As an early April Fool’s Day joke, Sega has surprise launched a brand-newSonic the Hedgehogmurder mystery that’s available now for free. InThe Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, players will take on the role of Tails as he investigates, as the name implies, the murder of Sonic. Needless to say, this is oneSonic the Hedgehoggame that mostSonicfans never expected to play. That’s exactly what makes it the perfect April Fool’s Day surprise, though.Sega is well known for its great April Fool’s Day jokes. For example, seven years ago Sega released a browser game namedBig’s Big Fishing Adventure 3, starring thefish-loving Big the Cat. Just last year, the team at Sega put together a fake Limited Edition ofSonic Frontierswith a bathtub and a waterproof Sega Mega Drive. Sega even released the first trailer forYakuza: Like a Dragonon April Fool’s Day years back.Yakuzafans wished it was real, which it was, as Sega had likely expected.RELATED:Sega Looking to Work More Closely with Influencers to Promote Sonic the HedgehogHowever, this new effort from Sega may be its most impressive April Fool’s Day endeavor yet. Sega has been hinting at something for April Fool’s Day recently, joking that it had a new direction for theSonicfranchise. That new direction isThe Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, a free gameavailable to download right now from Steam. “Happy April Fool’s Day,” says the Sonic team on Twitter, “Except it’s real.”
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehogis listed as a casual game in which players interrogate some of theirfavoriteSoniccharactersregarding the eponymous blue hedgehog’s murder. Ironically, Sonic and his friends are attending Amy Rose’s murder mystery-themed party on the Mirage Express. Figuring out whether Sonic’s sudden demise is just part of the game or something more disturbing is what players will have to discover.
This quirky adventure game may at first seem quitedarker than fits theSonic the Hedgehogfranchise, but that’s probably a hint of its true nature. And having fun with fans wondering what’s going on is the point of April Fool’s Day, after all.Sonic the Hedgehogfans will hopefully give the game a try and find out the fate of Sonic.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem likeThe Murder of Sonic the Hedgehogwill be available on any other platforms at this point in time. The trailer forThe Murder of Sonic the Hedgehogonly mentions Steam. It also isn’t clear ifThe Murder of Sonic the Hedgehogwill only be available for a limited time or not. Fans may want to download the game while they can. It’s going to be hard for other game developers to top thisApril Fool’s Day joke.
