The Fortune Cards, also known as the Tarot Cards or tarot deck, are objects that appear in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a deck of 78 cards, used by Amy Rose to perform a variety of magical abilities.

Description[]

Appearance[]

Each Fortune Card is a flat card with printing on the front and back. All the cards feature the same design on the back, that being a stylized crimson background surrounded by a gold boarder and featuring a compass-like design inside a Ring in its center, with two smaller designs above and below it, each resembling a Chaos Emerald inside a Ring.

In Sonic Frontiers, each card features the same standard design on both the front the and back. This is likely a change made for graphical purposes (as Amy still reads the cards in a cutscene). Alternatively, it is possible each "card" depicted in-game is actually two stacked Fortune Cards with their fronts facing each other.

Features and traits[]

The Fortune cards feature a variety of abilities. Most notably, they allow the user to learn aspects about the near future, given they have the skill to understand them. They also serve more physical purposes, serving as capable magical weapons and transportation devices for their bearer.

Game History[]

Sonic the Hedgehog CD[]

Although unseen in original releases of Sonic the Hedgehog CD, Amy Rose's Fortune Cards are mentioned in the Japanese manual, which establishes that her readings of them led her to the Little Planet because she believed that Sonic was her "one true love". This event would later be depicted in an introductory cutscene included as part of the Origins enhanced port of Sonic the Hedgehog CD, in which Amy performs the reading at Never Lake, only for a gust of wind to blow some of the cards away. Said port also features the Fortune Deck in its exclusive ending cutscene, where Amy uses her cards again, drawing depictions of a group of animals, a pair of tails, and an emerald, foreshadowing the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Her cards are then blown away again by a gust of wind inadvertently caused by the Tornado taking flight.

Sonic Battle[]

In Sonic Battle, the Fortune Cards are briefly mentioned at the start of Amy's story, with Amy claiming the cards revealed Sonic's location to her.

Sonic Frontiers[]

In Sonic Frontiers, the Fortune cards appear as a key item used by Amy Rose during the "Another Story" campaign, being utilized for many of her abilities, such as Card Attack, Card Float, Card Stomp, Card Spin, Card Spin Boost and High Card Jump.

The Fortune Cards also play a small role in the story, with Amy performing a reading of them on Ouranos Island in the hopes of locating a Chaos Emerald. However, the reading only results in Amy being told things she already knows, leaving her disgruntled.

Other game appearances[]

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood[]

In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, the Fortune Cards, referred to as the tarot deck, are utilized by Amy as part of her Tarot Draw POW move.

Sonic Dash / Sonic Dash+ / Sonic Prime Dash[]

In Sonic Dash, Sonic Dash+, and Sonic Prime Dash, the Fortune Cards are featured in Fortune Teller Amy's character artwork, and are used by her when performing the Dash Boost. Additionally, a group of Fortune Cards appear as one of the four collectible items during the "Fortune's Favor Collectible Event" event.

Sonic: Forces Speed Battle[]

In Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, the Fortune Cards are featured in Fortune Teller Amy's character artwork, and are used by her when using the Lucky Draw, Fortune Boost, and Wall of Cards items.

In other media[]

Books and comics[]

Archie Comics[]

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the Fortune Cards appear in the Post-Super Genesis Wave timeline, where they feature a completely different design from their game counterparts. In the comic series, they serve a similar role to their appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog CD, guiding Amy Rose to Never Lake.

IDW Publishing[]

Amy's 30th Anniversary Special[]

On one occasion, Amy held a party in the Flower Field Zone, where she performed Fortune Card readings for the entertainment of her animal guests. However, upon drawing a discouraging card, Amy became afraid of the prediction, and responded by leading her animal friends into hiding, just before Metal Sonic swooped down. After the robot passed, Amy read her cards again, and determined that she would have to act. Drawing her first card, Amy found it displayed an emerald, representing willpower.

Trial By Fire[]

When on a camping trip with Jewel, Tangle, and Belle, Amy performed readings of her fortune cards for entertainment purposes, drawing one card for each of her friends. For Jewel, she drew the "The Master" card, signifying the Beetle's role as head of the Restoration. For Tangle, Amy drew the "Chao Fruit" card, and for Belle, Amy drew an unknown card, which disturbed her, much to Belle's concern. Belle then reached for the card, causing Amy to slip and drop it into the fire. Flustered, Amy told Belle it was the "Statue Savior" card, signifying mercy and protection. However, Belle noticed said card was still in the deck, wondering silently what the real card that had been drawn for her was.

Merchandise[]

Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog: Amy Rose’s Fortune Card Deck

A full physical replica of the 78-card deck is set to be released by Insight Editions on August 27, 2024. The release also contains a 128-page booklet written by Ian Flynn, which details each card's in-universe meaning, along with exclusive artwork and spreads for the readers to perform "readings" with the cards.

Trivia[]

• The Fortune Cards are based on the real world Tarot Cards used for "mystical" purposes, primarily "Card Divination" a form of fortune telling used typically to predicting the future.
• The designs for the Fortune Cards were made by Diana Skelly and were first seen in IDW Sonic the Hedgehog #45.
• Amy Rose is almost always depicted using the Fan Shuffle method of dealing the cards in the games, whereas in the Comics she uses a variety of methods to randomize the cards. However, she always ends up with a fanned-out array of cards when it comes time to actually draw the cards for a reading, whether they be in her hand or on a flat surface. Additionally, she has always drawn the cards in sets of three when she has done a reading in the canonical media; twice in Origins (in which she shuffled Doom back into the deck after drawing it), once in IDW, and once in Frontiers on Ouranos Island. She refers to this as the "Never Lake's Clarity" method.

Gallery[]

Artwork[]

Gallery
"The Master". Border design by Diana Skelly. Art by Evan Stanley. "Chao's Fruit". Border design by Diana Skelly. Art by Evan Stanley. "Statue Savior". Border design by Diana Skelly. Art by Evan Stanley. Artwork by Joe Zavaletta, posted on the Sonic Twitter account. Sonic Forces: Speed Battle Fortune Boost Wall of Cards

Screenshots[]

Sonic Origins