Sonic Chaos (Game Gear)

Sonic Chaos
Also known as: Sonic & Tails (JP) Developer: Aspect Publisher: Sega Platform: Game Gear Released in JP: November 19, 1993 Released in US: November 23, 1993 Released in EU: November 25, 1993 This game has unused areas. This game has unused code. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused music. This game has a hidden sound test. This game has a hidden level select. This game has regional differences. This game has a prototype article

Tails is back as a playable character. Chaotic!

This is also a port of the Master System version.

To do: Sonic & Tails Demonstration Sample proto as found here.

Unused Content

Graphics

Artwork	Zone	Description
	Turquoise Hill Zone	A diagonal spring likely intended for the lower parts of the stage.
	Gigapolis Zone	One default spring and four springs in front of some background blocks. There are also spikes meant to be placed in front of background blocks.
	Gigapolis Zone	A left-facing quarter pipe.
	Sleeping Egg Zone	A diagonal spring in front of the checkerboard background tiles, and some default spike graphics.
	Sleeping Egg Zone	Two different slope types that are unused in this zone.
	Mecha Green Hill Zone	Diagonal springs and spikes set in front of the mesh background tiles.
	Mecha Green Hill Zone	A small unused level piece. A mirrored version of this is used however.
	Aqua Planet Zone	Two different spring types, and two background objects.
	Electric Egg Zone	Another quarter pipe and spring type.
	Special Zone (Type #1)	A great number of background pieces intended to be placed with the diagonal background tiles. So are the spikes, which may have had their colors overwritten with the cloud palette.
	Special Zone (Type #1)	Two more quarter pipe blocks.
	Special Zone (Type #2)	The second Special Zone tileset has the most unused tiles of any level. This includes the giant rings featured in the other Special Zones, purple and red coral, spikes, and an upward spring. The red blocks are never used in any Special Stage. The presence of these blocks suggests that at one point in the game's development, the red Chaos Emerald may have had its own Special Stage.
	Special Zone (Type #2)	Both of the Special Zones using this tileset are completely flat. Nevertheless, these slope and quarter pipe tiles are present in the ROM.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Zones

Existing in both versions of the game, these zones $06 & $0D have a blank name. In the Game Gear version, they show up as garbled text followed by "ZONE." In the Master System version, they just show up as "ZONE". Layout-wise, they're a copy of Turquoise Hill with few differences, apart from the occasional graphical glitch:

• The giant Motobug boss in Act 3 is glitched; after it is attacked once, it stays in its "flashing" palette for the rest of the fight.
• The HUD doesn't clear correctly before the boss, and continuously loops around the screen until part of it becomes overwritten by the boss graphics.
• $06 oddly uses the bonus stage music. $0D uses the boss music, but is strangely silent in the Master System version.

Music

To do: Upload the version of Gigapolis Zone used in this version and a comparison audio to Master System version.

Sound Code: 0x8E
Unused jingle of unknown purpose, though it was likely an early level completion jingle, as it was recycled in Sonic Blast.

Sound Code: 0x9B
While not used here, this track would be recycled (albeit in a lower key) in Sonic Triple Trouble as the Sunset Park boss theme.

Sound Code: 0x83
This is Gigalopolis Zone from the Master System version with a few differences.

Text

Like all of Aspect's 8-bit Sonic titles, a basic build string is present at ROM 0xC0:

International	Japan
GG SONIC CHAOS < Ver1.00 > 1993/09/01 @SEGA /Aspect Co.,Ltd	GG SONIC & TAILS < Ver1.01 > 1993/09/07 @SEGA /Aspect Co.,Ltd

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Error Handler

Another common feature of Aspect's Sonic games, there's a generic error handler routine at ROM 0x70. If the code at that address somehow executes, the game clears the screen, tries to write the message "ERROR", waits for 3 seconds, and then resets. The game doesn't intentionally jump to this code at any point, and it would be of little use anyway because the message will only be intelligible if an ASCII font is already loaded at VRAM 0x2400 (e.g. on the level select screen).

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Level Select

Press Up, Up, Down, Down, Right, Left, Right, Left, Start at the title screen.

Sound Test

Press Down, Down, Up, Up, Left, Right, Left, Right, 1, 2, Start at the title screen.

Press Down, Down/Right, Right, 1 at the Sound Test, and Sonic will perform a Hadouken!

Regional Differences

Title Screen

International	Japan

The title fonts are different between versions. The larger title screen in the international version moves the "Press Start Button" text down 8 pixels. The international version also gets a trademark to go with its copyright.

Level Titles

International	Japan

The title card fonts are completely different between regions. Notably, the international version does not have Act numbers in its font. "Gigalopolis Zone" was shortened to "Gigapolis Zone".

Dr. Robotnik is called "Eggman" in the credits of the Japanese version. Also, the Japanese version uses a combination of Master System and English Game Gear versions' Act 3 layouts. It uses the Master System's layouts for Turquoise Hill Zone and Gigapolis Zone, an altered version of Master System's layout for Sleeping Egg Zone, altered versions of English Game Gear's layouts for Mecha Green Hill Zone and Aqua Planet Zone, and the English Game Gear's layout for Electric Egg Zone.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Sonic & Tails Kattobi Saisoku Technique

The December 1993 editions of Japanese magazines Shogaku Sannensei, Shogaku Yonensei and Shogaku Rokunensei ran a "Sonic & Tails Kattobi Saisoku Technique" (ソニック&ティルスかっとび最速テクニック) contest in which readers had to perform a time trial of Turquoise Hill Zone, with four categories for Acts 1 and 2 as either Sonic or Tails. Contestants had to finish either Act with a speed rating greater than 700km/h, pause the game after the rating had finished calculating, and press Up + Left + 1 + 2 to display a six-digit hexadecimal code that would be sent in.

This feature only exists in the Japanese Game Gear version of the game, and is removed from all western releases.

(Source: Pengi)