As I am not a programmer/coder, all I can do is theorycraft mechanics I believe would fit the 'spirit' of Sonic—namely, "speed"—while still creating an enjoyable battle-system that would encourage and reward practice-based fighting as opposed to solely button-mashing or level-grinding
Each character, including Sonic, is assigned to a button on the controller. When their Chaos Meters are charged, pressing the character’s corresponding button will command them to switch Modes and perform an Equipped-Action
Whenever a character is not being commanded by the player they will be automatically performing Actions within the Mode they are currently in—if left in a Chaos-depleting mode, they will continue until their meters are empty, and then they will revert to their Chaos-building mode
ex: Knuckles will tank if left in Defense Mode, Vector will continue to provide support if left in Beat Mode, Espio will sabotage if left in Geomancy Mode, etc.
Every Mobian commands a unique expression of the planet's energy—and the Chaos Meter is the mechanical representation of that
Utility is shared between dealing damage and healing
The Chaos Meter's growth is level-based:
As the characters level-up their Chaos Meter increases the number of Charges it can stack, allowing for more powerful and advanced Actions.
Actions are practice-based:
The more an Action is successfully employed the stronger it becomes
Some Modes build the Meter, others drain it. A character with ‘0’ Chaos will suffer penalties to damage and regeneration, so finding a balance between building, stacking, and releasing Charges is key
Certain Actions compliment each other on the battlefield, synching-up when performed in the correct sequence and creating powerful combo-attacks. The more powerful the combo, the more complex and costly the sequence
ex: “Tri-Attack” requires four Charges, one from Tails, one from Knuckles, and two from Sonic. The sequence is Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Sonic. If Tails were assigned to ‘▢,’ Knuckles to ‘◯,’ and Sonic to ‘△’ the sequence would be: △, ▢, ◯, △
While on the battlefield the characters regenerate health over time at a rate that is dependent on the amount of Chaos energy they have built up. This leaves characters more vulnerable with each Charge they release.
Upon exiting the battlefield, either through victory or retreat, everyone's health is fully restored
'Waking Up'
When a character’s HP reaches '0' they are knocked unconscious, prompting a 'Respawn Timer' to appear. When the timer reaches '0,' they 'Wake Up.' Subsequent K.O.s' suffered by the same character stack, lengthening the Respawn Timer. If the whole team K.O.s at the same time, the game is over