Proto:SegaSonic the Hedgehog

This page details one or more prototype versions of SegaSonic the Hedgehog.

To do: Compare level designs to the final, they're vastly different.

Officially known as Revision A, this prototype of SegaSonic was paraded around various arcade expos for testing and getting player feedback.

General Differences

• The title screen has no background and Sonic is the only character shown. Ray and Mighty aren't pictured.
• The character selection screen is not present either.
• The tutorial is slightly shorter than the final version.

Prototype	Final
トラックボールを回しながら 　ボタンを押す！！ (Press the button while turning the trackball!!)	トラックボールを回しながら 　ボタンを押すとスピンジャンプ！！ (Press the button while turning the trackball to spin jump!!)

• The level order is different and some of the level names lack the alliteration present in the final game.
• The ring bonus tally at the end of each level is not present, so the game goes back to Eggman after a level ends.
• The furthest the player can go is Desert Dodge Zone, where completed a "To be continued" screen appears and the game will end.

(Source: Sonic Retro)

Sprite Differences

Chase Scene

Sonic, Ray, and Mighty's running animations in the chase scene are slightly more disproportionate compared to the final version, resembling more like their in-game medium speed running animations. Strangely, these sprites did appear in the game's sample screenshot on the old version of Sega's official US website, Sonic Central.

Unused Dialog

Some pieces of dialogue that aren't seen in the final game. What's notable is that Sonic has some dialogue here in a word balloon, which isn't seen in the final game.

Japanese	Translation
エッグマン！今度は何をたくらんでいるんだ？！ ええい、しつこいやつめ！来るなら来てみろ　ソニック！ 全能の塔はわしのものだッ！ 全能の塔？ 待てッ！ ここまで来ればこっちのものだ この塔はこの島を自由自在に操れるのだ その威力を思い知れッ！ これでどうだッ！ 今度はこうだッ！ これで勝ったと思うなよ！	Eggman! What are you planning this time?! Grr, you sure are persistent! Come at me, Sonic! This almighty tower is mine! Almighty tower? Wait! If you've come this far, this is as far as you go. This tower can freely control this island. Realize its power! How about this! Now take this! Don't think you've won!

(Translations: Plasma Captain)

(Source: Ragey, Kallus)

Unused Graphics

The prototype has many unused graphics of its own.

Unused animations for the characters looking up. Only Sonic has two animations for looking up.

Some fish badnik that would have been seen at Wild Water Way. The palette here is a placeholder, as its palette is currently unknown.

An unusual orb with an unknown purpose, possibly for explosions.

Two more badniks that aren't in the final game. It's unknown where these would have been placed.

An unused dome, with 足 (leg) written on it. This was the base for an unused boss in Landslide Limbo.

This would've been used for the Landslide Limbo boss that's seen in Revision A.

A sort of weird spiky platform with suction cups.

What it would have looked like in-game.

Sonic at the game over screen. In both the prototype and the final version, Eggman is always used when it's game over.

(Source: Ragey, Kallus)

Pattern Viewer

To do: Find out what the SAVE function does.

Within this prototype, there seems to be a graphics viewer that has been completely removed from the final build. Upon enabling it, it checks for Player 2's button before appearing.

(Source: Suddenﾃﾞｽ)

Option	Effect
OBJECT	Player 2's Trackball Y-axis will change the ID of the current object.
CLEAR	Removes existing objects and spawns a new one with default settings.
COLOR BANK	Player 2's Trackball Y-axis will change the palette of the current object.
BASE POINT	This changes the relative location of the current sprite.
ZPOS	Changes the Z position (the "layer") of the current object.
16-256	Changes the tile color depth.
SAVE
H-V FLIP	Sets or clears horizontal/vertical flip flags on the current object.
ZOOM	Player 2's Trackball Y-axis resizes the current object.
EXIT	Quits the viewer.
END FLAG	Sets or clears the end flag on the current object; this will fix graphics on objects that have random horizontal lines.
NEW OBJECT	Spawns a new object Using the current object's settings.