SAGE 2024 - Demo Sonic Rush 3D (Sage 2024 Demo)

Honestly, what can I say that hasn't been said before. Great game, that perfectly replicates the original Rush's incredibly fast gameplay, with a few additions from the 3D Boost games that fit like a ring with it. The level design is mostly incredible, and the alternate pathways all feel neat. But I'm sure you've read all these and more, rightfully earned, praises in practically every other comment, so I'd like to list my gripes with it instead.

Bugs:

• Pressing A too fast on the options menu causes you not to be able to see the sub-menu. Easily fixable by just pressing B, though.
• Holding a direction at the start of the level causes Sonic not to move. Let go and he's freed, but still messes with some level restarts.
• There's certain parts where doing a Forward Trick a bit late will make Sonic aim it to the side, sometimes ruining your shortcut, or killing you.
• Homing Attacking Something while Air Boosting may get you stuck as Ball Form, without being able to jump.
• Some 2D Springs don't have Homing Markers, nor can they be Homing Attacked.
• The Trick Spring after the 2D Waterfall section doesn't allow you to do a Forward or Upward Trick if you start tricking.
• On the 3D platforming section above the waterfall, after bouncing from the spring before the vine, if you Light Speed Dash the 3 rings near it, you'll be stuck forever.
• Some checkpoints spawn you looking at the wrong side.
• The first Egg Ball doesn't actually hurt you.

Gripes:

• No stage intro, but an automated 2-sec look at a bush while Sonic moves to the first trick section, which you wouldn't notice at first since it lasts a sec and the camera doesn't let you look at the trick shines. I'm sure the stage intro will be present in future versions, but I think the camera being changed into a regular behind-the-back one until the part where it shows Sonic's different sides would be wonderful.
• Rail tricks don't give points, nor do they have a finisher, unlike 2D Rush.
• You get way too many rings despite them not really having any use, since you lose all of them on hit, and they don't affect your speed.
• All 3D sections in the latter half have bottomless pits, so making a mistake in the air is a guaranteed death.
• It's way too hard to grab that one Rainbow Ring near the flapper, specially when not doing it after a respawn, since the camera's further away, and the Ring is on an 45° angle after Homing Attacking the Flapper.
• I don't think the slide works really well. Maybe it could be like B makes you curl and pressing it again can uncurl you. That'd even make more sense with the original Rush, since Colors DS is the only one with the slide.
• There's no score decrease when tricking in the same spring.

Suggestions:

• Rather than the amount of tricks, maybe the Trick counter could show how many points it'll be adding, like in the original.
• Reduce the amount of rings, and make them increase your speed, kinda like in Advance 2. That'd give more use to them.
• Replace the Tension box on the quick-step section with a Speed or Ring one. I don't think it makes much sense to give away Tension right before a cutscene and a long trick section.
• Maybe the part with the first Egg Ball could lead to another mini-cutscene with the vine launcher.
• I think it should be more difficult to get S Rank. I had to purposefully avoid tricking just to get an A rank.
• Maybe you could add the Bounce when holding Stomp, or when using it during a Trick, like in the Advance games. Could help make platforming faster.
• Some of the 2D springs could work as bounce poles.
• Add an Egg Rank animation for the results screen to go along with the funny fail music.
• Maybe add Red Star Rings to make other routes more valuable.
• I think it'd be for the best if the Homing Markers were bigger.

And that's about it. Don't take it the wrong way, I think this game is awesome, but could use some ironing to truly make it a 5/5. Looking forward to the next version!

wow. the first demo of this game was pretty good, but this is stellar. everything here works so well, it's a near perfect translation of the rush philosophy into 3D.

--- Controls ---
where do i even begin? the boost works wonderfully, no bones about it. every base level move like the homing attack and drifting work very well, the drifting could use a bit of tightening up, but it still felt good.

bringing the trick system from the advance games into this game was a genius decision, it makes the game flow way better and gives way to a ton of alternate routes that are nothing short of fun to explore.

--- Graphics ---
i am a sucker for the DS-PS2 low poly environments, and this game nails the style of rush's bitcrushed visuals with low-poly assets. it feels like it was ripped straight from a DS game and given that extra dimension.

the mid-level cutscenes and spectacle are incredible touches, it gives the stage way more personality and makes it far more memorable in my opinion. sonic's model is also very good i love that little guy so much

--- Difficulty ---
as expected, the first stage in the game wasn't all that difficult. perfect difficulty for a tutorial level though. and the best part, no hallmarks of a dimps-constructed game like bottomless pits that you would never see coming or an obscene amount of instant-death crushers. the stage is given difficulty by your skill level alone, and i love it.

however, i feel like the S rank maybe be a bit too easy. i got it on my second run, straight after an Egg Rank. (no clue if that's actually what it's called.

--- Conclusion ---
overall, amazing demo. it managed to give me back the wonder that the original rush gave me back when i was a kid, amazing work from everyone. i'm super excited to see where this project goes.

I absolutely need this game to happen, that’s how amazing the first level is, there’s only 1 level and I’ve been playing non stop, steam says I’ve logged over 10 hours on this game, if really feels amazing, the level design, the speed, the tricking system, and different options. The only I wish is that I had more of it, if there is anything I can do to help get this game produced faster I will, that’s how much I want this to happen

I have such high hopes for this fantastic project! The level designers fully know what they're up to when it comes to the best of the best level design and, when packaged with excellent style and visual flare, is truly something special. You don't see this everyday!
I believe that a full game with this direction could become one of the all time greats, rivaling even the best of Sonic games, fan game and official!
This game does have a few inconsistencies and bugs around the corners, but that's never stopped games from being fantastic before, and it certainly doesn't now either! Start the game with hints turned on for the best initial experience!

Pros:
- Fantastic level design that is both expressive, free, and very open to creative movement!
- Amazing segments of 2D that perfectly complement the vast 3D landscape!
- Amazing visuals in a lush 3d space!
- Great animations all throughout!
- Great controls that feel fluid, responsive, and have perfect weight!
- Excellent beginner tutorial that makes the player excited for mastery!

Improvables & Minor Bugs:
- Soundtrack and sound effects right from Sonic Rush; while not a deal breaker, unique remixes and SFX could go a long way!
- Light speed dash VERY OCCASIONALLY sends backwards. Not the worst case I've seen, but is present in cases.
- Trick being mapped to △ and boost being mapped to does make boost-tricking a bit of a difficult maneuver. While can be rebound, the default can be cumbersome at first.
- Light speed dashes can occasionally be overwritten by the tricks system, which is most notable at the beginning of the act.
- Grinding backwards on rails can end up in an unintended floating state.
- Automation can be found throughout the games set pieces. While automation is no deal breaker, having some set pieces be free and add a lot!
- Is currently only one level (Which is less of a con than it is an eager awaiting for more!)
- Menu options don't display their effects within a test window, which makes some settings confusing at a first glance
- S Rank may be a smidge too easy to nab on the second attempt. I felt that, even during my test runs, I was still getting S consistently.
- Spindash functions more as a Frontiers-styled launch (Which, if intentional, no judge!), which may catch new players off guard.
- Homing attack occasionally hits enemies that were not wanted to be attacked. Not in the sense that they wanted to live by the way.
& A fair amount of minor glitches that aren't too out of the ordinary (Wall clipping, 3D in 2D, etc.), but don't ruin the experience at all!

If you're looking for a game to play this SAGE, I couldn't recommend this enough!
And if you get stuck, lost, or confused, please turn the hints on, this is not Sonic Generations

For the developers:
Something I've always held against the new Sonic installments is the lack of importance of rings, as, in the Genesis era with lives and continues being a dominant force, they don't really mean anything in the new games. While I don't think that ruins the entire experience, I think finding key replacements for those elements would be key to creating a new game that feels cohesive (Something more like Penny's Big Breakaway :3). If I were to give any personal takes, I believe making veteran challenges for a 'Red Ring' type object and having rings and points award 'Trophies', in which they both unlock more difficult content for the veteran experience, would elevate the experience for the returning player, while allowing casual players a fun experience that can always allow them to grow and conquer. Thank you guys for putting in the work to making a fantastic demo, and I will be watching this game like a hawk once again.


Played on a DualShock 4 controller & run on a 3060 TI & 11th Gen i7-11700 @ 2.5 GHz. All controls default, with rendering at FHD 1080p.

God, this is wonderful. This truly does feel like a Generations or Unleashed Boost Game in all the right ways. Nice pathing, the tricks from Rush translated wonderfully, excellent Low-Poly Look. Its genuinely so great.

Only issues come from it being worked on, which I imagine will be ironed out.

I don't usually go out of my way to play Sonic fan games too often, but Rush my favorite game of all time, so I really wanted to check it out! Rush 3D an awesome game but there's some stuff here I'd like to see fixed or changed in the future!


Super awesome cool stuff:


• Sonic's animations are extremely fluid and cool looking. Specifically, those gorgeously animated tricks man they look awesome!


• The gameplay is extremely fun and fluent. There were some moments of jank like trying to slide under a tree but instead I would spindash but overall, it plays well! I'm sure this is one of those things that'll get polished down the line, however.


• The menus are a recreation of the original and they absolutely keep their funky charm with extra detail like tails in the options menu being fully 3d and animated instead of a static spite. I'm really excited to see what the character select menu will look like once we see Blaze as a playable option!


• It captures the retro feel of the DS very well with its low poly models and textures!



Things I'd like to see improved/changed:


• I do wish certain sound elements that gave Rush it's charm we're present like the crowd cheers or Sonic's original jump sound. I'm also pretty sure Sonic is missing some of his voice clips like his "OW" hurt sound and his extremely satisfying "YEAAH" while tricking. ALSO the chime sound that plays when you do a trick or destroy an enemy at full boost meter is no longer present which threw me off more than I'd like to admit. I do get it was probably toned down because in the original it drowned out the music but I'm extremely nostalgic for them and would die if we got a toggle for it.


• the boost meter and Sonic no longer flash when full to indicate you have infinite boost which threw me off a few times. There is a star that spins that gives you an indicator but when I'm focusing on trying not to fall off the stage and it's a little out of my way to look over and check. As stated above I think adding the audible chimes that indicate when I have infinite boost would help tremendously with that.


• At the end of a stage/boss in the original, Sonic would breakdance to the music and it gave the game just that extra little funky feel to it. The ending animation we have is cool with him doing a few flips and a thumbs up BUT I do hope we can get something closer to the original in terms of him ABSOLUTELY getting down to that funky music on the result screen.


Overall I'd say I enjoyed it very much but I do hope more of the original funky over the top feel can make it into the game and I'm excited to see future updates and more from this game! Keep up the good work!

so good

Why would you have pc controls but not tell us what those controls are?

The game plays and looks simply stunning, but there are nuances.
Firstly - bugs, many different gods that often interfered, for example, when you are in a 2D perspective, then doing a light dash, the character just hangs near the ring, and does not move anywhere further until you restart the game.
Secondly - the camera, while running it is too close to the character, because of which it is not always possible to see where you are running. And sometimes it is too far, as a result of which the character is not visible at all.

man i cant play with my xbox 360 gamepad..

This is genuinely the thing I have ever played.

Its just janky af

muy buen fangame, tiene mucho potencial y puede ser el homenaje definitivo a sonic rush, a pesar de que tiene muchos problemas como varios gliches y el que los iconos de controles de teclado no se muestren en los tutoriales o en la pagina lo cual me causo softblockearme en una parte del acto por no saber hacer un movimiento, también esta el bug de los carteles de tutorial en el que al pausar y quitar el menú de pausa se va la cámara lenta y el cartel se queda ahí todo el resto del acto, esto se acumula con otros carteles de tutorial, es muy buen juego, una idea para arreglar el tema de el teclado es que en vez de mostrar los iconos para los controles en teclado muestren el nombre de la tecla para no tener que hacer un icono de todas las teclas del teclado, por lo demás es un juego de boost muy competente que no peca de exceso de partes automáticas y con un estilo artístico muy fiel al juego original, pero por el tema de no mostrar los controles de teclado no le puedo dar mas de 3 estrellas

- RIGHT THERE, RIDE ON! RIGHT THERE, RIDE ON! RIGHT THERE, RIDE ON! RIGHT THERE, RIDE ON! RIGHT THERE, RIDE ON! RIGHT THERE, RIDE ON! RIGHT THERE, RIDE ON!

Okay but seriously this is such a blast to play, so many alternate paths makes this stage extremely replayable. This level is a masterpiece, although I did like Windmill Palace, this blows that level out of the water!!! Or is it "out of the park"... hell if i know.

Also, I played this on Steam Deck with Proton, so, everything worked perfectly.
At first I felt Sonic's turning was too weak but after grinding the stage and getting a hand of drifting, I got used to it.
And I have 3 runs of this level on my channel, so yeah, i love this fangame and cant wait to see more.
I'm excited to see Blaze at some point in the future!

A bunch of good here, from the main moveset to the speed, definitely curious to see more. But right now this is quite a jank-o-city, from ground collision at times happening a good distance away from Sonic to some textures just being stretched, to a bunch of no-clipping being possible, aaand a bunch of areas lacking killplanes when and if you do fall through the ground. A good example of the no-killplane is at the very start, when Sonic does his automated jump in the first few seconds, you can hit bounce to clip through the ground, and get softlocked when there's no killplane to kill him.

I ended up taking 20-30 minutes to complete the stage on a couple of seperate runs, not because "I was bad", but because I was intentionally wasting time finding glitchy and fun placed to widget around with - insert a bunch of jumping, bouncing, drifting and sidestepping during automated sections to see what happens, leading to funky stuff like this. When I did beat the stage the game gave me A rank since I got a massive Time Bonus, I dunno at what point the time bonus just breaks, possibly past 10 minute mark? But yeah, you might wanna look into that.

Spindashing was also very weird. Spindashing into one enemy often took Sonic out of the spin meaning the next enemy damaged him. Spindashing on a few select hills also made Sonic ZOOOOM forward, allowing for some funky skips haha. Fun to play with, but probably not in the intended ways.

Ah, yeah, the final segment of the stage with the bombs was also uh, interesting. The first bomb that follows after you no-clips through Sonic (if you don't boost and it catches up with you that is) and doesn't do anything, but the following bombs are insta-death. They were prolly all supposed to be insta-death? Some sorta markings on the ground would also do great to make it easier to watch out for them (like, maybe the grass texture has withered where the bombs bounce), especially on the green grass where you gotta avoid a bunch of em bouncing around, sometimes it felt like they just popped up into the camera in a couple of frames and without any warning just killed Sonic. A bit too punishing, especially if there's a good run going.

Things need work, but this is a very nice start for things! Just a bunch of polishing to do and it will be even better.

This is quite awesome! It's even greater than before, all of the new details don't miss and the level is pretty well made. Can't wait for Blaze (like actually I'm impatient)

Pretty good, would say at times the 3d sections felt like it was really empty with just rings and sets of enemies all about, but a lot of boost games do this so its more of a nitpick. Only real thing that felt off was the movement when boosting SPECIFICALLY in 3d felt REALLY sluggish. If it's intended so that players dont boost willy nilly, thats fine, but it really just made boosting in 3d sections feel super off-putting.

It meshes Rush and Unleashed pretty well, and the level design is fun with plenty of shortcuts. Some even make you explore the level and/or get creative with the physics, and it isn't only a matter of "you failed a platforming section so you get a longer route".

But there are quite a few glitches which bump my score down. Every time in the dozen or so I've replayed the stage, something happened:
-The camera got randomly stuck at a top view of Sonic (which becomes a low angle when boosting) until dying. If this happens, segments with a fixed camera still work but then it goes back to being broken.
-Getting stuck at the beginning or end of rails until jumping.
-Hint slowdown sometimes stays after performing the move that's told, and it's a different input altogether what stops it.
-Sonic getting stuck inside of springs forever until doing a trick; if it's a double jump, he shoots upwards infinitely, and if it's a forward trick, he cannot stop spinning. Happens more often when hitting the spring immediately after taking a pulley, but homing attacks or stomping on them can do it too.

It needs a bit of polish but all in all, it's a really enjoyable fangame if all goes right.

I'd do 4.5 if I could but that's not an option lol

Absolutely one of my most anticipated projects of the event and I had such a blast playing through the demo! You guys did a phenomenal job all the way through! If I had to give some advice, on the artistic end, I've noticed a lot of textures look very natural, falling pretty in-line with Sonic Unleashed, which is pretty cool, but I think a distinct lack in repeating patters makes the player *feel* slower. Taking notes from games like F-Zero X, which has repeating stripes to help the game feel faster would help. The ground could probably use a checkerboard-like pattern like Green Hill to create that sense of speed. There were also a lot of general stability issues that I'm sure you guys know about already, and I'm not gonna get too annoying about those because MAKING 3D GAMES IS HARD LOL but all in all, this was a wonderful experience, and you guys should be very proud of your work! Looking forward to what you guys do next!

A lot of elbow grease needs to be done.
Constantly falling off certain sections, you somehow miss checkpoints if you're fast.
So much automation in some parts, so little automation at parts that desperately need it. Like, its a cool concept I'd enjoy the game more if it didnt instill trust issues in things just working one run the next never working (This area in the screenshot in particular)
Camera is far too close in a lot of situations, recheck them because they dont really display vital
This entire forest section is fundamentally barren, so many times I've attempted and never have kept my boost up, call it skill issue but when I'm actively trying to do the thing I'm supposed to do (Boost) And cant even hit a single enemy when im yanking sonic around like a runaway bike, its not fun.

I've actually never been able to beat this demo because of how frustratingly jank, unresponsive sonic can be, how close the camera is and how just, rough it is, you had 2 extra years and this is the product?
Seems like style over substance as is right now, but that style really does carry it.
I hope to see this get fixed up because theres potential here but right now my thoughts have been nothing short of dissapointed.

Honestly, I expected peak and I got something better than peak.

The only thing that breaks is the light speed dash, sometimes, the spin dash goes bonkers (sometimes) and when it loads whenever you die.

Other than that this is truly peak and I'm 100% excited for any future updates to this game.