Hey everyone, -Aura_Fear- and Panthera leo here with yet another new dev blog post (#4) for you!


Ever since Sonic's first appearance in demo 0.3, he's always been focused on one thing: speed. Up until now, however, Sonic has been abusing his mach speed by running circles around everyone, leading to boring time outs and camp-fests. Not anymore. Now that Sonic has his speed under control, he now has sweet, speedy combos that stay true to the way Sonic was intended to be.

Sonic is a Fragile Speedster: he's faster than ever. Therefore, in order to keep him balanced, he's not gonna stick around for as long as he used to back in the 0.7 days (Light Speed Dash recovery. Need I say more?). Get caught in the wake of his speed, however, and you'll find yourself begging for mercy.


Previously, Sonic was largely a hit-and-run type character. He could combo to an extent with fair, but otherwise, these options were very limited and unvaried. This time around, he’s a much more offensive character, as seen in the video. Forward air still plays a part in his combo game, of course. Now, however, Sonic has many options. All of his throws, his basic jab, and down tilt will act as good combo starters, with neutral air, and forward air to rack up damage and even homing attack to keep your opponents helpless.
Be warned, though; in order to keep them going, you can’t be too slow.


Sonic’s Light Dash was one of his best moves in 0.7. Not only did it make his recovery amazing, but it also acted as one of his key tactics for approaching opponents. In 0.8, it’s still one of his best moves; now, there’s even more that can be done with it. Not only does Light Dash keep its ability to approach and get a combo started, but if you send your opponent flying out of Sonic’s range, it doubles as a quick option to re-approach them and keep up the onslaught.


In the last few demos, Sonic has maintained his spot as one of the best characters in the game, so it may seem like these new features make him even more powerful than ever. But he has his share of drawbacks. His vertical recovery isn’t as great as it once was. He also lacks the range many characters have now. His smash attacks lack the kill power they once had as well.


This means, in order to stay alive and in the lead, you’ll need to be quick in reacting to what your opponent does. If you aren’t fast enough, you’ll get punished. It'll take a lot to master Sonic's insane speed, but it's worth it.


Sonic will no longer be dishing out impossible to escape infinite combos anymore, like he could in 0.6. He won't be charging in for one hit then running away for an entire match, like he could in 0.7. The new Sonic has a much more refined design, is truly a fun character to play both casually and competitively. We hope that you'll have as much fun playing him as we do!