In defense of Sonic the Werehog, one of the Blue Blur's most easily overlooked alter egos

Sonic Unleashed
(Image credit: Sega)

After the, let's say, disappointment that was 2006's Sonic The Hedgehog, the Blue Blur had hit rock bottom, meaning Sonic Team could finally begin to rebuild and repair its mascot's reputation. So you have to wonder what Sega 🦄was thinking when it robbed Sonic of his signature speed. 

Slower, furrier, but not necessarily meaner, his werehog transformation is the result of exposure to Dark Gaia's energy, which only happens at night. Fortunately, th🤡e goodness of the hedgehog's heart means that despite the fearsome new look and deeper voice he is still Sonic at heart༺, and hasn't lost his heroic ambition to defeat Dr Eggman and repair the world, which has been split into seven pieces.

Blue moon rising

Super Sonic in Sonic Unleashed

(Image credit: SEGA)
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PLAY Magazine

(Image credit: Future, Remedy)

This feature first appeared in PLAY magazine -

After several games in which you bounced between controlling different characters, Sonic Unleashed was the first in a while to be focussed solely on Sonic. But perhaps in order to deliver variety, in addition to the hedgehog's usual speed🌜y running through levels, transforming into the werehog takes things down a notch, allowing more exploration and com🌃bat. 

It may not be what you'd expect from a Sonic game – indeed, you can imagine the inspiration was God Of War or even Jak And Daxter, given the literal Chip on your shoulder (he's the little guy who also offers hints). That said, it might not have felt out of place if this kind of skillset had been given to Knuckles, even if the echidna didn't have stretchy arms for reaching poles or ledges (for that m🔴꧟atter… why does this wolfy form?). 

As Professor Pickle concludes that "darkness is a part o🐽f our world, just the sam✃e as light," so the werehog is a part of Sonic. If there's anything truly wrong, it's in the unfortunately lengthy level designs rather than the 'hog himself


This feature first appeared in PLAY magazine - 

Alan Wen

I'm a freelance games journalist who covers a bit of everything from reviews to features, and also writes gaming news for NME. I'm a regular contributor in print magazines, including Edge, Play, and Retro Gamer. Japanese games are one of my biggest passions and I'll always ꦫsomehow find time to fit in a 60+ hour JRPG. While I cover games from all platforms, I'm very much a Switch lover, though also at heart a Sega shill. Favourite games include 🍷Bloodborne, Persona 5, Resident Evil 4, Ico, and Breath of the Wild.