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Sonic the Hedgehog was the video game that started off the career of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Team.
It was released on June 23, 1991 in North America for the Sega Genesis. The European version was released later in June, 1991 for the Sega Megadrive. The Japanese version was released on July 26, 1991 for the Megadrive. The game was also re-released for the Nintendo GameCube in 2002 as part of the Sonic Mega Collection.
The American version lacked parallax scrolling, moving clouds, rippling water, and other minor details. The original Japanese included the details, and the Japanese version 2.0 fixed the "spike bug".
This game was the first game to really propel the Genesis into mass popularity in North America. After it was released, it eventually supplanted Altered Beast as the bundled game with the console.
Sonic the Hedgehog added the element of speed to the standard platform formula, and introduced other unique elements as well, such as the loops and springboards now permanently associated with the game series.
In the game, Sonic has to prevent Doctor Ivo Robotnik (Doctor Eggman in Japan and in later games) from collecting the Chaos Emeralds in an attempt to rule Mobius (Earth in Japan).
There was also a version of Sonic the Hedgehog released for the Sega Master System and the Game Gear, which loosely followed the design of the Genesis version, although with some different zones and a level map.
The main villain, Doctor Eggman, has always been called that in the Japanese titles. However, in the European and American versions, his name is localized to Doctor Ivo Robotnik, and has stayed that way until Sonic Adventure, where it has been changed to Doctor Eggman.
Although its Genesis counterpart was extremely popular in the United States, Sonic the Hedgehog only received lukewarm responses in Japan. Sonic wouldn't catch on in that locale until Sonic Jam.
All three versions (American, European/Japanese Original, and 2.0) are available to play on the Sonic Mega Collection.
The game featured many novel elements,utilising the Parallel processing capabilities of the Genesis, which contributed to its popularity and helped to promote the uptake of 16 bit consoles.
The gameplay centered around elements that exploited the increased performance of the Genesis console. It is notable for being both simplistic and engaging for players.
The game was arguably the one of the fastest platformers that had yet been released. Sonic could run, jump and roll at significantly higher speeds than most platformers of the time. Unlike other platformers, the game's levels were designed to encourage the player to progress quickly. Springs, slopes, high falls and loop de loops were all available to both boost and challenge the player to reach high speeds. This was all accomplished without any slowdown in framerates, adding to the experience.
Sonic's method of attack was also novel. As a hedgehog he could curl up into a ball, by either jumping or by rolling along the ground, a state in which he could damage enemies by simply colliding with them. This was a change from most other platform games, where a the player could only damage enemies by shooting, attacking or jumping on top of them. While rolling along the ground Sonic could roll down slopes, gaining speed as he did so. Most slopes were irregular, as opposed to the fixed angles seen in older titles, and the game had physics to match. Sonic's acceleration down a slope depended on its steepness; he could run around 360-degree loops, if travelling fast enough; and he suffered from drag under water.
Sonic could collect rings to protect himself. As long as Sonic had at least one ring he would not die when injured. Instead he would lose all of his rings, which sprayed out and could be collected again. There were also shields available which allowed Sonic to be hit once without losing rings. However, neither shields nor rings could protect against instant death, brought on by crushing, drowning or falling off the map.
Progress through the game was made easier by special checkpoints called star posts. When Sonic passed a star post, changing its colour, he could restart from that point - rather than the beginning of the level - when he next lost a life.
The games featured no passwords or game saves. The player had to start from the beginning every time he ran out of continues or reset the console.
The game's 16-bit graphics were impressive for its time. Colours were lush and varied, taking advantage of the Genesis' enhanced colour palette, and the sprites were richly animated. Flowers moved, rings spun, lights blinked, and water shimmered in the background. Destroying an enemy robot produced a puff of smoke as a small animal flew or hopped away from its prison.
Leaving the game idle for more than a few seconds made Sonic tap his foot impatiently.
The game took full advantage of the onboard Zilog Z80 and Yamaha synthesizer sound chip. The game was filled with sound effects, with chimes, bops and beats following the player through the levels. Many sounds played on top of one another and most of the games sounds were unique and of higher quality than earlier 8-bit sounds.
The music of the game affords special attention, with many fans proclaiming it to be the most memorable feature. The music used 8-bit stereo sound, and was very rich and detailed. The music for Green Hill Zone in particular is a very well recognised tune, by many fans of the series and by other gamers. Many MIDIs and remixes of this track, and of other tracks in the game, can be found online.
The music was composed by Masato Nakamura, a member of a then-popular J-Pop band.
The game was converted into a Famicom game called Somari by a group of software pirates in Hong Kong. The game is mostly playable.
A pirated version of Sonic the Hedgehog that was widely pirated in Asia has all of the SEGA logos removed.
Sonic the Hedgehog has been modified by hackers and two hacked versions have been floating around the Internet.
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