Beta Level Section This is a Beta Level Section. While am not 100% sure on how 'Real' the image is, I do know that most of the content is. The Clock Work Zone was a Early name for a level very much like Scrap Brain and The Sparkling Zone was an earlier name for Spring Yard. There is no Marble Zone but instead 2 levels of 'Final Zone' which then has a 1 off 'Final Fight'. Final Fight would be the Final Zone as seen in Sonic 1, which is just a Boss fight in a scrap brain style level. This might be Final Zone was in fact Scrap Brain and there for, Clock Work was a whole new level that was removed and Marble Zone was added. Labyrinth Zone being the second level was how it was displayed on Sonic 1 (American and European Version). The Japanese release, which was held back and upgraded, did not have this mistake (as well as a couple of bug fixes). |
Early Beta Level Section If the Above Level Screen isn't fake, then this is an ever earlier beta level selection.. If the above IS fake, then this is the real beta level selection.. either way, this is probably earlier then known before. The Green Hill, Labyrinth, Marble Order is correct to the earlier known versions, then things get a little confusing.. Star Light Zone (two words) is there, then Sparkling and Clock Work, so there isn't much special, but no Final Zone at all. But notice that the above level selection screen doesn't have the Marble Zone, where this one does.. maybe (if it's not fake) the Marble Zone was removed at one point, or perhaps, this is really later? In which case, the Final Zone was removed at some point.. I would comment about them X's by the end of some zones numbers, but I think that is just done to show which ones weren't made at the point in design.. Or which ones were.. either way, it doesn't appear to have any real special interesting meaning. |
Wrecking Ball Trouble Some early Shots show an Object very much like Robotnik's wrecking ball as an object in the level. By the looks of things, it probably needed to be jumped over to get past it. |
Wrecking Ball From a Portuguese MegaDrive advert, a Clip of Sonic 1 was shown with a completely unknown look to Robotnik's Wrecking Ball in Green Hill. Most of the clips don't seam to be edited for the advert (apart from the Sonic turning into the cartoon animation.. but that is a different matter). This wrecking ball has much more Animation of the white 'star' effect moving around to give it a great 3D spinning look to the ball.. It is also Red (though still appears to have the check-board pattern, just harder to see). It is unknown why this was removed from the game since it looks great. It was probably due to the amount of animation frames it uses, though there doesn't seam to be a reason since there seam to be enough spare room on the cart. |
Oh No! There goes Tokyo! This Concept Art shows a number of interesting things. First, this level never appears in the final game, though bits of the Green Hill in the Game gear version looks like it. Another Interesting note is it looks clearly like Japan, with in the background, Tokyo and the Tokyo Tower, when in the Final version, it is set on South Island which (in the Japanese Version) is nearer America then Japan. It seams clear that either Sonic was to originally travel the world, or he was going to be in Japan. |
I'll Crush Ya! Another Beta Shot.. this time the inside of the Marble Zone. Not really very interesting but notice that crushing pillar? It's sideways.. there isn't one like that in the final game now, is there? For some reason, they must have decided it didn't work out and so, removed it. |
Badniks and odd … things Beta Marble Zone again, and we see the UFO/planets in the sky as normal for Beta Marble, but we seem to have the Spiker Badnik not only in the wrong zone, but it's Red instead of Purple.. |
Weird Planets In the background of some pre-release Marble Zone there are some odd planet like Objects with a large ring around them that seam to spin around. It is unknown what these were meant to be or why they were removed but it was purely background details, nothing that effected game-play |
Sparkling Zone This shows a Early Shot of the 'Sparkling Zone'. This kinda proves fact of it being the Spring Yard Zone as most of the tiles and objects are that from Spring Yard. However, the background and some things are off. So this would be in an early stage. |
Sparkle Sparkle This is another shot of the Sparkling zone, showing even more it is clearly Spring Yard. From this shot you can see the starlight background which didn't make it as far as the final game. |
The Sparkle Changes colour The Sparkling zone seams to be the one that appears the most in pre-release stuff and this is one of the ones that show how close to Spring Yard it really is. What's different? Well, part from the background image, Notice both a MotoBug in the zone, when in the final game they are only in Green Hill, and more interesting, look at that Roller Badnik! Instead of the Blue with Red head, it's Purple with Yellow head. Not really much more then that to say about. |
Water Boss? Now, I get a feeling this one might be linked with the labyrinth Zone. Only due to the water. But this clearly shows a Wooden boat.. maybe that was the plan for a Water zone to be at first and then turned into the Labyrinth Zone.. But look at the boss.. Robotnik in a large 'Egg-shaped' sub machine.. not very close to ones that have been shown in the game, but possible.. But I bet this was another early idea for a level which got turned into something else. Common in games like Sonic.. that is ones with less of a major storyline (it's got a plot but not a major storyline told by game play). |
Hold your Breath More sprites have been found in Sonic 1's ROM data, this series show Sonic trying to Hold his breath. Some believe that somehow, these are linked to a pair of goggles, but either way, they are clearly Sonic holding his breath and would have probably been linked with the Drowning Counter that appears when Sonic is running out of air, these would then have given an extra sign that you were in need of some Air soon. |
StarLight, StarBright This is an Early concept idea for a level which became Starlight Zone. As you can see, it is much less of a Building Site but more of a fantasy starlit Zone, much more like the title then Electric Lamp lighted. |
Clock Works Zone Was it Sonic Chaos that had a Clock work zone? I remember an old Game (pretty sure it was Sonic) that had a Clock Work style Zone.. but it was long ago so I am probably mixing a few things up. Anyway, This is another shot from the Advert.. Sonic fighting on a large clock face being attack with buzz bombers (but with Wrong colours). Now THIS bit confirms the idea that these levels are 'beta's in a way.. the Original name for Scrap Brain was to be 'Clock Work Zone'.. well. it was ONE early name seen in a couple of 'beta' shots that can be found. So i would have thought at one stage there was MORE of a clock in the game, this would suggest that idea. |
Clock Work Zone 2 Going with the earlier item on the Clock Work Zone, here is a screenshot of the level. As you can see, it is the Scrap Brain Zone BUT there seams to be move of a background which seams to confirm ideas that the zone was a big clock you had to climb up a bit (or something like that). Though there was probably not TOO much climbing since that wasn't really the style in the game itself. At this point, you will notice no W So it says 'Clock Ork Zone'. This could be because there were adding the level name or a bit more likely, removing it at the time. It is a little hard to say. Either way the W graphic is clearly not in the file at the time or at a different address then the program was calling. |
Splat! In STC, in SnK Classic Figure Collection, in stories, there is one badnik that stands out. Splats. They have been shown but never appeared in any Game. By Hacking Sonic 1, A couple of Frame can be found of them, but that is all.. What is funny is everything I have seen in them (and even my little Splats Figure from the SnK Classic Figure Collection (with Card) has them being Gray with Light Blue Features... the sprite isn't with them colours. Here is the Sprite: . Though no pictures show Splats in the game, I have done up a Image of what it might have been like. I believe they would more be from Scrap Brain and I have recolour it to 'classic' colours.. maybe that is what it would have been like? who knows.. |
Death Egg? The last bit of the Advert shows Sonic in a space ship and then appears to attack something that looks alot like a mix between a Moon and Sonic 3's Death Egg... Could it be that Sonic 1 was originally going to feature the Death Egg? Not sure myself and it probably wouldn't have worked out. If this advert wasn't for Sonic 1 then hints might have said it was in fact for an early Version of Sonic 2 wouldn't you lot say? either way, the Death Egg didn't appear until the Second game, and then in most of the main games after it in one form or another. in Sonic 3D, the final Boss looks like a small Death Egg style Robot. |
A Happy Ending The sprites have been found in the game, and here is a screen of them working, it appears at the end of a level, Sonic would do a little jump and happily raise a hand, for some reason this was removed and Sonic just walks off the screen. |
Sonic's Girlfriend Really Early on, Sonic had non-Hedgehog Girlfriend. Yep, Before Amy Rose, Before Sally Acorn, It was Madonna! She was Really SEGA's Answer to Pauline (what? never heard of her? Mario's Girlfriend he had to Save in the original Donkey Kong -_-). Robotnik would capture her and Sonic had to travel to Save her. Back in these Day's Robotnik didn't even use Badniks but Nightmare like Creatures. |
Welcome to my Nightmare As said about above, Robotnik's Forces originally used Nightmare creatures as seen in a lot of games of the time. This early production art shows a number of them, along with a differently coloured (but end Design) Robotnik, Sonic and Madonna. Sometimes, you learn some changes were the right thing to do |
Sonic's Band Unknown when it was removed but an early version of Sonic's story had him as the lead singer of his own Band. This band also featured Max the Monkey (Guitar), Mach the Rabbit (Drums), Sharps the Chicken (Guitar) and Vector the Crocodile (Keyboard). It is believed that after most of the band idea was dropped, Vector was still going to appear on the Sound Test screen but close to release, it was dropped. The Character was then redesigned and used for Choatix |
Dust Hill? It has always been hinted that Dust Hill was ALWAYS meant to be there. This Image from a Japanese Sonic 1 Advert shows Sonic running though a Desert Level, yet no level like that appears in the game. Due to over images in the Advert (which we will talk about in a bit, and the advert can be downloaded on this site) it appears to be based on an Early Sonic 1 idea. The name of this level is unknown but most people name it after it's Sonic 2 version. In fact, the level tried again and again to appear. First in Sonic 1, then in Sonic 2, then in Sonic 3 and finally appeared in SnK. Bad luck eh? |