Media Essays: The Curious Case of Treasure Tails

Written by The Wandering Fox

Well, this has been on my mind for a while, and I’m honestly surprised I haven’t done an essay on it yet. Well here we are. I’m the Wandering Fox and I’m here to talk about the cancelled Sonic game, Treasure Tails.

There have been many Sonic games which were not made, the most famous example being Sonic X-treme. Though one did come up only recently and it’s to do with my favourite Sonic character, Tails. We all know Tails had two spin-off games, Tails Adventure and Tails’ Sky Patrol. Though it will surprise you to know another Tails game was being made in the 90s, this being Treasure Tails. So, how did this mystery game come to light?

The man who revealed the existence of the game was this man here,

As you can see, Craig was a SEGA employee who helped Bill Dunn to mock up the image above and beneath us

With Craig himself saying he doesn’t know how far the game got, it’s quite intriguing to find out why SEGA didn’t make it. Is it because some people find isometric games annoying and they didn’t want to try it? It’s interesting to figure out why this wasn’t made, though just as curious as to what this game would’ve been about. Though we can easily guess it’s Tails going inside a temple to find some treasure, the story of how this goes on is largely unknown.

Hence, I’m here to talk about how the story could’ve gone, and maybe offer up an alternative to the gameplay.

Story

Of what of this game do we know? It’s Tails going inside a temple of sorts looking for treasure, there’s firetraps, a snake theme in a few rooms, there seems to be jungle life in some of the screenshots. Let’s take these and try to form a story around it. Oh, and before I do, Ian Flynn, if you and your IDW lot are watching this, don’t even think of trying to steal my ideas.

Tails is flying in the sky one day in his plane, then he suddenly encounters a sky pirate eagle who’s stealing from a ship. Tails lands the plane and fights his cronies, has a boss battle with the eagle and makes off with the map. The map speaks of a treasure hidden in a jungle, treasure which contains the finest of gold as well as a ruby which is said to hold the power to hypnotise others to obey them. Tails wants to break the ruby apart and flies out to find this jungle, though the eagle and his crew go after him. Tails finds the jungle and after fighting a few golem-like guards, finds the temple. Going inside, he finds himself going down in the temple and dodges traps while fighting mummified guards or golems or the eagle pirate and his lot. Tails finds some hints to who the temple was made for, and it wasn’t a tomb. The Snake Lord who lived here had been in control of the people by hypnotising them all in working for him. He was defeated by a hero who had the temple closed and the ruby buried, with the snake lord held own by concrete pillars which projected an energy beam to keep him down. Tails finds the ruby but it’s already been found by the eagle, there’s a fight in which Tails has to dodge the ruby’s hypno lasers, he defeats the eagle though this ends up awakening the spirit of the snake lord, who takes control of the pirates and Tails has to hide somewhere. Tails has to grab the ruby and imprison the Snake Lord again. He fights the Snake Lord and imprisons him, though he crushes the ruby as he doesn’t want it any of the pirate's hands. In the end the pirates have lost the treasure though Tails has collected a lot and just goes home to work on his inventions.

There’s the story, I think it can do. I had an eagle as an enemy as eagles are predators of foxes and it gives Tails a foe to fight before we get to the big enemy. The snake Lord is cos of the fact we have snake themes in the temple and snakes do have a tie to hypnosis hence I made the jewel be a hypnotic gem for Tails to find and crush. With Tails as the humble guy he is, he isn’t in it for the glory, though he takes the treasure he has found as the pirates don’t deserve it.

Art Of The Characters

The character has a royal look to him with the white and gold cybernetics and cloak. I’m sorry he looks a bit crappy but it’s the most I could do.

Just gone with the typical pirate look though trimmed the coat down.

Gameplay

As for the gameplay, the original was going to be isometric though I don’t think many feel this would work. Hence I’m thinking the game could work as a combo of Metroidvania and the Classic Sonic games, as a tribute to Tails Adventure though with more freedom of spaces that you get in modern Metroidvania’s. You keep the typical Classic gameplay with Tails able to run and fly, though with this being a Metroidvania he can be able to do more like swipe enemies with his tails and collect items to help him. You return to the Tails Adventure weapon of a bomb which Tails can throw. He can also grab items which will help him access areas he couldn’t reach before. For what items I’d give Tails, it’d be the following:

Bomb.

A lantern gauntlet, lets him cast orbs of light in the dark.

Electro Tails (grants him the ability to electrocute with his tails).

Drill Tails (grants him the ability to drill through certain sections with his tails).

Double Tails (let’s him jump a lot more and helps him fly longer).

Treasure Detector.

Lantern Glow. (Lets him glow in the dark and emits fear in others).

Tails Spinner: (Let’s him spin like a blade).

Invisibility.

Those are what I have for the moment.

The Treasure Detector will be the first thing you find in the temple; thus, it will make finding other treasures easier. It can help as well in collecting hidden rings which will be your health. The invisibility will grant Tails the chance to turn invisible, but it only lasts for a few seconds. The Lantern Glow lets Tails equip a special light in his Lantern Gauntlet which can help him glow like a light.

The game will include fast travel you can have which will take you back to the top or other sections, though they can only be opened if you reach them. There are little lanterns you can use to save your progress at. For the enemies you will encounter, there are pirates who can either come at you with a gun or sword, there will be mummy like enemies who will try to wrap you up, there’s golems which will try to crush you, robots to fight, and traps which you must get out of.

For the bosses, the pirate eagle can shoot you with his gun, try to slash you with his wings, he can fly and try cutting you with his talons. With the Hypno-Ruby he can summon a few goons to help him, try to stun you with a Hypno-Laser which can drain your health. The Snake Lord can send out Hypno-waves which you have to dodge, he will try crashing on your body, he will try wrapping you up or spit venom at you, he will swipe at you with his cybernetic claws. With him trying to catch his breath, a stone which helps project energy to trap him will be available for you.

The lack of Chaos Emeralds in this game will stop Tails from turning super.

Final Thoughts

In all its upsetting Tails didn’t get another game, the guy needs more respect in the whole franchise, and maybe a try of doing more with Tails could do.

There’s how I would’ve done the Treasure Tails game. What do you think then? Do you think this could’ve worked as Treasure Tails? If not, then do kindly tell me how you could’ve done Treasure Tails. Thank you for reading this. I’m the Wandering Fox and I will catch you later.