heterophobicsonic:

I like how Adabat looks at night, mostly because it tells a lot about Sonic’s relationship with his Werehog form, and his identity crisis that he internally struggles with.

The biggest thing that’s worth noting about Adabat at night is that it’s a perennial sunsight, a twilight: night is intruding, but the sun remains. This is a blatant visual metaphor of Sonic’s internal conflict with his new form, as well as gradual acceptance. In every other scene we see Sonic transform, the sun fully goes down. Sonic refused to accept it as a natural part of him, and thus hurt himself in the process every time he transformed. Sonic doesn’t want to transform, and he doesn’t want to accept this look of a burly beast as “natural.”

It’s not until the moment he truly starts loving himself as a Werehog does he finally stop hurting.

Having the sun of Night Adabat remain visible even when Sonic is already transformed basically means that Sonic is aware now. He accepts this part of him. He owns it. He loves it, because there’s still something incorruptible about who he is beyond the menacing appearance and stretchy arms.

…And just when Werehog finally starts loving himself, Dark Gaia rips him away from Sonic, and that hurt like hell. It was basically ripping off a limb.

HOW DID I NOT REALIZE THIS THE FIRST TIME I PLAYED THIS GAME