Sonic Synergy (lost original build of "Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric" Wii U action-adventure game; 2007-2013)

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Sonic-synergy.png

The title screen of the game.

Status: Lost

Sonic Synergy was one of the original builds and the original title for the poorly received 2014 Wii U game Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric. While the game was spawned independently of the cartoon series to come, they were soon merged into a mass-media production that also included a comic book series, a toy line, clothing, and a new character added to Sonic Team's roster (Sticks the Badger).[1] The original ideas for the game, however, were very different.

Production History

Around 2007, it was stated that SEGA was looking for Western development teams to revitalize their intellectual properties, such as Sonic the Hedgehog, where production was forgotten. Big Red Button, a squadron of ex-Naughty Dog developers, was called on to produce Sonic Synergy.[2] During the earlier part of development, drastic re-designs for the characters were proposed. Sonic Team disapproved of these strange designs and desired they stick closer to the source material.[3]

The game featured a storyline featuring the "Ancients," ancestors of Sonic and company, who sealed the evil Lyric (an owl, a natural real-life predator of hedgehogs) away. Chao, known as "Chaos," can be used in the game. Eggman would have been featured as a younger, thin, and hillbilly-like character, implying time travel may have been a stronger component of the experience. Originally, the game was developed for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and possibly PC, but was moved to Wii U, the first of the game's many production troubles.[4][5]

As shown via the title screen, a "battle mode" was planned to be incorporated, likely a multiplayer VS. mode. During the game's development, SEGA began their mass-media production of Sonic Boom, and the game was absorbed into it. Lyric was changed to a snake, and elements from the TV series were added. Due to the surprise critical acclaim of Sonic Colors, the tone of the whole franchise steered towards comedy, and the original storyline was excised.[3] In addition, Big Red Button had a limited time to crank out the game. The result was one of the most poorly received Sonic games ever released, with criticisms towards the final game's large number of glitches, dated visuals, and poorly implemented gameplay mechanics.[6]

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