- For other uses of the term, see Marble Zone (disambiguation).
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Marble Zone is the second Zone of the original Sonic the Hedgehog. It is an ancient underground complex, flooded with boiling lava pools.
Description
Above ground, grass grows over the ancient marble buildings and there are columns and statues everywhere. Below ground, however, this fire-themed level is filled with magma flows, lava pools, and platforms that burn once the player steps on them. In addition, there are other obstacles including moving platforms and spiked weights that can crush the player if they are not careful while traversing through these ruins.
Certain bricks can be destroyed for points; sometimes up to 10,000 can be obtained if the bricks are destroyed in sequence. This Zone also has many shortcuts and walls that the player can break through for Rings and shields.
Boss
At the end of Act 3, Dr. Robotnik attacks with an improvement to his craft that shoots fireballs on one of the two platforms Sonic can stand on, briefly setting it on fire.
Other game appearances
Sonic Drift
The Marble Zone from Sonic Drift.
The Marble Zone appeared alongside other Sonic 1 Zones as a track in Sonic Drift, though under the name Marble. It was the second track of the game, following Green Hill and preceding Spring Yard (as in its original appearance). Unlike its original appearance, the entire level is played above ground.
In other media
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
The Marble Zone is also featured in the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog television series where it appeared in the second episode, "Subterranean Sonic". Despite the location being named Marble Zone, however, it looks completely different than it did in the video game. In this media, the Marble Zone is the home of Spelunk, a cranky mole who mines the underground tunnels for treasure.
Sonic the Comic
In the Sonic the Comic series published by Fleetway Editions, the Marble Zone appeared in the story "Mayhem in the Marble Zone" in the third issue. In this story, Sally Acorn's brother Tufftee ran off to Marble Zone to be a hero, only to captured by Badniks and eventually rescued by Sonic.
Sonic X
Archie Comics
Marble Zone in the Archie Comics.
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the Marble Zone appeared during the "Genesis" story arc: Here, Sonic, Sally Acorn, Boomer, and Antoine traveled across Marble Zone to try and locate Dr. Eggman after Sonic freed the trio in the Green Hill Zone.
After the events of Worlds Collide, the Marble Zone became a permanent part of Sonic's World with a history virtually identical to its game counterpart.
Trivia
- An early version of this Zone featured UFOs in the sky, but they were dropped for the final release. They can be activated through Debug Mode of the 2013 re-release.
- Marble Zone also had a hazard which behaved similarly to the dropping crushing hazards, except it shot out horizontally instead of vertically and had three spikes on the end of it. However, it was removed upon the final release.
- At the area where Sonic needs to outrun flowing lava in a hallway, there is a spike located at that area. But the spikes won't crush Sonic against the ceiling after poking out of the floor. Sonic would be pushed to the sides and receive damage but would not show his hit sprite.
- This is the third Zone listed in the original version's level select, likely a remnant of an earlier Zone order.
- Remnants of Marble Zone can be found in the code of Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Master System as this Zone was originally supposed to be part of the game but was cut from the final release. One remnant is the track for the 8-bit variation of the Zone's 16-bit theme that still exists in the final game code.
- Act 1 of Marble Zone was replicated in Stage 2-1 of Game Land from Sonic Colors.
The symbols
- There are numerous symbols etched into the architecture that some players have pointed out resembles Mario’s face.
- Marble Zone appears as a level in Lego Dimensions.
Gallery
Concept artwork
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Concept of Marble Zone. Text Translation: "Stage where the land shakes... The underground has an amoeba shape and the ground shakes. The amoeba shaped terrain (...) with canals. Can also dive into the ground."  Alternate scan of Marble Zone art.  Concept of another area of Marble Zone. |
Prototype screenshots
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Sprites
Screenshots
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Music
| Name | Artist | Length | Music Track |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marble Zone | Masato Nakamura | 2:07 |
Videos
