Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (May 17, 1994 prototype)

This article is about a prototype. For other uses, see Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (disambiguation).

Sonic 3C 0517
The title screen of the prototype of Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
Development staff
Publisher(s)	Sega
Video game overview
Platform(s)	Sega Mega Drive

Sonic 3C 0517 is the name given to a pre-release version of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, often referred to as Sonic 3C. This prototype build, dated May 17, 1994, showcases an earlier version of the game that combines both Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles into one title. It was publicly released by the preservation group Hidden Palace, along with other builds being dumped and shared by drx on 23 February 2008.

For the most part, the game is near-complete. But there are still a couple oddities, such as Hydrocity Zone having broken graphics in conveyor belts, and in IceCap Zone, Tails' tiles being corrupted due to an issue with the snowboard intro, as well as certain music and sound effects being different or just flat out missing.

General differences

• The title screen doesn’t display "& Knuckles", the emblem of Sonic, as well as the banner have moved down to accommodate this change.
• Knuckles can be chosen as a playable character in 1-Player mode.
• The save system is the same as in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Players can continue a saved game beyond Launch Base Zone, but once they exit, the save will be marked as "Clear," allowing selection of only Zones 1 through 6. Unlike Sonic 3 & Knuckles, which features eight save slots, this version only offers six, and lives and continues are neither saved nor displayed.
• If you complete the game with all seven Chaos Emeralds, instead of the logo appearing after the credits, you'll see the "TRY AGAIN" screen featuring Robotnik and Knuckles, though Knuckles will not be juggling the Chaos Emeralds.
• In debug mode, the debug counters remain visible at all times, unlike in Sonic 3C 0408 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles, where they only appear during object placement. The timer shows the number of on-screen sprites, and the ring counter displays the character's animation frame ID.
• Pressing the A button while the game is paused takes you back to the level select screen instead of the SEGA logo screen.
• When debug mode is active, all explosions appear in black.
• Item Boxes work how they did in Sonic & Knuckles, meaning they can be destroyed from any side, including from below.
• When playing as Sonic or Tails, you may still see Blue Knuckles on the signpost. Similarly, when playing as Knuckles, a red Sonic might appear.

Audio

• The title screen, mini-boss, Knuckles, invincibility, and 1-Up music tracks are all the same as those found in final Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
• The Data Select glitch, where if one leaves the game running on the Data Select screen for about 47 minutes, a piece of percussion will increase in volume, is still present.
• The Continue music plays about 7% slower compared to Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic 3C 0408. In Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic 3 & Knuckles, it's even slower, by roughly 11.2% compared to Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
• In the Sound Test, slots D9 through FE are empty, with the final sound, FF, being the iconic "SEGA!" sound.
• Most music tracks are in similar locations, with the key difference being that all of the tracks (except for the Act 1 boss theme) use the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 versions. Additionally, the original Sonic the Hedgehog 3 credits have been replaced with a new credits medley.
• The credits medley is longer and different from the final version of the game, incorporating additional segments from the Hedgehog's zones. However, it omits parts from Marble Garden, Mushroom Hill, and Lava Reef. The ending sting is an extended version of the victory jingle that plays after defeating the Launch Base bosses in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 before transitioning to the credits.

Super/Hyper Forms

• The "S" item box transforms characters into their Hyper forms, similar to Sonic 3 & Knuckles, as opposed to the Super forms seen in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 alone and Sonic 3C 0408.
• Super forms accessed via the Chaos Emeralds appear to behave as incomplete versions of the Hyper forms:
  • Super Sonic uses Hyper Sonic's rainbow-colored palette and gains the dash attack, but lacks the star effect around his body, as well as the flashing and sparks when the dash attack is performed. Additionally, he does not gain the ability to breathe underwater.
  • Interestingly, Tails can achieve a Super form using only the Chaos Emeralds, though it doesn't include Flicky's Super State or trailing sparks. However, breaking an "S" item box grants Super Tails the Flickies. This may suggest that both Super and Hyper versions of Tails were initially considered, an idea later revisited in Sonic Origins.
  • Super Knuckles can trigger earthquakes by clinging to walls at high speeds, but unlike Hyper Knuckles, his sparks are not replaced by afterimages, and he also cannot breathe underwater.
• The stars that encircle Hyper Sonic are notably different from those in the final game, orbiting him in a pseudo-3D pattern rather than appearing flat. Additionally, Hyper Sonic has no afterimages.
  • Uniquely, if Knuckles activates the "S" item box, Hyper Knuckles will cause an earthquake when gliding into a wall over a long distance, something that was changed in later versions.

Zones

Angel Island Zone

• After returning from a Bonus Stage in Act 1, the Act 2 music continues to play if the Zone has been set on fire, much like in the final release.
• In this Zone (and possibly others), when the mini-boss is defeated and the signpost drops to the ground, if an item box appears, it sometimes lands behind the signpost. In the final version, the item box always appears in front if it lands near the signpost.

Hydrocity Zone

• In this build, one of the animation frames for the grabbable conveyor belts in Act 1 appears corrupted, displaying garbled graphics. This issue is resolved in the following prototype.
• At the end of Act 1, it is possible to drown during the score tallying screen.
• During the Big Shaker boss fight, the game plays the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 mini-boss theme instead of the Act 2 boss music. In the final version, the Act 2 boss theme plays, but it switches to the Sonic & Knuckles mini-boss theme if the drowning timer activates and you manage to get out of the water. In Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the Act 1 mini-boss theme from Sonic & Knuckles is used.
• The spring that initially sends you backward at the start of Act 2 has been replaced with a 1-Up item box, similar to the final version of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, but unlike the final version of Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
• Super and Hyper Sonic can still be glitched by the Egg Vortex's twister, a bug that also existed in the final release.

Marble Garden Zone

• The glitch that can be triggered during the Tunnelbot miniboss fight in Act 1 is still present in this build.
• In Knuckles' Act 2 boss fight, the "wall breaking" sound effect does not play when the spikes penetrate the floor or ceiling.

Carnival Night Zone

• Knuckles does not make his usual entrance at the start of Act 1.
• When playing as Sonic alone in Act 1, Tails occasionally appears after the boss fight. This also occurs in the final release, though with a different frequency.

IceCap Zone

• In Act 1, when Tails first appears while playing as Sonic and Tails, the graphics glitch. The snowboard intro overwrites Tails' sprites with those of the snowboard. When the snowboard disappears, Tails' sprites should reload, but the AI doesn’t respond quickly enough. As a result, Tails is rendered with remnants of the snowboard’s graphics. The tile swap only completes when Tails lands, restoring his appearance to normal. This issue also occurs in other prototypes.
• In one of Knuckles' routes, the floating icicle spheres can still inflict damage even when you’re in Super or Hyper form.

Launch Base Zone

• After Knuckles defeats one of the Twin Hammers, the regular Act 1 theme resumes while the other Twin Hammer remains alive. If you’re playing as Super or Hyper Knuckles, defeating one Twin Hammer will cause you to revert to normal and trigger the regular Act 1 music, as if both Twin Hammers had been defeated.
• In Act 2, the segment between the level's boss and the ones on the ship is not timed. The timer freezes when you enter the cutscene by stepping into the Egg Mobile and resumes when you land on the ship. This behavior is consistent with Sonic 3 & Knuckles, but not with Sonic the Hedgehog 3 alone, where the timer continues during the cutscene.
• Additionally, Knuckles does not confront Big Arms at the end of Act 2, and the boss music does not stop playing when the Prison Egg appears.

Mushroom Hill Zone

• Act 1 begins with Sonic and Tails falling from the sky in their standing poses, similar to what was seen in Prototype 0408.
• The first Giant Ring that Sonic and Tails encounter in Act 1 now leads to Hidden Palace. However, if they already possess all the Chaos Emeralds, they will instead receive 50 rings without warping. Interestingly, the other Giant Rings do not flash.
• In Act 1, Knuckles' first Giant Ring does not lead to Hidden Palace, requiring him to backtrack to Sonic's first Giant Ring to access it.
• One of the Giant Rings in Act 1 is missing and has been replaced by a diamond pattern of rings.
• The starting position of the Act 2 boss is slightly shifted to the left compared to the final version. This allows players to hit the boss repeatedly without destroying the satellite, with the battle only starting once the satellite is hit. In the final version, this mechanic was adjusted to prevent such an exploit. Unlike in the 0408 build, the first seven hits on the boss count toward defeating it after the satellite is destroyed.
• The boss does not explode upon defeat until he crashes into the tree.
• When playing as Sonic and Tails, Tails continues running to the right during the transition to Flying Battery, leading him to fall into the pit.

Flying Battery Zone

• The echo track of Act 1's music becomes out of sync after looping, gradually falling further behind the lead melody as it continues to play.
• After beating the Laser Prison mini-boss, the floor begins to rise, accompanied by a horizontal wall that moves to the right. If you die at this point, it not only garbles the clouds but also distorts the horizontal wall.
• During the transition to Sandopolis Zone, your character does not automatically roll when breaking down the door, although they do appear to roll in the Sandopolis intro.

Sandopolis Zone

• Your character enters Act 1 in a rolling state but doesn’t get stuck in the sand. The controls remain responsive, allowing you to move left or right before landing.

Lava Reef Zone

• At the start of Act 1, Knuckles does not run in; he simply stands still, with a pile of rocks behind him.
• Shields do not provide protection against debris from the Iwamodoki enemies.
• In Act 2, the palette changes to reflect a freeze-over when starting from Act 1, though the lava cools more slowly. However, if the act is accessed via Level Select, or if the player dies or returns from a Bonus or Special Stage, the old palette will load instead.
• When you encounter Knuckles, his theme does not play, and he laughs after punching the boulder at you. The boulder does not cancel your Super or Hyper form.
• The boss theme does not play at the start of the Act 2 boss area; it only starts when the boss emerges from the lava.
• There is no Thunder Shield in the Act 2 boss area, and the ring pattern is different.
• The lava in the boss area does not cool after breaking the Prison Egg. Instead, once the results tally is complete, the platform you’re standing on drifts slightly to the right, requiring you to jump across more platforms as the lava can still harm or kill you. The level music does not resume during this segment. This part remains largely unchanged from the 0408 prototype, except that the transition to Hidden Palace now functions correctly.

Hidden Palace Zone

• The player does not run in at the beginning.
• The music remains the Sky Sanctuary theme.
• A Flame Shield replaces the Super Ring item box before the fight with Knuckles.
• The secret item box stash still contains an "S" item box and extra 1-Ups.
• Entering a Bonus Stage and returning disrupts the palette changes, causing areas to appear purple when they shouldn’t (such as the teleporter and the Master Emerald's altar). This glitch also allows Sonic to backtrack to Knuckles' entrance.
• Knuckles can still harm you even when in an invincibility state, including after being hit, using an invincibility power-up, or while in Super forms. He can also damage you in Debug Mode while placing an object, which may corrupt Sonic or Tails' graphics (this corruption occurs only if you were Super or Hyper at the time).
• The Knuckles fight continues to play the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 miniboss theme, even through the Master Emerald theft scene after Knuckles is defeated.
• Several sound effects are missing during the Knuckles fight and the Master Emerald theft cutscene.
• While the controls are locked during the cutscene, Tails' controls remain active, and he will continue to use his AI if Controller 2 is not in use.
• The animation order for Knuckles punching the wall before the teleporter is altered; he gestures for Sonic to follow after hitting the wall, rather than before.
• Accessing Hidden Palace via a Giant Ring functions like the final version but includes several differences:
  • The HUD is still present and appears green while playing as Knuckles.
  • Death Egg Act 2 music plays, due to its placement right after the final boss of the Death Egg.
  • The intro plays every time you enter the chamber.
  • The greyed-out Super Emerald locations do not save after leaving and reappear after the intro.
  • The laser zaps all Super Emerald altars, even if you already possess that Emerald, although it still indicates that you have it.
  • There is no Super Emerald screen after completing a Special Stage.
  • The timer is not disabled, making it possible to get a Time Over.

Sky Sanctuary Zone

• After the Egg Bouncer boss is defeated, the balloons do not pop until they reach the ground.
• Following the defeat of Mecha Sonic at the end of Sonic and Tails' Act, the results tally appears, but they do not perform their victory poses and remain controllable. The game then transitions directly to Death Egg Zone without a cutscene.
• Knuckles' Act does not contain any rings, and the teleporter is absent.
• When entering Act 2 with Sonic and Tails, Mecha Sonic has a glitch that creates an invisible wall in the fighting area. Upon defeating Mecha Sonic, the game treats it as if Act 1 was completed, preventing progression to the next level. Additionally, when entering Act 2, Tails can jump behind the Floating Island sprite.
• Mecha Sonic is missing several sound effects.
• The Doomsday Zone music does not play for Super Mecha Sonic; instead, the final boss theme continues.
• When Knuckles defeats Mecha Sonic, the appropriate ending plays based on whether he has all the Chaos Emeralds. However, there is no credits sequence, and Angel Island reaches the sea or stratosphere much more quickly. After this, the game does not advance, requiring you to pause and return to the Level Select.

The Doomsday Zone

• The player does not run in at the beginning.
• The overscan border color for Act 1 is red, unlike the black used in the other zones.
• The light beam transportation systems have a slightly different countdown sound; it features four low tones instead of three low tones and one high tone.
• Red Eye's pillar no longer overlaps the player, but it still has tile transparency issues.
• Red Eye can unexpectedly hit the player and knock them out of Super or Hyper form.
• The palette changes too soon when transitioning to Act 2. In later versions, the palette is adjusted only after the Act 2 transition completes.
• The final boss music does not play; instead, the theme from Death Egg Zone Act 2 continues.
• The final boss's attacks can damage Super or Hyper forms.
• Once the final boss machine collapses completely, all the rumbling effects stop.
• After defeating Robotnik during the final chase, the HUD turns green, as the game has inexplicably loaded the Angel Island intro palette into the second palette line.
• The Sonic the Hedgehog 3 final credits roll after defeating the final boss, accompanied by an extended Sonic 3 & Knuckles medley. This medley is longer than the credits themselves, but the credits automatically restart to the Sega screen a few seconds after "Try Again" appears.

Bonus Stages

Glowing Spheres

• Entering the Glowing Spheres Bonus Stage makes you lose all your rings.
• The Glowing Spheres Bonus Stage has a different layout and the items falling downward. The excess amount of rings causes the game to slow down at points.
• The score and timer are displayed in the Glowing Spheres Bonus Stage. This doesn't happen for the other two Bonus Stages.
• Entering the Glowing Spheres Bonus Stage makes you lose all your rings.

Slot Machine

• There are no GOAL blocks, although the blue blocks will transform into them. This layout contains a total of 112 rings.
• Additionally, the background in the Slot Machine Bonus Stage is entirely static; the small objects do not rotate, and there is no scrolling effect.

Special Stages

• The Super Emerald Special Stages have different sphere arrangements, like the Sonic 3C 0408 prototype.
• Super Emeralds are still referred to as Chaos Emeralds.
• Collecting all the Chaos Emeralds as Knuckles does not display the "NOW KNUCKLES CAN BE SUPER KNUCKLES" message, though Knuckles can still become Super Knuckles.
• Collecting all the Chaos Emeralds after having sent at least one Emerald to Hidden Palace will not display the "x CAN GO TO HIDDEN PALACE" message.

External links

• Sonic & Knuckles on The Cutting Room Floor

Sonic the Hedgehog 3

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Main article (Sonic 3 & Knuckles) · Staff · Manuals · Glitches · Beta elements · Gallery · Pre-releases (November 3, 1993 · May 17, 1994)

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