Sonic Pico Park Hands-On: A Surprisingly Perfect Co-op Mashup

At this year's Summer Game Fest, I spent 20 minutes with a game that wasn't on my radar, yet ended up being the biggest surprise of the show: Sonic Pico Park. While I saw plenty of heavy hitters, this little co-op puzzle-platformer is the one that left me with the biggest smile and a genuine desire to tell everyone else to keep it on their watch list.

What Happens When Sonic Meets Pico Park?

If you have played the original Pico Park, you know the premise: it is a 2D side-scroller that relies heavily on communication and cooperation. It looks like a minimalist 8-bit title, but the puzzles quickly ramp up in difficulty. In the Sonic-themed version, that core philosophy remains, but it is expanded with mechanics pulled directly from the blue blur's history.

During my eight-level demo, I found that the Sonic elements aren't just aesthetic skins. The spin-dash carries actual momentum, which is necessary to navigate quarter-pipes or clear specific gaps. Springs act as high-velocity launchers that can send you flying across the screen, and rings provide a buffer that lets you take a hit without forcing a level reset. The levels also incorporate unique character traits; for instance, Tails can fly and carry a teammate, though he is restricted to the altitude of his initial tailspin.

The game is designed to be chaotic but manageable. One of the most impressive features is the dynamic adjustment system: the level layout, including the height of ledges and the pathing, shifts based on how many people are in the session. Whether you are playing with one friend or a full group of eight, the game scales to ensure the challenge remains consistent.

The Story Behind the Collaboration

I caught up with Tecopark producer Shintaro Shimazu and Sonic Team's Takashi Iizuka to understand how this partnership came to be. According to Shimazu, the project began when director Shunsuke Miyake tasked him with expanding the Pico Park series. Hoping to increase the game's footprint in the Americas and EMEA, Shimazu pitched the Sonic collaboration to Sega.

"I didn’t think it was going to happen, but I hoped maybe we could collaborate with Sonic on something," Shimazu told me. "I pitched it with a whole presentation to Sega and astoundingly, they said it sounded like a great idea."

For Iizuka, the appeal was in filling a gap in the current Sonic lineup. "I wasn’t sure if it was really going to work for Sonic, but we didn’t have a game that had four people playing together in this style," Iizuka explained. "I thought it could be fun for Sonic fans to yell and scream and get together in the same room."

Iizuka has been heavily involved in the creative process, specifically requesting that the characters retain their unique abilities. He has been reviewing updated builds from Tecopark throughout development to ensure the final product hits the mark as both a Pico Park game and a Sonic title. While we don't have a firm release date yet, Sonic Pico Park is slated to arrive later this year.