Sonic CD: The Unsung Masterpiece

Welcome to the Sonic CD renaissance~

Sonic CD gets a bit of a bad rap. Let’s see if we can’t do something about that. Join me as I meticulously scrutinise every last detail of this bizarre and magical title, along with every other Classic Sonic game while I’m at it! It’s a one-of-a-kind Sonic spectacular!! Fair warning: this is not a normal analysis video. It’s something far stranger; more abstract, more experimental and more personal. It's a journey of twists and turns, careful build-ups, huge pay-offs, big laughs, crazy surprises and perhaps even a few sweet moments. Most importantly, it is a work of pure passion and sincerity. That alone doesn’t make a good video, but I still think it's important. As a wise man once said, “the most powerful story anyone can tell is their own”. So, sit back and let me tell you a story!

CHAPTER SELECTION
1. Intro [00:00]
2. How I Met Sonic (A Nostalgic Prologue) [0:05:19]
3. Falling In Love with CD [0:21:21]
4. Sonic 1 Changed Everything [0:29:05]
5. The Heart of Sonic 1 [0:41:26]
6. Shortcomings and Sequels [0:47:40]
7. Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Level Design? (Sonic CD Gameplay Breakdown) [0:54:45]
8. The Paradox of Choice [1:42:36]
9. Sonic CD’s Fatal Flaw [2:02:05]
10. Sonic 2 vs. CD (Emergent vs Prescribed Design) [2:11:05]
11. Sonic 3 vs. CD (The Cost of Spectacle) [2:21:25]
12. Sonic Adventure 1&2 (The Cost of Even More Spectacle) [2:36:50]
13. Knuckles’ Quest vs. CD (Polar-Opposite Philosophies) [2:44:19]
14. The Mega-CD Original [2:51:10]
15. Lessons from Sonic CD’s Level Design [3:00:37]
16. Bosses [3:07:31]
17. Special Stages [3:15:49]

INTERMISSION I. [3:23:16]

18. How Sonic CD Evolved Sonic 1’s Themes [3:24:58]
19. Aesthetic is Narrative / Visual Storytelling [3:35:07]
20. The Heart of Sonic CD [3:57:55]
21. Metal Sonic and Amy Rose [4:08:25]
22. “Emotional Content” [4:25:06]
23. The Artistry of Video Games [4:34:35]
24. Tell Your Own Story [4:40:00]
25. Sonic CD’s Spiritual Successor: NiGHTS into Dreams [4:50:39]
26. Sonic’s Evolved Cousin: Ristar! [5:10:46]
27. The Trial of Sonic Mania [5:18:03]

INTERMISSION II. [5:35:37]

28. Soundtrack Analysis [5:36:23]
29. Characterisation [6:15:16]
30. The Sins of SOA [6:29:01]
31. “SEGA Blue-Skies” [7:34:02]
32. Finale [7:37:24]
33. ~the EPILOGUE~‎ [7:43:32]

While each chapter was designed to be enhanced by the context of the prior ones, many of them also function as standalone viewing experiences. Don’t be afraid to jump around to whichever topic catches your eye. Curious to watch the video but find yourself intimidated by its monstrous length? Try watching a chapter per day. That’s a whole month of awesome content! If you just want a tight, streamlined Sonic CD analysis without the complete narrative experience, jump between the following chapters: 1, 3, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 28, 29, 30, 32. I call this “The Flood Order”. It’s a wildly different experience but still valid and interesting. Just like Burger King, watch in whatever way gives you the most entertainment!

All game footage captured from real hardware by me, with tiny exceptions for brief clips like Chaotix or 5-second shots of games I don’t own like Pulseman, which were sourced from LongplayArchive (   / @longplayarchive  ) / FCPlaythroughs (   / @fcplaythroughs  .

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COMPLETE MUSIC TRACKLIST: https://shorturl.at/gH63v

FAN ART LINKS (in order of appearance):
TheDuckGod: https://tinyurl.com/TheDuckGod
LadyGT: https://tinyurl.com/423seb6c
ThePandamis: https://tinyurl.com/2r3zembh
gazo1a: https://tinyurl.com/3z68h45b
InkPants #1: https://tinyurl.com/26s3eydr
tripplejaz #1: https://tinyurl.com/mr5zyfsu
BLiNGUS: https://tinyurl.com/3apvm42y
InkPants #2 [Start of “Fan Art Showcase” in Chapter 22]: https://tinyurl.com/4h6wku7r
Natalie F.: https://tinyurl.com/4n4a8f4d
kenyapf: https://tinyurl.com/2pdkhjvk
natsu-no-hi: https://tinyurl.com/32e2285r
Layeyes: https://tinyurl.com/2z8eswr5
unilunis: https://tinyurl.com/u69neuwr
DELTAHEAD_: https://tinyurl.com/3a66w2yk
RealSonicSpeed: https://tinyurl.com/592ubwyb
LoopyLupe: https://tinyurl.com/yp852mpc
Drawloverlala: https://tinyurl.com/49nvzkcy
Liris-san: https://tinyurl.com/59czn327
tripplejaz #2: https://tinyurl.com/y57e3x7t
Kansokushaaa: https://tinyurl.com/2vy6kx5p
zen-ryoku: https://tinyurl.com/ydzxav4x
AngelBee623 #1: https://tinyurl.com/yckpndsc
tripplejaz #3: https://tinyurl.com/f4nysta2
MoiraAunty: https://tinyurl.com/y5y6zmnv
Mark Hughes: https://tinyurl.com/54ye8hcv
Ravrous: https://tinyurl.com/fakp562f
CordRocker: https://tinyurl.com/mv8wj236
AngelBee623 #2: https://tinyurl.com/yw6zk5jv
Nerkin: https://tinyurl.com/4nrpaf5n

NiGHTs 3D Render by lowpolyparrot
Eggman Breakdance animation by deejamari: https://tinyurl.com/deejamari

Inspired by: ShayMay, Endless Jess, Fudj and Naoto Ohshima