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Proto:Sonic & Knuckles/Sonic and Knuckles 0525

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This is a sub-page of Proto:Sonic & Knuckles.

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Sonic the Hedgehog 3-title.png
Download.png Download Sonic & Knuckles (0525 Prototype)
File: Sonic & Knuckles (0525 Prototype).zip (4MB (uncompressed)) (info)

The first prototype of Sonic & Knuckles dating to May 25th 1994, which is already locked onto Sonic the Hedgehog 3. If you split the ROM into two parts, the S&K half will not boot on its own at all. This is because S&K is still dependent on Sonic 3 data.

The build is more or less completable (as Knuckles only), but is still very incomplete.

Cheat Codes

  • Level Select: Enabled by default. Just scroll down on the title screen menu and select Sound Test.
  • Debug Mode: Debug is enabled by default. Press and hold A while selecting a level on the Level Select screen.
  • All Chaos Emeralds: At the Sound Test, play songs 02, 04, 06, 08.

General Differences

  • The title screen does not have the "& KNUCKLES" attached to the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 logo, even though Sonic & Knuckles is locked onto Sonic 3.
  • The save files on the Data Select screen have been lengthened downward to accommodate for the life and continue counters which have yet to be implemented, but not upward. The selection cursor hasn't been resized yet.
  • The Data Select screen does not record Chaos/Super Emerald data correctly.
  • Knuckles is not selectable from the Data Select screen; he is usually only available in level select, but can also be accessed by loading a save (e.g. from the final) which already has a Knuckles save, however it must be in the third slot or later, as this prototype only has six save slots, as per Sonic 3 alone.
  • In addition to only having six save slots, lives and continues are not saved. However, game progress is now tracked beyond Launch Base Zone.
  • The level title cards still use "SONIC 3".
  • When the signpost twirls down to the ground after beating the Act 1 miniboss in any zone, if a power-up monitor shows up and lands in the same spot as the signpost, it can appear behind the signpost.
  • When debug mode is active, the debug counters are always shown, unlike in Sonic 3C 0408 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles when they are only shown when in object placement mode. The timer displays the number of on-screen sprites.
  • Debug mode causes all sorts of graphical glitches, such as at Sonic staying as a garbled-up monitor after changing back, which goes away when completing an act.
  • The "S" monitor makes the characters take their Hyper form like in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, rather than Super as in Sonic 3 alone and Sonic 3C 0408.
  • Super forms accessed with the Chaos Emeralds still seem to act like incomplete versions of Hyper forms like in Sonic 3C 0517:
    • Super Sonic uses Hyper Sonic's rainbow palette and also gets the dash attack, but doesn't get the star effect around his body or the flash and sparks when the dash attack is performed. He doesn't get the ability to breathe underwater, either.
    • Interestingly, Tails is able to achieve a Super form with only the Chaos Emeralds, but he doesn't get Super Flickies or the trailing sparks. However, using an "S" monitor will give Super Tails the Flickies (perhaps there was a Super and Hyper version of Tails planned at one point).
    • For Super Knuckles, he gets the ability to set off earthquakes by latching onto walls at high speed, but the trailing sparks aren't replaced with afterimages. He cannot breathe underwater, either.
  • Hyper Sonic's stars around his body are still completely different than in the final and has no afterimages. Hyper Knuckles has afterimages, though.
    • If the game is set to be Sonic & Knuckles by means of the S Monitor glitch, the first autodemo will attempt to load a zone that doesn't exist, and then crash.
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  • Unlike in final versions, if the "S" monitor is used with Knuckles, Hyper Knuckles WILL cause an earthquake when gliding for a distance into a wall.
  • The Credits sequence (ID=0D01) is not yet correctly coded and thus Sonic and Tails cannot finish their game properly. Knuckles, on the other hand, has his ending sequence (though without the credits) the instant Mecha Sonic is defeated, and can go back to the title screen without forcing a reset.
  • Pressing A while the game is paused returns you to the level select screen rather than the SEGA logo screen.
  • Blue Knuckles (when playing as Sonic and/or Tails) and Red Sonic (when playing as Knuckles) can still appear on the signpost. This does not happen in later prototypes and the final.
  • On a Japanese system, the trademark symbols are not removed from the SEGA logo and title screen, and Tails' life counter does not become "Miles" even though the results tally changes to "Miles".

Audio

  • This prototype mixes themes from Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles:
  • Title Screen - Sonic & Knuckles
  • Invincibility/Theme of Super Sonic - Sonic 3
  • Theme of Knuckles - Sonic 3
  • Act 1 Boss - Sonic 3 (though Sonic & Knuckles' is still in the sound bank a la Sonic 3)
  • 1-UP - Sonic & Knuckles
  • Credits - Sonic & Knuckles, though the sting is a longer version of Sonic 3's Game Clear theme.
  • Game Clear (sound $32; is different and separate from Credits) - Sonic & Knuckles
  • The Sound Test provides access to Sonic 3-exclusive tracks without connecting to Sonic 3.
  • The Data Select music bug from Sonic 3 alone is still there.
  • The title screen theme is an earlier version with a slightly different end:
0525 Prototype Final
  • Although the "Game Clear" jingle is the Sonic & Knuckles version, it's actually an earlier version of the tune. Though the pitch is lower, the melody sounds pretty much identical up to the final note, but the timing for that note is very different and there's no background jingle echoing off afterwards like in the final version. Sonic & Knuckles final has a version of the Game Clear jingle as well as sound $32 on the Sound Test menu.
0525 Prototype Final
  • The actual credits music (located as sound $DC on the Sound Test menu), however, uses the extended Sonic 3 Game Clear jingle at the end of the song from the Sonic 3C 0517 prototype. The entire song before that is the same medley used in the final version of Sonic & Knuckles.

Unfinished Sonic & Knuckles Title Screen

Sonic & Knuckles 0525 Prototype Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic&Knuckles525PrototypeEarlyTitleScreenF1.png

Sonic&Knuckles525PrototypeEarlyTitleScreenF2.png

Sonic&Knuckles525PrototypeEarlyTitleScreenF3.png

Sonic&Knuckles525PrototypeEarlyTitleScreenF4.png

Sonic&Knuckles525PrototypeEarlyTitleScreen.png
Sonic&KnucklesFinalTitleScreenF1.png

Sonic&KnucklesFinalTitleScreenF2.png

Sonic&KnucklesFinalTitleScreenF3.png

Sonic&KnucklesFinalTitleScreenF4.png

Sonic&KnucklesFinalTitleScreen.png

The Sonic & Knuckles title screen is present in this build but is very unfinished. The static artwork of Sonic and Knuckles is implemented, but areas intended for animated tiles are just filled with placeholder tiles displaying various numbers. There is also no proper background for the title screen, and the copyright date and options menu are both absent.

Sonic & Knuckles 0525 Prototype Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic&Knuckles525PrototypeEarlyLogo.png Sonic&KnucklesFinalLogo.png

A noticeably unfinished logo is also present in the ROM.

Zone Differences

Angel Island Zone

  • Act 1 will still play Act 2 music when returning from a Bonus Stage after the Zone has been set on fire, like in Sonic 3.

Hydrocity Zone

  • The Act 2 boss' twister can still glitch out Super/Hyper Sonic like it did in Sonic 3.

Marble Garden Zone

  • The Act 1 miniboss crash glitch from Sonic 3 that can be achieved with a second player is still present.

Carnival Night Zone

  • In this build, the Act 1 and Act 2 tracks are switched. They are switched in the sound test, too.
  • Knuckles does not run in at the start of Act 1.
  • When playing as Sonic alone in Act 1, Tails randomly appears after the boss. (This glitch randomly happens in the completed Sonic 3 but with a different frequency in which it happens.)

IceCap Zone

Sonic3C0408 IceCapZone.png
  • In this build, the Act 1 and Act 2 tracks are switched. They are switched in the sound test, too.
  • Tails still has that snowboard graphics problem. The snowboard intro overwrites Tails' tiles with the snowboard's, and when the snowboard disappears, Tails' tiles should load. However, Tails' AI doesn't allow this to happen fast enough, and thus proceeds to draw Tails with some of the snowboard's tiles still remaining. Only when Tails lands does the tile swap complete, and Tails return to normal.
  • The floating icicle spheres in one of Knuckles' routes can still hurt you when in Super/Hyper form.

Launch Base Zone

  • In this build, the Act 1 and Act 2 tracks are switched. They are switched in the sound test, too.
  • As soon as Knuckles defeats one of the Twin Hammers, the normal Act 1 theme resumes while the other Twin Hammer is still alive. If you are Super/Hyper Knuckles, defeating one of the Twin Hammers will cause you to revert to normal and play the regular Act 1 music, as if both were defeated.
  • Knuckles still doesn't fight the Big Arm at the end of Act 2, and the boss music does not stop playing when the Prison Egg appears.

Mushroom Hill Zone

Sonic&Knuckles0525 MushroomHillCutscene.png
  • Sonic and Tails' intro to Act 1 still hasn't been implemented yet; they begin standing in mid-air and simply fall to the ground.
  • Knuckles' intro isn't implemented at the right time. He falls from the sky normally, then when reaching the first set of breakable walls, the S&K Knuckles intro starts playing in that location, but with a miscolored bomb and no boss music. After the intro is over you start the level again, but Knuckles falls in his standing sprite and you can go through the level normally.
  • The Act 2 boss' starting position is shifted to the left slightly from the final. This allows you to score endless hits on the boss without destroying the satellite, and the battle won't start until you hit the satellite itself, thus it was changed in the final so the player cannot do this. Unlike in the 0408 build, the first 7 hits on the boss will count towards defeating it after destroying the satellite.
  • The boss does not explode when killed until he crashes into the tree.
  • If playing with Sonic and Tails, during the transition to Flying Battery, Tails does not stop running to the right while Sonic grabs on to the airship. This causes him to die in the pit below. From prototype 0606 onward, Tails will start flying when Sonic grabs on to the airship.

Flying Battery Zone

  • The echo track of Act 1's music still goes off-sync after looping, and will slowly drag more and more behind the lead melody as it continues to play.

Sandopolis Zone

  • Your character does not fall under the sand and pop back out when Act 1 begins; he merely falls from the sky and lands on the ground normally. Likewise, his controls are not locked, so he can move once the Act begins.

Lava Reef Zone

Sonic&Knuckles0525 LavaReefTransition.png
  • Knuckles does not run in at the start of Act 1, and there is a pile of rocks behind his starting position.
  • Shields do not protect you from the debris of the Iwamodoki badniks.
  • The palette for the foreground rocks changes too soon during the Act transition in this build. However, the lava now cools like it does in the final.
  • Act 2 doesn't have the screen locked at the start of the level when accessed from the level select as it does in the final. The lava is not cooled off at the start (even though it cools when transitioning from Act 1), but the zone uses the same blue palette as the final at this stage in development.
  • When you encounter Knuckles, his theme doesn't play, and he laughs after punching the boulder at you. The boulder won't cancel your Super/Hyper form.
  • The Act 2 boss area still doesn't play the boss music until you reach the boss.
  • Various sound effects are still missing.
  • The lava and sinking magma waterfall platforms in the Act 2 boss area have different animations.
  • After defeating the Act 2 boss, the lava appears to cool after the results tally goes away, but the heat shimmers remain and the lava can still hurt/kill you. You still need to jump across platforms to reach Hidden Palace.

Hidden Palace Zone

  • Hidden Palace still has Sky Sanctuary music.
  • The secret monitor stash still contains an "S" monitor instead of Speed Shoes like the final.
  • There is a Fire Shield next to the teleporter that takes you up to Knuckles, instead of the Super Ring that's there in the final.
  • Knuckles' boss still plays the Sonic 3 miniboss theme and still continues to play through the Master Emerald theft scene after Knuckles is defeated.
  • If fighting Knuckles as Super/Hyper Sonic, Knuckles won't take damage when standing next to him. You have to actually jump on him to register a hit. Sonic doesn't take damage from Knuckles' punches when Super/Hyper.
  • Beating Knuckles still doesn't cancel your Super/Hyper form.
  • When Knuckles is fighting Dr. Robotnik, Sonic can't move at all there whereas Tails can. In the final, you can whack Robotnik as much as you like (not that it helps).
  • The animation order for Knuckles punching the wall before the teleporter is different. He gestures for Sonic to follow after hitting the wall, instead of before.
  • You cannot control Tails in Hidden Palace after Knuckles is defeated.
  • Hidden Palace when accessed by a giant ring still has a number of differences from Sonic 3C 0517:
    • Death Egg Act 2 music still plays (this is due to it coming right after the Death Egg Final Boss level slot in the game).
    • The intro plays every time you enter the chamber.
    • The greyed-out Super Emerald locations don't save after you leave (They reappear after the intro).
    • The laser zaps all the Super Emerald altars even if you already have that Emerald (Although it still shows that you have that Emerald).
    • There are color differences in the prototype, probably changed so they could correspond with the colors of the Chaos Emeralds.

Sky Sanctuary Zone

  • After the Metropolis Zone boss has been defeated, the balloons don't pop until they reach the ground.
  • Mecha Sonic will appear again if you use a star post and fall down to one of the areas where he appears, even if he was already defeated there.
  • After defeating Mecha Sonic at the end of Sonic/Tails' Act, the results tally now appears, but Sonic and Tails won't do their victory poses and can still be controlled. Afterwards, the game cuts straight to Death Egg Zone without a cutscene.
  • Knuckles' Act now has the teleporter, but no rings.

Death Egg Zone

  • The player does not run in at the beginning.
  • The overscan border color for Act 1 is red, instead of black like the other zones.
  • The light beam transportation systems have a slightly different countdown tick. It's four low tones, instead of three low tones and one high tone.
  • Tails has an animation error during the Act 2 transition.
  • The final boss music still doesn't play. Death Egg Zone Act 2's theme just continues to play.
  • The final boss' laser attack can hurt Super/Hyper forms.
  • If Death Egg's final boss is defeated while it's firing its laser, the laser stays on-screen while it explodes.
  • After the final boss machine collapses completely, everything stops rumbling.
  • The final chase is slower, and Robotnik comes back on-screen more slowly.
  • After defeating Robotnik during the final chase, the HUD turns green. This is because the game has loaded Knuckles' 1P palette into the Knuckles CP palette slot.

Doomsday Zone

Sonic3C0517 DoomsdayZone.png
  • The background palette for The Doomsday Zone is the same as Death Egg Zone Act 2's.
  • Various sound effects are still missing.
  • The zone scrolls a lot more slowly to begin with. You can speed up the scrolling by holding Right to gradually accelerate it, but hitting an asteroid will slow it down again.
  • There are a lot more asteroids at the start and a lot more missiles before reaching Robotnik.
  • There are still lots of rings before reaching Robotnik, as there are still no rings during the final chase.
  • When Robotnik after his blue ship is destroyed, the "badnik popped" sound effect plays instead of the sound played in the final, and the explosion clouds are black.
  • The latter half of Doomsday now has asteroids but no rings.
  • When you hit Robotnik while chasing him, you don't get knocked back like you do in the final.

Bonus Stages

Bonus Stage access is now like in the final version of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, complete with color-coded stars, but with some differences:

  • 10-29 rings are required for the Slot Machine instead of 20-34 rings.
  • 30-49 rings are required for Glowing Spheres instead of 35-49 rings.
  • Once your ring count is past 50, Bonus Stage rotation will not reset, so you will always get the Gumball Machine.

Glowing Spheres

  • The Glowing Spheres stage still has a different layout, but is now less cluttered than in Sonic 3C 0517.
  • Items in the Glowing Spheres stage still drop instead of rising.
  • The score and timer are still not hidden in the Glowing Spheres stage.
  • Sound effects are still missing in the Glowing Spheres stage.
  • When playing as Sonic & Tails together in the Glowing Spheres stage, you will be kicked out if Tails dies, but this will only happen when using Debug Mode, though. This did not happen in Sonic 3C 0517.

Slot Machine

Sonic 3C 0517 Sonic & Knuckles 0525
Sonic3C0517 SlotMachineMap.png S&K0525 SlotMachineMap.png
  • The Slot Machine bonus stage layout in this build is very much like the layout from Sonic 3C 0517, but 44 rings have been removed, bringing the ring total down to 68.
  • The background in the Slot Machine stage is still completely static (the little objects don't rotate and nothing scrolls).

Special Stages

  • Like in Sonic 3C 0517, if the player has all the Chaos Emeralds, they will not warp to Hidden Palace and instead receive 50 rings.
  • The Super Emerald Special Stages are now closer to the Sonic & Knuckles final, but their order is shuffled around a bit, and they still use the Sonic 3 Special Stage palettes:
    • Super Emerald stage #1 in this build is the same as Super Emerald stage #2 in Sonic & Knuckles final.
    • Super Emerald stage #2 in this build is an earlier version of Super Emerald stage #1 in Sonic & Knuckles final. Some of the blue spheres would be replaced with bumpers later on.
    • Super Emerald stage #3 in this build is an earlier version of Super Emerald stage #3 in Sonic & Knuckles final.
    • Super Emerald stage #4 in this build is Super Emerald stage #6 in Sonic & Knuckles final.
    • Super Emerald stage #5 in this build is Super Emerald stage #4 in Sonic & Knuckles final.
    • Super Emerald stage #6 in this build is Super Emerald stage #5 in Sonic & Knuckles final, though two blue spheres are yellow spheres in this version.
    • Super Emerald stage #7 in this build is an earlier version of Super Emerald stage #7 in Sonic & Knuckles final, with differences noticeable around the beginning.
    • Super Emerald stage #8 is this build is the same as in Sonic & Knuckles final.
(Source: Sonic Retro)

Ending

Sonic & Knuckles 0525 - Logo.png

This is the first Sonic & Knuckles prototype to include an actual ending, but it's far away from being complete:

  • Beating the Death Egg Act 2 boss as Sonic/Tails will cause the game to lock up since it's still trying to call the Sonic 3 credits screen, which has since been removed.
  • Beating The Doomsday Zone simply resets the game back to the level select like it did in Limited Edition.
  • The stage used to handle Sonic and Tails' endings (Zone ID 0D01) is just a black void.
    • The ending object for Sonic and Tails is present within the data, but is incomplete, with broken animations and them randomly being flipped for one appearance.
  • Knuckles is the only character to have a somewhat functional ending, though it's incomplete.
    • The last frame of Sonic and Knuckles in the Tornado is heavily miscolored.
    • The ending credits haven't been implemented, meaning the sequence is much shorter.
    • The game uses the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 logo instead of the Sonic & Knuckles/Sonic 3 and Knuckles logo; there is code to handle the Sonic & Knuckles logo, however, and it can be seen by using the Pro Action Replay (PAR) code FFFFAE:0001.
    • Beating the game with all Chaos or Super Emeralds will not cause Knuckles to jump at the screen.
    • All Sonic 3 and Knuckles post-credit sequences have been implemented at this point, though the Super Emerald sequence uses the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 logo instead of the Sonic 3 & Knuckles logo.