Sonic's always had a bit of a rough ride when it came to transitioning to 3D. But while Sega itself has picked up, worn out and ditched several different approaches over the years, one fan-game might just have cracked it by turning the blue blur into a prickly little golf ball.
Using popular Doom-engine fan game Sonic Robo Blast 2, Snolf RB2 creator Oakreef has altered the spin-off's multi-layered platforming stages to create a high-speed mini-golf course.Â
Do you like Sonic? Do you like golf? Do you wish you could somehow combine these two? It's your lucky day, Snolf Robo Blast 2 is here! https://t.co/y6zs5JDNTG pic.twitter.com/iFFF5ht04wNovember 20, 2020
It shouldn't be surprising that Sonic levels make for good golf courses, mind. Using the time-tested controls of power and accuracy bars, the platformer's boundaries and hazards translate effortlessly to mini-golf, with the ending flag making for a natural hole.Â
I'm always pleasantly surprised to see what the Sonic modding community is up to these days. Snolf itself is built on top of similar mods for Sonic 2 and 3, which I discovered while writing were developed by an old uni mate of mine. With Sega unusually content to let the platform do its own thing, Sonic Robo Blast 2 itself has kinda carved out a solid niche as a jumping-off point for strange fan-games in recent years—including maybe the best kart-racer you can play on PC.
It might not lead to the publisher picking up the team for an official hedgehog golfing sim a la Sonic Mania, but it's still a nice peek into where the more creative spins on Sonic are coming from. Just, err, don't go playing the king's game with real-life hedgehogs. That's animal cruelty, that is.