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Green Hill (グリーンヒル Gurīn Hiru?), also known as Green Hill Zone (グリーンヒルゾーン Gurīn Hiru Zōn?), is a location that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. A natural paradise of a Zone, Green Hill was the first location Sonic the Hedgehog passed through during his mission to free South Island from the tyranny of Dr. Eggman. Since then, the Zone has returned in many shapes and forms, although always as part of Sonic and his allies' journey to foil threats to the world.

Green Hill is known for being one of the most famous and iconic video game levels of all time, and was the first Sonic experience for many people. It has appeared in multiple Sonic games.

Description[]

Green Hill is a giant field blessed with greenery and beautiful blue lakes.[2] Topographically, it varies from having a plateau-like terrain, with short mountains; to being a mountainous area with massive mountains, sloping cliffs, giant peaks, and tight paths high up in the sky supported by natural pillars. Either way, the location is filled with large waterfall vistas, palm trees,[3] and tropical flora of various types.[3] Perhaps most distinctively, the soil is checkered brown, and most of the local plant life appears to have unfamiliar geometric appearances to it. As shown during the Sky Base incident and the Time Eater incident, Green Hill also has a series of dark, brown caves underneath it, which have small lakes and ponds of water in them. There are artificial structures made of wood as well, such as bridges, fences, totem poles, and scaffolding-like buildings.

Perhaps what makes Green Hill unique[2] is its "crazy"[4] terrain. Though it has been noted that it has gently-sloping hills,[3] the whole area is filled to the brim with impressive set pieces such as loops, corkscrews, floating platforms, tunnels, among others;[2] which can be attributed to the "twisty, bouncy beauty of nature".[4]

During the War to Take Back the Planet, Green Hill had a different appearance. While still a picturesque landscape for the most part, the region was partially turned into a desert, with its flora and soil adopting a yellowish color while the waters in the lakes and waterfalls had been replaced with sand.


History[]

Games[]

Death Egg saga[]

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)[]

In the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), as part of his plans for world domination, the infamous Dr. Eggman invaded South Island to find the Chaos Emeralds. During his occupation, Green Hill was one of the Zones on South Island that the doctor invaded, kidnapping the local Animals while filling the Zone with Badniks.[5][6]

OriginsSc1

Sonic running through Green Hill, from Sonic Origins.

Eventually, while running through Green Hill, Sonic learned from some Flickies about Eggman's plans. Seeing the doctor carrying out his operations, the hedgehog followed his nemesis through the Zone, overcoming several traps along the way.[7] Eventually, he got attacked by Eggman in his Egg Wrecker. Sonic managed to defeat the doctor however and was able to proceed with his journey.

At the end of his adventure, Sonic made a brief return to Green Hill, where he saw the local Animals happily jumping in celebration of his victory against Eggman. Having collected all the Chaos Emeralds as well, the hedgehog released them from his hands, and had a vision of them, as well as the seventh Emerald, flying towards West Side Island. After a big flash, the Emeralds disappeared and Green Hill was been filled with blooming flowers, making the Zone even more beautiful. With everything said and done, Sonic left in search of more adventures.[8]

Sonic Chaos[]

Main article: Mecha Green Hill Zone

In Sonic Chaos, Green Hill was invaded by Dr. Eggman, who mechanized it into a nightmarish area full of robots called Mecha Green Hill.[9] The region would be visited by Sonic and Tails in their quest to stop the villain.

Sonic Blast[]

Green Hill Blast

Green Hill, from Sonic Blast.

In Sonic Blast, Green Hill Zone was represented by the green color, whereas the other local Zones were Yellow Desert Zone, Red Volcano Zone, Blue Marine Zone and Silver Castle Zone. Aside from that, Green Hill also had a more rocky scenery as well.

During Sonic and Knuckles' mission to find the missing Chaos Emerald shards and stop Eggman's latest plan, the two rivals first made their way through Green Hill, making it the first of many Zones they would pass through.

Sonic Generations[]

Sonic-the-hedgehog-20th-anniversary-project-untitled-20110418073635973

Classic Sonic running through Green Hill, from the console/PC version of Sonic Generations.

In the console/PC version and Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations, as a side-effect of the Time Eater's time-traveling, an incarnation of Green Hill from somewhere in spacetime got transported to White Space where it was drained of color and life.

After ending up in White Space, Sonic paid a visit to Green Hill when he first saw it in that realm. By speeding through Green Hill, Sonic was able to fix space, thereby restoring Green Hill and, by extension, Tails from their lifeless states. When the Time Eater later got destroyed, Green Hill was seemingly returned to its rightful place.

Sonic Mania[]

Sonic-Mania-Green-Hill-Zone-Underworld

Sonic in an underground section of Green Hill, from Sonic Mania.

In Sonic Mania, some time after the Angel Island incident, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles got transported to Green Hill with the Hard Boiled Heavies after the aforementioned group of Eggrobos unearthed the Phantom Ruby on Angel Island. This would be the first Zone the trio visited on their new adventure.

Upon their arrival, Sonic and Tails noticed that the Phantom Ruby had transformed the Hard-Boiled Heavies into more dangerous forms with free will. As the villainous group made their escape, the two would pursue them through Green Hill in order to keep the Phantom Ruby from falling into the wrong hands, crossing paths with Knuckles along the way. At the end of the area, the trio got attacked by Dr. Eggman and his Death Egg Robot, but were able to defeat him. The heroes would afterward follow the doctor and spy on him while he took the Phantom Ruby from his Hard-Boiled Heavies, who had now gone rogue and wanted the gem for themselves. Once the scientist got the ruby however, its power caused the trio to be sent to the Chemical Plant.

Sonic Forces[]

In Sonic Forces, Green Hill had been turned into a partial desert due to the heavy desertification caused by Dr. Eggman's industries.[10] As a result, sandworms had taken up residence in the otherwise peaceful region.

While on a recon mission to Arsenal Pyramid, E-123 Omega jumped the gun and launched an attack on the base by himself. Within it, he encountered Infinite, who made short work of the robot using his new power.[11] Shadow the Hedgehog soon after came to the facility to find Omega, only to encounter Infinite instead. After explaining his backstory to Shadow and how the black hedgehog had humiliated him a few months prior, Infinite trapped Shadow in an illusion. Although Shadow soon escaped it, Infinite was still pleased with the results. As the facility then began exploding around them, Infinite made his escape while Shadow was forced to withdraw.

SFModernGHZPromo2

Sonic making his way through Lost Valley, from Sonic Forces.

A month later, while traveling through Green Hill, Sonic received an emergency call from Tails, who needed his help in the City, prompting Sonic to leave the desert-like region. Six months later, after Sonic was rescued from prison by the Avatar, the two ventured to Green Hill to destroy Eggman's base, the Arsenal Pyramid. Tails and Classic Sonic later traveled to Green Hill to find Eggman. There, they witnessed a meeting between Eggman and Infinite, and learned some vital information from them. After Eggman and Infinite parted ways however, Classic Sonic emerged to battle Eggman. Although Eggman ultimately lost to Classic Sonic, the doctor ensured the victorious duo that he would defeat the Resistance and have the world for himself in just three short days, before making his escape.

When the Resistance needed to destroy the Death Egg, the Avatar went to Green Hill where they distracted Eggman's forces so the others could attack the Death Egg. While there, the Avatar got attacked by the Death Crab, but managed to defeat it. In the aftermath, the Resistance successfully reclaimed Green Hill from the Eggman Empire. After the Resistance destroyed the Death Egg, Eggman and his lackeys retreated from their spot in Green Hill to Metropolis.

Sonic Mania Plus[]

In Sonic Mania Plus, when he returned to his time after the War to Take Back the Planet, Classic Sonic would be teleported from Angel Island to Green Hill along with Mighty/Ray and the Hard Boiled Heavies by the Phantom Ruby. Trying to keep the ruby to themselves, the Hard Boiled Heavies left as Sonic and his companion gave chase to them. As they explored the Zone, the heroes were joined by Tails, Knuckles and Ray/Mighty.

Eventually, the heroes were ambushed by Dr. Eggman, who attacked them with the Death Egg Robot. However, the villain's attack failed, and he and the Death Egg Robot fell into a hole where he found the Hard Boiled Heavies with the Phantom Ruby. Wanting to use the ruby for global domination once again, the doctor took the Phantom Ruby from his robots and used it to transport Sonic and his friends, who were watching from nearby, to the Chemical Plant.

Team Sonic Racing[]

Digital Signage- Classic Sonic

An air freshener ad promoting a Green Hill scent, from Team Sonic Racing.

In Team Sonic Racing, signs promoting flights to "Green Hill Zone" appear in various tracks like Wisp Circuit. Additionally, an air freshener ad promotes a "Green Hill scent", along with Spring Yard and Star Light ones.

A Paint Kit based on Green Hill, called the "Green Hill Theme" (グリーン ヒルカラー Gurīn Hiru Karā?, lit. "Green Hill Color") can be unlocked at random by opening Mod Pods. The colors in this kit are as follows:

Colors
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Sonic Frontiers[]

Main articles: 1-1, 1-4, 1-6, 2-1, 2-6, 3-1, 3-2, 3-4, 3-5, and 4-5
Main articles: 4-A, 4-B, and 4-C

In Sonic Frontiers, Green Hill's aesthetic was utilized for numerous Cyber Space stages, which were all based around Sonic's memories.[12][13]

IDW Publishing[]

GreenHillIDWv2

Green Hill, from Sonic the Hedgehog #1.

After Sonic the Hedgehog managed to defeat Dr. Eggman at the end of the War to Take Back the Planet, the doctor disappeared. However, his robot forces remained. Without a leader to give them orders and/or direction, the robots stationed in Green Hill would wander around aimlessly being a big threat to themselves and attacking anything they came across until they came under the control of Neo Metal Sonic, who made them more cohesive.[14][15]

Sonic the Hedgehog's 900th Adventure[]

IDWGreenHill

Green Hill, from Sonic the Hedgehog's 900th Adventure.

As Sonic grabbed the Warp Topaz to bring it back to where it belonged, he was sent to Green Hill. As he kept running, he avoided one of the topaz's portals, to which many objects from various locations around the world came out of them. An Orca suddenly appeared and was about to chomp Sonic until Amy intervened and helped Sonic. They both planned to bring the Orca back to its natural habitat by having Sonic lure the beast. Eventually, they both succeeded, as Sonic ran off to continue his journey to put the Warp Topaz back to its rightful place.[16]

Other game appearances[]

Sonic Drift[]

In Sonic Drift, Green Hill appears as a racetrack alongside other Zones from Sonic the Hedgehog. Its appearance generally remains unchanged from the original Sonic the Hedgehog. Green Hill tracks from all Chaos GP cups are mostly simple and feature only few direct bends. Because of this, Green Hill from red Chaos GP is the most challenging track of all three.

Sonic Jam[]

In Sonic Jam, Green Hill appears as the setting of Sonic World, where missions take place.

Sonic Adventure 2[]

In Sonic Adventure 2 and its enhanced port Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, Green Hill returned in its first full 3D iteration and as an extra stage that can be unlocked by collecting all 180 emblems. The music is a remixed version of the original music, and when Sonic jumps or destroys an enemy, the same sound effects from the original game are played instead of the new sound effects from Sonic Adventure 2. The level's layout is similar to the original level but shifts land instead of going straight.

Sonic Battle[]

In Sonic Battle, Green Hill appears as a battlefield, unlocked by completing Emerl's story. The arena is wide, with many open areas and platforms. Although not officially stated to be in Green Hill, Emerald Town has similar palm trees and checkerboard rock faces identical to those seen in the original Zone.

Sonic Jump series[]

Sonic Jump (2005)[]

In Sonic Jump, after receiving an urgent call from Tails, Sonic would make his way through Green Hill on the way to Tails' research facility. Little did Sonic know that Green Hill was but the first of many regions he had to pass through on his new adventure.

Sonic Jump (2012)[]

In Sonic Jump (2012), Sonic and his friends would travel through Green Hill in order to reach Dr. Eggman and stop his hunt for Animals. After they managed to corner the doctor however, he escaped to another Zone, although not before capturing more Animals.

Sonic Jump 2[]

In Sonic Jump 2, Green Hill returned as the first Zone in the game. This iteration of Green Hill seems to prominently feature a rocky mountain and the iconic loop-de-loop is absent as well. It is also given a new background music which would then be remixed in the later Sonic Jump games.

Sonic Jump Fever[]

In Sonic Jump Fever, Green Hill is the first Zone in the game. In addition to its iconic traits, like green grass, checkered soil, mountains and waterfalls and loop-de-loop, the Zone includes small platforms that basically consist of the grass with a partial portion of the soil. Aesthetics on the platforms of the Zone include flowers, wooden fences, and a totem poles.

Super Smash Bros. series[]

Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]

Green Hill Zone SSBB

Green Hill Zone, from Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Green Hill Zone is an unlockable stage, which is obtained by unlocking Sonic. The stage features its classic style and terrain, and familiar Green Hill objects such as palm trees, totem poles, Item Boxes, and spinning flowers.

It features Green Hill Zone's music along with Scrap Brain Zone's music from the original Sonic the Hedgehog, and other iconic soundtracks from other Sonic games. The background also includes moving platforms (either swinging or levitating up and down), spikes, and Rings. And just as in the original Green Hill Zone from the first game, the middle section of the land crumbles after a while of fighting on it. Luckily, it is the only section of land that does so in this level A midway Star Post sometimes appears in the stage. When hit, it spins, damaging characters that go near it (except for the character that first hit the post).

The most iconic part of this stage is the loop, in which Tails, Knuckles and Silver make cameo appearances by occasionally running through it. If the Pokémon Trainer is present during the match, he will be standing on top of the loop (instead of the 1-Up Monitor that is usually there).

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS[]

Ssb43dsgreenhillreturns

Green Hill, from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

Green Hill Zone makes a reappearance in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, remaining unchanged from the version in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, other than being reduced to having two soundtracks: its original theme and "Live and Learn".

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]

Green Hill Zone also makes a return as a stage in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, where it is once again unchanged from its previous incarnations in the Super Smash Bros. series.

Sega Superstars Tennis[]

In Sega Superstars Tennis, Green Hill was fitted with a tennis court with various characters making cameo appearances around the field, mainly the Chao along with Blaze, Silver, Knuckles and Big. This is where many missions in Sonic's world in Superstar Mode take place, including a singles tournament with various Sonic characters.

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood[]

In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, Green Hill Zone takes on a more realistic look, adding detailed rocky textures to loops and other gimmicks, while still retaining certain features, such as checkered walls in certain areas. It was also shown to be inhabited by Wild Boars and Enraged Armadillos.

Sonic eventually arrived in Green Hill Zone after he received a call from Tails, who needed his help dealing with the Marauders. Ever the hero, he began making his way through Green Hill Zone to the fox in Central City. Along the way, Sonic noticed that the local animals had become strangely belligerent and prone to attack on sight; this behavior was later discovered (by the beleaguered Dr. Madden) to have been caused by signal-generating machines hidden around the area.

While making his way through Green Hill Zone, Sonic met Amy, who joined his party and helped him get past a Marauder Scout blocking the way out of Green Hill Zone. Sonic and his team later returned to Green Hill Zone to look for the missing Knuckles, only to find the area overrun by robots. Investigating some old Eggman hideouts, the team found no trace of Knuckles. However, they did found some Communicators that led them straight to him. Sonic and co. soon after returned to Green Hill Zone again to find Dr. Eggman. Along the way, they managed to recruit Cream for their party after helping her find Cheese. Eventually, Dr. Eggman himself was discovered, operating out of an underground hideout. There, Eggman convinced Sonic and co. to let him help them in their quest to stop the Marauders.

Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games[]

In Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Green Hill appears as the location for the Hole-In-One Curling Dream Event.

Sonic Dash[]

In Sonic Dash, to coincide with the series' 25th anniversary in July 2016 and in celebration of achieving 200 million downloads, an update added Green Hill Zone as a new level, complete with the stage's original music.

Sonic Runners Adventure[]

In Sonic Runners Adventure, while Tails wandered around Green Hill, Dr. Eggman caught him using his Mind Control Ray and forced him to build him a robot teleporter. Eventually though, Tails got an emergency transmission out to Sonic. Hoping to find his friend, Sonic arrived in Green Hill where he followed the eyewitness accounts of local Flickies and clues left behind by Eggman and his robots. Eventually, Sonic located a Badnik-producing facility and shut it down before rescuing Tails from Eggman's clutches. There, the fox cub brought Sonic up to speed on what he knew had happened to him. Afterward, Sonic tracked Eggman down and defeated him in battle. However, Eggman would escape through his damaged robot teleporter in the aftermath, forcing Sonic and Tails to follow him through said device.

Sonic Forces: Speed Battle[]

In Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, Green Hill appears as one of the main areas in the game. The tracks that take place in Green Hill are as follows:

Icon Track Tier requirement Difficulty
SFSB Pyramid Valley Pyramid Valley 1
(Default)
Easy
SFSB Corkscrew Canyon Corkscrew Canyon 3
(500 Trophies)
Medium
SFSB Parched Palms Parched Palms 5
(1500 Trophies)
Hard

The following Green Hill tracks are not currently available in the game:

Icon Track Tier Requirement Difficulty
SFSB Sandy Hills Sandy Hills 2
(100 Trophies)
Medium
SFSB Desert Falls Desert Falls 4
(1000 Trophies)
Hard
SFSB Parched Palms Parched Palms R 7
(3000 Trophies)
Reversed
SFSB Pyramid Valley Pyramid Valley R 7
(3000 Trophies)
Reversed

Sonic Racing[]

In Sonic Racing, Green Hill is one of the areas in the game. It was added in October 2021 as part of the v2.0.0 update. The tracks that take place in Green Hill are Waterfall Hollow, Crabmeat Gorge and Stunning Springs.

Sonic Speed Simulator[]

SSSim4

Green Hill, from Sonic Speed Simulator.

In Sonic Speed Simulator, Green Hill serves as the game's starting world. Here, the player is introduced to the gameplay and game elements of Sonic Speed Simulator. It also serves as the hub from where the player can reach the other worlds in the game. In addition, there is a mission card here that allows the player to unlock Sonic the Hedgehog as a playable character.

Points of interest[]

In other media[]

Animation[]

Sonic X[]

Main article: Green Hill (Sonic X)
Sonic gives Amy a flower

Sonic and Amy in Green Hill, from "A New Start".

In the Sonic X anime series, Green Hill was one of the locations on Sonic's world. In this media, it was a forested area with a cozy village and houses scattered around.

Sonic Prime[]

Green Hill Zone Sonic Prime

Green Hill, from "The Yoke's on You".

In the Sonic Prime television series, Green Hill is the home of Sonic and his friends. Locations include Hedgehog's Pass and the Loop-de-Loop. However, after Sonic broke the Paradox Prism, it turned ghostly and got corrupted.

Books and comics[]

Archie Comics[]

Green Hill Zone Archie

The Green Hill Zone, from Sonic Universe #76.

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, Green Hill Zone was a location that appeared on Mobius during both periods where Dr. Eggman and his accomplishes reshaped reality with the Genesis Wave. After the entirely of the Multiverse was altered by the Super Genesis Wave, Green Hill Zone became a permanent part of Sonic's World.

Sonic the Comic[]

Green Hill Zone STC

The Green Hill Zone, from Sonic the Comic #25. Art by Mike Hadley and John M. Burns.

In the Sonic the Comic series published by Fleetway Editions, Green Hill Zone was the first of the Zones introduced in the comic. The Zone was initially inhabited by the Freedom Fighters and several Emerald Hill Folks before they moved to the Emerald Hill Zone. Before then, this Zone was constantly targeted by Dr. Ivo Robotnik.

Films[]

Paramount[]

SonicMovieTrailer2 4

The Green Hill Zone on Sonic's island, from Sonic the Hedgehog.

In the Sonic the Hedgehog film series produced by Paramount Pictures and its spin-offs, Green Hill Zone is a region on Sonic's island. It is very similar to its game counterpart, featuring the Zone's iconic loops, vegetation, striped fields, and checkerboard hills.

Reception[]

Critical reception[]

Green Hill is known for being one of the most famous and iconic video game levels of all time, with many referring to it as Sonic's equivalent of Super Mario Bros.'s World 1-1.[17] It has received consistently positive opinions from critics, particularly for its music. Craig Snyder at MakeUseOf named the Zone as one of the five best levels in video games, calling it "a great way to prepare for what's to come".[18] Shaun Munro of WhatCulture listed it as the second best level in video games, describing it as "such an immaculate level design that it's something developers still aspire to nowadays, though resolutely fail to live up to." He also praised the level's soundtrack and frenetic pace.[19] Tim Turi from GameInformer found the level's music "catchy,"[20] and Wong ranked it as the thirteenth greatest piece of gaming music from the 16-bit era.[21] In 2010, Sega's community manager, Aaron Webber, returned from a vacation to find his cubicle redecorated to resemble Green Hill; IGN's Levi Buchanan claimed that "everyone wants to come back to" this,[22] and Owen Good of Kotaku exclaimed "I want to work in Green Hill Zone, too!"[23] Writing for the Sabotage Times, Carl Anka ranked the original Sonic the Hedgehog as having the greatest music of any video game, largely as a result of Green Hill Zone's theme.[24]

Critics have compared stages, particularly first stages, of later Sonic games to Green Hill. Turi considers Emerald Hill Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Mushroom Hill Zone from Sonic & Knuckles, and Seaside Hill from Sonic Heroes to fit the same general mold as Green Hill Zone, noting repetition in Sonic level design and stating that "gamers have played Green Hill dozens of times." However, he has opined that the Sonic Generations version of the original Green Hill "trounces them all" in both its 2D and 3D incarnations.[20] Justin Baker of Nintendo World Report analogized Windy Hill from Sonic Lost World to Green Hill,[25][26] while Carter thought similarly of The Legend of Zelda downloadable content levels.[27]

Impact and legacy[]

Debuting as the first Zone in the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Green Hill was the first Sonic experience for many.

Green Hill has been recognized by critics as a classic, well-known video game level. It has been described as "classic" by Samit Sarkar of Polygon and by Jim Sterling and Chris Carter of Destructoid.[27][28][29] Comparably, Joe Skrebels of Official Nintendo Magazine called it "nostalgic,"[26] while Christopher Grant from Joystiq considered it to have a place "in the center of your retro-gaming shrine."[17] Kevin Wong of Complex stated that the game and Zone's popularity were such that "even if you didn't have a Genesis, this was the level you played at the department store while your parents went shopping."[21] Andy Kelly from Computer and Video Games called the Green Hill theme a "monumental slice of Sega nostalgia,"[30] and GamesRadar writer Justin Towell also referred to it as classic.[31] Anka has summarized that "Green Hill Zone in the original game has gone down as an instantly recognizable piece of music in pop culture."[24]

To mark the Sonic series' 15th anniversary in 2006, Sega of Japan released a papercraft version of Green Hill as a PDF on its website.[17] In 2011, not long after the release of Sonic Generations, Sega held a contest inviting gamers to upload playthroughs of the game's incarnation of Green Hill completed in under one minute and fifty seconds to YouTube; winners were eligible for Sonic merchandise.[32]

Trivia[]

  • Green Hill is the most recurring Zone in the Sonic series, having appeared a total of twenty-three times, with Seaside Hill from Sonic Heroes being in second place.
  • In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, while Sonic reminisces on the "good times" he had in Green Hill, Tails asks how Eggman's kidnapping of small animals and turning them into robots could have been "good times". Strangely, Tails first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and never officially (not including the 2013 remaster) went through Green Hill during the events of Sonic the Hedgehog.
  • Green Hills Zone, a Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit), is heavily based on Green Hill, and shares its name in Japanese.
  • Mecha Green Hill Zone, a Zone from Sonic Chaos, appears to be a mechanized version of Green Hill.
  • The beta name for Aquatic Ruin Zone was "Neo Green Hill Zone".
  • The song "Dreams of an Absolution" has a similar tune to the background music of Green Hill. Singer Lee Brotherton has said that this was not intended, but appreciated.[33]
  • Stage 1-1 of the Sonic Simulator from Sonic Colors is a rebuild of Act 1 of the 16-bit version.
  • Sunset Hill, a Zone from Sonic Advance 3, is an homage to Green Hill. Sunset Hill's music is also a remix of Green Hill's music.
  • A remix of Green Hill Zone's music is available as a track that the player can listen to in Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Nintendo DS version).
  • A Trance remix of the music that plays in Green Hill Zone called "Green Hill Zone (Crystiara Remix)" was performed by Hatsune Miku, a popular VOCALOID, and protagonist of another popular SEGA series.
  • The beginning of Mega Water S's stage in Mega Man: The Wily Wars resembles Green Hill Zone.
  • Interestingly, Green Hill is the name of various real-world places.
  • Green Hill appeared in fighting games such as Sonic Battle, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, making it a battlefield for five times.
  • This is one of the Zones that was made into a Meccano play set, along with Chemical Plant Zone.
  • A level called Green Hill Zone is the second level in the platformer game Dash Dash. Besides the name, it has almost nothing in common with this stage.
AoStH pilot Green Hill

The location what appears to be Green Hill in the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog pilot.

  • A location what appears to be Green Hill Zone hence its familar background makes an appearence near the end of the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog television series pilot, when Dr. Robotnik is piloting the Egg-O-Matic with a wrecking ball connected to a chain and chasing Sonic.
  • Even though Green Hill does not appear in Sonic Spinball, a preview for said game says that Dr. Robotnik went to the region to kidnap the Animals that lived there.[34]
    • Another preview for the same game states that the woodland creatures that inhabit Green Hill Zone enjoy playing pinball, and that Dr. Robotnik used this for his advantage luring them to the Veg-O-Fortress, saying that it was a pinball-styled ride.[35]
  • When promoting the green tea brand "O~ii Ochya" (お~いお茶?), legacy composer Masato Nakamura from Dreams Come True created vocal version of Green Hill Zone's original theme song while promising a full version of the song that the snippet was featured in.[36] The song itself was later titled "次のせ〜の!で – ON THE GREEN HILL – DCT VERSION" ("Tsugi no SE~NO! de – ON THE GREEN HILL – Dreams Come True VERSION", simplified to "On the Green Hill" in official Twitter hashtags)[37] and was alluded to be shown first on Japan's Amazon Prime Video Show before its release on 7 July 2021. On the official 30th birthday of Sonic and with the release of the Sonic Symphony that same day, Shun Nakamura, as a break time guest, came to announce the fact that "On the Green Hill" exists specifically to Sonic fans. The single was released on 7 July 2021 with a page on the official Dreams Come True website[38] detailing where the song can be found as well as the lyrics and Masa-san's written commentary about its creation. The song also got promotion from Amazon Music on the advertising displays of Akihabara's streets. The song has been used in SEGA promotions for the Sonic series, such as being able to play a TikTok version of Sonic that only uses one's face while the Mega Drive-inspired remix plays.

Music[]

Artist Game Length Music track
Masato Nakamura Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit) 2:38
Masato Nakamura, Yuzo Koshiro Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit) 4:44
Masayuki Nagao Sonic Drift 1:04
Kojiro Mikusa Sonic Blast 1:55
Jun Senoue Sonic Adventure 2 1:32
Tatsuyuki Maeda, Kenichi Tokoi, Hideaki Kobayashi Sonic Battle 3:08
Masato Nakamura Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis 1:37
Naofumi Hataya Sonic Generations 1:49 (Act 1)
Jun Senoue 2:21 (Act 2)
Jun Senoue 2:22 (Act 2, Boost)
Tomoya Ohtani Sonic Forces 2:47
Tomoya Ohtani 0:16 (Speed Shoes)
Dreams Come True (Masato Nakamura, Miwa Yoshida) N/A 4:09

References[]

  1. Sonic the Hedgehog (LeapFrog Didj) Game Design Document, pg. 32.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 28.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Game Gear) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 17.
  4. 4.0 4.1 TailsTube #1 (feat. Sonic). YouTube. Sonic the Hedgehog (24 March 2022). Retrieved on 24 March 2022.
  5. Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction booklet, pgs. 13-14.
  6. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I. Story. Sega. Archived from the original on 12 May 2013. Retrieved on 27 October 2017.
  7. Sega, Headcannon (23 June 2022). Sonic Origins. Nintendo Switch. Sega. Cutscene: Sonic 1 Intro.
  8. Sega, Headcannon (23 June 2022). Sonic Origins. Nintendo Switch. Sega. Cutscene: Sonic 1 Outro.
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External links[]

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