10 UNSETTLING Facts About Your Favourite Games

Sonic the Hedgehog is a franchise that's about as far removed from horror and destruction as you can get - unless you count the pain of playing Sonic '06. That's why it might come as a shock to learn that Sonic's origins are, much like the previous entry on Fallout, grounded in the terror of nuclear weaponry. 

You're likely familiar with Green Hill Zone, the iconic opening level of the first Sonic game. You might think this area on South Island is where Sonic was born. However, the green paradise is not his birthplace. No, that's a little place known as Christmas Island, and if you're a history buff, you can likely see where this is going. 

According to an interview with Yuji Naka in the Russian magazine Gameland, Sonic's birthplace is based on the real-life island of the same name. Also known as Kiritimati, this land mass in the Pacific Ocean was infamously used for nuclear testing by UK and American forces. So, putting two-and-two together makes it clear that Sonic's home island is a dangerous hotbed of radiation, tragedy, and mutation. Yikes.