Humor

A Tribute To The Most Frightening Moment of Childhood

So there I was, having a fun little romp through the Internet. Looking at a little known site called Reddit. You know, one of those “user submitted content” sites that are on the pulse of the world. And, as you can imagine, occasionally there’s something about Sonic the Hedgehog. Sometimes its new, sometimes its old, sometimes I wish I had never seen it. But this day…THIS day…well, there was a topic about a water cooler. And bubbles. So you can already guess where I’m going with this.

Ah, the underwater level. But this is not a fun romp through the underwater mazes Dr. Eggman has used. No, this is about…the song. The one that frightens the soul of mankind.

Sure, maybe now you have every air bubble location memorized as you try to blast through Labyrinth Zone or Aquatic Ruin, but there was a time not that long ago when you had no idea where you were going. Heck, you may have jumped in the water not even thinking about needing to breathe. After all, Mario didn’t need to. He could swim for as long as that timer counted. But Sonic…he was a different story.

Go on. Listen to it again. You know you want to.

Oh wait, no you don’t. Why would you? Especially when it is just alone. At least when you’re playing the game, you know you can escape if you find one of those bubbles of safety. But here? The music goes on. And on. That high pitched wail with its striking notes pounding into you…over and over again…the longest ten seconds of anyone’s life.

Through Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic 2 and Sonic 3, that music followed Sonic wherever he went. Even if there was the briefest sign of liquid, the chills would start running down your spine. Your hands would start to tremble. You would begin praying to the gods of Sega that, this time, they would guide you safely over the top route of Aquatic Ruin. But then a stray arrow would come your way and you’d fall right to the bottom of the screen. Maybe that’s why Sonic & Knuckles didn’t have any water levels…it was a reward for turning our hair gray prematurely.

But you know what’s funny? In Sonic the Hedgehog CD, drowning is an almost calming experience. All you get is this strange sound accompanying that floating countdown. At first, you may not even realize you’re in danger of drowning. And then, when it happens, its more a shock that you can’t continue looking for that blasted Metal Sonic projector than anything involving the death.

After Sonic & Knuckles, though…the fear of drowning just doesn’t have the same impact as it used to. Maybe because, until Sonic Colors, it just wasn’t happening in the main titles. Sure, you could technically drown in Sonic Adventure. But that could only happen…what, in a Chao Garden? And the pool next to Emerald Coast. How often are you going to just stand in that pool and wait for the kiss of death? And if you do…

It may be the same tune. But really. That full orchestra blasting away doesn’t have the same eerie, dramatic quality those 16-bit tones did. In Sonic 1, all I can think of is the emptiness of drowning while a robot fish laughs at me. In Sonic Adventure, I imagine the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra watching as I struggle to get out of a pool because I forgot how to jump. Even Sonic Colors uses an orchestra to signal death, and yet I don’t feel the urge to hide under the bed or hit the reset button as quickly as possible.

I know the handheld titles have had their share of water levels and deaths related to it. But…um…

…what is going on there? That’s not going to make me soil myself. Heck, even Sonic Pocket Adventure had a better version of that song, even though it sounds way too happy. I’m supposed to be dying, not skipping down a street. Maybe they did a bit better with Sonic Ru

oh god oh god oh god someone hold me

Maybe more frightening than listening to this song over and over again is knowing there are those out there who have not only enjoyed the song, but took it upon themselves to create remixes for it. That requires thinking about the song…analyzing the song…the image of Sonic falling off the screen over and over again just filling your mind…

Take for example this version done by someone who calls themselves “SFtheWolf.” Here, he takes the song and tries to ramp it up and make it way too dramatic. Or this remix done by troysson81 who wants you to relate drowning in Hydrocity to being stabbed repeatedly. And really, what talk about the drowning music would be complete without at least referencing these two remixes that are older than time itself?

Going back to the topic that inspired this, I find it amusing that so many people in there have used the drowning music as an alarm to wake up, their dreams immediately turning into a recreation of those 16-bit terrors. Sure, it’ll wake you up. But what about the psychological repercussions? That’s almost as bad as if you were forced to play the first game in Europe, that PAL conversion make the song even longer

At least Mario fans finally understood the importance of breathing when Super Mario 64 came out, though they got off easy. Coins give Mario air? Our rings did nothing for the air-deprived hedgehog! Maybe one day they will understand our pain…

BONUS SONIC 4 JOKE: Click here for a dramatic retelling of the development for the game!

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28 Comments

  • Reply

    Damn, I never knew Sonic Rush had such scary drowning music! (Never played it much)

    … Guess I gotta play it now. 😀

  • Reply

    A whole article on the drowning music.

    I love this place.

    • Reply

      i agree with ya, this website rocks

    • Reply

      Agreed. But holy shit that music oh god no get me out of here.

  • Reply

    Those notes shall be the music to video game hell.
    DUH DUH DAN DUHNUH NUH DUH DUH DAN DUHNUH DUHDUHDANDUHNUH DUHDUHDANDUHNUH KNA KAN KNE— (drowns)

  • Reply

    The one from Sonic Colors is neat too.

    • Reply

      Yeah how could they have forgotten that one 🙁

      • Reply

        It’s there…but only as a link, not embedded. Can’t have 20 million YouTube videos in a single post, can I?

  • Reply

    My roommate just read this in the most dramatic way possible, it was awesome.

  • Reply

    What about the tune being played by a single, resonating violin? That’s the stuff nightmares are made of.

  • Reply

    DX drowning music is the most terrifying of all and it’s an extremely difficult act to follow. In fact, there’ll probably won’t be another drowning SFX as horrifying as that.

  • Reply

    Mario fans will get it easy no matter what. He is called “Super Mario” after all. Though if I had to choose, I’d most likely go with Sonic Adventure’s drowning as the scariest, even though I’ve never died from drowning in that game in my life. In Sonic 2 it was pretty horrifying playing Chemical Plant Zone Act 2 with the Mega-Mack chasing you up the moving platforms. BTW, this article uses waaayyyyy too much “…”‘s. Just sayin’. 😉

    • Reply

      That’s why you learn to never ever so much as touch the water in chemical Plant. :p

  • Reply

    Try this one:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdOpIpyoST8

    Again and again………….

    • Reply

      This little link just made me dive head first into the evil that is G-Major…so many songs….so much evil….so much that it broke my browser.

  • Reply

    It reminds me of this that I posted a while back:

    http://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?s=&showtopic=10482&view=findpost&p=372326

  • Reply

    …Apparently I’m the odd one out – that tune never scared me at a younger age (playing at the age of 4, that is).

  • Reply

    This was an amazing read… the 16-bit drowning sounds are definitely the most terrifying. Sometimes, I still “panic” just to try and relive those younger feelings of devastation.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyTH6zTD4pM (lol?)

  • Reply

    I’ll just leave this here.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIseg6zeBA0#t=1m10s

  • Reply

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K9BBYD3oKM

    THE HORROR

  • Reply

    Monday news: Tuesday edition

  • Reply

    Alarm clock sound, that’s inspired and I’m angry I’ve never thought of that myself, I’ve been moaning that my alarm doesn’t wake me up, I’m going to change it to the 16 bit one and see how I get on tomorrow morning!

  • Reply

    Ah, that music. I always hated it.

    But in it’s own way, it’s brilliant. Faster music like that makes you start to freak out and speed up to find a bubble. That makes you mess up and you have to start again.

  • Reply

    I think what makes the 16-bit one so perfect is that unlike all other versions, it has a powerful punch-and-growl effect, not to mention it stays with the pattern better.

  • Reply

    You forgot Sonic Blast for Game Gear. The rings would rapidly drop after 0 and no scary music.

  • Reply

    Sonic Adventure DX: Had more than the pool and chao garden, Big the Cat had issues with the drowning, especially in the ice fishing Act…

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