Sonic Rebound Episode 3 Review – Entangled Encounter Stumbles Slightly

Rebound lost a little steam with this episode

We’ve got a double feature tonight, starting with Episode 3 of Sonic Rebound, Entangled Encounter. If you watched all the way through, you might’ve caught that Knuckles didn’t show up like he originally did in the IDW comics. Instead, Tangle takes the spotlight this time. In the comics, Knuckles popped up in issue 3, with Tangle and Blaze showing up in issue 4. Why the swap? Who knows. Doesn’t bother me, though.

This time around, Sonic rolls into yet another village getting stomped out by Egg Pawns. While fending them off, he meets Tangle the Lemur, a newer face with a wild tail she uses like a whip—and she’s quick to jump into the fight. Mid-battle, Blaze shows up too, pulled into Sonic’s world thanks to the Sol Emeralds. The three of them tag team the threat and, like clockwork, Sonic continues on his journey.

Story-wise, this one follows the same formula as the first two: Egg Pawns attack, Sonic shows up, teams up, moves on. Tangle being brand new does help shake things up a little, but it doesn’t really change the rhythm. It’s not bad—it just doesn’t add much weight. The episode ends by teasing the mystery villain again, which would be cool… except I know who it is, and I’m judging a little, because they should absolutely know Sonic isn’t about to take an L to some newcomers like Rough and Tumble.

That said, the audio in this episode was on point. Music was balanced well, nothing drowned out the voice acting, and it all sounded clean. I actually thought Sonic’s voice glitched in the beginning until I realized it was an inner monologue—which, cool touch. BobbyDubs is still killin’ it as Sonic. Tangle and the rest of the cast sounded solid, too. The one weak link for me was PinkoJunko’s Blaze. Not terrible, but something about it just didn’t click for me.

Visually, this episode didn’t land as strong as I’d hoped. The quality was mostly consistent, but it felt like a step down from Episode 2. Some scenes looked more like moving sketches than finished animation. There were moments where the art style jumped up a notch and looked pretty clean, but overall, it wasn’t as polished as last time. I get it—it’s a fan project and not everything can be a glow-up every week.

So yeah, Entangled Encounter isn’t bad, but it’s definitely the weakest episode so far. After how much Episode 2 leveled up, I was hoping to keep riding that momentum. Still, every show hits a dip here and there, and I’m not jumping ship. It’s still a great fan series and I’m hyped for what’s next. Episode 4 review coming up next—let’s go.

Entangled Encounter

Story
Visuals
Audio

Summary

Episode 3 of Sonic Rebound introduces Tangle and Blaze, adding some variety to the familiar formula. The audio and voice work are strong, but the visuals take a noticeable step back. It’s still a solid episode, just the weakest so far in an otherwise impressive fan series.

2.5

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Sonic Rebound Episode 2: Fallout Review – A Visible Step Up

It’s already getting better.

We’re on day 2 of our mini review series for Sonic Rebound, and today’s post is all about the Sonic Rebound Episode 2: Fallout review. Just five more days until Episode 7 hits the web and we finally see the results of two years of hard work. I’ll be honest—this episode was a real step up from the first, and I had a great time rewatching it.

Length-wise, it’s about the same as the first episode, and the story structure feels familiar too—Sonic lands in a new town, meets a familiar face, and ends up brawling with more Badniks. This time, that familiar face is Amy Rose. If you’ve been around the Sonic franchise long enough, you know Amy made her debut back in Sonic CD—and back then, her whole thing was chasing Sonic around like a lovesick teen. That’s changed a lot over time, and Rebound reflects that growth. She’s still open about her feelings, but now there’s a calm confidence there, and Sonic actually respects it. You can see that in their chemistry.

As for the story, Sonic’s following up on Tails’ hunch that something bigger is behind these random Egg Pawn raids. He rolls into another town, takes down a Super Badnik, and runs into Amy. Naturally, more Badniks show up (because of course they do), and the two team up for the fight. After they clean house, Amy tries to convince Sonic to rejoin the Resistance—but he’s not about that life. Instead, she gives him a tip that points him toward his next stop… and that tip sets the stage for the arrival of our favorite red echidna.

Here’s where things really impressed me: the production took a major leap forward. Episode 1 had moments of brilliance but was super inconsistent. Episode 2? It’s fully animated, minus one flashback that uses stills (which honestly, I’m fine with—flashbacks do that all the time). The fight between Sonic and Amy? Smooth, fast, clean. There’s even a scene lifted straight from the comic that looked amazing. And that POV shot from Amy’s perspective? Chef’s kiss. Subtle, but so effective.

Easily the best shot of the entire episode

Audio’s leveled up too. No rough mic quality or background noise this time. BobbyDubs kills it again as Sonic—no surprise there—and Alyssa Mireles does a great job as Amy. I appreciated that she didn’t try to copy Cindy Robinson. Her performance felt more in line with the Lisa Ortiz days, which fit the tone of the episode perfectly. She brought a nice blend of confidence and heart that worked really well.

I’ll be honest—I don’t remember every beat of IDW Sonic Issue #2, so I can’t tell if this was another exact comic-to-animation recreation. But honestly? Doesn’t even matter. It was a good episode. It flowed naturally, kept my attention, and left me wondering what’s coming next. That’s what good storytelling does. You don’t need constant drama or flashy twists when the pacing and tone are this on point.

Rewatching these episodes has been a blast. The jump in quality from episode 1 to 2 shows just how much the creator cares about this project. Feedback was taken, improvements were made, and it shows. Even though I was kinda meh on this arc in comic form, seeing it animated with great music choices—shoutout to the Sonic Unleashed OST—makes all the difference. There are still a few rough edges with the art, but nothing that gets in the way of enjoying it.

Episode 3 review drops tomorrow night. Don’t miss it.

Fallout

Story
Audio
Visuals

Summary

Episode 2 of Sonic Rebound takes a big step up with fully animated scenes, better audio, and smoother pacing. Amy Rose’s introduction adds depth, showing growth in both her character and her dynamic with Sonic. The improvements in animation and storytelling make this a solid, engaging follow-up that builds real momentum.

4.5

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Sonic Rebound – Episode 1: The Aftermath – A Solid Start

The potential is quite evident.

Let’s be real—Sonic the Hedgehog has been around forever. The blue blur’s fanbase is massive and very creative. Fan games are the usual go-to for that creativity, but in recent years, fan series have started making waves too. One that really caught my eye is Sonic Rebound, an animated fan series by YouTuber GamerGuyd7Aces. It’s kind of a retelling of the Sonic IDW comics but with some twists that actually raise the stakes instead of just rehashing stuff we already know.

Now, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again—I’m a Sonic fan through and through. So when Sonic Rebound dropped on YouTube back in the summer of 2019, of course I was there. And it’s still going strong. Episode 7 drops Saturday, May 24, and I figured now’s the perfect time to do a little rewind. All week, I’ll be reviewing each episode leading up to that big release. Let’s start at the top—Episode 1: The Aftermath.

If you’ve read the IDW comics, then you know they had a decent run (I tapped out around issue 50). The first issue was… fine. It did just enough to get the ball rolling—Sonic, Tails, some random village—but nothing that made me sit up. It tried to drop hints about the bigger arc, but eh, it didn’t really stick the landing.

Sonic Rebound’s first episode follows that same path, pretty closely. Honestly, it’s almost a panel-for-panel recreation of that first comic—same dialogue, same scenes. It’s basically the comic, but animated. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though. Like with most pilots, it’s all about setting the stage. You meet the characters, see where things are headed. It’s a slow burn, but there’s a spark there.

The setup? Post–Sonic Forces, Sonic’s poking around after a surprise attack on a village by some leftover Egg Pawns. Tails joins him, and together they realize something’s not adding up. Turns out, there’s a bigger force pulling the strings. Dun-dun-dunnn.

Voice acting? Mixed bag. BobbyDubs as Sonic is solid. He’s got a slightly higher pitch than Roger Craig Smith, but the vibe is spot on. I could close my eyes and hear Roger in there somewhere. KennyVoices handles Tails, and he nails it too—sounds similar to other fan vids I’ve seen, but that’s not a knock. He’s got the tone, the delivery, everything. Some of the other voices though? Not bad, just… a little too normal. Like, I shouldn’t be picturing the cashier at Walgreens when a Resistance member speaks.

Now for the rough stuff. The art quality jumps around a lot. Some scenes? Super clean, really impressive. Others? Kinda rough—like a sketchbook that got color dropped in. Same thing with the animation: some parts move fluidly, others feel like a still image slideshow. Audio also bounces between crisp and YouTuber-who-just-got-their-first-mic. The inconsistency doesn’t ruin the experience, but it does remind you this is a fan project.

But hey—when it works, it works. It’s not action-heavy, but it sets the tone for what’s coming. And even with my complaints, it’s not a bad episode. Not even close. It’s a solid foundation, and it only gets better from here.

Episode 2: Fallout review drops tomorrow. See you then.

The Aftermath

Story
Animation
Audio

Summary

The Aftermath is a solid start that plays it a little too safe by sticking so close to the comic, but it still manages to lay some decent groundwork. The voice acting’s mostly strong, the story shows promise, and when the visuals hit, they hit hard—but the quality dips and rough edges hold it back from being great. Still, it’s clear there’s passion behind this, and knowing what’s coming next, I’m glad I stuck around.

3.5

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