The first ever Sonic the Hedgehog game, and some say, still the best. Revolutionary for its time, this game, first released in 1991, introduces us to all of the main staples and characteristics of the series, in classic fast-paced 2D platformer style. Huge, colourful and challenging levels, with a pure nostaligic rush. Before Tails and Knuckles, the Death Egg and Station Square, it was just a simple battle of good vs evil. Sonic the Hedgehog vs. Dr Eggman, and his army of mechanical monsters...
Original system: Sega Megadrive/Genesis
Original release dates: 23rd June 1991 (USA and Europe), 26th July 1991 (Japan).
Developed by: Sonic Team
Published by: Sega
Original media: 4-Megabit cartridge
Sonic game type (Zone: 0 classification): Primary platformer
Other common aliases/abbreviations: Sonic 1, STH, S1
Stages: 6
Playable characters: Sonic the Hedgehog
Non-playable characters: Dr. Eggman/Robotnik
Main credits:
Game planner/level designer: Hirokazu Yasuhara
Programmer: Yuji Naka
Sound producer: Masato Nakamura (of "Dreams Come True")
Character design: Naoto Ohshima
Also available on...
Sega Megadrive - Sonic Compilation (1995), 6-Pak(1996)
Arcade - Sega Mega Play/Mega-Tech
Sega Saturn - Sonic Jam (1997)
Sega Dreamcast - Sega Smash Pack Vol.1
Windows PC - RealOne Arcade (2003) and Gametap (2005) online services, Sonic Mega Collection Plus (2006)
Nintendo Gamecube - Sonic Mega Collection (2002), limited play on Sonic Gems Collection (2005)
Sega Megadrive 6-in-1 Plug 'n' Play (2004)
Sony Playstation 2 - Sonic Mega Collection Plus (2004), limited play on Sonic Gems Collection (2005), Sega Genesis/Megadrive Collection (2006)
Microsoft XBox - Sonic Mega Collection Plus (2004)
Various Mobile Phones - Sonic the Hedgehog Parts 1 and 2 (2005/2006)
Sony Playstation Portable - Sega Genesis/Megadrive Collection (2006)
Nintendo Gameboy Advance - Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis (2006)
Nintendo Wii Virtual Console - Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
Microsoft XBox 360, XBox Live Arcade - Sega Vintage Collection: Sonic the Hedgehog (2007)
European Sonic 1 Boxart, front and back
US Sonic 1 Boxart, front and back
Japanese Sonic 1 Boxart, front and back
Origin
It's 1990, and the gaming world is a very different place. Long before Sony and Microsoft broke into the industry, Nintendo was in the drivers seat, with their plumbing mascot Mario firmly at the wheel. As major underdogs, the struggling Sega needed something to get them back in the game, and fast. They decided that what they needed was an undisputed mascot of their own, with his own game. Not just any mascot, but one that could surpass the popularity of Mario, and be to Sega what Mickey Mouse is to Disney. The character's game should be revolutionary, and something that immediately draws the attention away from their rivals and towards them and their top console, the Sega Megadrive (aka Genesis in the US). A branch of Sega named "AM8" spent three long months in dedication to the design of their new star, and all manner of animals and wacky individuals were considered. They wanted their mascot to be fast, smooth, streamlined and cool. A rabbit who could pick up and throw things with his ears wasn't quick enough, and eventually, they condensed the idea down to a simple rolling and jumping affair, which left them with two main choices from the animal kingdom; A hedgehog, or an armadillo. His spikes were the final deciding factor, and that day, though he wasn't immediately named, a new hedgehog was born; Sonic the Hedgehog.
Designed by the talented Naoto Ohshima, Sonic was the opposite of any happy, nice-guy platformer character that came before him. Sonic was cool, not corny, he was streamlined, cheeky, and perhaps even a little arrogant and aggressive, but most importantly, he was fast. The game was specifically tailored to be much faster than any other similar platform game around at the time, especially the comparatively slow and clunky Mario, with whom Sonic quickly developed a rivalry that divided playgrounds across the world. Not only that, but its bright, colourful worlds and visuals put the competition to shame. Not content with anything less than perfect, the team also managed to rope in Masato Nakamura of Dreams Come True, a Japanese pop band, to compose the game's completely unforgettable soundtrack. In fact, the world saw their first glimpse of Sonic the Hedgehog at a concert tour of theirs in 1990, where he was to be found all over the sides of their band trailer and on pamphlet handouts. On June 23rd 1991, the world saw the release of the first ever Sonic game, "Sonic the Hedgehog", and AM8 henceforth became known as "Sonic Team".
Though more popular in America and Europe than its native Japan, which is the way it's been ever since for some reason, the game still did nothing short of matching anything that Sega bosses could possibly have hoped for, and thanks to great marketing and publicity, Sonic the Hedgehog single-handedly pulled his company right out of the gutter, and nose to nose with major rivals Nintendo, much to the shock of the enemy. The character was and still remains to be one of the best designed of all time, representing speed and a cool new attitude so well, and he was backed up by one of the greatest games of all time too. At the time, no one had ever experienced anything quite like the speedy nature and amazing rush players received from the game. It was so addictive and fast, and soon everyone was made aware of it. Sonic was a worldwide phenomenon that put Sega on the map, and a revolution in videogaming that changed the trends in character development. An increasingly long line of top selling sequels followed, spanning the generations of consoles, and sega expanded their wallets thanks to all manner of merchandise and promotional material, including multiple cartoons and comic series over the years. But it all started with this game...
Storyline
The Japanese version of the game takes place on South Island, which is forever drifting across the sea, making its exact location difficult to plot. The island, rich in mountains, fields and lakes is an undisturbed paradise for all the peaceful animals that live there. It's also the current home to six of the seven legendary Chaos Emeralds; multi-coloured stones, each with an infinite and extremely powerful supply of pure energy. In the wrong hands, these emeralds could mean disaster for the entire world, and that's just what one evil scientist by the name of Dr. Eggman has planned. Eggman has invaded South Island, searching desperately for the Chaos Emeralds, but what he doesn't know is that they cannot be found on the surface. Due to the movement of the island, a weird alternate dimension has miraculously been opened, accessible only in certain areas of the island, and this is where the Chaos Emeralds lie. However, this hasn't stopped the scientist from not only constructing a huge mechanical base on South Island, but also imprisoning most of the animal residents inside robotic replacements. These robots obey only Eggman and soon begin to encompass the entire island, placing it under the ruling of their master as they assist him in the search for the legendary stones. South Island needs a saviour, and they get it, in the form of Sonic the Hedgehog! His incredible speed and ability to destroy the robots is the only thing that can free the animals trapped inside and save the island now. Take control of Sonic, grab the Chaos Emeralds and defeat Dr. Eggman!
Meanwhile, over on our side of the world, we pretty much got a toned-down version of this story, because Western kids apparently don't really care about it as much. Or are just stupid, I dunno. The manual doesn't mention anything about South Island or much about the Chaos Emeralds, and notoriously, Dr. Eggman's name becomes Dr. Ivo Robotnik, which it remains until after Sonic Adventure many years later. It's unknown for sure which actually came first and therefore is more correct (it's mostly assumed to be Eggman), but the fact remains that until the late nineties, it was strictly Eggman in Japan, and Robotnik everywhere else, and without the internet to introduce us to our foreign friends, most of us were clueless about the alternative name. Anyway, the western storyline is mainly concerned about how he's taken all the animals and turned them into robotic slaves (a.k.a badniks), without any particular reason other than a bit of a laugh perhaps, but it doesn't really contradict the Japanese story very much, so take your pick.
Comments
For a title that was unleashed in 1991, its simplistic design and sharp visuals have kept it aging very well, and now being available on everything from mobile phones to toasters (well, maybe not just yet for the toaster, but I bet they're working on it), it hasn't been kept too far away from the generations who missed it the first time around. Many of those who didn't, however, owe some of their first gaming experiences to Sonic 1, including yours truly. My first sighting of Sonic running through the iconic Green Hill Zone was the first time I had seen a console game in action and to say that moment changed my life wouldn't be too much of an understatement. Perhaps most of the other nostalgic memories I have of it have all but vanished after the intensive playing and studying I've given it since beginning this website and even beforehand, but it's not at all hard to find evidence of many treasured memories among people now in their late teens and twenties. While it may have been technically bettered by its megadrive sequels which have been hesitant to alter the winning formula in any drastic way, there's no denying Sonic 1 has a certain vintage quality or style to it that's hard to pin down exactly, but has never really been completely reproduced in quite the same way. Maybe you need to have been there at the time to fully appreciate it, but there's a certain element of unique charm there. Remember that this entry in the series is different from the rest in that it originated from a genuine, creative source that's not riding on the back of an already well established franchise and just following the rules - this game wrote the rules and made the decisions on what is and isn't Sonic, and that demands great admiration and respect from each and every single Sonic fan, young and old. If this game failed, we'd all be doing something else with our lives right now.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a true classic of interactive entertainment and should be experienced by everyone.
Contents of this page were last updated on 30th August 2007.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a massive franchise now, and the fact that no other game within it, aside from its immediate sequel Sonic 2, has had quite the same impact on the gaming population and even popular culture as this very first game, is testament to just how perfect its concept and the way in which it has been implemented really is. Sonic Team did not invent the basic platforming formula, but took it to whole new places by injecting a dose of speed the likes of which hadn't been seen before, and indeed has never been attempted in a platform game by anyone else. Sonic 1 was a true marvel, both graphically in its crisp, colourful and imaginative environments, and technically in its use of curved terrain and loop-de-loops to provide the kind of rolling physics that made the game flow so well. All you needed to do was move Sonic left or right and jump at the right times, and this made it the perfect pick-up-and-play game for anyone who was even remotely interested in video gaming, yet its expansive, multi-routed levels that have as much variety and challenge as you could ask for kept us all well and truly hooked. Put simply, they got it bang on the money on their first attempt and the brilliantly designed character of Sonic became nothing short of a symbol for all gaming, who definitely did not start from humble roots. This success, aided by fine marketing, ensured that Sonic 2 became one of the best selling and most anticipated 16-bit games of all time, and strongly kicked off a franchise with enough fanbase to see it through just about anything. It was a critical success and is commonly considered to be one of the greatest games of all time.