| SegaSonic the Hedgehog | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Sega AM3 |
| Publisher | Sega |
| Director | Tomosuke Tsuda |
| Composers | Hiroshi Kawaguchi Keitaro Hanada Naoki Tokiwa |
| Series | Sonic the Hedgehog |
| Platform | Arcade |
| Release | |
| Genre | Platform |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
| Arcade system | Sega System 32 |
SegaSonic the Hedgehog[b] is a 1993arcade game in theSonic the Hedgehog series bySega. ControllingSonic the Hedgehog and his friendsMighty the Armadillo andRay the Flying Squirrel, the player must escape an island after they are kidnapped by the villain,Doctor Eggman. The game uses anisometric perspective. Players use atrackball to move the characters while dodging obstacles and collectingrings. The game was developed by Sega's arcade division,Sega AM3. It is one of fourSonic games with theSegaSonic name and was inspired by the 1984 gameMarble Madness.
SegaSonic the Hedgehog was released in Japanesearcades in late 1993.[a] It has never been rereleased; aport for Sega's32X never materialized, and the game was cut from the compilationSonic Gems Collection (2005) due to problems with replicating the trackball control system on a standard controller. At the time of release,SegaSonic the Hedgehog received positive reviews fromElectronic Gaming Monthly andComputer and Video Games for its graphics and gameplay. Retrospective reviews have been more divided. The game marked the debuts ofSonic characters Mighty and Ray; both have reappeared sparingly in the franchise.
SegaSonic the Hedgehog is aplatform game that has been likened in gameplay toMarble Madness (1984).[3] Players control three characters:Sonic the Hedgehog,Mighty the Armadillo, andRay the Flying Squirrel, who can be controlled by a single player orsimultaneously with two others.[4] The story follows the three characters after series antagonistDoctor Eggman traps them on his island. They team up to escape, and must dodge various hazards and dangers to reach Eggman in his base, the Eggman Tower.[4][5]
The game takes place over sevenlevels, which must be completed in the fastest time possible. Players use atrackball to control a characters' speed and direction from anisometric perspective, and a button to make a character jump into a Spin Attack.[6] Each character has a health bar, which is depleted when the player falls into traps; players lose a life if the bar empties. Health can be recovered by collectingrings that are littered around the course or hidden inside obstacles or enemies. Players receive bonus rings for use in later levels they collect over a certain percentage of rings within a level.[3][4] Upon reaching Eggman at the end of the game, he pushes a button that causes the island to self-destruct. The three heroes manage to escape unharmed, while Eggman is left stranded at sea.[5][7]
BeforeSegaSonic the Hedgehog,Sega had attempted to create twoSonic the Hedgehog-basedarcade games, but these were never released because "they were not the specialness that Sonic was."[8] By May 1993, a newSonic arcade project was in development.[8]SegaSonic the Hedgehog was developed bySega AM3, an internal Sega division that created games forarcade cabinets,[9] with assistance fromSonic Team.[7] The game is one of four arcade games in theSonic the Hedgehog series to feature theSegaSonic name.[c]
According to designer Manabu Kusunoki, the idea for trackball controls was conceived after an unspecified member of the development team—who was a fan ofMarble Madness—suggested that it would work well withSonic's style of gameplay.[11] The game uses aSega System 32 motherboard, which enables the multiplayer option, and a unique isometric graphics system.[4][12] It features two new characters, Ray the Flying Squirrel and Mighty the Armadillo.[4] Both were designed by Kusunoki, who chose their species since he thought they would control similarly to how Sonic did and that they, like hedgehogs, were obscure.[11] Mighty was likely based on an early prototype of Sonic.[13][14] The game also featuresvoice acting, withTakeshi Kusao, Hinako Kanamaru,Yusuke Numata, andMasaharu Satō voicing Sonic, Ray, Mighty, and Eggman, respectively.[5][7]
The game's title in development was simplySonic the Hedgehog, but was changed toSegaSonic because Sega lost thetrademark to theSonic name during production. Kusunoki could not recall why it was disputed; however, according to video game journalist John Szczepaniak, Sega of America failed to turn in its paperwork for the trademark on July 13, 1993.[11]SegaSonic the Hedgehog was featured at the Summer InternationalConsumer Electronics Show 1993 and theAmusement Machine Show 1993.[3][12] It was released in Japanese arcades later that year.[a] It is unclear if the game was released outside Japan.Hackers discovered English-translated dialogue andsprites based on Eggman's appearance in the AmericanSonic the Hedgehog animated series hidden within theROM image, suggesting that there were plans to release it in American arcades to promote the series.[15]
SegaSonic the Hedgehog has never been rereleased.[15] Aport for the32X, an add-on for theSega Genesis, was reported to be in development in late 1994.[16][17]Sonic co-creatorYuji Naka said the game was considered for inclusion in the 2005 raritiescompilationSonic Gems Collection for theGameCube andPlayStation 2, but was excluded due to difficulties withemulating the trackball controls on agamepad.[6] In 2011, Sega's brand manager Ken Balough said there is not much demand for a rerelease, because it was not released outside Japan.[18] In 2020, Sega's Yosuke Okunari mentioned the possibility ofSegaSonic The Hedgehog being ported if games in theSega Ages line were successful.[19]
Game Machine listedSegaSonic the Hedgehog in November 1993 as being the sixth most popular table arcade unit in Japan at the time.[20]Electronic Gaming Monthly gaveSegaSonic the Hedgehog a perfect score of 10 out of 10. The magazine stated that the game "shatters your perception of what a good game should be", reserving high praise for its graphics and music, and the variety of levels. It also praised the "hilarious" character animations and cinematics, and encouraged readers to play the game.[3]Computer and Video Games offered similar acclaim and praised the game's attention to detail, "highly recommend[ing]" it.[12] The French magazineMega Force compared the isometric graphics to Sega'sZaxxon (1982) andSNK'sViewpoint (1992).[21]Gamest enjoyed the game but wrote that its trackball controls will hurt the player's palm.[22]
In the midst of a review forSonic Gems Collection in 2005,GameSpy expressed disappointment thatSegaSonic the Hedgehog was not one of the games in the compilation, voicing hope it would someday be rereleased.[23] In 2014,GamesRadar+ called the game's graphics impressive for 1993, but that its lack of a rerelease was "no great loss".[24] John Szczepaniak offered a negative stance in 2018, due to what he called blandlevel design and imprecise controls that had "an irritating fuzziness". He compared turning characters with the trackball to feelingintoxicated, and claimed to have watched several individuals try to play but give up.[11]Hardcore Gaming 101's Kurt Kalata similarly criticized the controls and highdifficulty level, but nonetheless praised its break-neck pace andlevel design, which he wrote were aspects the GenesisSonic games could not achieve. He ultimately summarized the game as "a fun experiment".[15]
Mighty appeared as a playable character in the 32X gameKnuckles' Chaotix (1995).[25] For many years, Ray did not appear in another game,[26] but he and Mighty were featured in theSonic the Hedgehog comic book series published byArchie Comics. Ray became a member of the Chaotix along with Mighty, who is depicted in the series as his honorary brother.[27] The game is referenced in the anniversary gameSonic Generations (2011), where a "missing persons" poster of Ray and Mighty appears inCity Escape.[28] Mighty and Ray are playable inSonic Mania Plus (2018), an expanded version of the 2017 gameSonic Mania.[29]
The game play is somewhat similar to Marble Madness.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Yuji Naka: It was done by part of the Sega arcade division at the time. We did think about adding it to Gems Collection, though, but we couldn't implement it in the end because the game used a trackball control scheme that is very, very difficult to replicate with a standard controller.
Exploring their new direction further, the team looked at animals that rolled into a ball to either attack or protect themselves. They arrived at a shortlist of just two: the armadillo and the hedgehog. It didn't take too long for the former to be dropped: the hedgehog's quills were simply better suited for attack than the armadillo's leathery armor shell.
プレイヤーの、あなたの手が必ず痛くなります。てのひらの皮が厚くなってもいいっ！
MISSING since 1993. Ray the Flying Squirrel & Mighty the Armadillo. Have you seen them?
