Sonic the Hedgehog 3/Beta elements

Beta elements

This article pertains to the beta elements of Sonic the Hedgehog 3.

Red revolving Spheres[]

This is a spinning mass of Red Spheres, placeable via Debug Mode in the first half of Angel Island Zone Act 1. The spheres look similar to those appearing in the Special Stage, but the object itself seems to have no apparent gameplay purpose. When it is placed, many palette and VRAM complications occur in the level, and the game will lag. Player 2 (or the AI Tails partner) can manipulate this object.

These Red Revolving Spheres were originally going to appear in an early version of the Special Stages, although the leaked November 3rd, 1993 prototype uses a different object for the test Special Stages. This object is not available in the locked-on version or in Sonic Origins.

Up - rotates the object vertically.
Right - rotates the object horizontally.
Down/Left - moves the object up or down.
A / C - changes the object's size.
B - rotates the object sideways.
Start - toggles automatic rotation.

Leftover menus[]

These unused graphics were ripped from Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Image	Description
	The options menu with all them being selectable.
	The menu screen for the VS Mode. However, selecting any of the Zones on this screen will send the user back to the title screen.
	Graphics from the results screen menu.

Unused objects[]

Artwork	Name	Description
	Foreground Tree Sprite	Although it makes a similar appearance to the trees seen at the end of Angel Island Zone Act 2 where Robotnik flies through the forest, this is actually a separate object entirely that goes completely unused as it was meant to be placed in the foreground. The graphics are located with the unused switch graphics. It can be placed with Debug Mode.
	Button	A button with unknown purpose. It can be placed in Carnival Night Zone via Debug Mode but does nothing when pressed.
	Breakable block	This block glows and is breakable by jumping on it. It can be placed in IceCap Zone via Debug Mode.
	Breakable wall	This wall is breakable by rolling into it. It can be placed in Angel Island Zone Act 2 via Debug Mode.
	Competition Mode spikes	A set of spikes for Competition Mode. Such objects do not appear in any of the five courses but they can be placed there with Debug Mode.
	Unused Ring object	An unknown object that appears to spawn slope collision when placed.
	Unknown platform	A platform with messy graphics shaped as similar to a top is defined as object ID 12. It does not really fit in with any Zone, but may have been created for Launch Base as its ID is located near objects used in that stage.
	Cannon	A cannon-like object with undefined graphics. When touched, it locks the player to the center of the object; the faster the player runs, the further they are thrown after exiting it.
	Spinning structure	A curious object that damages the player if hit from above, but swings from side to side if hit from below. Its graphics have not been found, and its animation resembles something turning.
	Grabbable platform	A normal platform with a grabbable bottom. Its graphics seem to fit Launch Base Zone the best.
	Leftover lava damage object	This object was used in Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to damage the player when they touch lava, but does not work here. It is possible to change the size of the area by modifying its variable.
	Horizontal Spring	Since Sonic the Hedgehog 3 does not have any sections using this object, it goes unused until Flying Battery Zone of Sonic & Knuckles.
N/A	Big Sonic on Sega screen (Sonic the Hedgehog 2)	There is leftover code from the large Sonic on the Sega screen in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The object seems to be a fairly old leftover as it is still using the old object format of that game as the graphics seem to have been completely removed. It is used in the leaked 1103 prototype build.
N/A	Shield object	The original shield from Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It is unknown whether or not this is simply a leftover, or if it was originally planned for the game. It is worth noting that the shield sound from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 remains unused in the sound test.
N/A	Unused Sonic & Knuckles Mapping Data	The game has remains of some leftover sprite mapping data for Sonic & Knuckles objects, largely consisting of Badniks that would have appeared of the Zones in that game.
N/A	Other unused objects	Objects 8F-98 delete themselves when loaded. One of these objects is used in the Mushroom Valley object layout, suggesting that they were once objects that belonged to the Sonic & Knuckles Zones. Objects 6F-7F are represented as Rings in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and were apparently removed manually, but in Sonic 3C (prototype 0408), these IDs belong to objects from Flying Battery Zone. Object 84 is another unused and removed object, according to the 3 November prototype. This object was an early version of Hey Ho boss from Mushroom Hill Zone Act 1.

Unused sprites[]

Image	Name	Description
	Static Monitor	An unused animation for a Monitor with static effects, which functions as an Eggman Mark when opened.
	S Monitor	An unused sprite for Monitor with the S item. It can be placed in Debug Mode.
	"Bored" Animation	Sonic in his signature "waiting" pose, but instead of pointing towards the direction he's facing, he falls asleep from boredom instead. Never used in-game. Strangely, the final frame is used for the instructions for Sonic 3 in Sonic Classic Collection. This gets properly used in Sonic Origins after being idle for a minute.
	"Whistle" animation	Sonic whistling.
	Black and white death sprite	A black and white version of Sonic's death sprite. Such a sprite has been found in the files of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog CD as well.
	Unused 2P Knuckles sprites	Unused gliding/climbing animations exist for Knuckles in two-player mode, even though he does not have the ability to glide or climb while in two-player mode.
	Leftover continue animation	Leftover animation from the Continue screen in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
	Leftover Continue Icons	Leftover Sonic and Tails continue icons from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which are still mapped to the original palette.
	Mini Death Egg	Smaller rendition of the Death Egg. It seems to be part of a Death Egg hologram projector, which itself was unused in Sonic & Knuckles.
	Diagonal Penguinator Sprites	Diagonal frames of the Penguinator from IceCap. These can be seen for a split second, if a Penguinator is placed a on the large hill at the beginning of the Zone using debug mode.
	Unused Robotnik sprites	Unused running frame where Robotnik has a different facial expression. There is also one for jumping.
	"Surfboarding" animation	An alternate animation for the intro. At one point, Sonic would have been surfboarding to Angel Island, rather than going Super Sonic. Interestingly, Sonic looks like his Sonic 2 incarnation. The surfing Sonic sprite can be placed in Angel Island Zone Act 1 via Debug Mode. Also, the surfboard was reused as a Snowboard when IceCap Zone needed a new intro after changing the placement of Flying Battery Zone.
	Surfboard	These sprites were used when Sonic jumped off the board in his surfboarding animation.
	Robotnik flying away	An unused Robotnik object discovered via Debug Mode in Hydrocity Zone. It appears to be nothing more than Robotnik flying away towards the horizon. Its purpose is unknown, though it may have been intended for an early bad ending. This can be re-enabled using the PAR code: 05165A:04F2. These sprites would later be used in Sonic Origins for a new transition cutscene following Launch Base Zone.
	FBZ Data Select icon	An unused save file icon for Flying Battery Zone before it was re-ordered to be in Sonic & Knuckles, which is different than the corresponding icon in Sonic 3 & Knuckles. The background seen in this icon is also a more saturated blue than in the actual zone. You can view this icon in the PC and Genesis versions by hacking the save data to access level slot, or by using the PAR codes to view it in a completed game save slot while scrolling through the levels.
	Teleporter Pad and Ice Boulder	Unused Teleporter and Boulder sprites from Ice Cap Zone Act 1. However, the teleporter pad ended up being used in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles for Knuckles' transition into the stage.
	Leftover early sprites	Leftover sprites from early versions of the game. It has a progress bar for Competition Mode. These sprites can be seen in the 3 November 1993 prototype.
	S-Ball	An unused S gumball intended for the gumball machine Bonus Stage. It can also found in Sonic and Knuckles.
	Blue gumball	A blue gumball can be located in the far back of the gumball machine, obscured by the other gumballs and the glare of the glass. The shade of blue seen here varies from the Bubble Shield gumball.
	Metallic structure	A sprite resembling a metallic structure that, based on its location at offset 18DB46, would have been used during the fight against Robotnik in Angel Island Zone Act 2.
	Progress Bar Leftovers	Leftover sprites used for a progress bar in Competition mode from early builds of the game.
	Numbers 6-9	Unused lap counter digits.
	Number Font	An unused font, located directly after the font for the timer in the competition mode.
	Unknown	An unused object.
	Tornado's shadow	A set of sprites resembling a shadow found within the graphics, used for the Tornado.
	Unused Marble Garden Zone Robotnik sprite	During the boss fight at the end of Marble Garden Act 2, Robotnik will fly towards the horizon before beginning his next attack. This effect uses a sprite software scaling algorithm that allows this to be achieved. However, the effect begins to take place before Robotnik flies completely onscreen and as a result, the full unscaled sprite is never seen.
	Launch Base Zone Act 2 object	This sprite is used in the Launch Base Zone Act 2 laser boss battle, but it is obscured and cannot be seen.
	Carnival Night Zone light bulb	This light bulb is used in Carnival Night Zone, but it has an unused function. If the water rises over it, it will explode and show its unused frame. This can never be seen because the light bulbs never make contact with the water in the actual game.
	Picky	Picky is never seen throughout the game, making these sprites go unused,

Sonic & Knuckles sprites[]

Artwork	Description
	Sonic and Tails climbing through the monkey bars of Flying Battery Zone.
	Sonic and Tails during a cutscene after the Mushroom Hill Zone Act 2 Boss.
	Sonic and Tails grabbing the swinging poles in Mushroom Hill Zone.
	Sonic and Tails scaling down the towers of Sandopolis Zone
	Knuckles' life icon.
	"Knuckles" text, which would have been used upon the end of an Act and Special Stage completion.
	Knuckles sprite for the Continue screen.
	Knuckles sprite from the data select screen.
	Used for the Laser Prison.
	Although the first three would be used in the lock-on technology for the Egg Hanger, the leftmost one is completely unused due to a coding error.
	Used for Knuckles' version of the Egg Drillster Mark II.
	For this game, they appear in a mangled form on Knuckles' unused, broken post-Launch Base Zone Act 2 boss cutscene.
	These appear in mangled form in Knuckles' unused, broken post-Launch Base Zone Act 2 boss cutscene. These would also be later seen in the Sonic & Knuckles prototype.
	The Blaster.
	The Technosqueek.
	The Gapsule mini boss from Flying Battery Zone Act 1.
	The laser turret from Flying Battery Zone Act 2's Laser Prison.
	The Egg Hanger for Flying Battery Zone Act 2's boss.
	Palette and graphics data for the gold player-bouncing spheres.

Sonic & Knuckles music[]

Music from Sonic & Knuckles, which can still be played in the Sound Test.

Sound ID	Stage	Notes
$09	Flying Battery Zone Act 1	The loop point in the "echo" track of the lead instrument is set slightly later than the rest of the tracks. As a result, it falls further and further out of sync every time the song loops. This was fixed later on.
$0A	Flying Battery Zone Act 2
$0F	Mushroom Hill Zone Act 1
$10	Mushroom Hill Zone Act 2
$11	Sandopolis Zone Act 1
$12	Sandopolis Zone Act 2
$13	Lava Reef Zone Act 1
$14	Lava Reef Zone Act 2/Hidden Palace
$15	Sky Sanctuary Zone
$16	Death Egg Zone Act 1
$17	Death Egg Zone Act 2	Death Egg Zone uses this for Acts 1 and 2 in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 alone.
$18	S&K mini boss	This can be heard while fighting any Hydrocity Zone boss if the player jumps out of the water after the drowning music starts.
$1A	The Doomsday Zone
$1B	Glowing Spheres Bonus Stage
$1D	Slot Machine Bonus Stage	The unused Glowing Spheres Bonus Stage in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 alone uses this music.

Unused sounds[]

Unused entirely[]

Clip	Sound ID	Description
	$3A	A shield sound leftover from Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
	$40	An electric zap. This sound would later be used for the Thunder Shield in Sonic Generations and Sonic Lost World.
	$5A	Sounds like something revving up. It would later be used in Sonic 3D Blast.
	$6B	Sounds like a higher-pitched version of the sound heard when hitting an R, Up or Down block in the Special Stage from the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
	$6D	Sounds like a door closing.
	$71	Duplicate of $3A.
	$7D	Sounds like mild rattling.
	$84	Sounds like something charging up. It only seems to be referenced in some Zone with a high level ID which is composed of garbage data.
	$85	This would have been used in cooperation with $84.
	$8D	A very quiet sound.
	$8E	Another electric rev-up sound. This would later be used in Sonic Origins as a sound effect played when a Platform-raising Wheel is activated.
	$99	A small "tick" sound.
	$A1	A low-humming sound. This sound effect is used by the Stardust Speedway Zone Act 1 boss in Sonic Mania.
	$A5	Sounds like something rising or powering up.
	$A6	A dashing noise.
	$B5	The sound effect of the breakable diamonds in the Special Stage from the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
	$BC
	$C5	This later gets used in Sonic Origins when the second phase of Red Eye finishes firing a laser.
	$CF	A louder version of the wind from Mushroom Hill Zone.
	$D1	A very faint sound that may sound like static.
	$D6	Some sort of rumbling/electric sound.
	$D8	Sounds like a screeching warning siren. It was used in the November 3rd, 1993 prototype when Robotnik appeared behind the trees at the end of Angel Island Zone Act 2.
	$DC-$DF	Sounds of duplicates for $DB when running across water in Hydrocity Zone.

Sonic & Knuckles sounds[]

Clip	Sound ID	Description
	$53	A laser charging sound, used for the Flying Battery Zone boss, the jumping spike balls in Lava Reef Zone Act 2, and the Warp Point.
	$54	Laser firing sound, used for the Flying Battery Zone boss.
	$55	Used in Sandopolis Zone when a brick goes across a line of black rotating circles.
	$5C	The sound of Mecha Sonic short-circuiting after it is defeated.
	$69	The sound that plays when the player pushes a brick in Sandopolis Zone.
	$7A	The sound of the Lava Reef Act 2 boss emerging from lava.
	$7C	Used by the magnetized platforms in Flying Battery Zone.
	$87	The sound that plays when the player bounces on a mushroom in Mushroom Hill Zone.
	$88	Mushroom Hill Zone elevator sound.
	$89	Mushroom Hill Zone's satellite dish (from Dr. Robotnik's season-changing machine).
	$8A	The sound Hyudoros from Sandopolis Zone make when they vanish, and the sound that plays when a Cloud is bounced.
	$8B	The sound of the Hei-Hou chopping a log.
	$8C	The sound of the Hei-Hou struggling to chop a log.
	$8F	The sound the door on the pyramid in Sandopolis Zone makes when it opens.
	$90	Door closing sound from Sandopolis Zone. Also the sound of Knuckles hitting the ground after his defeat.
	$92	Ghost sound effect from Sandopolis Zone.
	$93	The sound that plays when the armor on Dr. Robotnik's golem machine comes back on.
	$95	The sound of the giant hand appearing to attempt to crush the player in the Lava Reef Zone mini boss.
	$96	The sound the giant spike balls in Lava Reef Zone make when they roll around.
	$97	The sound a Toxomister makes when it sprays its toxic gases.
	$98	The sound of a falling stalactite in Lava Reef Zone.
	$9A	The sound of the pop-up springs from Sky Sanctuary Zone.
	$9B	A loud bang that plays when the Sandopolis Zone Act 2 boss comes closer to the player.
	$9C	Sound that plays when a Super Emerald regains its color.
	$9D	The sound of the missile reticles in the Lava Reef Zone Act 2 boss.
	$9E	The sound of a platform breaking upon coming into contact with the Lava Reef Zone Act 2 boss.
	$A0	The sound of the Lava Reef Zone Act 2 boss firing a missile.
	$A2	The sound of the speed-up launchers in Flying Battery Zone and Death Egg Zone.
	$A3	Death Egg Zone lift platform sound effect.
	$A4	The sound that Mecha Sonic makes when it goes super.
	$AE	The sound that the seesaw mushroom from Mushroom Hill Zone makes when the black weight lands on it. This sound is also used in the Bonus Stages in Sonic & Knuckles.
	$C2	The sound of the flamethrowers in Flying Battery Zone and Lava Reef Zone.
	$C4	The sound Red Eye makes when it gets angry.
	$CA	The sound of the light beam transportation systems in Death Egg Zone.
	$CE	The gusts of wind from Mushroom Hill Zone. Also used in Knuckles' ending after Super Mecha Sonic explodes.
	$D3	Used when the Death Egg flies through Sky Sanctuary Zone.
	$D4	Used by the bouncing puzzle room in Death Egg Zone.
	$D5	Used when the lava falls from Lava Reef Zone.
	$D7	The sound of the elevators in Lava Reef Zone and Death Egg Zone.
	$D9	The sound the electromagnets in Flying Battery Zone and the black gravity spheres in Death Egg Zone make.
	$DA	The sound of the wind trap Knuckles activates in Mushroom Hill Zone.

DAC Samples[]

These sound effects seem to have been possibly used for testing purpose. Their filenames mostly relate to percussion instruments. The first three can also be found in the files for Sonic and Knuckles.

DAC ID	Disassembly Filename	Notes
$89	dRideCymbal
$96	dLooseSnare
$9A	dMidTimpaniS3
$A6	dDanceSnare
$A7	dLooseKick
	N/A	No DAC ID can be found for this sample. In the game's files, it can be found between the samples $AF and $B1.
$B8	dHipHopHitKick2
$BD	dPowerKick2

Unused scroll credits[]

An unused, unfinished, scrolling credits routine can be found in the game's files and can be activated by setting RAM address "FA87" to "2" during the credits sequence. The actual credits were apparently not yet in place when this was abandoned, as it scrolls small and large versions of the letters B-F, and then abruptly fades to the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 logo screen. In the final game, the staff credits roll simply fades between static pages of text.

Sonic & Knuckles Zones[]

A few remnants of all the Sonic & Knuckles zones are still left in the game. As mentioned earlier, Flying Battery would have been played between Carnival Night Zone and IceCap Zone, but when the game was split into two that Zone was moved into Sonic & Knuckles to give it more levels. Most of the data that once belonged to these levels either is not present in the game anymore or is not currently accessible. Still, there are some leftovers in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 – a data select icon, its music, and even its bosses.

Even though the player can use codes or use Sonic 3C's save states to access the unused zones, those will crash the game. All unused Zones outside of Flying Battery will say "Zone". Most (such as Sandopolis Zone and Death Egg Zone) will crash on the title card, while some (like Lava Reef Zone) will load the level and end up in a glitchy mess and crash. In the case of Flying Battery, while one can access it by way of PAR codes, it will be corrupted with IceCap Zone tiles appearing all over the place. However, the player will need to do this in a specific way because alone, these codes will crash the game when trying to access that level data. Using Sonic 3C's save states to access the Lava Reef Boss Area or Hidden Palace Zone will have glitchy collision data, and Angel Island's sprites appear all over the place. Oddly enough, the Special Stage music plays here.

Prototypes[]

3 November 1993[]

Main article: Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (prototype)

In this pre-release prototype version of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, a lot of progress had already been made, but a huge amount of content was initially changed before the final release. The Sega intro is reused from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (though somewhat glitched in appearance), the title logo is altered, and Sonic and Tails use their Sonic the Hedgehog 2 sprites. The Sound Test Menu is identical to the one used in the final version of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 alone.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 at The Cutting Room Floor

Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Main article (Sonic 3 & Knuckles) · Staff · Manuals · Glitches · Beta elements · Gallery · Pre-releases (November 3, 1993)

Playable characters		Sonic (Super Sonic) · Tails · Knuckles* · Amy**
Non-playable characters		Robotnik · Animals (Cucky, Flicky, Pecky, Pocky, Ricky, Rocky)
Zones	Main	Angel Island Zone · Hydrocity Zone · Marble Garden Zone · Carnival Night Zone · IceCap Zone · Launch Base Zone · Special Stage · Bonus Stage
	Competition	Azure Lake · Balloon Park · Chrome Gadget · Desert Palace · Endless Mine
Enemies		Batbot · Blastoid · Bloominator · Bubbles · Bugernaut · Catakiller, Jr. · Clamer · Corkey · Flybot767 · Jawz · Mantis · Mega Chopper · Monkey Dude · Orbinaut · Penguinator · Pointdexter · RhinoBot · Ribot · Snail Blaster · Sparkle · Spiker · Star Pointer · Turbo Spiker
Bosses	Mid-bosses	Fire Breath · Big Shaker · Tunnelbot · Bowling Spin · Big Icedus · Twin Hammer
	Zone bosses	Egg Scorcher Mk. III · Egg Vortex · Egg Drillster Mk. II · Egg Gravitron · Egg Froster · Egg Cannon · Egg Rocket · Big Arms
Moves/techniques		Bound Jump · Crouch · Double Jump · Drop Dash · Fireball Spin Dash · Hammer Rush · Insta-Shield · Jumping Hammer Attack** · Fly · Spin Attack · Spin Dash Attack · Super Spin Attack · Swim
Gimmicks and obstacles		Balloon · Bomb · Bumper · Bumper wall · Cannon · Capsule · Crusher · Elevator · Fan · Fire · Flywheel · Goal Plate · High-speed spiral tube · High-speed warp tube · Icicle · Iron ball · Laser gate · Movable box · Pulley · Platform-raising Wheel · Sinking pool · Snowblower · Speed Hand · Spikes · Spring · Spinning Top · Spinning Wheel · Star Post · Strange Relief · Switch · Vine · Zip Line
Items		Air bubble · Banana* · Change* · Chaos Emerald · Continue · Giant Ring · Gumball · Item Box (1-Up, Aqua Shield, Eggman Mark, Flame Shield, Invincible, Power Sneakers, S, Super Ring, Thunder Shield) · Ring · Self-Propelled Bomb* · Lead Sneakers* · Snowboard · Sphere · Star Circle
Music		"Wonderman"
Other		Altar of Emerald · Angel Island · Death Egg saga · Corkscrew · Crusher · Death Egg · Debug Mode · Freeze · Jewel Radar · Life · Lock-on technology · Loop · Perfect Bonus · Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Official Guide Book · Sonic the Hedgehog 3: Official Super-Sonic Tips for SegaManiacs! · Sound Test · Time Attack · Tornado · Tunnel · Water

*Appears in Competition mode only · **Appears in re-releases only
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