Near the end of last year, SEGA began teasing about the return of the publisher’s inimitable mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog, to the glorious world of 2D gaming (as opposed to the string of below-par 3D ‘adventures’ he’s had over the years) under the codename of Project Needlemouse.

The teasing has continued over the months as SEGA tried to get fans to guess which franchise favourite characters would feature in the new game, but when the dust settled, it appeared as though it would be a solo adventure for the blue speedster, and if you ask the fans, that’s just fine.

Now a recent announcement on GameSpot has revealed the true name of this so-called Project Needlemouse, and hopefully a true 2D return to form for the Sonic franchise – Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 will be a 2D action platform game but rendered in full 3D, and will become available ‘this Summer’ as a downloadable title on PlayStation Network, Xbox LIVE and WiiWare.

The ‘Episode 1’ portion of the title refers to the long-term plans for this particular portion of the franchise, as subsequent 2D episodes will be released in the future. As Ken Balough told GameSpot:

“…I think the best way to view it is as a first part in a much larger adventure. When Sega released Sonic 3, ultimately it was the part 1 of a story that saw its conclusion in Sonic & Knuckles.

“In that same spirit, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is a bigger story, and this is that first chapter. I think it’s also safe to say that by the end of the episode one, fans will be very excited to see what’s in store for episode two!”

Balough also confirmed that the classic Sonic moves of old will return, as you’ll have access to “[spin] dash, power sneakers, etc. But you will also see the homing attack added, and in true Sonic fashion, you can compete with your friends for the fastest level times through leaderboards.”

During the interview with GameSpot, Balough touched on the differences gamers may see in Sonic 4 over the three console versions of the game, commenting:

“For all intents and purposes, the games are designed to be identical. There are a few differences per what each console can output visually: Wii will be at 480p, while the XBLA and PSN versions will run at 1080p.

“However, for certain areas of the game, the Wii will be able to use motion control, and the PS3 will be able to use the Sixaxis.”

You can watch the first official trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 below:

Source: GameSpot