episode adventure game series, coming this summer to iPhone, iPod Touch, and DSiWare, with plans for graphically enhanced iPad, Xbox Live Arcade, and PSN versions later this fall:

The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
Episode 1: A Blast from the Past
Episode 2: The Grass is Always Greener
Episode 3: The Secret of Angel Island
Episode 4: I Am The Eggman
Episode 5: Endgame

Picking up from the recent relaunch of the “SatAM” TV series, The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog follows Sonic through the rise and fall of Dr. Robotnik and his subsequent rebirth as the unstoppable Dr. Eggman.

“We’re incredibly proud of this partnership,” remarked Stella Gemalet, a brand manager at Telltale. “Sega has never been afraid to give the keys to this franchise away to those worthy enough to handle the task. What we’re doing with The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog compliments the relaunch of another world of this character, a world many have great nostalgia for.”

“We’re tapping in to that nostalgia in a big way,” she added. “Retro-styled games have proven to be hugely successful, with Mega Man 10 recapturing that feeling of being a kid again. Sega was gracious enough to let us go back to our SCUMM roots with Adventures of Sonic. We’ve made a few improvements to the engine, but not so much as to deter from the game’s classic retro charm.” But that’s not to say the game will be slow, oh no. Many of the game’s puzzles implement timed elements, requiring the player to find their solutions quickly – or be met with a harsh penalty. “We’re dying to see how the player reacts to some of the things that happen if they aren’t fast enough,” she adds.

Stella is confident their relationship with Sega will be a long and fruitful one. “We’re all very eager to start discussing ideas for Adventures of Sonic Season 2. We spend a lot of time in Season 1 setting up concepts and reintroducing the player to these characters – we have some very interesting ideas planned for the future.” And she’s not just talking about blue hedgehogs, either. “If this goes well enough, there’s plenty of room to further our partnership through other Sega properties.” Though she refused to get very specific, she did leave us with this tantalizing tidbit: “There’s unresolved issues regarding a Phoenix and Dragon Mirror that I’m sure fans would love to get closure on – but I’ve probably said too much.”