I might play Minecraft for the first time thanks to this Sonic DLC

Sonic the Hedgehog was one of the first games I ever played growing up – but for the youth of today, that honor probably goes to Minecraft (or if you’re really unfortunate, Fortnite).

Now, though, my childhood hero Sonic is entering the world of Minecraft to celebrate his 30th anniversary, and I feel like this represents the best possible chance for me to play Mojang’s incredibly popular game for the very first time.

You see, for someone who prides themselves on having sampled most of what the gaming world has to offer, I’m slightly ashamed to admit that I still haven’t played Minecraft after all these years. I don’t know if it was the whole “build it yourself” nature of the game that first put me off or the basic blocky visuals, but the craze passed me by in the blink of an eye – kind of like Sonic running at top speed.

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However, after watching the Sonic x Minecraft DLC trailer, I think I might be ready to give Minecraft a good old college try to finally see what all the fuss is about. I mean just look at how great the Sonic looks using Minecraft’s unique artstyle... and Knuckles.

Even though the Sonic and Minecraft crossover doesn’t revolve around the usual “mine, craft, build” formula of Mojang’s game, that’s probably a good thing. I can dip my toes into the game’s unique world off the back of something I already know and love, as the Sonic DLC will have players collecting rings, dashing past obstacles and defeating bosses. Then, if I find myself warming up to Minecraft’s ways, maybe, just maybe, I’ll go pound away at some blocks.

Crucially, the Sonic DLC looks to be far more substantial than the Super Mario crossover, which just looked like a load of skins and items to my untrained eye. Take that, Mario.

You’re my boy, Blue

Now, I’m aware that the Sonic x Minecraft DLC won’t rival the likes of the superb Sonic Mania, but doesn’t it look fun? Even just a little bit? Say what you want about Sonic (as long as it’s nice), but the fastest thing alive still has a habit of injecting a feel good factor into games.

It’s also Sonic’s 30th anniversary today, June 23, so it’s about time gamers showed him some damn respect already. He’s the reason we got a Sega Dreamcast after all, which is arguably the greatest console of all time.

But what does Sonic’s future hold outside of Minecraft? Well, there’s another Sonic movie on the way, which was easily the best video game film in the last 10 years, and Sonic Colors is getting an impressive remaster for PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch on September 7.

Fans of the Blue Blur can also look forward to Sonic Origins, which compiles the first three games along with Sonic CD into one neat package, and there’s a brand-new Sonic game in the works from the folks at Sonic Team.

The future’s looking rosy for everyone’s favorite spikey hedgehog, then, and with the Sonic x Minecraft DLC now available, the celebrations are officially underway. Here’s to 30 more years.