Summary
When it comes to announcements, 2023 has been a great year forSonicfans.Sonic Frontiershad free DLC released throughout the year, andSonic SuperstarsandSonic Dream Teamare two brand-new games for players to enjoy.Sonic Origins PlusandSonic Primealso round up the Sonic offerings for the year, which certainly helpsSega’s goal of making 2023 into anotherSonic-packed yearafter what 2022 brought to the table. In particular, this year was especially kind to Sonic’s friends, as more characters have been made playable in the last 12 months than there have been in years, breaking a long-standing trend.
Many of the blue blur’s allies had their time to shine this year, from Tails, Knuckles, and Amy to even Rouge the Bat and Cream the Rabbit being made playable inSonic Dream Team. Fang the Hunter, previously known as Nack the Weasel, also emerged from obscurity inSuperstars. Apart from the already established cast, 2023 has also been great for the newer characters of the series as well, as Trip the Sungazer joined Sonic’s line-up of friends inSonic Superstars, and Ariem is a new addition seen inSonic Dream Teamas well. However, out of the two, Ariem truly falls flat compared to the latest fan-favorite character, Sage fromSonic Frontiers.
Comparing Sonic Frontiers' Sage to Sonic Dream Team’s Ariem
How Sage Was Perfectly Set Up to Be a Fan-Favorite Character
Sonic Frontiersis just as much Sage’s story as it is Sonic’s. Sage was once a simple AI program, but once she interfaced with the Ancients' Cyber Space technology, she took on a new form and had her abilities expanded exponentially to where she became capable of her own thoughts, feelings, and desires. With this newfound understanding, Sage uses her power over Cyber Space to protect Eggman from the oncoming threat of The End by trying to stop Sonic from unleashing it.Sage gains new perspectives through Sonicand her view of the overall situation gradually shifts, represented by her colors flickering between red and blue.
IfSonic Frontiersis a game about connections, then Sage represents that part of the story just as much as Sonic’s bonds with Tails, Knuckles, and Amy do. She manages to allowFrontierstopull back the curtain on Dr. Eggman’s villainyand expose the more vulnerable sides to him in a way that doesn’t take away from him being a viable threat and rival to Sonic’s friends. Yet, she takes what Sonic teaches her to heart, and evolves over the course of the game to where fans felt hurt when she died, and relieved when the DLC’s ending avoids her cruel fate.
What Sage Has That Ariem Lacks in Sonic Dream Team
Eggman’s daughter stole fans' hearts through how she interacted and learned from the cast, earning her place among the characters with relative ease. As Ariem and Sage are both written by Ian Flynn to a degree, naturally, Ariem can interact and bond with thesix playable characters ofSonic Dream Teamjust fine. However, where Sage’s other aspects are rather developed, Ariem falls just short enough for her presence to feel a bit confusing. While her bond with Cream is cute to watch unfold, exactly who or what she is goes completely unexplained.
Ariem is said to be the guardian of the Reverie, a relic that’s said to make the dreams of those who have a pure heart real. Yet, when Ariem speaks about herself and her past, she talks about her “creators,” as if she’s the Reverie itself when she never refers to it as part of her. Everything dealing with Ariem seems to come off as if it’s held back by the time constraints ofSonic Dream Teamitself, includingthe lore it adds to theSonicfranchise, even if it isn’t much. Suffice to say, it’s clear that while Ariem is a sweet new addition to the cast, she needed a bit more time before she could be as important as a character like Sage.
