Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)


 * Not what you were looking for? See Sonic the Hedgehog (disambiguation).

Sonic the Hedgehog (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ) for the Sega Mega Drive is the first title in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, and the third appearance of Sonic the Hedgehog. The game's original programmer was former Sonic Team leader and series creator Yuji Naka, and the planner was Hirokazu Yasuhara. The gameplay was faster than any other game before it and amazed many people at launch. This was due to the Mega Drive's Motorola 68000 processor, whose basic speed and ability to handle 16-bit numbers gave it incredible speed compared to its predecessor, the Master System. Nevertheless, a separate 8-bit version, which focused more on exploration than speed, was later released for said system.

Story
Somewhere on South Island, the mad scientist Dr. Ivo Robotnik is converting innocent animals into evil robots. Even though the entire island has essentially become his enemy, Sonic the Hedgehog is the only one who can stop the demented doctor's fiendish scheme. As Sonic races through the zones, he marks them as his territory and frees the animals from their both their robotic shells and the egg-like prisons. After Dr. Robotnik is defeated for the sixth time at his hideout, he will flee and abandon his laboratory as Sonic returns to the place his journey began.

Normally, Sonic will give the player a testing look before posing for the screen, and Robotnik will be shown after the credits juggling the undiscovered Chaos Emeralds with a "Try Again" message. While completely optional during the game's progression, the Chaos Emeralds can be claimed by Sonic in the first five zones if he holds fifty rings before completing the first two acts, taking him to the Special Stage (AKA "Secret Zone"). If the player succeeds in collecting the six Emeralds before clearing the game, a more satisfactory result ensues - they will suddenly fly out of Sonic's grasp as they react in a circle and then teleport away as natural plant life is rejuvenated on the island, astonishing Sonic. If this happens, Dr. Robotnik will be shown after the credits to instead be childishly jumping on the "End" sign.

Gameplay
Sonic the Hedgehog plays very similarly to other platformers, in which the titular character must get to the end of the stage in the allotted time, while collecting items along the way. Essential to the gameplay are the golden rings the player collects along his/her way in each level, a feature which would become one of the defining characteristics of the series. These items are regularly placed around the level map and serve multiple functions. First, the player collects rings to protect Sonic. As long as they have at least one ring, the player will not lose a life when injured. Instead, when hit, up to 20 of the rings the player has collected will fly outward and scatter around the immediate area for some seconds, some of which can then be retrieved before they disappear. If the player runs into an enemy without a single ring, they will lose a life. If the player collects 100 rings they will gain an extra life, and will gain an additional life for every 100 rings after that, provided the rings are not lost.

If the player has at least 50 rings at the end of an act, a giant golden ring will float above the finishing sign which can be jumped through to enter one of the Special Stages (this excludes the final act of a stage, when Sonic will enter a boss fight). At the end of each act, the total number of rings the player has is multiplied by 100 and added to the player's score. During the score-tallying, the player can also jump through the air to find hidden emblems which can range from 100 to 10,000 points.

Also scattered throughout each level are video monitors which, when broken by the character, reward the player with one of a variety of bonuses. These include a Shield which will protect Sonic from a single hit, a 10-ring bonus, an extra life, temporary invincibility (accompanied with a temporary change in music), and "Power Sneakers", which give the player a temporary speed boost (and increase the tempo of the music for the duration). The item monitors have become another long-lasting feature in the series, though they have been changed to bubble-like containers that can float in later games.

Despite the various types of protection available, neither the shield, rings, nor invincibility will prevent the player losing a life if Sonic is crushed (by a trap or between a wall and a moving platform), drowned, runs out of time (each act has a ten-minute time limit), or falls into a bottomless pit.

Progression through the game is made easier for the player by lamp posts that act as checkpoints. When Sonic passes a lamp post, the spherical top spins around and its color changes from blue to red, and the next time a life is lost, gameplay will restart at that point rather than at the beginning of the act. In the Japanese version, if a checkpoint is activated and a life is lost as a result of running out of time, the time at the checkpoint will reset to 0:00.

Hazards the player experiences include a wide variety of "Badniks" - these appear as animals trapped inside mechanical bodies which are released the moment the player hits them. Each badnik takes one hit to destroy, but they vary greatly from Zone to Zone; some will walk in a set path, others will try blasting the player, and some cannot be avoided at all. The player must also avoid rows of sharp spikes, cliffs, and elaborate death traps. There is also the threat of drowning (in Labyrinth Zone and the third act of Scrap Brain Zone which contains water), as the player can only survive approximately 30 seconds underwater (locating air bubbles can extend this).

Zones
Sonic the Hedgehog has seven zones (plus the Special Stages). The first six zones contain three full-length acts, and the final one only consists of the final boss machine.
 * 1) Green Hill Zone
 * 2) Marble Zone
 * 3) Spring Yard Zone
 * 4) Labyrinth Zone
 * 5) Star Light Zone
 * 6) Scrap Brain Zone
 * 7) Final Zone

Special Stages

 * Main article: Special Stage (Sonic the Hedgehog)

If Sonic finishes the first or second act of any of the first five zones with at least 50 rings, a large, spinning ring will appear. If he jumps into it, he will warp into a "Special Stage" (called the "Secret Zone" in the manual), which conceals one of the six Chaos Emeralds. In these stages, Sonic, in ball form, falls through a series of rotating mazes.

If he can avoid the "GOAL" signs along parts of the stage's walls (presumably labeled "GOAL" to entice the player into a failed attempt at getting a Chaos Emerald), he will eventually find the Chaos Emerald encased in colored diamonds; touching the diamonds repeatedly will cause them to change color from blue, to green, to yellow, to pink and ultimately disappear, allowing access to the Emerald. The stage will end when Sonic either touches the Emerald or hits a "GOAL" sign. If 50 rings are collected before Sonic makes contact with a "GOAL" sign or gets the Chaos Emerald, then a 'Continue' will be awarded to the player, indicated by a brief, distinct change in melody. Super Sonic does not appear in Sonic the Hedgehog because the seventh Chaos Emerald was not yet introduced.

There are a total of ten opportunities to get Chaos Emeralds, meaning the player can fail a Special Stage up to four times if all six Emeralds are to be collected before the end of the game. Scrap Brain Zone will not have a large ring at the end of it, even when finishing with 50 rings, despite the acts ending before it. If the player fails a stage, that stage is skipped and is returned to after attempting the sixth and final Special Stage.

It is stated in the North American and European manuals that a 1 Up item can be found in Special Stages, but they are not seen anywhere unless placed in the game's secret Debug Mode. It is possible, however, to earn extra lives by collecting 100 rings in a single stage, indicated by the same sound used in the main zones.

Bosses
At the end of the third act of each zone (except the Scrap Brain Zone), Sonic faces off against Eggman, who is piloting his Eggmobile. For each battle, Robotnik's machine has a different tactic. Sonic must hit each boss 8 times to destroy it.


 * 1) Wrecking ball (Green Hill Zone)
 * 2) Fireball shooter (Marble Zone)
 * 3) Spike weapon (Spring Yard Zone)
 * 4) Retreat (Labyrinth Zone)
 * 5) Mine dropper (Star Light Zone)
 * 6) Final Zone

Achievements
There are a total of 12 achievements, totaling of 200G. Please note that these achievements are only from the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, and cannot be obtained on any other port of the game.

Master System and Game Gear
As the Master System still had high sales in South America (and in limited amounts in the US through retail stores), an 8-bit incarnation of Sonic the Hedgehog was produced for the Master System market. This version had similar zone themes and regular enemies, but entirely different level layouts and bosses. The Master System version was released for the Wii Virtual Console on 4 August 2008. This version was also made available worldwide for the Game Gear, with adjustments due to the smaller screen.

English
The English story prologue found in the North American and European manuals:


 * ''Crush Dr. Robotnik!

Dr. Ivo Robotnik, the mad scientist, is snatching innocent animals and turning them into evil robots! Only one tough dude can put an end to the demented scientist's fiendish scheme. It's Sonic, the real cool hedgehog with the spiked haircut and power sneakers that give him super speed.

Help Sonic fight hordes of metal maniacs and do the loop with the Super Sonic Spin Attack. Speed down twisting tunnels and swing over dangerous booby traps. Leap across lava pits and dodge burning rocks. Then splash through the chilling waters in an underground cavern.

And if you're lucky, you can warp to the secret zone where you can spin around in a floating maze! Your greatest challenge lurks in a secret lab where you come face to face with Dr. Robotnik himself!

Spin through space, loop 'til you're dizzy, save the animals and become the super hero. Be Sonic! Be atomic!''

Gallery

Japanese
A translation of the story prologue from the Japanese manual:

"Sonic…that annoying, impertinent hedgehog. Thanks to him, my great plans are always laid to waste! Oh, but this time, I'm going to rub him out with the power of science! Ha ha ha ha ha…"
 * ''The evil mad scientist Dr. Eggman is up to his old nasty tricks again.

South Island is a treasure trove of gems and ancient ruins. They say that it's the island where the mystical Chaos Emeralds lie. The Chaos Emeralds are a super-material that give energy to all living beings. Also, when applied to scientific purposes, they can be used for nuclear and laser based weaponry. However, nobody knows exactly how to get ahold of these emeralds. At the same time, though, they do say that the reason why South Island is always moving is because the emeralds are somewhere inside the island's hazy depths.

One day, crisis visited upon the island. And who showed up with it but Dr. Eggman and his cronies. "I'll find those emeralds even if I have to dig up the entire island to do it!"

Dr. Eggman set up a fort in one corner of the island, and went about carrying out his plan.

"Eggman, you still haven't had enough?" Sonic hurried as soon as he heard the news. Dr. Eggman never seemed to leave him alone, even though Sonic had beaten him every time so far. It sounded like Dr. Eggman considered Sonic his sworn enemy, but he was never any match for Sonic.

However, this time something is amiss.

"Have you seen it, Sonic? This time is going to be different! Because this time, I've turned all the animals on the island into robots!"

"E...Everybody!?"

"All of them go about in accordance to my orders. In other words, Sonic, everyone on the island is your enemy! Gya— Ha ha ha ha ha ha ^cough^ ^ack^ ^ahem^. This time, the world really will be all mine!"

This is terrible! Hurry! Sonic the Hedgehog - everyone is waiting for your help!''

Cheat codes
Note : These codes do not work on the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network versions of the game. They also do not work in the game unlockable in the Xbox 360 version of Sonic Generations.
 * Level select - At the title screen, press UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, then hold A and press start.
 * Debug mode - At the title screen, press UP, C, DOWN, C, LEFT, C, RIGHT, C (or C, C, UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT), start, then hold A until the game starts.

iOS and Android version cheat codes
 Note:  This is for version 2.0 of Sonic the Hedgehog on iOS and the v1.0 of Sonic the Hedgehog for Android Devices. If you have v1.0 on your iOS device, update it through the App Store (the update is free for those who own this, however, all saved data made prior to 2.0  will be lost as it's a new port and it's incompatible). Android users don't have to worry about this as this is a new game to Android users. You must choose No Save Mode to activate these: Change Tails' name to Miles the same way you would tap the S E G A , for the level select, you press A G E S so type the level select cheat backwards.
 * Level select- At the opening Sega logo, touch the letters S, E, G, A in that order. (This doesn't work with the first SEGA logo shown or save files.) When the title screen appears, press the screen with two fingers at once. You will be taken to a new level select screen, very similar to the one from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. New is that one can change their character, spindash options, speed cap options, and spikes options (activating the old lack of invurnability for spikes or not).
 * All Chaos Emeralds- Go to your level select screen and play songs in this order 04, 01, 02, and 06 from the Sound Test.
 * Super Sonic- Perform the level select code then the All Chaos Emeralds code. On the level select change the Max Emeralds setting from 6 to 7. Then you can use Super Sonic after collecting 50 Rings in any stage. You should replay the All Chaos Emeralds code first. This can be used for Super Tails and Super Knuckles. Note: Super Tails won't have Flickies.
 * Debug mode- From the level select, play sounds 01, 09, 09, 01, 00, 06, 02, and 03 in that order from the Sound Test. After starting a level, tap the GUI in the top-left corner of the screen to activate/deactivate debug mode.
 * Character Select- From the level select, change the player option from 0-3. 0 is Sonic and Tails, 1 is Sonic, 2 is Tails, and 3 is Knuckles.

Glitches
There are six particular glitches in the game that could either help or make things much worse for Sonic.


 * 1) Too fast Sonic in the Green Hill Zone; Result: If going too fast down two tubes in Green Hill, the camera won't respond and Sonic will die at the ledge to the giant ring pattern.
 * 2) Rolling after Labyrinth Zone Act 2's end; Result: An illegal instruction error will proceed if this glitch is triggered, making the player reset the game.
 * 3) Too many hits on the Final Zone's boss; Result: If timed correctly, the player can hit Robotnik two times on the final hit, showing that he would need to be hit 255 more times.
 * 4) Sonic jumps too far away in the Final Zone; Result: Sonic would jump off into the bottomless pit, therefore losing a life.
 * 5) Move through walls in Scrap Brain Zone; Result: On one of the moving platforms, Sonic can duck and go through the wall, showing that he has been placed in another location.
 * 6) "Spike Bug"; Result: Though this is technically intentional, Sonic isn't invulnerable to spike damage immediately after taking a hit. This causes instant death (or an endless loop, if on debug mode). This was changed in later games and in certain ports.

2013 Re-release
At Game Developers Conference 2013, remastered re-release of original Sonic the Hedgehog is announced for iOS and Android. It is developed by indie-developer Christian Whitehead and Headcannon, as it uses Christian's "Retro Engine", that is previously used in 2011 re-release of Sonic CD. The release runs at 60 FPS, includes a time attack mode, has widescreen support and a remastered soundtrack. The game costs $2.99 and was released on 16 May 2013 (it was released as an update to iOS Users).

Like in several previous emulation ports, Spin Dash is an optional move in the port. There are several graphical changes compared to the original game. Despite not being officially introduced yet in the series, Miles "Tails" Prower and Knuckles the Echidna in their Sonic the Hedgehog 3 &amp; Knuckles styles are unlockable characters, with mild tweaks to the level design to accommodate their gameplay. It also features a mode in which Tails follows Sonic and can even carry him with up and jump. In addition, the hidden level select and Debug Mode options are greatly expanded, taking elements from the sequels as well as incorporating recreations of unused content.

Beta Elements
Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)/Beta Elements

Trivia

 * The Japanese release added additional storyline details, as the existing plot was virtually a basic outline. The purpose of the Chaos Emeralds is greatly expanded upon, which is elaborated in later games. It is explained that Dr. Robotnik was specifically searching for them on the island due to their incredible energy according to legend. The manual also states that there has already been some unknown animosity between Sonic and Robotnik in the past (which, on the other hand, is not backed up in later games). It also lists the setting as South Island, which is established in later games as well - in the English manual, the setting was originally unnamed.
 * There are two versions of the game. This revision is common in Japan, but contrary to popular belief it was released worldwide in smaller quantities. This update makes some very minor changes to the game's programming, as well as adds some visual effects such as scrolling clouds in Green Hill Zone or water ripples in Labyrinth Zone. It also corrects the zone order on the level select. This version of the game is used is most subsequent releases. In addition, the scrolling clouds return in most appearances of Green Hill Zone.
 * Michael Sroka holds the high score for Sonic the Hedgehog: 404,980. He achieved this on 28 May 2010.
 * There was a sound test that was originally supposed to be in this game but was scrapped. But one character in this sound test appeared in future games (Vector) while the others appear in the Archie Comics as part of Mina Mongoose's band.
 * A variant of this game's Special Stage also appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I.
 * There were only six Chaos Emeralds in this game. A seventh emerald was introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
 * The game's 2013 re-release adds a seventh emerald, making Super Forms possible.
 * In each version of the game's box art, Sonic is making the same pose.
 * Out of the main series classic Sonic games (including Sonic the Hedgehog 4), this is the only game whose final boss doesn't take place in space.
 * Masato Nakamura did say in a interview that when he was composing the music for this game, he thought the game as a film to compose the music.
 * This is one of the games to be represented in Sonic Generations. Green Hill reappears as the first stage of the Classic Era in both the home and portable versions.
 * This game's theme music would later be remixed and used as the theme for Sonic The Hedgehog 2 and Sonic Generations.
 * Also, the opening and ending of this game's ending theme were remixed and used for the opening and ending theme for Sonic Generations.
 * Strangely, the PlayStation Network port of the game was rated E10+ by the ESRB. However, that has been changed to an E rating in 2013.
 * The music of Metallic Madness Past from Sonic CD was used during the mobile remastered versions' trailer.
 * In the G4 special Top 100 Video Games of All Time, the game was ranked at #50.
 * The game was meant to move at an even faster pace, but that idea was cut from the final version, as Yuji Naka got motion-sickness from it.
 * The game was listed in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die. In addition Sonic The Hedgehog (1991), it's sequel, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 and Sonic Adventure was also listed.