Proto:SegaSonic the Hedgehog

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

Revision A of SegaSonic the Hedgehog 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. Instead, each character is assigned to a specific player slot.
• The tutorial is slightly shorter than the final version.

• 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 upon completion a "To be continued" screen appears and the game will end.

Sprite Differences

Chase Scene

Sonic, Ray, and Mighty's running animations in the chase scene are more cartoonishly compared to the final version's chase sprites, resembling their in-game medium speed running animations. These sprites did appear in a screenshot on an old version of Sega's official US website, Sonic Central.

Unused Dialogue

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.

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.

A version of the Game Over graphic with Sonic. Both this build and the final use the standard Eggman one.

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. You use Player 2's trackball for moving the cursor, and Player 2's jump button for selections.

Level Differences

All levels have less rings overall. Wild Water Way and Eggman's Tower are not present in this version.

Volcanic Vault

The level is significantly shorter, only having two long corridors. The magma boulder, seesaw and falling bridge sections are nowhere to be seen.

Rev. A	Final

The level starts at a corridor with lava pools instead of a sloped down one. There are no breakable spots on the walls compared to its final counterpart.

Rev. A	Final

The treadmill section is only a turn to the right away instead of having to get launched by a seesaw.

Rev. A	Final

The next corridor has flamethrowers instead of the bursting lava pools.

Rev. A	Final

The level ends just after the second corridor. Unlike the final version, the exit is facing the same direction as the corridor. It closes just before lava floods in.

Icy Isle

It appears as the fourth level, under the name "Ice World" in the prototype. The background music is the same as Trap Tower's. The snow mounds have been rearranged and are destroyed by spin jumping instead of bumping into them.

Rev. A	Final

Eggman's dialogue is different.

Rev. A	Final

The first stretch of the level doesn't have rings floating around.

Rev. A	Final

There are twice as many rings between the spears. The spears make no sound when going up.

Desert Dodge

It appears as the fifth and last level, under the name "Desert Zone". The background music is an unfinished version of Eggman's Tower's music. The sand mounds are destroyed by spin jumping instead of bumping into them.

Rev. A	Final

The centipede badnik has a vivid blue and red color palette. Placement of some sand mounds is also different.

Rev. A	Final

Instead of jumping worm badniks there are slow moving, high damage-dealing rectangular centipede badniks. Bumping into them quickly depletes health, as the player characters can get hit several times consecutively.

Rev. A	Final

There are no tiles at this ledge in the prototype.

The game ends after this level.

Trap Tower

It Appears as the second level.

Rev. A	Final

There aren't any glowing breakable spots on the walls at the beginning of the level. Eggman's dialogue is different.

Rev. A	Final

The electric traps section is longer and has way more traps than the final version. The traps explode after being bumped into.

There are also breakable walls with Eggman's face on them that do not appear anywhere in the final.

Rev. A	Final

A stopper temporarily blocks the giant rolling gears. The boxes block the way and have to be pushed out of the way. Unlike the final version, they drop rings after being pushed instead of getting broken.

Rev. A	Final

The final section has the breakable Eggman walls.

Rev. A	Final

In the final, the player characters keep going right until they go offscreen . In the prototype, they are standing on the brown platform until it lifts them to the exit.

Landslide Limbo

It appears as the third level, under the name "Landslide Zone". The background music is an unfinished version of Eggman's Tower's music.

Rev. A	Final

An electric fence blocks the middle path to the catapults.

Rev. A	Final

No rings fall out upon colliding with this wall.

Rev. A	Final

There is a glitched graphic in the corner during the boss' explosion animation.