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Sonic Wiki Zone

This article contains a list of glitches from the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog (1991). Unless otherwise noted, all glitch names are conjectural. Many of them have not been confirmed by Sega.

List of glitches[]

Missing "Press Start Button"[]

S1-PressStart

The original title screen.

The text "Press Start Button" was supposed to show up in the final game, but does not. It was soon discovered that the text does still exist in game, but is not shown due to a programming error. The "Sonic Team Presents" screen uses the same chunk of memory as the "Press Start Button" text and as the memory is not cleared right, "Press Start Button" will not appear. As the "Press Start Button" text is present correctly in the game's leaked prototype build, which lacks the "Sonic Team Presents" screen, the "Sonic Team Presents" screen appears to be a late addition to the boot-up sequence and the game's code was not updated to accommodate the change.

Spike hit behavior[]

Sonic1-version3

The spike hit glitch.

When Sonic is hurt, his temporary invincibility frames will not protect him from spikes. The most common case of this glitch occurs in Green Hill Zone, where two sets of spikes are next to each other. Sonic will bounce from one set to the next and die instantly. Even with a shield, Sonic will just bounce back and forth until he dies on the third hit. This glitch also applies to other attacks that lands Sonic into spikes. For instance, if Sonic is hit by a Badnik, he can die if he touches spikes directly after.

This behavior was altered in the REV 01 version (only in Japan) in Sonic Jam if Spin Dash is enabled in the bonus unlockable version of Sonic the Hedgehog in Sonic Mega Collection (which was the default version in Sonic Mega Collection Plus), and in the 2013 remaster (and by extension, Sonic Origins, although this setting can be changed in the Level Select). This behavior was also changed during Sonic the Hedgehog 2's development, with the behavior being altered after the Beta 4 build.

Game crash in Labyrinth Zone[]

Labryrinth_Zone_Crash

Labryrinth Zone Crash

If the player uses the Spin Attack past the goal post on the right side of the screen, then presses Controlpadds down in Labyrinth Zone Act 1 or 2, the screen will scroll down, as if Sonic has fallen off the screen. Depending on the timing, the screen may scroll back up and the act will be cleared as normal, but in most cases, the game will crash with an illegal instruction message. This is due to a pattern load error, in which the game jumps to address $00000000, which causes the game to read garbage code. This glitch is much less likely to occur in the European version due to the game's overall slower speed. This bug is not present in Sonic the Hedgehog Mobile (and by extension, Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis) and the 2013 remaster (and Sonic Origins) due to the different game engine.

It is worth knowing that when the game crashes, it is possible to attempt to ignore the error and continue by pressing Sega Genesis C Button on the controller, although due to already jumping to garbage code, this will cause the game to continue to produce errors until the crash handler eventually crashes and causes the game to freeze. This pattern load crash error is also present in the original release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but it is harder to reproduce there without Debug Mode in Chemical Plant Zone or Aquatic Ruin Zone, cheats, or modifying the game.

Marble Zone unsolid block glitch[]

Unsolidblockglitch

Some of the blocks in Marble Zone Act 2 and 3 allow the player to crouch through them; however, the player will die if they attempt to stand up while crouching in the blocks.

Final Zone glitch[]

If the player hits Dr. Robotnik two times on the last hit, they will have to hit him another 255 times to defeat him, which is impossible under the time limit. This is due to an integer overflow. This bug is not present in Sonic the Hedgehog Mobile (and Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis) and the 2013 remaster (and Sonic Origins) due to the different game engine.

Background glitch[]

In any Zone, the player must first enter the Debug menu and kill themselves. Right before the player falls out of the screen, they must become an item, take themselves back to the top, then place themselves down, which will cause the screen to glitch. This also works with Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and all lock-ons of Sonic & Knuckles.

Sonic dies by going too fast[]

Oofnic

In rare cases when Sonic goes through the two loops, he may die after exiting the second one (before the section with several rings in the air). This is because the game registers Sonic flying out of camera view as him falling into a bottomless pit.

Walk around the signpost area[]

After the player goes past the signpost at the end of the level, if they go past the screen to the right and jump just as the signpost stops, it will then be possible to walk around in the signpost area. This glitch can also be used in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Final scene crash[]

If the player beats the final zone with Debug Mode active, then changes into an item during the scene with Sonic running in Green Hill Zone, they'll be able to control Sonic. They should travel to the right side of the level, jump on the platform that is slightly beyond the screen, then jump again. Sonic will "die" (the death sound will play), and the game will show a blank white screen before crashing.


Main article (Blue Sphere) · Staff · Manuals · Glitches · Beta elements · Gallery · Pre-releases (prototype) · Re-releases (2001, 2005, mobile, GBA, iPod, 2013, 3D, Sega Ages)
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