Sonic Stories CAN'T Be Restrictive

Sonic the Hedgehog is a franchise famous for it's characters and stories. Recent Sonic games, personally, haven't lived up to the series standard in story and character writing as early to late 2000s. Having all these characters exude layers only to become singular note and walking caricatures. Let's reflect on who some of these Sonic characters are, why recent stories feel restrictive, and why something needs to change.
McKnight9's post regarding Ian Flynn & Shadow: / the_reason_why_idw_sha...
The Ken Penders cases w/ the Mandates:
sonic.fandom.c...
Music:
Wave Ocean ~The Inlet~ - Sonic The Hedgehog 2006
Planet Wisp - Act 2 - Sonic Colors
Virtual Reality (Supporting Me Remix) - Sonic Forces
Chun-nan (Night) - Sonic Unleashed
The World Adventure (Piano Version) - Sonic Unleashed