Proto:Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis)

This page details one or more prototype versions of Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis).

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  This prototype is documented on Hidden Palace.

Download Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis) (Prototype) File: Sonic_the_Hedgehog_(16-bit)_(Prototype).bin (512 KB) (info)

To do: A lot.

The Sonic the Hedgehog prototype is an early build of the game; it was released on January 1, 2021, by drx and Buckaroo. At this point, the game is extremely incomplete; many stages are incompletable due to lack of signposts, and some stages (like Clock Work Act 3) haven't been started at-all. It does, however, give some insight into the game's development.

Zone Differences

Final Zone isn't available in the level select, and levels use their early names. Every Zone contains many differences in the layouts themselves.

Green Hill Zone Remember the magenta flowers?

Marble Zone Those UFOs were real after all.

Labyrinth Zone "Water"? What's that?

Sparkling Zone "Good Luck"? "Goodbye"?

Star Light Zone Looks familiar, but not quite.

Clock Work Zone Oh sorry, Clock Ork Zone.

General Differences

• The ROM header hasn't been filled-out with information yet, with the date just reading "1989.JAN".
• The Sega logo is the same one as seen in many games before this; the final version uses a completely different Sega logo alongside a chant.
• The "SONIC TEAM PRESENTS" screen is absent.
• The title screen is missing the trademark and has the text "PRESS START BUTTON" below. This remains in the final game but was accidentally dummied out when the "SONIC TEAM PRESENTS" screen was implemented, due to its memory not being cleared correctly.
  • The demos haven't been re-recorded from an earlier build, as Sonic dies early on (running into a Motobug in Green Hill Zone 1, or the Crabmeat in Sparking Zone 1), with no player interaction needed. The demo order is also different, with the broken Special Stage demo playing in-between all the stage demos.
  • Music also doesn't stop when the SEGA screen is displayed, instead fading out as normal.
• Level select and Debug Mode are enabled automatically in this build for testing and preview purposes.
• Spring Yard and Scrap Brain are called Sparkling and Clock Work in this build, though the latter displays as "Clock Ork" since the title card font doesn't contain a W.
• The level select contain Xs next to Star Light Zone and Clock Work Zone Act 3; these were likely used for when a stage wasn't implemented (though in this build it's a bit outdated, since Star Light Zone has been implemented).
• Trying to play $92 (the drowning music) in the sound test will crash the game due to invalid pointers. $93 (the Chaos Emerald collected jingle) hasn't been implemented at-all.
• Clock Work Act 3 isn't selectable; attempting to load the level using a level modifier code will spawn you in the middle of nowhere and Sonic will die.
• Continues are absent at this point, so is the credits.
• Pressing B on the level select will load up Act "4" of Green Hill Zone, which suggests that it might've been used to test the ending sequence stage. In the final game, the ending stage instead uses a separate zone altogether (06).
• Special Stages are in a very early state with only one stage present, which is clearly just a test layout.
  • Special Stages do not use a unique animation when entered, the A and B buttons also cannot be used to jump, and object placement mode cannot be entered. A and B speed up/slow down the stage's rotation and pressing START will reset the rotation speed.
  • Emeralds are nowhere to be found, neither is the jingle, and Goal tiles are split in two, the blue ones (with GOAL on them) don't animate or function, but their second frame (red tiles) will play the animation before restarting the stage. The UP and DOWN tiles don't animate either.
  • Collision detection seems to be less refined, with Sonic being able to stick to tiles much easier than in the final game.

Graphical Differences

• Title cards have an additional period after "ACT". For whatever reason, this was removed from the final.
• Sonic's sprites are almost identical to the final game, but he lacks his updated 'breathing' animation and his extra hurt animation (used for slides).

Sounds

There are many sounds that, whilst in this prototype, aren't even in the final at all. The DAC samples are also quite deeper, possibly due to the lack of the SEGA chant.

Sound $A1

This ID's sound looks like it could've been an early version of touching the goal in the Special Stages.

Sound $A8

This ID's sound's purpose looks unknown, but it sounds like an 8-bit explosion.

Sound $A9

This ID's sound is basically a spindash. But longer.

Sound $B0

It's a police siren. Looks like Sonic got caught for pirating games!

Sound $B1

More police sirens! Ain't that peculiar?!?

Sound $B2

Yet again, still more police sirens! This is getting boring.

Sound $B3

And here's the last police siren. REEEEEEEE-

Sound $BA

It sounds like an unused bumper sound.

Sound $BF

This is a normal siren, not a police siren!

Sound $C0

I don't know what this sound is supposed to be.

Sound $C2

It sounds like when you release an animal from a badnik, but one of the channels are weird.

Sound $C9

Sounds like either an unused spring sound or something.

Sound $CA

Possibly footprints?