Sonic Pico Park is a new ‘indie’ co-op Sonic the Hedgehog game
It’s the first co-op entry since Sonic Superstars three years ago
Sega has announced Sonic Pico Park, a new co-op Sonic the Hedgehog game.
Appearing briefly during a trailer celebrating Sonic’s 35th anniversary, the game was introduced as an “indie game”, which presumably means it’s being handled by Pico Park developer Tecopark.
“Sonic Pico Park is a new Sonic-licensed game inspired by the hit indie game Pico Park, featuring its signature puzzle-driven co-op action – all with a Sonic twist,” the game’s official description reads.
“Fans can expect iconic Sonic characters, levels, and special gameplay moments, with plenty of chaos to go around! More details on Sonic Pico Park to be revealed soon.”
Earlier this week Tecopark announced that they were delisting Pico Park: Classic Edition on June 14, after accidentally making it permanently free on Steam.
“Since we announced that the game would be free forever last October, many of you have played it. Thank you so much,” they said in a statement.
“After carefully considering how to continue the Pico Park series moving forward, we’ve decided to discontinue this free version. We’ll let you know once the exact date is set.
“If you’ve already downloaded the game, you can continue playing it. This was the very first Pico Park game, and it celebrated its 10th anniversary this year. Thank you for everything. The Pico Park series will continue, so stay tuned.”
Co-op play has appeared sporadically throughout the Sonic the Hedgehog games, with players able to control the ‘follower’ character in such titles as Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 + Knuckles and Sonic Mania.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 2 and Sonic Advance 3 both had ‘proper’ co-op, with both players given equal priority rather than Player 1 leading and Player 2 falling off the screen if left behind.
It was 2023’s Sonic Superstars, however, that was the first game to fully promote co-op as one of its main features, and the first to offer co-op for 1-4 players, similar to New Super Mario Bros Wii and Super Mario Bros Wonder.
VGC’s Sonic Superstars review praised the main game itself, but suggested that the co-op element didn’t work as well because the nature of the game’s momentum-based physics made it too easy for partners to fall behind.
“Sonic Superstars absolutely nails the classic 16-bit Sonic gameplay,” we said. “Its power-ups are hit-or-miss and its extra modes and co-op will divide opinion, but fans of the Mega Drive / Genesis days will adore the way this mixes that old feel with a new look.”
