For anyone who forgot about it, Sega is currently working on a big new “chaotic extraction shooter” called HYENAS and has been running some early alpha tests recently. Now it looks like players will see the company’s famous blue blur in the game too—though not in the way some may have expected.
Sonic the Hedgehog will appear in HYENAS, which fits the game’s “pop-culture artifacts salvaged from the ruins of Earth” messaging to an extent. However, it isn’t actually Sonic, but rather a famous cosplayer who has joined the crew for heists.
Hero-Ki grew a small following back on Earth as a cosplayer with a focus on charity work before being evacuated to The Taint and finding out he wasn’t exactly going to be able to coast from there. Using a specialized camera and cosplay skills, this HYENA can take on the appearance of a Plundership’s security member or another character entirely to get the drop on enemies and objectives in unique ways.
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As for his design, his base outfit is a mix of a really messy Sonic cosplay and spacesuit, with a clumsy and comical personality thrown in for good measure.
In broader shooter terms, imagine Scout from Team Fortress 2 has the same ability as the Spy but with a submachine gun.
This is just one of what will likely be many inclusions and references to Sega’s existing IPs in the newest major project, and players can experience this evasive cosplayer in the latest HYENAS alpha test, which will run for 11 days starting at 12pm CT on March 24. You can sign up for a chance to gain access to the PC alpha on the official HYENAS website.
