Sonic's Memories and Beyond anniversary short is out now
Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog: Memories and Beyond short is free to watch on YouTube, with Metal Sonic, Shadow and the gang marking 35 years.
14th Nov 2026 19:45
Image via Sega
Sonic's Memories and Beyond anniversary short is out now
Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog: Memories and Beyond short is free to watch on YouTube, with Metal Sonic, Shadow and the gang marking 35 years.
14th Nov 2026 19:45
Image via Sega
Sonic the Hedgehog has marked his 35th birthday the only way he knows how, by going flat out, as Sega's anniversary animated short Sonic the Hedgehog: Memories and Beyond is now free to watch on YouTube. The roughly 13-minute short premiered on the official Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube channel on November 12, and it brings most of the gang along for the ride.
Sega first announced the project at Anime Expo back in July, and the finished short sees Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Shadow and Rouge trying to stop Dr. Eggman from using the Chaos Emeralds to turn Metal Sonic into the "ultimate fighting machine", as Nintendo Life puts it. According to Nintendo Life, the story comes from Sonic Team boss Takashi Iizuka and the script is by long-time Sonic writer Ian Flynn, while the animation is Sega's fourth collaboration with GSX Productions, following Sonic X Shadow Generations: Dark Beginnings and the Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds animation.
Metal Sonic gets a memory upgrade
As the title hints, memories are the big theme here, with Destructoid noting after the October teaser that Eggman appears to be powering up Metal Sonic with Sonic's own memories, which sets things up for plenty of flashbacks to the Blue Blur's 35 years of running about. It's a neat way to tip the hat to everything from the Genesis days (the Mega Drive, if you grew up on this side of the Atlantic) through to the modern games, and if you're the sort who pauses every other frame hunting for Easter eggs, you'll want to set aside a free evening rather than a quick 13 minutes.
Sega isn't stopping at the video either, as Nintendo Life reports the Sega Shop is selling a special-edition Memories and Beyond t-shirt with artwork inspired by the short. Metal Sonic also has a bigger stage lined up, with the robot set to appear in the Sonic the Hedgehog 4 live-action movie when it reaches cinemas next year, so it's been a busy anniversary for a hedgehog who was already famously short on patience.
If you're catching up on the Blue Blur's recent outings, you can read our Sonic Superstars review, or relive the first look at Keanu Reeves as Shadow in Sonic 3. The short itself costs nothing to watch, which is always our favourite price.
Well, 35 years in and Sonic still hasn't slowed down, so you'd better catch up quickly before he's off again.
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Jake Bannister
Jake is GGRecon's Co-Founder and Operations Director. You'll find him covering our word game brain teasers, as well as sports games such as Football Manager and EA FC. He's also that teammate on your Rocket League team spamming "Wow!".
