Prerelease:Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis)/Mid Prerelease Builds

This is a sub-page of Prerelease:Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis)/Mid Prerelease Builds.

This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes.

To do: SOURCE UNSOURCED CONTENT. Move a bulk of the info, if not all of it, here, and then delete everything from here that you just transferred.

A build seen in a number of magazines, representing what could be argued to be the “mid-point” of the game’s development. A prototype build of Sonic the Hedgehog released in 2021 appears to be a match for this build.

Nick Arcade Pilot

The original pilot for Nick Arcade, taped around April 1991, has a contestant playing a prototype version of Sonic 1. The final header states has the text "1991.APR", suggesting the build shown here was nearly complete.

• The "Press Start Button" text, lack of an S on the RINGS counter, and purple sunflowers in Green Hill, as mentioned above.
• The Green Hill boulder in motion: after Sonic passes it, the boulder proceeds to chase him down the hill until it rebounds its path.
• Slightly different ring placement around the second bridge.
• The drums are slightly different, as they are heavier and much louder.

The final version of Sonic 1 was used in Season 1 of the Nick Arcade series (recorded later in 1991), with Season 2 (recorded in 1992) swapping it out for what was later discovered to be an early build of Sonic 2 named after the show.

Electronic Gaming Magazine: May 1991, Issue 22

Green Hill Zone

The Green Hill Zone title card. Notice that the period is the same color as the act letters, the sunflowers have a pink center, and the HUD still says RING. The boulder also still remains.

Star Light Zone

Act 2 starts with a completely different setup. It is much fuller than the final, with cones, and more truss tiles.

Spring Yard / Sparkling Zone

There are signs everywhere that say things like Good Luck, along with the different colored buildings..

Scrap Brain

At one point Scrap Brain was called Clock Work, or, Clock Ork since the title card doesn't contain art for the "W".

Diagonal conveyor belts. In the final release these do not exist.

SegaPower UK: Issues 20 and 22

Labyrinth Zone

From this image we can see that there was originally a completely different background.

Marble Zone

The UFOs went through a change in color, from red to blue.

Lava also went through a major change from looking like magma to looking like the final counterpart.

VideoGame (BR)

Green Hill Zone

The beginning of act 3. An extra rock and an extra Buzz Bomber badnik can be seen here.

This speed shoes monitor originally wasn't hidden in the palm tree to the right. Instead, it was placed on the platform to its left and an extra Buzz Bomber was placed above the one in the final game.

This shield monitor isn't here in the final game.

Labyrinth Zone

The crystals aren't bunched together like they are in the final game.

Marble Zone

The torches in the background were given a fire animation.

Star Light Zone

This picture of the beginning of act 1 shows different ring object placement.

More pictures of completely different layout and design.

Computer and VideoGames Magazine UK: Issue 115

Title Screen

The Title Screen still uses the Press Start Button text like the other prerelease builds. The background is now finalized.

Marble Zone

There is an extra fireball shooter tile on this chunk.

Spring Yard Zone

A picture showing some of the background.

ConsoleMania: Issue 1

Star Light Zone

A map of a loop, showing more different layout design.

Yet more different layout.

Mean Machines UK: Issue 8

Spring Yard Zone

Originally around bumpers there were 4 rows of spiky balls that rotated clockwise. There were also sparkling stars in the sky that rotated clockwise and counter clockwise.

Sega Magazine (UK)

Green Hill Zone

A picture of Sonic jumping at the end of act 2.

GamePro: Issue 23

Scrap Brain Zone

The spinning circle object here was absent. The layout design here is very different.

Sega Visions: Summer Issue

Spring Yard Zone

Yadrins used to be in the inside sections of Sparkling Zone.

Unsourced

Green Hill Zone

This picture shows a slightly different chunk design for the platforms Sonic is standing on.

There were also no checkpoints in the game yet.

Star Light Zone

This layout and design is completely different from the final game.

Scrap Brain Zone

This part of the layout is still broken.

Special Stage

The Special Stage has been updated to look like the one seen in Shinsaku.