May I promote another cool indie game called Freedom Planet 2: ua-cam.com/video/1UFbFGxzt8s/v-deo.html Also Transformers Devastation, since I think it's one of the best underrated action games: ua-cam.com/video/hLh58rWvFhY/v-deo.html Since Spark 3 is getting a lot of attention, I thought it would be fair to shed light on other high speed indie platformers I really like.
I honestly mistook it for a Sanic game myself. Thanks to the uploader for manipulating the algorithm & introducing us to this series & Project Rascal. I already knew about Freedom Planet, which is also damn good with Sonic-tier osts, but I think the name of that series is what causes it to be so niche. Freedom Planet sounds more like a title for an rpg rather than an action platformer.
Spark 3 really continue to keep giving. Playing this game made me realize my love for speed based platformers and I wish there were more 3d games like this.
Nothing wrong with being blatant about your inspirations if you can still capture the essence of everything that made the inspiration good in your own way. I can tell just from these seven minutes that this game has accomplished that in spades. I already have a huge Steam backlog, but it might be getting even longer now ^^'
lake feperd, the same person who made sonic before the sequel, and several other amazing sonic fangames, made this game!! of course he knows how to make sonic styled gameplay fun lol
This is speed, done right. Open areas to jump between, but you have the speed to reach them. They come into view just fast enough for you to process and chart your course as you go. The indoor segments don’t feel claustrophobic. Wonderful.
The pop-in is horrible. You think they give you "enough time" to process? Nothing appears unless you're already ready to go on it. This had more leaps of faith than a Mega Man Zero game.
@@mr.number9279 That's not pop-in, that's a specific type of track that shows up towards the end of the game which reveals more of itself as you run along it. That's a conscious design decision, not pop-in.
Funny thing is, I uploaded this video with this title on a whim because I replayed these 2 stages a lot in Spark 2 and given that Spark 3 DLC just launched, I said why not. I did not expect this video to blow up this much
This video came up in my recommended feed, I watched 60 seconds, and I immediately bought it on Steam. Only played a few levels but I'm utterly in love with it. Thank you for bringing it to the attention of the masses, I never would have heard of this otherwise.
I played Spark 3 this week in 4K 144fps, that experience was truly peak gaming, the Spark 3 levels are better but I was surprised how well the Spark 2 levels held up when playing with Spark 3 controls.
This… seems like what people envision what a perfect 3D sonic would look like, somewhat open ended level design, insane speed which isn’t given but earned, rad power ups, it feels so weird yet satisfying knowing that this game exists, because I think I know finally have an answer for what a perfect sonic game could look like, not saying this game is perfect, I haven’t even played it yet, but I will 100% check it out. Thank god this appeared in my recommendations UPDATE: just getting the game now, loved the hell out of the demo and I can’t wait to play, thank you so much for bringing this awesome game into the spotlight
This is the most reasonable response I hear from a Sanic fan, it's hard to let go of the sanic cult but little by little the truth will set people free. Nostalgia is one hell of a drug, I just wish everyone could give indies a chance. AAA publishers have lost their opportunity to prove what gamers truly desire in a game.
Honestly I can’t blame people if they compare this to Sonic. The sad reality is this is the kind of gameplay we’ve wanted from that series and honestly you can’t blame a community when the one thing their game’s mascot is advertised as fails to be what it was hyped up as. The best thing we can take away is giving props to these indie develops for making such a polished game that can feel as good as it does.
How would they not do that when this saga is completely based on the blue hedgehog? I think is fair to compare them both. They had their ups and downs but at the end of the day, only one of them truly evolved while the other is still in development...
@@kikonodende8792 out of the top of my head i can name like 3 games that are at least similar in gameplay to sonic. the one in the vid being not only the best attempt at 3d sonic like gameplay, but the one that completely nails it this one needs all the clout it can get
This... This is peak level design. Not only is it a thematic final stage... *It's literally that one sonic unleashed opening scene* which is amazing attacking a fleet head on in space, I'm glad I know about spark. What's even more wilder is there has *Never* been a sonic stage expansion pack for any 3D games and it's criminal. take as long as you want, but we have *Never* gotten original stages and the fact lake did this... God damn this game is good. In fact it's one of the reason I really don't think frontiers is all that, when you have a game like this, that's only under the radar because of clout, which lake *should* have some but here we are.
@@spider59er35 Added new Act 3s to daytime and nighttime levels, there’s a lot of them. Be warned though, they are TOUUUGH. And an absolute PAIN to S-Rank.
Thanks for making this video. It hit my recommendations and caught my interest so I played Spark 3’s demo and now I’m a fan. About to pick up Spark 2 and 3 now. So yeah, thanks for that! ❤️
I think Spark 2's levels in Spark The Electric Jester 3 are even more fun than in their original game. For one, movement in general feels tighter and more smooth and responsive compared to Spark 2 (without tweaking the sensitivity at least). And secondly, gameplay in general is more balanced and you don't have busted power-ups like Edgy with triple air dashes and a super jump.
@@baddubs2826 I mean, it is a power up and it's optional. And I doubt most people even knew about the super jump exploit but Edgy Jester was still busted because of the triple air dash
You are absolutely correct in using the popularity of Sonic Frontiers to advertise this game. Its been an hour since i saw this and learned all i could about this game and i just bought the bundle. This sounds exactly like what i wanted frontiers to be, and beyond my wildest imaginations Excluding the open world bit lol
This game puts sonic frontiers to shame. I’m so glad we’re finally to a point in modern gaming where the people see huge flaws in big branded AAA gaming titles, don’t take no for an answer, and then make a way better game than these huge companies so that the demand is still met. Gotta love it
@@douglassmith9445 Sonic Frontiers is still a good game? Also, it's entirely different from other Sonic Titles, and considering how Spark The Electric Jester is inspired off of Sonic's high-speed gameplay, they're kinda incomparable. ...Not to mention that the developer of this Game doesn't have a Publisher screwing them over.
How about you losers stop complaining and thank the pioneer of this type of gaming Sonic..since before all yall whiney offspring were born! Sonic will always be the best n this type of gaming...its easy to copy someones mechanics and make a better game but whats hard is thinking of this in the 1st place!
@@Spino-hx2mr I'd prefer if people just admitted that beating the story of Sonic Frontiers should not be a requirement for unlocking the ONLY good part of the game: Arcade Mode.
I picked up this game after watching a minute or two of gameplay. It's usually really hard for me to play new games that don't hit my nostalgia in some way. But I'm so glad I did with this one. It's not perfect by any means, but it's absolutely the style of game I wanted from Sonic, but never got. Perfect balance of Sonic Adventure & Sonic Unleashed.
@@HeadlessMaruder Now you are just paroting that fuck Egoraptor. Sonic Adventure wasn´t about going in straight line but experimenting with the level design and using various smart tricks and shortcuts to get as fat as possible to the finish line.
In the name of every fan of this still severely underappreciated franchise, I thank you for bringing so many new people aboard! (Including me. I've probably become a bigger Spark fan than I am a Sonic one over the past month XD)
@@adnan_honest_jihadist5775 If you wanna do powerscaler battles then probably? With the caveat that I don't think you can compare them all that well, Sonic being a supersonic hedgehog and Spark being (major spoilers below) at the current point in the franchise, the dominant consciousness of the planet spanning AI singularity Clarity. If we're talking about flesh and blood Spark though, he's long turned to dust and the matter that once composed him has probably gone through the circle of life several times over XD
I'm very happy to see what was once a little fan game created just to pay homage to classic and modern sonic games become its own fleshed out series. I'm really happy to see how far this series has come. It certainly reminds me of another franchise that also had the same beginning as a fan game of sonic the hedgehog, which also ended up becoming it's own thing. *(Freedom Planet)*
To think that Spark the Electric Jester was a franchise directly inspired by Sonic, out performs his in BOTH 2D and 3D, makes it a spiritual successor to the franchise more than even its own latest entries.
Ehhh, I like spark and have been following it for a while but spiritual successor is pushing it. No matter how good the games are it will always be just a “game inspired by sonic”. This isn’t me knocking the game because like I said I like it; In fact I like this game a lot. But I don’t see it becoming more than a niche platformer series that plays like sonic. I’m just saying it how it is Plus, this is a little side rant but I find it weird how people think sonic team can’t make gameplay like this (as in pinball physics / momentum based gameplay), even though in Frontiers it’s clearly present albeit only on railgrinding and launching off of certain terrain that aren’t magnetised. Why they aren’t basing a whole game around that we don’t know for sure. Iizuka clearly is interested in it but something is holding him back from doing so, probably sega themselves telling them to not do it for their own weird reasons and their mandates. Since frontiers is doing well from a sales and general public perspective I hope they actually include this type of gameplay, I’d love to see it in sonic again because I’ve been itching for it, and tbh spark doesn’t scratch that itch for me despite me liking the game
I ended up buying this game because of this video. Haven't been able to put it down. The thing I'm loving about it is so far Is i haven't had the need to use vehicles and Instead I've been discovering my own ways to get around the course with just the physics of this game. It's so satisfying.
sonic frontiers was fun. i can appreciate what they made and what they were going for. that said, spark 2 and spark 3 are the IDEAL, god-tier speed platformers we always needed
This actually seems pretty slow compared to some of the earlier Sonic 3D platformers. Definitely far from a peak especially in terms of the repetitiveness in concept displayed here. How many times are we doing to see the same linear platform splits after a jump or very slight curvature change on a platform to supposedly keep me on my toes? Collectibles also seem uselessly scattered and inconsistent. Do NOT get me started on the music. This is a study in horror.
@@hat4621 bro's using a word that supposedly means "knockoff" to be pedantic and seem like an intellectual when really the word doesn't exist beyond nerd fandoms.
The absolute respect I have for you cannot be stated in words: I know how difficult Spark games are as a combination of controls, level design, and moveset, and to get runs like this? I'm in awe, especially your skips in the second level and staying on the twisting roads as much well as you do, hats off to you. You've earned another subscriber :) Btw is spark 3 tighter or looser than spark 2?
Do you mean from 2d to 3d? It seems you skipped sonic adventure 1 and 2, this looks the same except it has today's graphics and resolution, sonic games just got bad after the dreamcast
@@voidx6782 that is gaining a dimension, yes. and no, i've played both adventure games more times than i care to admit, and still play them to this day. i'm still willing to admit that sonic doesn't handle even half as well as spark
@@NecroGarfunk You can't condemn Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 for being clunky as early 3D Platformers. They made this formula and for the most part they did an excellent job with what was available. It doesn't help that more likely than not you are playing an inherently inferior version of those games. The Dreamcast versions handled a lot better with full use of the analog joystick.
@@jermseventy8341 You're right, I can't condemn them for that, because they're not as clunky as other 3D platformers. They're worse. There were much better 3D platformers by the turn of the century. The problem is frequently just as much in the game's level design as it is the "clunkiness", often moreso. You're thrown into situations that aren't conducive to speed whatsoever, and the moments that are don't have nearly the degree of tuning or depth as this game clearly does, often being as simple as holding forward. The point is, the "fast" moments in Sonic don't even hold a candle to this, and it's not just because "it was the best they could work with". Horseshit. Their vision was lacking. They were trying to do something somewhat different with a popular genre, and while they did a good enough job that the games hold together, there's very little that's impressive about them from a mechanical standpoint. They did not explore the space of their own idea anywhere near well enough. And please, save face and just don't go there. I've played them both on DC, GCN, PC, and I won't even touch SA:DX without the Dreamcast conversion mod. You don't have a clue what you're talking about.
You do know that the og sonic games before 3D aren't actually meant to be played fast right? Sonic being fast was just a marketing stunt before the 3D games.
I appreciate the description, when I first saw the title I thought this was going to be another “all 3D sonic games suck now, this is way better than any of those” type of video
It has not stopped people in the comments from treating it like such lol but hey i respect that.I am one of the rare peple who enjoy almost every 3D Sonic game(basically everyone of them except Secret Rings)
@@xamp_exclammark Secret Rings was one of the first Wii games I owned and I have a ton of nostalgia for it. It’s got tons of flaws but I gladly put on my rose tinted glasses and pop it in every year or so
This game is taking everything that _worked_ from 3D Sonic games while getting rid of all the extra gimmicks and baffling design choices that detracted from what was actually _fun_ about Sonic-going FAST. It's _exactly_ what fans have wanted from a 3D Sonic since forever, and it's ridiculous that literally every official title has found one way or another to sabotage the simple joy of high-speed platforming. If shade is to be thrown at Sonic Team, it's pretty well-deserved. Feperd Games has made them look like amateurs with Spark.
@hernanrsanchez956 Found the Sonic fan. The description said that there is no shade being thrown at Sonic. In fact, OP thinks that Frontiers is good. It's just QBG who's throwing shade.
The absolute legendary move of "What if you could play the other one though," CANNOT be understated. I'm currently going on the f***ing JOURNEY of 100%ing the new levels and it's such a trip.
I just wonna say thank you for that description. Too many times Spark is literally only used to complain about sonic team instead of appreciating the game for itself so i appreciate you
I like Spark 3 a lot but there isn't a "correct way" to design a 3D Sonic game. Case in point, I love Sonic Unleashed and Generations, really enjoy Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 and I especially love SRB2, a Sonic fangame that plays unlike anything else.
The fun comes from building up speed and skipping and 'breaking' maps by being skilled enough. i guess the problem with most 3D Sonic games is that the devs afraid to give the player that much freedom. So we are ended up with boring, easy and restricting levels
This. One of my favorite indie games is Cyber Hook specifically because it just gives people the freedom to come up with the wackiest speedrun tactics they can think of. Unfortunately the fastest way around levels is to just swing yourself around a pole until you can slingshot yourself directly to the exit... but still.
Or even just make it like the original games and no wrong way to go, fill the map out with traverseable aspects, scenic, some discovery, but essentially no wrong way to go but the end. Would have been very entertaining.
@@VTOffRoadAdventures i don't know man. To me every 3d sonic game is full of broken starts and unintended skips. Have you seen speedruns of generations?
I love all the movement options you get. I can see why people compare it to Sonic Adventure with the way your toolset lets you experiment, rather than following a strict path through the level. Not to dunk on Sonic, but those are traits that I really miss.
I remember I originally found out about the spark series cause of you a few years back, thanks for once again bringing these games the attention they deserve
I swear Sparks is to 3D High-Speed Platforming what Freedom planet was to 2D High-Speed Platforming. Both are excellent variations of the Sonic formula which manage to perfectly emulate it, evolve it and distinguish themselves from it to create a unique franchise identity, while also opening up A LOT of level design possibilities due to the unique way they tweak their mechanics for speed, verticality and general mobility, all the while still managing to provide excellent horizontal and vertical level design which manages to be fairly long in the best way, incredibly replayable and even somehow rather challenging despite the characters being arguably far stronger and more versatile combat-wise and mobility-wise! Great stuff all around
Thank you so much for making this video, it popped up in my recommended and since then I’ve been hooked. I grew up playing Sonic in its Adventure/Heroes/Unleashed era and this game/trilogy really satisfies my nostalgic and early 00s Sonic era needs. As much as I love how Frontiers did justice to Sonic especially with the combat and story, the cyberspace levels despite being decent, were lacking something that the older games had. This game fills that void. Just started playing yesterday and getting used to the mechanics playing on keyboard, that bloody charged Jester dash and its challenge was a tad bit frustrating but I managed to get through it. :D Anyways, pardon the long read. Thanks again!
A buddy of mine showcased all three Spark games to me a lil bit ago. It really is a crime how underappreciated this series is. The dev really knows how to nail these wicked level designs and a terrifying sense of MASSIVE scale and distance with some of the endgame levels
Absolute crime that Nintendo rejected these games from being on the switch shop because it looks amateur, yet they allow garbage like 'Vroom in the sky' to be sold.
Even tho I prefer speed like we had in 2000s Sonic games, if Sonic has to be uber fast, this is what I would be looking for. Freedom of movement, building and maintaining speed by myself and not given by pressing boost button down, using said speed to skip sections, get to shortcuts or some hidden goodies. I was not keen on boost and I'm tired of it (I changed Frontiers from boost game to semi-Adventure with mods, only cyber space was boost)
thank you for uploading this. I was a kid who fell deep in love with Sonic the moment I played Unleashed’s day segment and was devastated by the later Sonic games. I am now going to absolutely buy this game. Thank you
I had never heard of this series before, but this game looks really legit and super fun. It really is a shame no one is talking about this. Totally going to check this out and support the developer! Thanks a ton for making this video and for making me aware that this game exists!
A moment for me to say thank you YT Algorhytm....you may fuck up a lot but I'd probably have never heard of this game if you hadn't randomly recommended this video to me. Also damn good gameplay too, doin a run this smooth means this man has A LOT of experience with Sonic games haha.
I agree with your sentiment in the description SO MUCH! It really sucks these games became weapons against Sonic games because I feel like that really just hurt them overall. These games separate themselves from Sonic and carve their own path to being nice, fun, experiences but the comparisons and the weaponizing only takes away from what should be their spotlight. Hopefully Spark will get way more looks in the future as Lake continues to create cool, fun, games. And maybe it can get the looks it deserves.
@@bshays21 What's wrong with comparing the two? This is obviously a Sonic clone, but seems to be _far_ superior so any 3D Sonic games I'm aware of. It's natural to compare the two if the 'real' product is inferior to something inspired by it that came later. Not only that, but the Sonic franchise has a massive following - it's unrealistic to expect not to see people disappointed with it's current direction voice their opinion and compare the two when this game proves their beloved IP could be improved so easily. PS: I'm not a huge Sonic fan, but I did play Sonic and Knuckles 3 back in the day. That said, I haven't heard of Spark The Electric Jester - but it's the first game I've seen do fast-paced 3D platforming (in the style of Sonic) so well. _It's even on sale on steam - very tempted to give it a shot_
I kinda disagree with this take. I think both games are similar enough to be compared and understand why they'd use this game to criticize Sonic Frontiers. Competition is sometimes a way for one to perform at their best and I don't think it's bad especially for a AAA game like Sonic, who has the funds and what it takes to make the best 3D platforming game. If fans are open about how one does things better than the other, SEGA can see this as a wake up call to do better in their subsequent releases. That said, I understand why comparing isn't sometimes the best thing to do. Each game can be their own things and sometimes competition also creates a toxic environment, but I don't think people are comparing the two just to be toxic, this comment section shows that the majority of people love both franchises and just want to see them do their best.
that's what i'm trying to say people using sonic-like games like spark like weapons against sonic games when spark literally an inspiration of sonic inlcuding the level designs..i jsut want to say just because spark has the same speed performance as sonic doesn't make him superior...but that doesn't make him bad either spark is just seperated himself from sonic and goin in it's own path despite spark has a sonic-like gameplay..but comparison and weaponizing it against sonic games and say spark is a superior to sonic franchise as a whole is just wrong...
@Soezgame I know this comment is a year old but comparing sonic frontiers to this is like comparing an apple to a cashew nut (they have COMPLETELY different gameplays)
Well THIS certainly looks interesting! A friend showed me this game over discord and then linked this video. From what I've seen, this looks like the ideal combination of Sonic Adventure 1's open controls along with Adventure 2's acceleration and top speed (although clearly the top speed in this game is MUCH higher than either of the adventure games ever got) Overall it looks like an insanely fun time. I plan on picking it up soon! Sidenote: your pinned comment reminded me that Freedom Planet was a thing, and that I somehow managed to completely MISS the release of FP2, so I _definitely_ have to grab that too!
Tbh I hate seeing this whole thing of as soon as Spark is shown all I see is "Sonic wishes he can be this" "This is how Sonic games should be" "They should hire these people for the next Sonic game". I hate these comments. Reason being that these people don't learn how to like one thing without bashing the other. Btw I'm a die-hard Sonic fan saying this. At this point Spark IS HIS OWN CHARACTER. Like him for his own game. Tbh I have never even compared Sonic and Spark. Reason being I feel it's not needed. I like both as separate games. I'm not able to play Spark but just from watching it I love it. Spark is an amazing game. I want this game to be shown a spotlight at least once.
I actually thought this was a mod on frontiers, this game looks really good. Indie or otherwise it looks top notch. And you aren't alone on the cyberspace levels. Each one reminded me of the past sonic games. It gave a small sense of nostalgia all the while staying new. This is good gameplay. Keep it up man. Keep showing good indie games. Even if the masses don't like it.
3:53 Thank goodness you didn't choose the left path leading to the middle loop. The speed boosters at the end of the loop have a bug that stop you and halt all your momentum. I hope Lake Fepard releases a patch that fixes it soon.
Had to check the description to see what game this was or if it was a Sonic mod. You've increased my interest in Spark the Electric Jester exponentially. I intend to grab it.
What stands out to me the most after the gameplay is the music that perfectly complements it. It's like a mix of Kingdom Hearts, F-Zero, and (obviously) Sonic. Shoutout to Paul Bethers, Leilani Wilson, and Teodor Dumitrache!
I should be more specific what is the music at 0:13? If anyone knows please answer.😅 Btw I already looked around and can't find it. So I'm probably missing something.
Let it be known that this could potentially act as inspiration for the mechanical foundation for Sonic Adventure 3. I know that they will never do it, but this proves to us and the world that it is possible. Thank you so much for existing.
Hi Marcus, I read some of the description about having. To attach this game to sonic to get the name out there. Im glad you did! I don’t know if I ever would have found this game on my own. This Hester Electric game looks phenomenal and so much up alley of platforming games. Thanks for sharing!
What I love about high speeds gameplay is that devs would often give you multiple options/routes. You may miss some details in the background but most of the time you probably aren't paying attention. Even if you make a mistake, you can save yourself and take another route and still be going fast. I love big maps with many options.
Holy shit this was the most epic shit ive ever seen. The sonic game we deserve. Incredible, was filled with the childlike joy of playing my first sonic game and entranced by the visuals and coordination of the player. Awesome stuff
As someone involved with game development (coding specifically), there's nothing I love more than examining dynamic games like this and being able to envision the code that makes it tick. So much of what I see from this alone just says to me either, "This is perfectly executed!" or "It makes perfect sense for it to be designed like this!" Really leaves me wondering though what the hell SEGA and Sonic Team have been doing all these years prior to Frontiers
This comment made me laugh, I agree with everything you said here. No matter how much I look into the history of Sonic I still come to the conclusion of "There's no excuses" when stuff like this exists
Spark 3 has probably the best high-speed action out of any Sonic-like (or Sonic in general) I've ever played. Just the sheer feeling of zooming around the stage is something I'll never get tired of. I have my gripes with the game, but the way it mastered the concept of a 3d Sonic game is something I'll never understate.
@@jezjackinjoe I really hope so. Most of all I hope its on PS4 and PS5 I know everyone is against PS4 nowadays but its not a dinosaur. I know creative freedoms but not everyone has a PS5 still a huge fanbase with 4.
@@jhank0cean I mean....there was a fan made sonic game that was created by like 2 guys and they got hired to make a full on classic sonic game...everyone can do sonic better than sonic
@@deathmastersful saying fan games better than official games that literally made from dedicated game designers who study game developing with more experience is just a bold claim and bad take
@@JakeThehedgehog-m1x you say that, but isn’t sonic mania originally a fan mod that the devs hired the moders and had them make the fan game official? It’s not a bad take or a bold claim that a fan made game based on their favorite aspect of an existing game to be better than the original. It happens constantly with indie games and mods. Skyrim being the best example. At this point adding anywhere between 5-10 mods changes the game completely and it’s way better then constant ports Bethesda pushes out
@@deathmastersful mania team is a fan of sonic but since they got hired by Sega they will be considered as AAA developers...and also what about sonic unleashed,colors, generations,rush, adventure rush,advance 1,2,3,sonic all star racing transformed, frontiers came out recently.. adventures 1,2, superstars,sonic riders the list goes on!! Sonic team made tons of good games and you guys just forget and see a fan game you guys immediately say fan games are better mods is a different scenarios we're talking about fan games not mods.. just because a few mods make the game better doesn't mean sonic team is incompetent or bad in the first place you guys always want to use spark games or fan games and weaponizing them against sonic games and sonic games for complaining rather enjoy the games I'm seeing right now people are comparing spark 3 to sonic frontiers.. My point is doing these kind of comparisons just making toxic competitions if you know what I mean and saying spark is superior than sonic as a whole is just wrong and doesn't make sense at all.. And stop using sparks as a weapon against sonic and saying he's superior than sonic..just because spark has the same gameplay as sonic doesn't mean he's actually superior
Always feel like the main danger of speed platformers is the stage instead of enemies, thats my main gripe of sonic 3D platforming. You either got make a full stop or can run right past them. This game looks awesome and blends both very well.
Spark 2 is a lot of hold forward, but not in the derivative boring way a lot of Sonic fans use. Instead of "hold forward to win" Spark 2 is more like "hold forward or perish"
Since your camera is always behind you, yeah you're gonna hold forward all the time but you still have to make the turns yourself that require finesse while also jumping, dash and weaving through obstacles. TL; DR Hold forward and dodge (b!tch)
An interesting thing In Spark 2 there was a bug, if you timed dash during a homing attack you would get launched super fast In Spark 3 (the game in the video) the dev made it an actual mechanic,the levels are build with it in mind Kinda like projectile boosting in ultrakill
Now this is a game that understands that understands one of the best feelings you can get in a 3D platformer is completely breaking the level design in two.
May I promote another cool indie game called Freedom Planet 2: ua-cam.com/video/1UFbFGxzt8s/v-deo.html
Also Transformers Devastation, since I think it's one of the best underrated action games: ua-cam.com/video/hLh58rWvFhY/v-deo.html
Since Spark 3 is getting a lot of attention, I thought it would be fair to shed light on other high speed indie platformers I really like.
Personally I want to see more of those games
Yeeeees FP 2 ia awesome
@@furio-mous There is also Advent NEON (still a WIP but has a demo on both Steam and Itch.io and Newgrounds)
I really need it to be ported soon. I love how this game looks but my pc can't handle steam..
Freedom Planet 2 is top tier indie and an excellent example of how to do a sequel.
This guy saw the opening cutscene to unleashed and said, “yea I’m making that playable”, bravo 👏
This comment right here ☝️ ❤️
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Lmao
I can't believe I'm not the only one LMAO
Kinda looks like that level in Sonic Heroes too.
I still can't believe this is not a sonic game, it gets so much right about the feeling of going fast across the level.
Well im pretty sure the director of the game was a worker for sonic generations and unleashed. Explains why this game is identical to my boi sonic
@@fruitloops5672 I am pretty sure LakeFeperd has no affiliation with Generations or Unleashed.
@@pixelcat_yt your right i found out that he worked on a sonic fangame. I mustve heard it from something else
@@fruitloops5672 🤡hha! Goof
I honestly mistook it for a Sanic game myself. Thanks to the uploader for manipulating the algorithm & introducing us to this series & Project Rascal. I already knew about Freedom Planet, which is also damn good with Sonic-tier osts, but I think the name of that series is what causes it to be so niche. Freedom Planet sounds more like a title for an rpg rather than an action platformer.
Spark 3 really continue to keep giving.
Playing this game made me realize my love for speed based platformers and I wish there were more 3d games like this.
Well said
The Sonic-styled platformer might as well be it's own genre.
@@Big-Image You’ve got roguelikes, soulslikes, and now soniclikes
That could partially explain Sonic's enduring appeal in spite of it all: there's just not a lot of platformers that play quite like his!
@@geniuskhan1337 hell yeah i got soniclike!
Nothing wrong with being blatant about your inspirations if you can still capture the essence of everything that made the inspiration good in your own way. I can tell just from these seven minutes that this game has accomplished that in spades.
I already have a huge Steam backlog, but it might be getting even longer now ^^'
Whoever made this game managed to capture what makes Sonic so enjoyable. I hope they continue to develop games!
Lake Feperd, my friend.
lake feperd, the same person who made sonic before the sequel, and several other amazing sonic fangames, made this game!! of course he knows how to make sonic styled gameplay fun lol
He is, in fact, developing another game right now
cap ive played all of those and its boring asf i rather play sonic games that are official@@pulse27
@@pulse27he’s talented. They should hire him. No joke, I’m deadass…
This is speed, done right. Open areas to jump between, but you have the speed to reach them. They come into view just fast enough for you to process and chart your course as you go. The indoor segments don’t feel claustrophobic. Wonderful.
Yup
The pop-in is horrible. You think they give you "enough time" to process? Nothing appears unless you're already ready to go on it. This had more leaps of faith than a Mega Man Zero game.
@Mr. Number do better and then post a Video...bet you cant.
@@mr.number9279 That's not pop-in, that's a specific type of track that shows up towards the end of the game which reveals more of itself as you run along it. That's a conscious design decision, not pop-in.
@@mr.number9279 Seems more like a fade in. From what I'm seeing, it's not a leap of faith at all and more of an effect.
Almost everyone I see streaming this game recently bought it because of this video. Bravo.
Funny thing is, I uploaded this video with this title on a whim because I replayed these 2 stages a lot in Spark 2 and given that Spark 3 DLC just launched, I said why not.
I did not expect this video to blow up this much
This whole trilogy is like what if Treasure made Sonic? Really good job for an indie. I hope this series thrives into the future.
sonic isnt like this he runs and destroys, not runs and jumps like a goof ball
@@adnan_honest_jihadist5775Ok bud 😐
Nothing to do with any treasure game i have seen tbh
@@adnan_honest_jihadist5775that’s exactly what sonic does
not rlly he runs and destroys not runs and jumps play sonic frontiers@@aaamogusthespiderever2566
I just imagine everyone who’s worked on the Sonic Team over the past 2 decades watching this and going “oooohh… that’s what your supposed to do…”
Exactly 😂
This is funny but I would like to fully understand. Pls help
@@emprrahit’s because modern sonic games are shit. If they just made a game like this, Sonic wouldn’t be anywhere near as much of a joke as he is
it fails playtests, kids get bored too quick
@@wigglytuffenjoyer Frontiers is pretty good and it’s actually improved alot
This video came up in my recommended feed, I watched 60 seconds, and I immediately bought it on Steam. Only played a few levels but I'm utterly in love with it. Thank you for bringing it to the attention of the masses, I never would have heard of this otherwise.
Hey great to see ya on here! Totally throws me back to Sonic Adventure 2 and I couldn't agree more on the impulse.
Totally, I am getting it when I get home from work
Same, just bought the bundle with all 3 games lol
😊
What game is this
I played Spark 3 this week in 4K 144fps, that experience was truly peak gaming, the Spark 3 levels are better but I was surprised how well the Spark 2 levels held up when playing with Spark 3 controls.
this is how Sonic frontiers’ cyberspace should’ve controlled and been
@@altfye6002 No
Ew toxic nerd
@@altfye6002 No
@@lazyvoid7107 well why not?
I didn't know Pomni could beat Sonic in a race
No that’s spark not pomni
@@zarks-heroes It's a joke
He's right
I was coming into the comments to make this exact joke. Well played.
"Today's adventure is: CATCH THAT DAMN HEDGEHOG!"
This… seems like what people envision what a perfect 3D sonic would look like, somewhat open ended level design, insane speed which isn’t given but earned, rad power ups, it feels so weird yet satisfying knowing that this game exists, because I think I know finally have an answer for what a perfect sonic game could look like, not saying this game is perfect, I haven’t even played it yet, but I will 100% check it out. Thank god this appeared in my recommendations
UPDATE: just getting the game now, loved the hell out of the demo and I can’t wait to play, thank you so much for bringing this awesome game into the spotlight
Thos is in, no way, shape or form, what a perfect 3D sonic game would be.
@@clydu91 then what’s your take on what a perfect 3D sonic game could look like? I’d love to hear it
This looks like a well made sonic game
This is the most reasonable response I hear from a Sanic fan, it's hard to let go of the sanic cult but little by little the truth will set people free. Nostalgia is one hell of a drug, I just wish everyone could give indies a chance. AAA publishers have lost their opportunity to prove what gamers truly desire in a game.
@@axelgear666 thank you funny internet raccoon man
Honestly I can’t blame people if they compare this to Sonic. The sad reality is this is the kind of gameplay we’ve wanted from that series and honestly you can’t blame a community when the one thing their game’s mascot is advertised as fails to be what it was hyped up as. The best thing we can take away is giving props to these indie develops for making such a polished game that can feel as good as it does.
How would they not do that when this saga is completely based on the blue hedgehog? I think is fair to compare them both.
They had their ups and downs but at the end of the day, only one of them truly evolved while the other is still in development...
yeah spark the electric jester doesnt sell as much as sonic games lmao.
@@ColorsWasChit unfortunate
@@nerov3402 Fortunate we don't need another copy cat there's enough regurgitation in the gaming industry already
@@kikonodende8792 out of the top of my head i can name like 3 games that are at least similar in gameplay to sonic. the one in the vid being not only the best attempt at 3d sonic like gameplay, but the one that completely nails it
this one needs all the clout it can get
This... This is peak level design. Not only is it a thematic final stage... *It's literally that one sonic unleashed opening scene* which is amazing attacking a fleet head on in space, I'm glad I know about spark. What's even more wilder is there has *Never* been a sonic stage expansion pack for any 3D games and it's criminal. take as long as you want, but we have *Never* gotten original stages and the fact lake did this... God damn this game is good. In fact it's one of the reason I really don't think frontiers is all that, when you have a game like this, that's only under the radar because of clout, which lake *should* have some but here we are.
Sonic Unleashed had DLC stages.
@@supermysticsonic2 wait what kinds of dlc stages?
@@spider59er35 Added new Act 3s to daytime and nighttime levels, there’s a lot of them. Be warned though, they are TOUUUGH. And an absolute PAIN to S-Rank.
@@supermysticsonic2 those aren't full stages with new assets that's on the level of sonic generations missions
@@bebopknux5857 yeah, but they certainly had spectacle, like how you RUN ON JUNGLE JOYRIDE'S WATERFALLS.
Thanks for making this video. It hit my recommendations and caught my interest so I played Spark 3’s demo and now I’m a fan. About to pick up Spark 2 and 3 now. So yeah, thanks for that! ❤️
I think Spark 2's levels in Spark The Electric Jester 3 are even more fun than in their original game. For one, movement in general feels tighter and more smooth and responsive compared to Spark 2 (without tweaking the sensitivity at least). And secondly, gameplay in general is more balanced and you don't have busted power-ups like Edgy with triple air dashes and a super jump.
You know that shit made the game even better. Edgy Jester was the Most fun I've had in any game ever period.
@@baddubs2826 I mean, it is a power up and it's optional.
And I doubt most people even knew about the super jump exploit but Edgy Jester was still busted because of the triple air dash
@@MariusUrucu I didn't even know edgy had a triple air dash until just now. I always just used the power suit's extended air dash and called it a day
@@philemonholmes9283 Edgy's charge attack with no energy is a super jump and if you use it after a spring launch you can gain insane height.
Edgy was fun af to use tho, maybe if it was a post game unlock it could be really cool. I love using it to reach insane spots in the levels
You are absolutely correct in using the popularity of Sonic Frontiers to advertise this game. Its been an hour since i saw this and learned all i could about this game and i just bought the bundle. This sounds exactly like what i wanted frontiers to be, and beyond my wildest imaginations
Excluding the open world bit lol
This game puts sonic frontiers to shame. I’m so glad we’re finally to a point in modern gaming where the people see huge flaws in big branded AAA gaming titles, don’t take no for an answer, and then make a way better game than these huge companies so that the demand is still met. Gotta love it
@@douglassmith9445 Sonic Frontiers is still a good game? Also, it's entirely different from other Sonic Titles, and considering how Spark The Electric Jester is inspired off of Sonic's high-speed gameplay, they're kinda incomparable.
...Not to mention that the developer of this Game doesn't have a Publisher screwing them over.
@@Spino-hx2mr you just said spark is inspired off of sonics high speed gameplay so how are they not comparable?
How about you losers stop complaining and thank the pioneer of this type of gaming Sonic..since before all yall whiney offspring were born! Sonic will always be the best n this type of gaming...its easy to copy someones mechanics and make a better game but whats hard is thinking of this in the 1st place!
@@Spino-hx2mr I'd prefer if people just admitted that beating the story of Sonic Frontiers should not be a requirement for unlocking the ONLY good part of the game: Arcade Mode.
I picked up this game after watching a minute or two of gameplay. It's usually really hard for me to play new games that don't hit my nostalgia in some way. But I'm so glad I did with this one. It's not perfect by any means, but it's absolutely the style of game I wanted from Sonic, but never got. Perfect balance of Sonic Adventure & Sonic Unleashed.
Soooo just running in a straight line for most of the game?
@@HeadlessMaruder If that's your interpretation of a perfect balance of the Adventure games and Unleashed then yes
The fellow who made these games actually started with sonic fan games. The sonic before the sequel trilogy
@@HeadlessMaruder Now you are just paroting that fuck Egoraptor. Sonic Adventure wasn´t about going in straight line but experimenting with the level design and using various smart tricks and shortcuts to get as fat as possible to the finish line.
You've probably missed out on so many good games
In the name of every fan of this still severely underappreciated franchise, I thank you for bringing so many new people aboard! (Including me. I've probably become a bigger Spark fan than I am a Sonic one over the past month XD)
Seeing the gameplay alone looks like so much fun
who wins in a battle spark or sonic? sonic obviously stop the cap
@@adnan_honest_jihadist5775 If you wanna do powerscaler battles then probably? With the caveat that I don't think you can compare them all that well, Sonic being a supersonic hedgehog and Spark being (major spoilers below)
at the current point in the franchise, the dominant consciousness of the planet spanning AI singularity Clarity.
If we're talking about flesh and blood Spark though, he's long turned to dust and the matter that once composed him has probably gone through the circle of life several times over XD
youre lowballing sonic speed right?@@yannickluecker3983
@@adnan_honest_jihadist5775 no one asked who wins in a battle..
I'm very happy to see what was once a little fan game created just to pay homage to classic and modern sonic games become its own fleshed out series. I'm really happy to see how far this series has come. It certainly reminds me of another franchise that also had the same beginning as a fan game of sonic the hedgehog, which also ended up becoming it's own thing. *(Freedom Planet)*
To think that Spark the Electric Jester was a franchise directly inspired by Sonic, out performs his in BOTH 2D and 3D, makes it a spiritual successor to the franchise more than even its own latest entries.
Ehhh, I like spark and have been following it for a while but spiritual successor is pushing it. No matter how good the games are it will always be just a “game inspired by sonic”. This isn’t me knocking the game because like I said I like it; In fact I like this game a lot. But I don’t see it becoming more than a niche platformer series that plays like sonic. I’m just saying it how it is
Plus, this is a little side rant but I find it weird how people think sonic team can’t make gameplay like this (as in pinball physics / momentum based gameplay), even though in Frontiers it’s clearly present albeit only on railgrinding and launching off of certain terrain that aren’t magnetised. Why they aren’t basing a whole game around that we don’t know for sure. Iizuka clearly is interested in it but something is holding him back from doing so, probably sega themselves telling them to not do it for their own weird reasons and their mandates. Since frontiers is doing well from a sales and general public perspective I hope they actually include this type of gameplay, I’d love to see it in sonic again because I’ve been itching for it, and tbh spark doesn’t scratch that itch for me despite me liking the game
@@jamrah8713 whether they can or not doesn't matter if they won't anyways
"Outperfom in 2D"
Well said *If there was 2D in that game*
@@aggromango534 i believe spark 1 was 2D?
@@aggromango534 You missed the first game, apparently.
Teacher: "Why didn't you use the bathroom during passing?"
How it feels to get to and from the bathroom in time during passing:
I ended up buying this game because of this video. Haven't been able to put it down. The thing I'm loving about it is so far Is i haven't had the need to use vehicles and Instead I've been discovering my own ways to get around the course with just the physics of this game. It's so satisfying.
Wich game is this?
@@AkariYoru_ spark the electric jester 3
Same
This looks absolutely crazy, some of those levels look like something I could spend hours completely lost on
sonic frontiers was fun. i can appreciate what they made and what they were going for. that said, spark 2 and spark 3 are the IDEAL, god-tier speed platformers we always needed
Combine Spark 3 (for Cyberspace) with Sunset Overdrive (for Open Zone) and you have the perfect Frontiers
@@kylem7917 you sure do
This is how Sonic was intended to be when they first made Sonic into a 3D game with Adventure and Adventure 2
@@Unknown2030U the first 3D sonic game Is not adventure.... it's..3D blast..
@@80abonnessansvideosdu42 Isometric 2D isn't 3D, first Sonic game to have 3D gameplay was Jam, followed by a whole 3D game with Sonic R.
This game and Freedom Planet 2 is what me realise I love high speed platformers, and I hope to see more games like them in the future.
Check out Pizza Tower as well.
This is everything I wanted in a sonic game. Def gonna check this out
So you wanted trash?
@@SteezysWorld are you blind?
@@SteezysWorld are you classified as a dead person? Because I think you might be brain dead.
@@SteezysWorld skill issue
Have you played Forces and Frontiers?
I'm glad this guy is still making games. I played his stuff since Sonic Before the Sequel.
Soundtrack has the same charm too.
This actually seems pretty slow compared to some of the earlier Sonic 3D platformers. Definitely far from a peak especially in terms of the repetitiveness in concept displayed here. How many times are we doing to see the same linear platform splits after a jump or very slight curvature change on a platform to supposedly keep me on my toes? Collectibles also seem uselessly scattered and inconsistent. Do NOT get me started on the music. This is a study in horror.
@@VesperAegis WHAT
@@VesperAegis my brother, you’re smoking crack
This should also be a racing game imo, smooth and lack of the "invisible rails" really lets the style shine
@Bread And Circuses what's an expy
@Bread And Circuses that doesnt explain what an expy is
@Bread And Circuses bro are you retarded?
@@hat4621 bro's using a word that supposedly means "knockoff" to be pedantic and seem like an intellectual when really the word doesn't exist beyond nerd fandoms.
@@cine-ish lmao. Ty I had no clue what that shit meant
Still to this day one of the greatest 3d platforming levels every created. We need more like this
This feels so strongly like when I used to play Sonic Adventures 2 on Dreamcast. The graphics, music, vibe is all there!
Imagine if they make a Jester 4, which takes some stuff from Adventure 1 and 2.
The absolute respect I have for you cannot be stated in words: I know how difficult Spark games are as a combination of controls, level design, and moveset, and to get runs like this?
I'm in awe, especially your skips in the second level and staying on the twisting roads as much well as you do, hats off to you. You've earned another subscriber :)
Btw is spark 3 tighter or looser than spark 2?
I think Spark 3 is tighter to control overall than in Spark 2.
@@MariusUrucu Cool! I'll certainly check it out! Thank you so much for showcasing this game, it's really fun!
Prolly difficult cause the game sucked lmao
@@SteezysWorld Dude accept that you just lost this battle man
This...this is what I've been missing. What I've been craving. A cool game where you go fast.
Why isn't this more of a thing?
You might like Zineth, it's somewhat of a small game since it was only meant to be a proof of concept, but it's still a good game
Cause sega don’t know how
Sanic
You should check out Project Feline. It's still in early development but it does everything I've always wanted from 3D sonic plus wall running!
Bad marketing...
Titanfall coming out in between cod and battle field
this hurts to watch just because it's absolutely how sonic should've been the moment he gained a dimension
Do you mean from 2d to 3d? It seems you skipped sonic adventure 1 and 2, this looks the same except it has today's graphics and resolution, sonic games just got bad after the dreamcast
@@voidx6782 that is gaining a dimension, yes.
and no, i've played both adventure games more times than i care to admit, and still play them to this day. i'm still willing to admit that sonic doesn't handle even half as well as spark
@@NecroGarfunk You can't condemn Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 for being clunky as early 3D Platformers. They made this formula and for the most part they did an excellent job with what was available. It doesn't help that more likely than not you are playing an inherently inferior version of those games. The Dreamcast versions handled a lot better with full use of the analog joystick.
@@jermseventy8341 You're right, I can't condemn them for that, because they're not as clunky as other 3D platformers. They're worse. There were much better 3D platformers by the turn of the century. The problem is frequently just as much in the game's level design as it is the "clunkiness", often moreso. You're thrown into situations that aren't conducive to speed whatsoever, and the moments that are don't have nearly the degree of tuning or depth as this game clearly does, often being as simple as holding forward. The point is, the "fast" moments in Sonic don't even hold a candle to this, and it's not just because "it was the best they could work with". Horseshit. Their vision was lacking. They were trying to do something somewhat different with a popular genre, and while they did a good enough job that the games hold together, there's very little that's impressive about them from a mechanical standpoint. They did not explore the space of their own idea anywhere near well enough.
And please, save face and just don't go there. I've played them both on DC, GCN, PC, and I won't even touch SA:DX without the Dreamcast conversion mod. You don't have a clue what you're talking about.
You do know that the og sonic games before 3D aren't actually meant to be played fast right? Sonic being fast was just a marketing stunt before the 3D games.
This is the sonic experience I have always wanted as a kid
This is the dude running in the electricity cables you see through the window in a car
bro stop acting like sonic doesn’t have good games my nigga
@@mekhinextup my man he never said that
@@Josuh that’s what he is Applying sonic Adventure2 Literally was above its time. I’m like what was he saying then
@@mekhinextup deleted your comment, then came back to respond again 😂
I have never seen this game before, and i am in love with how it leaves room for you to do risky moves and make big cuts in the track.
That was one of my favorite things about sonic adventure
Always happy to see more attention on Spark. This free DLC with the Spark 2 levels was some of the most fun I had all year.
pomni slipping away from digital circus
I appreciate the description, when I first saw the title I thought this was going to be another “all 3D sonic games suck now, this is way better than any of those” type of video
It has not stopped people in the comments from treating it like such lol but hey i respect that.I am one of the rare peple who enjoy almost every 3D Sonic game(basically everyone of them except Secret Rings)
@@xamp_exclammark Secret Rings was one of the first Wii games I owned and I have a ton of nostalgia for it. It’s got tons of flaws but I gladly put on my rose tinted glasses and pop it in every year or so
@@jabmaster1000 It still has parts i really enjoy like Night Palace
Love it, it's like a mix of Egg Gate, Egg Fleet and Starlight Carnival.
This game is taking everything that _worked_ from 3D Sonic games while getting rid of all the extra gimmicks and baffling design choices that detracted from what was actually _fun_ about Sonic-going FAST.
It's _exactly_ what fans have wanted from a 3D Sonic since forever, and it's ridiculous that literally every official title has found one way or another to sabotage the simple joy of high-speed platforming.
If shade is to be thrown at Sonic Team, it's pretty well-deserved. Feperd Games has made them look like amateurs with Spark.
Yup
I love how much freedom the move set gives you too
You even played the game?
@hernanrsanchez956 Found the Sonic fan.
The description said that there is no shade being thrown at Sonic. In fact, OP thinks that Frontiers is good. It's just QBG who's throwing shade.
Totally agree with you
All the Pomni comments are pretty funny considering Spark 3's setting isn't all that different from Digital Circus's once you get to the end lol
The absolute legendary move of "What if you could play the other one though," CANNOT be understated. I'm currently going on the f***ing JOURNEY of 100%ing the new levels and it's such a trip.
I just wonna say thank you for that description. Too many times Spark is literally only used to complain about sonic team instead of appreciating the game for itself so i appreciate you
I like Spark 3 a lot but there isn't a "correct way" to design a 3D Sonic game.
Case in point, I love Sonic Unleashed and Generations, really enjoy Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 and I especially love SRB2, a Sonic fangame that plays unlike anything else.
The fun comes from building up speed and skipping and 'breaking' maps by being skilled enough. i guess the problem with most 3D Sonic games is that the devs afraid to give the player that much freedom. So we are ended up with boring, easy and restricting levels
This. One of my favorite indie games is Cyber Hook specifically because it just gives people the freedom to come up with the wackiest speedrun tactics they can think of. Unfortunately the fastest way around levels is to just swing yourself around a pole until you can slingshot yourself directly to the exit... but still.
Or even just make it like the original games and no wrong way to go, fill the map out with traverseable aspects, scenic, some discovery, but essentially no wrong way to go but the end. Would have been very entertaining.
Sonic adventure 2 had some great high speed skips especially in the space levels. This feels exactly like that.
@@VTOffRoadAdventures i don't know man. To me every 3d sonic game is full of broken starts and unintended skips. Have you seen speedruns of generations?
Oh shut up stop complaining!
Thanks for making this video, I bought it due to it, and finished it in one sit. Played it for 6 hours straight, and it is unbelievably good.
I love all the movement options you get. I can see why people compare it to Sonic Adventure with the way your toolset lets you experiment, rather than following a strict path through the level. Not to dunk on Sonic, but those are traits that I really miss.
I remember I originally found out about the spark series cause of you a few years back, thanks for once again bringing these games the attention they deserve
I swear Sparks is to 3D High-Speed Platforming what Freedom planet was to 2D High-Speed Platforming. Both are excellent variations of the Sonic formula which manage to perfectly emulate it, evolve it and distinguish themselves from it to create a unique franchise identity, while also opening up A LOT of level design possibilities due to the unique way they tweak their mechanics for speed, verticality and general mobility, all the while still managing to provide excellent horizontal and vertical level design which manages to be fairly long in the best way, incredibly replayable and even somehow rather challenging despite the characters being arguably far stronger and more versatile combat-wise and mobility-wise!
Great stuff all around
Spark The Electric Jester is such a great series and I wish it got more recognition.
Thank you so much for making this video, it popped up in my recommended and since then I’ve been hooked. I grew up playing Sonic in its Adventure/Heroes/Unleashed era and this game/trilogy really satisfies my nostalgic and early 00s Sonic era needs.
As much as I love how Frontiers did justice to Sonic especially with the combat and story, the cyberspace levels despite being decent, were lacking something that the older games had. This game fills that void.
Just started playing yesterday and getting used to the mechanics playing on keyboard, that bloody charged Jester dash and its challenge was a tad bit frustrating but I managed to get through it. :D
Anyways, pardon the long read. Thanks again!
A buddy of mine showcased all three Spark games to me a lil bit ago. It really is a crime how underappreciated this series is. The dev really knows how to nail these wicked level designs and a terrifying sense of MASSIVE scale and distance with some of the endgame levels
Absolute crime that Nintendo rejected these games from being on the switch shop because it looks amateur, yet they allow garbage like 'Vroom in the sky' to be sold.
They said this looks amateur? That's funny. If this is amateur then sonic must be what happens when a toddler makes a game.
@@spacegoose8400 Yes 😢
Even Sonic Adventure 2 is looking at this and sweating bullets
A few days ago I finished this game, it's ridiculous how entertaining it is and how people don't talk about it.
People talk about sonic all the time
@@steventchouteau you're a little slow
@@ripmxrcus whats wrong why are u calling him slow in the head?
It's because of people like Videogame Dunkey who constantly 💩 on games like this to shill for cringe games like TLOU2.
@@coldestbeer Woah an actual troglodyte in the wild lol
Even tho I prefer speed like we had in 2000s Sonic games, if Sonic has to be uber fast, this is what I would be looking for. Freedom of movement, building and maintaining speed by myself and not given by pressing boost button down, using said speed to skip sections, get to shortcuts or some hidden goodies. I was not keen on boost and I'm tired of it (I changed Frontiers from boost game to semi-Adventure with mods, only cyber space was boost)
Spark 3 is such an amazing game. Please keep promoting it.
thank you for uploading this. I was a kid who fell deep in love with Sonic the moment I played Unleashed’s day segment and was devastated by the later Sonic games. I am now going to absolutely buy this game. Thank you
I had never heard of this series before, but this game looks really legit and super fun. It really is a shame no one is talking about this. Totally going to check this out and support the developer! Thanks a ton for making this video and for making me aware that this game exists!
A moment for me to say thank you YT Algorhytm....you may fuck up a lot but I'd probably have never heard of this game if you hadn't randomly recommended this video to me. Also damn good gameplay too, doin a run this smooth means this man has A LOT of experience with Sonic games haha.
I agree with your sentiment in the description SO MUCH! It really sucks these games became weapons against Sonic games because I feel like that really just hurt them overall. These games separate themselves from Sonic and carve their own path to being nice, fun, experiences but the comparisons and the weaponizing only takes away from what should be their spotlight. Hopefully Spark will get way more looks in the future as Lake continues to create cool, fun, games. And maybe it can get the looks it deserves.
People love comparing. I agree it's not for the best.
@@bshays21 What's wrong with comparing the two? This is obviously a Sonic clone, but seems to be _far_ superior so any 3D Sonic games I'm aware of.
It's natural to compare the two if the 'real' product is inferior to something inspired by it that came later.
Not only that, but the Sonic franchise has a massive following - it's unrealistic to expect not to see people disappointed with it's current direction voice their opinion and compare the two when this game proves their beloved IP could be improved so easily.
PS: I'm not a huge Sonic fan, but I did play Sonic and Knuckles 3 back in the day. That said, I haven't heard of Spark The Electric Jester - but it's the first game I've seen do fast-paced 3D platforming (in the style of Sonic) so well.
_It's even on sale on steam - very tempted to give it a shot_
I kinda disagree with this take. I think both games are similar enough to be compared and understand why they'd use this game to criticize Sonic Frontiers.
Competition is sometimes a way for one to perform at their best and I don't think it's bad especially for a AAA game like Sonic, who has the funds and what it takes to make the best 3D platforming game. If fans are open about how one does things better than the other, SEGA can see this as a wake up call to do better in their subsequent releases.
That said, I understand why comparing isn't sometimes the best thing to do. Each game can be their own things and sometimes competition also creates a toxic environment, but I don't think people are comparing the two just to be toxic, this comment section shows that the majority of people love both franchises and just want to see them do their best.
that's what i'm trying to say people using sonic-like games like spark like weapons against sonic games when spark literally an inspiration of sonic inlcuding the level designs..i jsut want to say just because spark has the same speed performance as sonic doesn't make him superior...but that doesn't make him bad either spark is just seperated himself from sonic and goin in it's own path despite spark has a sonic-like gameplay..but comparison and weaponizing it against sonic games and say spark is a superior to sonic franchise as a whole is just wrong...
@Soezgame I know this comment is a year old but comparing sonic frontiers to this is like comparing an apple to a cashew nut (they have COMPLETELY different gameplays)
Pomni after finding a way to leave The Amazing Digital Circus 😂
Well THIS certainly looks interesting! A friend showed me this game over discord and then linked this video. From what I've seen, this looks like the ideal combination of Sonic Adventure 1's open controls along with Adventure 2's acceleration and top speed (although clearly the top speed in this game is MUCH higher than either of the adventure games ever got)
Overall it looks like an insanely fun time. I plan on picking it up soon!
Sidenote: your pinned comment reminded me that Freedom Planet was a thing, and that I somehow managed to completely MISS the release of FP2, so I _definitely_ have to grab that too!
Tbh I hate seeing this whole thing of as soon as Spark is shown all I see is "Sonic wishes he can be this" "This is how Sonic games should be" "They should hire these people for the next Sonic game". I hate these comments. Reason being that these people don't learn how to like one thing without bashing the other. Btw I'm a die-hard Sonic fan saying this. At this point Spark IS HIS OWN CHARACTER. Like him for his own game. Tbh I have never even compared Sonic and Spark. Reason being I feel it's not needed. I like both as separate games. I'm not able to play Spark but just from watching it I love it. Spark is an amazing game. I want this game to be shown a spotlight at least once.
Glad to see the Algorithm has finally blessed both you and the Spark games.
This video made me buy Spark 3. I have no regrets.
I actually thought this was a mod on frontiers, this game looks really good. Indie or otherwise it looks top notch. And you aren't alone on the cyberspace levels. Each one reminded me of the past sonic games. It gave a small sense of nostalgia all the while staying new. This is good gameplay. Keep it up man. Keep showing good indie games. Even if the masses don't like it.
Looks fantastic, I'm going to absolutely check it out. I think I read the Kotaku article before it released and forgot. Thanks for posting this
3:53 Thank goodness you didn't choose the left path leading to the middle loop. The speed boosters at the end of the loop have a bug that stop you and halt all your momentum. I hope Lake Fepard releases a patch that fixes it soon.
I actually replayed it after the video and noticed the broken boosters there. Definitely needs patching asap.
why is no one talking about how good this music is
I know right.. the music slaps ong especially apocalypse thruster
Oh thank goodness for this video.
This franchise absolutely needs all the love in the world.
Had to check the description to see what game this was or if it was a Sonic mod. You've increased my interest in Spark the Electric Jester exponentially. I intend to grab it.
The fact that the stage was loading as he ran was insane
We like to call that "pop-in"
@@vividcolorandrichaudio6134 but its not "pop-in" the road just appears in front of you like in star light carnival from sonic colors
@@smolggenguffenfugs7844
seems like a render distance effect to me, but it's well-disguised.
@@vividcolorandrichaudio6134 It's not. Game's actually pretty well optimized, and other levels will show things WAY off in the distance.
What stands out to me the most after the gameplay is the music that perfectly complements it. It's like a mix of Kingdom Hearts, F-Zero, and (obviously) Sonic. Shoutout to Paul Bethers, Leilani Wilson, and Teodor Dumitrache!
I should be more specific what is the music at 0:13? If anyone knows please answer.😅 Btw I already looked around and can't find it. So I'm probably missing something.
Megaraph Fleet from Spark 1/Hyperath Fleet from Spark 2
@@MariusUrucu Thank you so much.🙏
Let it be known that this could potentially act as inspiration for the mechanical foundation for Sonic Adventure 3. I know that they will never do it, but this proves to us and the world that it is possible. Thank you so much for existing.
Hi Marcus, I read some of the description about having. To attach this game to sonic to get the name out there. Im glad you did! I don’t know if I ever would have found this game on my own. This Hester Electric game looks phenomenal and so much up alley of platforming games. Thanks for sharing!
No problem. Also, name's Marius... not Marcus
What I love about high speeds gameplay is that devs would often give you multiple options/routes. You may miss some details in the background but most of the time you probably aren't paying attention. Even if you make a mistake, you can save yourself and take another route and still be going fast.
I love big maps with many options.
Holy shit this was the most epic shit ive ever seen. The sonic game we deserve. Incredible, was filled with the childlike joy of playing my first sonic game and entranced by the visuals and coordination of the player. Awesome stuff
The fact that this is "the most epic shit" you've ever seen is honestly just sad.
@@randyk_18 really? because I think it's sad to try to make someone feel bad for enjoying something that you can't.
@@UnkemptDan he’s saying it’s sad because that means that’s how long it’s been until sonic was good ( i liked frontiers)
You deserve all the bad games you've been getting, you ungrateful little shit
Always complaining about the smallest bullshit
As someone involved with game development (coding specifically), there's nothing I love more than examining dynamic games like this and being able to envision the code that makes it tick. So much of what I see from this alone just says to me either, "This is perfectly executed!" or "It makes perfect sense for it to be designed like this!" Really leaves me wondering though what the hell SEGA and Sonic Team have been doing all these years prior to Frontiers
They've been clocking in and releasing the shovelware targeted to kids that their budget, release dates and management philosophies permit.
This comment made me laugh, I agree with everything you said here. No matter how much I look into the history of Sonic I still come to the conclusion of "There's no excuses" when stuff like this exists
Spark 3 has probably the best high-speed action out of any Sonic-like (or Sonic in general) I've ever played. Just the sheer feeling of zooming around the stage is something I'll never get tired of.
I have my gripes with the game, but the way it mastered the concept of a 3d Sonic game is something I'll never understate.
If we talk about official games, yes, but looking at the fangames, this one remains a tie
@@_Markii A tie with...?
@@_Markii A tie with what?
@@Tobunari probably sonic robo blast 2
@@reveriestyx2133 sonic robo blast 2 probably
The best advertisement for a game is the gameplay. Thank you for this.
Very happy to see my fellow Brazilian devs get the recognition they deserve
Coé, é Br????? Q massa!!
Did you made this masterpiece? Thank you señior
the first 2 seconds of this stage is better than all of the stages combined of sonic forces
It's like playing the opening cutscene in Sonic Unleashed!
Thanks a lot for showing this game. its one of the best games I ever played
I really wish The Spark games could be brought onto Consoles They Look super fun and mechanically fascinating.
@@jezjackinjoe I really hope so. Most of all I hope its on PS4 and PS5 I know everyone is against PS4 nowadays but its not a dinosaur. I know creative freedoms but not everyone has a PS5 still a huge fanbase with 4.
Spark 2 is on Xbox.
Spark 2 is available on Xbox. I hope the others get released soon
Lake Fepard is an underrated game developer, and his Spark series is just peak platforming in my opinion.
This should have been the cyber space levels in sonic. This game is clean
Go figure there's a game company out there that can do Sonic better than Sega... wild lol
@@jhank0cean I mean....there was a fan made sonic game that was created by like 2 guys and they got hired to make a full on classic sonic game...everyone can do sonic better than sonic
@@deathmastersful saying fan games better than official games that literally made from dedicated game designers who study game developing with more experience is just a bold claim and bad take
@@JakeThehedgehog-m1x you say that, but isn’t sonic mania originally a fan mod that the devs hired the moders and had them make the fan game official?
It’s not a bad take or a bold claim that a fan made game based on their favorite aspect of an existing game to be better than the original. It happens constantly with indie games and mods.
Skyrim being the best example. At this point adding anywhere between 5-10 mods changes the game completely and it’s way better then constant ports Bethesda pushes out
@@deathmastersful mania team is a fan of sonic but since they got hired by Sega they will be considered as AAA developers...and also what about sonic unleashed,colors, generations,rush, adventure rush,advance 1,2,3,sonic all star racing transformed, frontiers came out recently.. adventures 1,2, superstars,sonic riders the list goes on!!
Sonic team made tons of good games and you guys just forget and see a fan game you guys immediately say fan games are better mods is a different scenarios we're talking about fan games not mods..
just because a few mods make the game better doesn't mean sonic team is incompetent or bad in the first place you guys always want to use spark games or fan games and weaponizing them against sonic games and sonic games for complaining rather enjoy the games I'm seeing right now people are comparing spark 3 to sonic frontiers..
My point is doing these kind of comparisons just making toxic competitions if you know what I mean and saying spark is superior than sonic as a whole is just wrong and doesn't make sense at all..
And stop using sparks as a weapon against sonic and saying he's superior than sonic..just because spark has the same gameplay as sonic doesn't mean he's actually superior
Always feel like the main danger of speed platformers is the stage instead of enemies, thats my main gripe of sonic 3D platforming. You either got make a full stop or can run right past them. This game looks awesome and blends both very well.
i knew it.. i have a feeling if Spark 2 levels are implemented into Spark 3 would feel really good.. AND IT IS
this looks really fast and really fun WITHOUT needing a boost. warms my heart.
Spark 2 is a lot of hold forward, but not in the derivative boring way a lot of Sonic fans use. Instead of "hold forward to win" Spark 2 is more like "hold forward or perish"
Since your camera is always behind you, yeah you're gonna hold forward all the time but you still have to make the turns yourself that require finesse while also jumping, dash and weaving through obstacles.
TL; DR Hold forward and dodge (b!tch)
@@MariusUrucu yeah like you're gonna hold forward but bitch you better HOLD FORWARD. STAY ON THE PATH. YOU WILL DIE.
This is the Uktrakill of High Speed Platformers.
An interesting thing
In Spark 2 there was a bug, if you timed dash during a homing attack you would get launched super fast
In Spark 3 (the game in the video) the dev made it an actual mechanic,the levels are build with it in mind
Kinda like projectile boosting in ultrakill
Now this is a game that understands that understands one of the best feelings you can get in a 3D platformer is completely breaking the level design in two.
Star light carnival and egg fleet mixed and sort of evil foundry. Such a good game dude
I literally thought I’m witnessing Pomni running… 🤣
This video sold me on the game within 1 minute of watching, and after a month or so, I have only one thing to say: Thanks.