Conspiracy Theory

The Echidna Aficionado
brik@ozemail.com.au

Of course, as with many Knuckles fans, I was somewhat disappointed at the title’s demise. But the suddenness at which it was cancelled (it seemed to come as something of a surprise even to the writer) got me thinking.

Just who pulled the plug?

Was it Archie, or was it Sega?

In this world of conspiracies and cover-ups, I began to think that maybe it was Sega. And maybe it wasn’t due entirely to poor sales (brought about by poor advertising and poor character identification (do any non-gamers even know who Knuckles is?)).

It is rumoured that one of the five ‘supporting’ characters in Sonic Adventure is going to get their own game. A role-playing game. And the only character that has been mentioned in any of these rumours (at least the ones I’ve read), is Knuckles. The cost of developing a video game is astronomical, both financially and in the hours required. So…

Did Sega pull the plug on the Knuckles comic just to see how fans would react? Would a game starring the ornery echidna be a viable undertaking?

In many of the reviews I’ve read on Sonic Adventure, Knuckles’ section has been cited as one of the highlights of the game. The freedom to roam anywhere is a tantalising option for many. No disrespect to Sonic, but Knuckles, with his ability to fly, climb, and now, dig, is far more suited to a role playing game. Sonic is about one thing, and one thing only. Speed.

And think of what such a game would be like. The freedom to get off the Sonic rails, to go wherever you darn well please. Gliding over glorious 128-bit terrain. Climbing to dizzying heights. Digging for clues. And Knuckles already has a built in supporting cast. Imagine Charmy, Espio, Mighty and Vector in all their 128-bit glory. (It’d be cool to see Julie-Su, but, even though she now belongs to Sega, she’s about as likely to make an appearance as Sally.)

Or, perhaps, and I believe, the more likely scenario, a game which explores Knuckles’ ties with Tikal, Pachacamac (he does have fist spurs too) and all those magenta echidnas (also with fist spurs) that inhabit the not-so-ancient ruins of Mystic Forest. These ties were never really explored in Sonic Adventure (at least not to my knowledge). And the software for these characters already exists.

But, back to the comic. Of all the titles I get monthly, Sonic, X-Men, Spawn, Knuckles was the one I really looked forward to (I order my comics in advance, and I never had trouble getting a hold of a Knuckles issue). His was the only one I had to go and pick up the day it came in (the same now holds true for Sonic, but that’s for the Knuckles part (which I always read first)). They rest I get whenever I’m in the area.

Now that he’s been ‘demoted’ to back-up status in Sonic’s book, character and plot development, I fear, will be thrown out the window. It was this, along with the character himself, that drew me to the book. I liked all the little underlying plot developments. The ‘are they or aren’t they’ relationship between Knuckles and Julie-Su, which we now know is a ‘they are’. Sort of. (Has anybody else noticed that those two haven’t shared a panel since their first ‘date’? Turnabout Heroes doesn’t count, it’s not part of the normal continuity.) The ‘will they or won’t they’ marriage of Lara-Le and Wynmacher (but then, we know when this is happening now too). Now I fear the stories, in their shorter format, will be more like Sonic’s, all action and adventure. Not that that’s entirely a bad thing, I just liked the balance the two books brought to the Sega Universe.

But, there’s also a little ray of hope in this development. All the extra readers of Sonic that never bothered with Knuckles (foolish mortals) will be exposed to him on a regular basis. If Mr Penders can keep up the quality, they’ll see what they were missing. And they might just like it!

Regardless of what the future holds, I will never think of Knuckles’ book as being cancelled. To me, it is on hiatus. That Knuckles, like the Australian monotreme he was based on, is merely hibernating. And one day (and that day may be a very, very long way off), he will return, refreshed, renewed and restored.