Proto:Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis)/Marble Zone

This is a sub-page of Proto:Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis).

As the only other Zone in this prototype (along with Green Hill) with three complete Acts, Marble Zone is in a mostly functional state... key word "mostly", as this version of Marble is considerably more difficult than what it ended up becoming.

General

• The bug in the final game that lets Sonic pass through obstacles by crouching when riding blocks over lava doesn't work in the prototype; Sonic collides with the obstacle and gets pushed off the block as expected.

Palette

Proto	Final

• The palette in the prototype uses different hues of pink.

Objects

Proto	Final

• Going into object placement mode or dying will display graphics for the normally-invisible lava objects that deal damage to Sonic. This code was removed from the final game.
  • The graphics used are from the unused Robotnik monitor, similarly to how the invisible collision objects in the final game display when entering object placement mode.

Proto	Final

• Collision objects to kill Sonic have not yet been placed wherever there is a glass column obstacle that will crush against the ceiling. This means that standing on these columns as they move towards the ceiling will push Sonic into it.
  • In Act 1, the glass column can actually kill Sonic if he's standing on the left side of the column, as he will collide with the retracting spikes in the wall above. If he is standing on the right side, he'll go into the ceiling unscathed.

Act 1

Proto
Final

• The section with blocks falling into the lava seems to lag the controls. Jumping doesn't always work while a block is in midair.
• As with some other Acts in the game, Marble Zone Act 1 was slightly lengthened past the camera bounds in the final game, with a possible explanation being to accommodate Sonic now running off-screen to end the level rather than sticking around.

Proto	Final

• Hovering in the sky during all three Acts are gyrating UFOs, as seen in a great deal of Marble Zone's pre-release coverage and the movie Wayne's World. In the 2013 Retro Engine remake they can be placed in Debug Mode, and incorporate their original behavior. In Sonic Mania, similar graphics are used for the lampposts in Studiopolis Zone.
• The three rings at the beginning of the Act are absent, with a Buzz Bomber and Yadorin appearing instead. Like the Motobug placed at the start of Green Hill Act 1, the Buzz Bomber will kill you if you don't move away in time.

Proto	Final

• Throughout Marble Zone in the prototype, Yadorins tend to be placed around where Caterkillers are in the final game.
  • They seem to despawn very frequently, meaning that in normal play many of these Yadorins may not be seen. Going directly to their location with debug mode is a reliable way to see them in action.
• Several sets of Rings above moving platforms in this Act were adjusted to be less high in the air, making it easier for Sonic to collect them.
• The platform pictured took on a different shape, exposing some lava.

Proto	Final

• The glass crusher columns are glitchy: Sonic can be killed by entering one too quickly while it's moving up. The rings are also missing from this section.

Proto	Final

• There's only one Batbrain near the first "push the block onto the switch" part...

Proto	Final

• ...and the block itself is placed much further left.

Proto	Final

• A minor detail, but pretty interesting: The block on top of the spike crusher sticks to the crusher while it falls, but in the final version this block drifts above but follows the falling spike crusher.

Proto	Final

• Because checkpoints are missing from this build, all you get here is a set of spikes. Lovely.

Proto	Final

• A unique horizontal spike crusher after the falling block section was replaced by a regular vertical one. The horizontal version remains in the final game's data, and works just fine if hacked into the game.
• The ring placement changed from two separate sets of 3 and 2 rings, to just one set of 4 rings.
  • Note that the prototype's set of 2 rings on the higher ledge is oddly placed, leading to 1 of the rings being completely embedded in the wall and unobtainable without Debug Mode. This could be a leftover from a previous layout.

Proto	Final

• One of the spiked crushers was replaced with a smaller crusher, hanging from a protruding block.
• Batbrains were added above the smaller crusher.

Proto	Final

• The ring placement here was made a bit more unique, and a Buzz Bomber was removed.

Proto	Final

• Rings were added to this section and the Yadorin was removed.

Proto	Final

• These lines of rings floating rather far from the ground were removed.
• To the right of this area, rings were added right before the goal post, on top of the platform that sinks into the lava and catches on fire.

Act 2

Proto
Final

• You aren't awarded points for breaking blocks yet.
• In the prototype, there was a different ending section of the level that was completely removed from the final. It follows immediately after the final's ending section and even includes an secret route by running on top of a spike crusher and bouncing on top of a 10 ring box.
• There is a very minor bug in the prototype, in the area where you ride a block across lava and get launched upwards by a lava spout. If Sonic stays on the initial block that he pushed into the lava and never jumps off of it, so that he makes contact with the block that will return to the start, the initial block stops in its tracks and does not continue moving left nor does it start sinking. In the final game, the block's motion isn't interrupted and it will behave correctly.

Proto	Final

• The first two rings in the act were moved up slightly.
• Two Yadorins were replaced by 1 Caterkiller.
• A 10 Ring Monitor was removed from the top of a background column. Two lone rings were also removed from the top of the shorter blue columns nearby.

Proto	Final

• Instead of hitting a switch, the player must repeatedly jump on the glass crusher in order to force it downward.

Proto	Final

• Block placement in this area is different; a new platform was added and the block hanging from the ceiling was moved to the left a bit.

Proto	Final

• This hidden room now houses 1 Caterkiller rather than 2 Yadorins, and a 10 Ring Monitor was removed.
  • These Yadorins tend to despawn by the time the room is entered through regular gameplay.
• The right side of the room was also made a little larger.

Proto	Final

• The bottom-most fireball launcher in this section was removed. Another one had its position shifted.
  • This change to the layout of the fireball launcher obstacles is also done in a couple other areas in Act 3.
• Below this area, right before the lava chase section, a 10 Ring Monitor was removed.

Proto	Final

• A hole in the brick background can be seen here in the prototype, revealing a blue color. This oversight was fixed in the final.

Proto	Final

• The lava chase section features falling blocks in the prototype, which were replaced with half-blocks embedded into the floor in the final game.
  • Because the falling blocks land as full blocks, the section is slightly more awkward in the prototype since the gaps in the tunnel end up being tighter.
• Block placement is also slightly differently in the first half of the tunnel.
• The moving wall of lava behaves slightly different in the prototype:
  • It moves slightly slower than in the final game.
  • It doesn't properly act as a solid object, allowing Sonic to very easily clip into the lava after taking damage.
  • In the final game, the wall of lava stops moving forward for a brief moment whenever Sonic takes damage from it. This behavior is not present in the prototype.

Proto	Final

• 4 Batbrains were added to this area.
• A Shield Monitor was removed from the ledge on the left.
• The retracting spikes extend a bit further out in the prototype.

Proto	Final

• This tunnel, which ends in a red spring trap, contains three Yadorins in the prototype and two Caterkillers in the final game.

Proto	Final

• The crumbling platforms that Sonic has to land on after being launched by the lava spout were replaced with a much more reassuring solid block.
• The Batbrains here were swapped out for some rings.
• Right after this room, two Yadorins were swapped out for 1 Caterkiller.

Proto	Final

• The two Yadorins here were swapped out for no Caterkiller! Have a checkpoint instead.
  • If the Yadorins somehow haven't despawned by the time you reach this area, they will walk down the hill and get stuck because the hill incline is too steep for them to climb back up.
• The 1-up was replaced with a 10 Ring Monitor.

Proto	Final

• Two of the ring monitors and the two rings on the platform to the right were removed.

Proto	Final

• The 1-up was replaced with an Invincibility monitor.

Proto	Final

• Rings were removed from the start of this chain stomper section.
• In the prototype, this section as a whole is devoid of enemies aside from the Batbrain at the very start; the final adds in 2 Caterkillers for some additional challenge.

Act 3

Proto
Final

• The second half of the level got a near complete makeover. Originally, there were two paths to take to the end of the level, but the rightmost path was either scrubbed or consolidated into the one path in the final.
  • The leftmost path bears the most resemblance to the final's big underground room, but still has a small section completely removed in the final.
  • Because of the rightmost path's proximity to the signpost, it isn't possible to traverse the path fully through normal play due to the camera locking in place.
• The level layout continues on past the signpost and camera lock, which can't normally be seen in-game. There are three lava pits present in the area where you would fight the boss, rather than two. The right-most lava pit was removed in the final game.

Proto	Final

• The start of Act 3 continues the trend of removing rings from the top of background columns. Three rings were removed from these background pillars at the start, and two were removed from background pillars slightly further into the level.
• The Yadorin here was also removed, with the Caterkiller to replace it placed a bit farther to the right.

Proto	Final

• This secret room under the incline initially contained three 10 Ring Monitors. Apparently the developers thought that was too generous, as a Caterkiller is placed here instead in the final game.
• The prototype features two extra blocks to the left of this room, with one of them falling to the floor as the player enters from the right.

Proto	Final

• The lava object is mistakenly missing from this pit in the prototype, allowing Sonic to fall right through into a different part of the level. This was fixed in the final game.

Proto	Final

• Just like in Act 2, one fireball launcher was removed, and the topmost one had its position tweaked a bit.
  • This change was also made to the set of fireball launchers in the alternate path.

Proto	Final

• This 1-Up Monitor was replaced with a Shield Monitor.
• A Batbrain was removed from this area as well.

Proto	Final

• A Caterkiller was added to this area.
• As in Act 2, in lieu of a switch the pillar must be jumped on repeatedly to progress.
• Below the pillar, the 2 Yadorins were swapped out with 1 Caterkiller.

Proto	Final

• Another hole in the brick background can be seen in this area when the player is jumping. This was also fixed in the final.

Proto	Final

• The Caterkiller infestation continues to take root.

Proto	Final

• 2 Yadorins were removed from this secret room.
  • As with other occurrences of these enemies, at least one of the Yadorins tends to despawn by the time you reach this room in regular play.

Proto	Final

• The right-facing red spring in this spring trap was removed.
• The 2 Yadorins were swapped out with 1 Caterkiller.
• The fireball launcher section right before this area was tweaked just like the others.
• Retracting spikes were added to the stairs leading down to this area.

Proto	Final

• This area was made a little more exciting; a Caterkiller was added, and a set of retracting spikes were placed just off to the right.
• A checkpoint was added here as well.
• The pair of glass pillars placed to the right of this area move in sync in the prototype. In the final game, they move in alternating order just like all the other glass pillars in the Zone.

Proto	Final

• The layout of this area is quite different. An extra moving block was added as well as some more solid blocks were added to fill out the right-hand side of this lava pit.
• The ledge that the Shield Monitor is on was also opened up.

Proto	Final

• At least some of the Batbrains from the prototype-exclusive path were re-homed here.
• The path below had some rings added.
• The left side of this room in the prototype opens up to the prototype-exclusive path.
  • The crumbling blocks in the floor open up to the lava pit in the previous section, serving as a dangerous and inconvenient trap for the unwary.
• In the prototype, down and to the right of this area there is a 10 Ring Monitor deeply embedded into the wall. This may be indicative of an even older Act 3 layout. The Monitor does not exist in the final game.

Proto	Final

• The prototype path entrance to the right was sealed up completely, and this area now opens up to the final path from the left.
  • As a likely consequence, the 10 Ring Monitor was removed as its placement would put it right in the middle of the final path.
• 2 Batbrains were added.

Proto	Final

• This area was changed dramatically; aside from reflecting the extensive layout changes to the latter half of the level, it's now a lot more uniform in height.
• There are quite a bit less rings in this section as well.

Proto	Final

• The block floating in lava stayed in its place, while the ledge to its right was raised in height.
• A final checkpoint before the boss was added.

Proto	Final

• The end of Act 3 doesn't have a boss yet, but it does have a signpost, making Marble one of a whopping two complete Zones in this build.

Unused and Changed Chunks

Unused Chunks

Chunks 04, 13, and 32 go unused. Notably, they're still unused in the final, with no changes made between the two.

Changed Chunks

Chunk 1A

Proto	Final

• The fireball launcher placement in this chunk was adjusted. One fireball launcher near the bottom was removed, and the upper-most fireball launcher was moved upwards.

Chunks 36 to 38

Proto	Final

Proto	Final

Proto	Final

• The infamous background UFOs were removed in the final game.

Chunk 4A

Proto	Final

• This chunk is placed to the right of where the camera locks for the boss in the final game's Act 3, between the boss arena and the capsule. In the prototype, there's another lava pit in this chunk; either the boss arena had a slightly different layout or position, or this lava pit served as one final obstacle after the boss was defeated. In the final game, the lava pit was removed.