Today, June 23rd, marks the 30th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog. To celebrate such a huge occasion for one of the biggest gaming icons of all time, Minecraft has officially partnered with the blue blur in a brand new DLC pack. The DLC gives Sonic and his friends a new, blocky makeover and gives players a chance to play through classic Sonic worlds lovingly rendered in Minecraft’s unique, very square look.
According to Minecraft’s official website, players will get to race with Sonic and co. through a procedurally generated infinite runner based on Sonic locations, such as Green Hill and Chemical Plant Zone. Each area also comes with all the bells and whistles fans expect from the original Sonic games, including spring jumps, boost pads, loop-de-loops, enemy robots, bosses, and of course, plenty of rings to pick up along the way (though they look a lot squarer than usual here). The trailer also shows off signposts, chaos emeralds, free-falling sections, and even a chao garden populated by adorable block-built chaos.
Sonic isn’t the only speed freak coming to Minecraft, either. Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Shadow all look to be playable, so fans will get to take off with their favorite characters, be they hedgehog, echidna, or fox. Even the character-specific vehicles, like Tail’s plane and Shadow’s motorcycle, have been given the Minecraft Makeover. In fact, even Tail’s ever-classic garage has been built with the Minecraft engine, which is just cool even if you aren’t the biggest Sonic fan.
Along with the DLC release, Minecraft will also be giving away a free item on the Minecraft Marketplace in honor of Sonic’s 30th Anniversary. There will also be events, minigames, and more taking place on Minecraft server-hubs to help fans of both Minecraft and Sonic celebrate this momentous occasion.You can check out the full announcement trailer in the tweet below.
In addition to all this, Sega also held a 30th Anniversary Symphony to celebrate not only Sonic himself, but all the amazing music that’s accompanied him on all his adventures. Fans can expect to hear all the best soundtracks Sonic has ever starred in from a full orchestra paired with Crush Forty, the band responsible for most of the blue blur’s most recognizable tracks. The symphony went live on Youtube for just over two hours, all of which can be watched below or on the official Sonic the Hedgehog youtube.
The Sonic the Hedgehog DLC is available now for 1340 Minecoins, or about ten dollars.