Fans united under the name Starteam have just released the demo for Sonic Galactic, an unofficial Sonic title of disconcerting fidelity and quality.

Lasting around 40 minutes, the demo lets you play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Fang the bounty hunter and Tunnel, a mole. The protagonists will have to traverse fast-paced platform levels, take on bosses and explore 2D worlds faithful to the series' heritage, all in beautiful pixel art.

But the developers haven't taken the easy way out: in addition to the platform phases, they've included 3D sections and broken new ground with enemies, mechanics and level design never before seen in the series.

On their website, the developers point out that this is not an official Sonic or SEGA product (an important clarification given the quality) and explain:

"Sonic Galactic is a fan-made interpretation of what a 2D side-scrolling game in the Sonic series might have looked like on 5th generation 32-bit hardware. With its clean backgrounds and fluid animations, the game aims for an aesthetic that pays homage to the best of the era.

Think of this game as a what-if scenario: an imagining of what Sonic Team could have produced on the SEGA Saturn!

Although the hardware limitations of the time have been taken into account, Sonic Galactic draws on many inspirations, not limiting itself to what the systems of the time could do, nor to what SEGA would necessarily have achieved.

With new areas, new concepts, new characters, a new setting and many other additions, Galactic aims to offer a unique take on the classic 2D Sonic formula, while continuing the story and gameplay of the classic Genesis/Mega Drive games".

As Time Extension points out, this production follows in the footsteps of fan-made Sonic games. It's all the more pleasing to note that SEGA is ‘letting it ride’, adopting a radically different policy to Nintendo, which is very keen on protecting its intellectual property.

If you're interested in the demo, it's available for free at this address.