Proto:Sonic Rush

The E3 2005 demo of Sonic Rush allows playing of an early version of Zone 1 Act 2, followed by the first boss battle. Only Sonic is playable.

Gameplay
2AeSsgODuo8

Menu

 * There is no character select.
 * A "Coming Soon" screen appears after a set amount of time or after finishing the boss battle.

Main

 * You can boost in mid-air. This ability is available in the DS version of Sonic Colours which uses the same engine as Sonic Rush.
 * The Boost meter can be refiled by running.
 * Boosting into the large Eggman wheel doesn't kill Sonic, he simply passes through.
 * Sonic doesn't dance when tapped on the touch screen.

Boss Fight

 * No cutscenes play.


 * The Egg Hammer Mega takes only four hits to destroy. Two hits initiate the second phase.


 * The rolling head move is harder to dodge and doesn't have a "double" version.


 * The boss fight takes place on the Bottom Screen, and the other screen constantly shows the Sonic Rush logo, instead of the bottom screen showing Tails and the bosses' health, like in the final version.

Bug Fixes
A few bugs were fixed by the final:


 * When Sonic runs on slopes or jumps on bumpers, his model rotates incorrectly, often with his head down.
 * The infamous vertical standing glitch from Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis and Sonic 4 Episode I is very easy to perform in the demo, especially on loops.
 * The physics engine is slightly unfinished, and it is possible to get stuck when jumping against a wall until the momentum runs out.

Icon
The icon that would display on the DS menu, has a three pixel difference in Sonic's eyes.

Title
The stripes appear on the top and bottom and have a 3D look to them. The background is a hexagonal pattern on a white background. The copyright text uses a different font and says "(C) 2005,Sega" instead of "(C) Sega Corporation, 2005". The start button uses a different font and style.

Boss Battle

 * The camera angle before the player gets control of Sonic is different.

Music
The background music is similar to the music used for previous Sonic games, as opposed to the pop-inspired ones used in the final.

Title Screen

Leaf Storm

The Zone 1 theme used in the proto is very similar to Blaze Appears, whereas the final uses a completely different theme.

Boss Battle

Alternate

The main part sounds quite similar to the track 'True Area 53' from Sonic Advance 2. The second variant; which plays after you hit the boss enough times, has a slightly faster tempo and more instruments that play a jingle reminiscent of the Zone 1 music.

Results Screen

Sound Effects
The demo recycles voice clips from Sonic Advance 3, when Sonic was still voiced by Ryan Drummond.

Levels
Placeholder files for all seven zones (Acts 1 and 2) from the final are present, but most are blank and unplayable except Leaf Storm Act 1, Leaf Storm Act 2 (which is normally available), Water Palace Act 1, and Dead Line Act 1.


 * Leaf Storm Act 1 & 2: The most complete stage (along with Act 2 and the Leaf Storm Boss), with some differences from the final.


 * Water Palace Act 1: Incomplete, but playable.


 * Dead Line Act 1: Impossible to finish, with mostly garbled graphics.

Unused Sprites
Sprites for Sonic and the Akatento badnik from Advance 3 can be found in the overlay files.