Sonic.exe: Difference between revisions

'''Sonic.exe''' is a [[creepypasta]] character and one of notable examples of a creepypasta character. Sonic.exe had also inspired multiple .exe [[games]] including [[Uchakip]], [[Google.exe]], [[Hotel Mario 6]] and its unofficial sequel [[Sonic2.exe]].

In this story, the author named Tom shares an experience involving a potentially glitched or hacked Sonic game. It all starts when the author receives an unusual CD in the mail from their friend Kyle. The CD is labeled "SONIC.EXE" and it comes with a note urgently pleading the author to destroy it to prevent an "evil" from pursuing them. Despite that, the author decides to give the game a try. As they play, a series of strange and unsettling events begin to unfold. Navigating through the game as different characters—Tails, Knuckles, and Robotnik—Tom encounters a sequence of unsettling occurrences. The game's world features dead animals, twisted level designs, and glitchy gameplay, suggesting that something is seriously wrong. What's more, the characters' expressions seem to change from normal to fearful, as if they are breaking the fourth wall and trying to communicate directly with the player.

Suddenly, at one moment during the game, the computer shuts down unexpectedly, and the author is unable to restart it no matter what he try. As the author struggles to remove the game from their computer, they encounter resistance as if the game has become stuck in the system. Eventually, Tom manages to restore power to the computer and is met with a whisper-like voice from behind. The voice urges him to "keep this interesting." Upon turning to investigate, he saw a sight of Sonic plushie sitting on their bed, its smile covered by bloodstains under its eyes.

If [[wikipedia:Tails (Sonic the Hedgehog)|Tails]] is chosen, players starts on Act 1 as Tails in the "HILL" area. The background features a reversed version of the music that would be used in Robotnik's level.<ref>Contrary to popular beliefs, the music is not actually the reversed version of the Green Hill Zone theme.</ref> The level mirrors the original [[wikipedia:Green Hill Zone|Green Hill Zone]], but now rendered as an empty space. Players can go left or right, though the left path offers no significant events. Proceeding forward reveals a gruesome scene—lifeless animal corpses hang from trees, with their intestines gruesomely exposed. After encountering dead animals, the music abruptly stops. Soon after, Tails encounters Sonic with closed eyes. A cutscene unfolds as Tails approaches Sonic amidst increasing static, accompanied by eerie white noise. As Sonic's eyes open, the screen fades to black, and the text appears: "Hello, Do You Want To Play With Me?" This marks the beginning of a hide-and-seek level. Tails finds himself in a burning Angel Island Zone, with flames in the background. As players progress, a scene unfolds requiring them to outrun Sonic. Escaping proves inefficient, as ''Sonic.exe'' catches and killed Tails in a cutscene where Tails cries, accompanied by a scream from the 1988 film ''[[wikipedia:Slugs (1988 film)|Slugs]]''.

With Tails' fate taken by ''Sonic.exe'', players assume control of [[wikipedia:Knuckles the Echidna|Knuckles]], who has an ability to punch by using the "X" key. The game shifts to "YOU CAN'T RUN", set in the [https://sonic.fandom.com/wiki/Scrap_Brain_Zone Scrap Brain Zone]. This echoes Tails' experience, with static effects and a blood-stained terrain.  ''Sonic.exe'' would then appear in front of Knuckles, with the ominous message: "FOUND YOU." This triggers a battle against ''Sonic.exe'', who teleports behind Knuckles every time when approached. Despite Knuckles' efforts, a cutscene plays wherein Knuckles appears fatigued, and Sonic approaches behind him, ultimately ending his life.

The game shifts to [[wikipedia:Doctor Eggman|Dr. Robotnik]] as the last playable character. Appearing in a Marble Zone world labeled "...," the level is set in a castle with walls covered in blood and ghostly blue flames. As Robotnik walks down the staircase, the scene becomes erratic, culminating in Sonic.exe's intervention. An abrupt static screen transitions to an image of ''Sonic.exe'' with the text "I AM GOD" followed by eerie silence. Following this, the game ended with a game over screen. This scene depicts ''Sonic.exe'' moving past mutilated Knuckles, Tails, and Robotnik.<ref>This game over screen can only be found in older versions of the game.</ref> An effort to escape triggers another image of ''Sonic.exe'' grinning with the phrase "I AM GOD". The screen shifts to an image featuring Japanese text and Sonic.exe in the background, accompanied by an eerie melody from the game's song Crytopia.<ref>youtube.com/watch?v=fkDyvfYgEOM</ref>

As Robotnik, begin by walking to the right and then proceed to the left, following a route akin to that of Tails and Knuckles. As you opt for the left path, static emerges, leading Robotnik to an unnamed course. Text becomes visible: "Why do you persist in fighting? My game has only just begun." Further static follows, and Robotnik returns to "...". Move left once more to locate the third black ring, available for you to collect.

Following this, the display shifts to an unnamed static course, and the player assumes control of the authentic Sonic. Advancing to the right, they will come across the phrase: "You had a chance to complay, but now you've come too far." Upon finishing the course, final words emerge: "The time has come for your soul to join theirs." A close-up of ''Sonic.exe'' appears, Sonic vanishes (his fate remains unknown), followed by a malevolent, distorted laugh. Japanese text emerges amid the static.

In addition to the original creepypasta story, the popular 2D side-scrolling platformer game was developed by MY5TCrimson. The game closely follows the original storyline,<ref name="Daily">The Daily Dot. "Is Sonic.exe real? The story of the creepy video game hack." 16 Dec. 2019, https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/sonic-exe-creepypasta/.</ref> with the player controlling Sonic's friends (including Tails, Knuckles and Robotnik) and encountering unsettling occurrences as they progress through familiar levels such as [[wikipedia:Green Hill Zone|Green Hill Zone]], albeit with darker and more disturbing twists. This remake proved to be highly influential in the horror game genre, inspiring numerous fan-made remakes and sequels that created a subgenre of ".exe" games. These games typically feature well-known video game characters, such as Mario or Sonic, who have been corrupted or possessed, and the player must navigate through a dark and twisted version of their world. Fans of the genre also began creating their own games based on these stories, using game engines like RPG Maker or Game Maker. Some of the most popular ".exe" games that followed ''Sonic.exe'' include [[Luna Game]], [[Yoshi.exe]], and [[Uchakip]], among others. These games often include similar themes to ''Sonic.exe'', such as corrupted game files, distorted music, and [[jump scares]].