The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has only been available for a few days, but fans are already scouring the game for Easter eggs, references, and homages – with one such discovery seemingly serving as a nod to Sonic the Hedgehog. The latest Zelda game is already proving to be filled to the brim with fun Easter eggs for fans to uncover, though it may come as a surprise to hear they may include non-Nintendo properties.
As spotted by Twitter user super_ult, one of Tears of the Kingdom‘s many new sounds appears to be a reference to the 1998 classic, Sonic Adventure. As seen in the side-by-side videos in the tweet below, super_ult seems to be correct in their assumption, as the new Zonai fan item makes a noise very similar to the iconic Sonic Spin Dash sound.
At the time of writing, neither Nintendo nor the TOTK developers have confirmed whether the noise is an homage or even if it’s unintentional, but the discovery has certainly caught the attention of both the Zelda and Sonic fandoms.
A Sonic Easter Egg, Or A Mistake?
Tears of the Kingdom is filled with references to other Zelda games across the series’ various timelines, but while players might catch Link humming an Ocarina of Time song, it’s less clear whether or not this Sonic nod is a mistake or intentional. It’s pretty common for soundbites to be reused in game development, especially if part of a licensed commercial-use bundle, but this seems less likely than normal when considering how Sega’s Sonic and Nintendo’s Mario are often considered rival mascots for rival companies.
It’s also very possible that the noise created for the Zonai fans has ended up similar to Sonic’s Spin Dash entirely by accident. The sound is a pretty universal interpretation of a fan powering up and spinning, which means its developers may have unintentionally created something that sounds a lot like the Sega game purely by chance. Until Nintendo or a team member speaks up, the truth remains unclear.
What’s not unclear is fans’ reactions to the tweet, with players of both the Sonic and Zelda series showing off their surprise underneath the clips. While many hope the noise is a clear reference to Sonic Adventure, user TheGreatKaitsu might be right when saying: “We’re about to find out the iconic SA Spin Dash charge was stock SFX the whole time.“
Source: super_ult/Twitter, TheGreatKaitsu/Twitter