SAGE 2019: Sonic Smackdown Interview

With the Sonic series’ large cast of characters and unique abilities, the fighting genre is one that’s held plenty of potential. Surprisingly enough, Sonic has only starred in two fighting games of his own, leaving the field quite barren. That’s where the fans step in, such as developer Streak Thunderstorm and his latest project, Sonic Smackdown. Recently we set aside some time to chat with Streak about the game and what to expect in the future.

TSSZ: Alright Streak, could you give us the scoop on what Sonic Smackdown is?

Streak: Sonic Smackdown is a traditional 2D side-scrolling fighter, much like the Marvel vs Capcom series, with Sonic characters.

TSSZ: We’d love to hear more about this project’s origins. When did that first idea spark?

Streak: The project started as a whim. We were developing our original IP “Origin of Storms” when I stumbled upon the Sonic Retro discord. Neo Hazard brought me into the SFGHQ discord and mentioned SAGE was coming up. We were about 40 days out. From that point on, I decided to throw something together for SAGE using our IP’s engine, but with Sonic assets that could be found around the internet.

TSSZ: We’ve seen a lot of fighting games at SAGE as of late. In your opinion, what makes Smackdown stand out from the crowd?

Streak: What makes this game stand out is the close attention we paid to get the gameplay feeling right like a proper Capcom fighter as well as trying to keep the characters’ moves lore friendly. We really hope that attention to detail shines above all else.

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TSSZ: What fighting game(s) are Smackdown most inspired by, and what elements would you say stand out as their own?

Streak: I’d say Sonic Smackdown is heavily inspired by Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3. I loved the fast-paced combat but actually hated the touch of death combos. To remedy that, we gave each player the ability to burst out of combos on while being hit or while blocking.

TSSZ: When it comes to Sonic, are you more of a Fighters fan, or Sonic Battle? What’s your favorite fighting game in general?

Streak: I’m definitely more of a Sonic Battle fan. If you check out some of the Smackdown movesets, you can see that they’re inspired by their counterparts in that game. My favorite fighting game of all time is Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3.

TSSZ: I can only imagine how challenging it is balancing characters and ironing out all the kinks. What have you found to be most difficult during development? On the flip side, what’s been the most rewarding?

Streak: The most difficult thing we’ve encountered is preventing infinite combos. Plenty of people love the fast pace and they record videos that go viral of their touch of Death combos in Sonic Smackdown but we’ve got to stress the fact that these combos wouldn’t happen versus a live player. The burst feature would save them from that instant death combo. The most rewarding thing however, is the fact that people genuinely enjoy playing the game. We’ve had overwhelmingly positive feedback and we want to continue making the community happy.

https://twitter.com/ArcForged/status/1174450297026023425

TSSZ: Is the game still in development? Can fans expect to see any more characters and/or stages in the future?

Streak: The game is still in development but it will take a backseat to our original IP now that SAGE is here. If SEGA is interested, we’re available to make this game a reality! haha.

We had 15 characters planned for the final version of the game. There will definitely be more stages, most likely one per character.

TSSZ: Where’s the best place for fans to keep up to date on Sonic Smackdown?

Streak: If you want to keep up with development of Sonic Smackdown or even Origin of Storms, follow our Twitter. We’re very active there.

TSSZ: That about wraps things up! Thanks for taking the time to talk with us today. Best of luck to you with Sonic Smackdown.

Streak: Thanks for your time as well! Take care!