The True Reason Sonic Can't Swim Has Finally Been Revealed
As more information on "Sonic Frontiers" is released, we're starting to finally understand what the game's open zone format means compared to the idea of a fully open-world game. The latest trailer for the title not only gave a bigger glimpse into the story details, but confirmed that fans asking for a delay will have to be disappointed due to Sega sticking to its guns and aiming to release the game on Nov. 8th of this year.
There's still plenty of mystery around what type of gameplay content we'll see within "Sonic Frontiers," but it's safe to assume that we can expect Sega to adhere to their two most important rules for Sonic: the idea of "gotta go fast" and that Sonic can't swim. Part of the untold truth about the blue blur's trouble with buoyancy originated because of developer Yuji Naka's misunderstanding that real hedgehogs couldn't swim, but it turns out there's even more to the story.
Swimming is Sonic's kryptonite
A recent tweet by Twitter user TeeChu, sought confirmation from Sonic creator Yuji Naka regarding the belief that hedgehogs couldn't swim and whether it really did influence development on the original "Sonic the Hedgehog." Naka himself responded to the tweet reaffirming the idea and even providing additional details. "Yes, I did not know that," he wrote. "I first learned that hedgehogs could swim when I visited a hedgehog shelter in Germany. But Sonic can't swim because I thought it would be better for him to have something he is not good at as a character."
It would seem that there was much more thought put into Sonic's water levels than originally believed. Naka's decision to give Sonic a weakness added a challenge to the game. If players could zoom around underwater just as easily as they do on land, it might've made those classic water levels just a bit too easy. Of course, players around the world might have been spared the anxiety-inducing music that begins playing as Sonic runs out of air too and that wouldn't have been so bad.
While it's safe to assume that Sega has stuck to their rules and "Sonic Frontiers" likely won't make Sonic any more capable in water, fans can also take comfort in the fact that Sega will likely stick to their plan of putting his most bizarre behavior of kissing humans to rest.