Game Groups > Sonic the Hedgehog universe

Sonic the Hedgehog is a series of games released by Sega and originally developed by its Sonic Team division. The titular character, a semi-anthropomorphic hedgehog who can run at supersonic speed, was created to fill the role of Sega's official mascot (replacing Alex Kidd) and a character who was supposed to compete in popularity with Nintendo's Mario. In most games Sonic is the main protagonist, and his quest usually involves stopping the evil genius Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik from conquering the world.

Most of the games in the series, starting with the first Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), are fast-paced platformers, though spin-offs may belong to other genres as well. Speed is the defining feature of Sonic games, with the protagonist rushing through stages and being catapulted forward by springs, loops, and other devices. Sonic also collects rings that protect him from damage or grant other bonuses. Collecting special Chaos Emeralds is a recurrent plot device which has also been used for gameplay purposes (such as bonus stages).