Sonic The Hedgehog CD
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is a 1993
platform game A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...
developed and published by
Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
for the
Sega CD The Sega CD, known as in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory and format for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. Originally released in November 1991, it ca ...
. As
Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battle ...
, the player attempts to protect an extraterrestrial body, Little Planet, from
Doctor Robotnik Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is a Character (arts), character created by the Japanese game designer Naoto Ohshima. He is the main antagonist of Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Eggman is a mad scientist who seeks to steal the mystical Cha ...
. Like other ''
Sonic Sonic or Sonics may refer to: Companies *Sonic Drive-In, an American drive-in, fast-food restaurant chain * Sonic (ISP), an Internet provider CLEC, serving more than 100 California communities * Sonic Foundry, a computer software company whic ...
'' games, Sonic runs through themed levels while collecting rings and defeating robots. ''Sonic CD'' introduces
time travel Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling into the past or future. Time travel is a concept in philosophy and fiction, particularly science fiction. In fiction, time travel is typically achieved through the use of a device known a ...
as a
game mechanic In tabletop games and video games, game mechanics define how a game works for players. Game mechanics are the rules or ludemes that govern and guide player actions, as well as the game's response to them. A rule is an instruction on how to play, wh ...
. By traveling through time, players can access different versions of stages, featuring alternative layouts, music, and graphics. ''Sonic CD'' features the debuts of the characters
Amy Rose The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the video game ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman ( ...
and
Metal Sonic The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the video game ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman (or ...
. ''Sonic CD'' began as a
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
of the
Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...
game ''
Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battle ...
'' (1991), but developed into a separate project. Led by ''Sonic'' co-creator
Naoto Ohshima (born February 26, 1964) is a Japanese video game designer and artist, best known for designing Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman from Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Although Yuji Naka made a tech demo around which ''Sonic'' gameplay ...
, the developers sought to showcase the technical capabilities of the Sega CD, with animated
cutscenes A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward the ...
by Studio Junio and CD-quality music. The soundtrack, influenced by
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
and
techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...
, was composed by Naofumi Hataya and Masafumi Ogata. For North America, a new soundtrack was composed by
Spencer Nilsen Spencer Nilsen (born April 9, 1961) is an American singer/songwriter, video game music composer, film composer and producer, graphic designer, and educator. He is best known for his soundtracks to the Sega CD versions of ''Batman Returns'', '' ...
, David Young and Mark Crew. ''Sonic CD'' was released in late 1993. It received acclaim and is often regarded as one of the best ''Sonic'' platform games. Reviewers praised its size, music, and time travel feature, although some felt it did not fully use the Sega CD's capabilities. It sold over 1.5 million copies, making it the bestselling Sega CD game. ''Sonic CD'' was ported to
Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
as part of the Sega PC label in 1996, and to the
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
and
GameCube The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...
as part of ''
Sonic Gems Collection ''Sonic Gems Collection'' is a 2005 compilation of Sega video games, primarily those in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The emulated games span multiple genres and consoles—from the Sega Genesis to the Sega Saturn—and retain the featur ...
'' in 2005. A
remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...
, developed by
Christian Whitehead Christian Whitehead, also known as The Taxman, is an Australian video game programmer and designer. He is most recognized for his work creating updated ports of early games in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, as well as being a lead devel ...
using the
Retro Engine Christian Whitehead, also known as The Taxman, is an Australian video game programmer and designer. He is most recognized for his work creating updated ports of early games in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, as well as being a lead develo ...
, was released for various platforms in 2011 and as part of the ''
Sonic Origins is a 2022 video game compilation developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It features remasters of the first four platform games in ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series—''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (1991), '' Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' (1992), '' Soni ...
'' compilation in 2022.


Gameplay

''Sonic CD'' is a
side-scrolling A side-scrolling video game (alternatively side-scroller) is a video game viewed from a side-view camera angle where the screen follows the player as they move left or right. The jump from single-screen or flip-screen graphics to scrolling grap ...
platform game A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...
similar to the original ''
Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battle ...
''. Players control
Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battle ...
as he ventures to stop his nemesis
Doctor Robotnik Doctor Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik is a Character (arts), character created by the Japanese game designer Naoto Ohshima. He is the main antagonist of Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Eggman is a mad scientist who seeks to steal the mystical Cha ...
from obtaining the magical Time Stones and conquering Little Planet. Like previous games, Sonic can destroy enemies and objects (such as certain walls and television monitors containing
power-up In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a Game mechanics, game mechanic. This is in contrast to an Item (game), item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that ca ...
s) by rolling into a ball, and collects rings as a form of health. Sonic can also perform a "spin dash" and a "super peel-out", both of which increase his speed. The game has seven levels; each is split into three zones, the third of which ends in a
boss fight In video games, a boss is a significantly powerful non-player character and computer-controlled enemy created as an opponent to players. A fight with a boss character is referred to as a boss battle or boss fight. Bosses are generally far stro ...
against Robotnik. Players start with three
lives Lives may refer to: * The plural form of a ''life'' * Lives, Iran, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran * The number of lives in a video game * ''Parallel Lives'', aka ''Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans'', a series of biographies of famous m ...
, which are lost when they suffer any type of damage without rings in their possession; losing all lives results in a
game over "Game over" is a message in video games which informs the player that their play session has ended, usually because the player has reached a loss condition. It also sometimes appears at the successful completion of a session, especially in ga ...
. ''Sonic CD'' is differentiated from other ''Sonic'' games through its
time travel Time travel is the hypothetical activity of traveling into the past or future. Time travel is a concept in philosophy and fiction, particularly science fiction. In fiction, time travel is typically achieved through the use of a device known a ...
game mechanic In tabletop games and video games, game mechanics define how a game works for players. Game mechanics are the rules or ludemes that govern and guide player actions, as well as the game's response to them. A rule is an instruction on how to play, wh ...
, which allows players to access different versions of rounds set in the past, present, and future. The music changes within the different time zones, as remixes of the present music. Sonic starts the first two zones in the present. The third zone is always set in the future, its timeline dependent upon whether the player destroyed both transporters in the past. He travels through time by hitting signs labelled "past" or "future", maintaining his speed afterward. By default, future stages are neglected and littered with machinery after Robotnik has conquered the Little Planet, appropriately named "bad futures." Players are encouraged to convert each zone into a "good future", with bright colors, thriving nature, and few enemies. To achieve a good future in each zone, players must travel to the past and destroy a hidden transporter where enemy robots spawn. Achieving a good future in every zone unlocks the best ending. By finishing a level with more than 50 rings, Sonic can access a special stage, in which he must destroy six
UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO) is an object or phenomenon seen in the sky but not yet identified or explained. The term was coined when United States Air Force (USAF) investigations into flying saucers found too broad a range of shapes ...
s in a pseudo-3D environment within a time limit. Time is reduced swiftly if the player runs through water, though a special UFO that appears when time is running out grants extra time if destroyed. If the player destroys all the UFOs before the time runs out, they earn a Time Stone. Collecting all seven Time Stones automatically creates a good future in every zone, unlocking the best ending. The game also features a time attack mode, where players can replay completed levels for the fastest time possible; a "D.A. Garden", where players can listen to the music of completed zones; and a "Visual Mode", where players can view the opening and closing animations. The game also includes a save feature, which uses the back-up memory of the Sega CD.


Plot

At Never Lake, an extraterrestrial body, Little Planet, appears in the last month of every year. Sonic's nemesis, Dr. Robotnik, has chained the planet to a mountain and begun transforming it into a giant fortress with his robot army. To execute his plan, Robotnik uses the Time Stones, seven diamonds which control the flow of time, hidden in the different zones. Sonic ventures to the planet, followed by the besotted
Amy Rose The ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game franchise began in 1991 with the video game ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega Genesis, which pitted a blue anthropomorphic hedgehog named Sonic against a rotund male human villain named Doctor Eggman ( ...
, his self-proclaimed girlfriend. Robotnik dispatches his newest invention, Metal Sonic, to kidnap Amy at Collision Chaos, luring Sonic into danger. After outrunning Metal Sonic in Stardust Speedway and saving Amy, Sonic fights and defeats Robotnik in his lair, Metallic Madness. Two endings exist, depending on whether or not the player collected the Time Stones or achieved a good future in each level. In the good ending, Little Planet thanks Sonic with a shower of stars and leaves Never Lake; in the bad ending, Little Planet still leaves, but Robotnik uses the Time Stones to bring it back and the player is urged to replay the game to achieve the good ending.


Development


Background and conception

The original ''
Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battle ...
'' (1991) was developed by
Sonic Team , doing business as , is a Japanese video game developer owned by Sega. Sonic Team is best known for its ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series and games such as '' Nights into Dreams'' and '' Phantasy Star Online''. The initial team, formed in 1990, c ...
at
Sega is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
. It was a major commercial success and positioned Sega as
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
's main rival in the console market. The lead programmer,
Yuji Naka , credited in some games as YU2, is a Japanese video game designer and programmer. He is the co-creator of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series and was the president of Sonic Team at Sega until his departure in 2006. Naka joined Sega in 1984 and w ...
, dissatisfied with Sega of Japan's rigid corporate policies, moved with several members of Sonic Team to the United States to develop ''
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a 1992 platform game developed by Sega Technical Institute (STI) for the Sega Genesis. Players control Sonic as he attempts to stop Doctor Robotnik from stealing the Chaos Emeralds to power his space station, the Death Egg. Like the fir ...
'' with
Sega Technical Institute Sega Technical Institute (STI) was an American video game developer owned by Sega. Founded by the Atari veteran Mark Cerny in 1990, STI sought to combine elite Japanese developers, including the Sonic Team programmer Yuji Naka and his team, wit ...
(STI). Meanwhile, Sega planned to release the
Sega CD The Sega CD, known as in most regions outside North America and Brazil, is a CD-ROM accessory and format for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega as part of the fourth generation of video game consoles. Originally released in November 1991, it ca ...
add-on for its
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
, and wanted a ''Sonic'' game that would demonstrate its more advanced features.
Naoto Ohshima (born February 26, 1964) is a Japanese video game designer and artist, best known for designing Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman from Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. Although Yuji Naka made a tech demo around which ''Sonic'' gameplay ...
, the designer of Sonic, was ''Sonic CD''s director; the remainder of the team comprised Sega staff who had developed '' The Revenge of Shinobi'', '' Golden Axe II'', and ''
Streets of Rage ''Streets of Rage'' (titled ''Bare Knuckle'' in Japan) is a series of side-scrolling beat 'em up video games. It centers on the efforts of several ex-police vigilantes trying to rid the fictional American metropolis of Wood Oak City of a crime ...
''. The team built ''Sonic CD'' using the original ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' code as a base. ''Sonic CD'' was conceived as an enhanced
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
of ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' for the Sega CD, but it gradually developed into a separate project. It was titled ''CD Sonic the Hedgehog'' before being renamed ''Sonic CD''. Ohshima does not consider ''Sonic CD'' a sequel to ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' or ''Sonic 2'', although the artist Yasushi Yamaguchi said its story may be set between the two.


Design

''Sonic the Hedgehog'' had a balance on speed and platforming; STI built on the speed with ''Sonic 2''s more focused level designs. However, Ohshima's team sought to focus on the platforming and exploration aspects. Ohshima said, "our ideas were to make the world and setting larger, and to add more replayability, so it would be something you could enjoy playing for a long time". According to artist Kazuyuki Hoshino, because it was a Sega CD game, the team wanted ''Sonic CD'' to stand out compared to previous ''Sonic'' games. The visuals were designed to resemble
CG imagery CG, Cg or cg may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Chaotic good, Chaotic Good, an alignment in the role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' * Classical guitar, a type of guitar Businesses and organizations Businesses *Central of Georgia Rail ...
; the Sonic sprite on the title screen was based on a Sonic figurine by Taku Makino that the team photographed and scanned. ''Sonic CD'' marks the debuts of Amy Rose and Metal Sonic, both designed by Hoshino. Although Hoshino created Amy's in-game graphics, many staff members contributed ideas to her design. Her headband and trainer shoes reflected Ohshima's tastes while her mannerisms reflected the traits Hoshino looked for in women at the time. Hoshino designed Metal Sonic in response to Ohshima wanting a strong rival for Sonic. Hoshino had a clear image of Metal Sonic in his mind from the moment he was briefed, and his design emerged after only a few sketches. The character graphics were created using Sega's proprietary graphics system for the Genesis, the "Sega Digitizer MK-III", featuring a bitmap and animation editor. The team mostly used
Macintosh IIci The Macintosh IIci is a personal computer designed, manufactured, and sold by Apple Computer, Inc. from September 1989 to February 1993. It is a more powerful version of the Macintosh IIcx, released earlier that year, and shares the same compa ...
s. Graphics data was stored on 3.5-inch floppy disks, which were handed to the programmer to work into the game. Though Naka was not directly involved with ''Sonic CD'', he exchanged design ideas with Ohshima. Ohshima cited the film ''
Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985 ...
'' (1985) as an influence on the time travel. The developers designed four variants of each stage, one for each time period. Ohshima hoped for the period to change instantly with a "sonic boom" effect, but the programmers argued this was impossible and produced a loading sequence instead. Sega did not pressure the team developing ''Sonic CD'' as much as the one developing ''Sonic 2''. Ohshima felt this was because ''Sonic CD'' is not a numbered sequel; he considered it a recreation of the original game. The total ''Sonic CD'' game data is 21
megabyte The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Its recommended unit symbol is MB. The unit prefix ''mega'' is a multiplier of (106) in the International System of Units (SI). Therefore, one megabyte is one million bytes ...
s (MB), compared to ''Sonic 2''s 1 MB. ''Sonic CD'' includes animated
cutscenes A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward the ...
produced by Studio Junio. The videos used the STM format, which provided uncompressed imagery to the video display processor, creating better results than the
Cinepak Cinepak is a lossy video codec developed by Peter Barrett at SuperMac Technologies, and released in 1991 with the Video Spigot, and then in 1992 as part of Apple Computer's QuickTime video suite. One of the first video compression tools to achiev ...
compression used for other Sega CD games. The special stages feature
Mode 7 Mode 7 is a graphics mode on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console that allows a background layer to be rotated and scaled on a scanline-by-scanline basis to create many different depth effects. It also supports wrapping eff ...
-like background plane manipulation effects. An underground dungeon stage was cut early in development as it did not fit the ''Sonic'' gameplay.


Music

The ''Sonic CD'' soundtrack was composed by Naofumi Hataya and Masafumi Ogata. According to Hataya, Sega allocated a large audio budget to showcase the audio functionality of the Sega CD, aiming for CD-quality music superior to video game music of the time. The team worked with the Japanese music production company
Being Existence is the state of having being or reality in contrast to nonexistence and nonbeing. Existence is often contrasted with essence: the essence of an entity is its essential features or qualities, which can be understood even if one do ...
, and enlisted
Keiko Utoku is a Japanese singer and songwriter under UK Sweet label. Biography Keiko made her debut with a chorus part in the band B.B.Queens then joined with J-pop female band Mi-Ke from 1991 to 1993, before starting a solo career. As a child, Utoku l ...
to provide vocals. The music was recorded in the Being studios. Hataya and Ogata's first demo songs were rejected by Ohshima, who wanted a more bold, experimental sound. They instead composed music inspired by the increasing popularity of
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
and
techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...
in Japan, citing inspiration from acts including
C+C Music Factory C+C Music Factory was an American musical group formed in 1989 by David Cole and Robert Clivillés. The group is best known for their five hit singles: " Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)", " Here We Go (Let's Rock & Roll)", " Things ...
,
Frankie Knuckles Francis Warren Nicholls Jr. (January 18, 1955 – March 31, 2014), known professionally as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer, and remixer. He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music, a genre of mus ...
and
the KLF The KLF (also known as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, the JAMs, the Timelords and other names) are a British electronic band who originated in Liverpool and London in the late 1980s. Scottish people, Scottish musician Bill Drummond (alias Ki ...
. They were also inspired by the popularity of Sonic in British DJ culture at the time. The team composed music to match the past, present and future versions of each stage. While most tracks use CD audio, the past stages use
sample Sample or samples may refer to: * Sample (graphics), an intersection of a color channel and a pixel * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of something * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample ...
-based
PCM Pulse-code modulation (PCM) is a method used to Digital signal (signal processing), digitally represent analog signals. It is the standard form of digital audio in computers, compact discs, digital telephony and other digital audio application ...
tracks to evoke a "prehistoric" feeling. An album of remixes by Hataya and Ogata was released in Japan in late 1994. Sega of America delayed the North American release of ''Sonic CD'' for two months to have a new soundtrack composed by
Spencer Nilsen Spencer Nilsen (born April 9, 1961) is an American singer/songwriter, video game music composer, film composer and producer, graphic designer, and educator. He is best known for his soundtracks to the Sega CD versions of ''Batman Returns'', '' ...
, David Young and Mark Crew. Nilsen said Sega of America "wanted something a little more musically rich and complex", with a theme song they could use in marketing. The new theme song, "Sonic Boom", was composed by Nilsen and performed by the female vocal trio Pastiche. ''
Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a UK and US-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a biannual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ' ...
'' described the American soundtrack as "more orchestral and 'rocking' ... a bit more 'epic' and almost mournful", with "a sense of dread" compared to the "bouncy and joyful" Japanese soundtrack. Nilsen said the two soundtracks represented "completely different musical philosophies and approaches".


Release

''Sonic CD'' was released in Japan on September 23, 1993, and in Europe a few weeks later in October. After being delayed for the new soundtrack, it was released in North America in November 23, 1993, alongside '' Sonic Chaos'' and ''
Sonic Spinball ''Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball'', also known as ''Sonic Spinball'', is a 1993 pinball video game developed by Sega Technical Institute and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis. It is a spin-off of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. Players ...
'' as part of Sega of America's "Sonic Three on One Day" release strategy. ''Sonic CD'' was the flagship game for Sega CD and its only ''Sonic'' game. An enhanced version of the original ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' and a ''Sonic''-themed port of ''Popful Mail'' were canceled.


Rereleases

Two versions of ''Sonic CD'' were released for
Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
: one in 1995 for Pentium processors, and another in 1996 for
DirectX Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces (APIs) for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with "Direct" ...
. The Pentium version was only bundled with new computers and never sold in stores; Sega worked with
Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and Delaware General Corporation Law, incorporated in Delaware. Intel designs, manufactures, and sells computer compo ...
to make the game work properly. The DirectX version was released under the Sega PC label, and it was released in North America on July 8 and in Japan on August 9. This version is mostly identical to the original release, but loading screens were added and it is only compatible with older versions of Windows. Both Windows versions use the North American soundtrack. The 1996 Windows version was ported to the
GameCube The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...
and
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
in August 2005 for ''
Sonic Gems Collection ''Sonic Gems Collection'' is a 2005 compilation of Sega video games, primarily those in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series. The emulated games span multiple genres and consoles—from the Sega Genesis to the Sega Saturn—and retain the featur ...
''. This port uses the original soundtrack in Japan and the North American soundtrack elsewhere. The ports introduced some graphical problems, such as a blurry anti-flicker presentation, but the opening animation is presented in a higher quality fullscreen view. In 2009, independent programmer
Christian Whitehead Christian Whitehead, also known as The Taxman, is an Australian video game programmer and designer. He is most recognized for his work creating updated ports of early games in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, as well as being a lead devel ...
produced a
proof-of-concept A proof of concept (POC or PoC), also known as proof of principle, is an inchoate realization of a certain idea or method in order to demonstrate its feasibility or viability. A proof of concept is usually small and may or may not be complete ...
video of a remastered version of ''Sonic CD'', using his
Retro Engine Christian Whitehead, also known as The Taxman, is an Australian video game programmer and designer. He is most recognized for his work creating updated ports of early games in Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, as well as being a lead develo ...
, running on
iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
. Sega released this version in December 2011 for
Android Android most commonly refers to: *Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google * Android TV, a operating system developed ...
,
iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
,
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
, and
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the Xbox (console), original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox#Consoles, Xbox series. It was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detail ...
, and later in January 2012 for Windows via
Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
with assistance from
BlitWorks BlitWorks is a Spanish video game developer based in Barcelona, Spain. Founded in 2012, the company is best known for porting several games such as Fez (video game), ''Fez'', ''Sonic CD'', ''Jet Set Radio'', ''Super Meat Boy'', Bastion (video gam ...
in the PC and console ports. The remaster features enhancements such as widescreen graphics, fine-tuned
collision detection Collision detection is the computational problem of detecting an intersection of two or more objects in virtual space. More precisely, it deals with the questions of ''if'', ''when'' and ''where'' two or more objects intersect. Collision detect ...
to make time traveling more consistent, refined visuals and frame rate for Special Stages, the option for spin dash physics from ''Sonic the Hedgehog 2'', both the Japanese and North American soundtracks, the ability to unlock Tails as a playable character, and achievement and trophy support. Whitehead designed two original stages, but they were excluded as Sega wanted to keep the game faithful to the original release. The remaster was not released on the
Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...
as it exceeded the
WiiWare WiiWare was a digital media entertainment service operated by Nintendo that allowed the download of games and applications developed for the Wii video game console. These games and applications could only be purchased and downloaded from the W ...
download size. It was included in the 2022 compilation ''
Sonic Origins is a 2022 video game compilation developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It features remasters of the first four platform games in ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series—''Sonic the Hedgehog'' (1991), '' Sonic the Hedgehog 2'' (1992), '' Soni ...
'', which removed voice lines for Sonic and Amy. Amy and Knuckles also became selectable characters in a later update to ''Origins.''


Reception

The Sega CD version sold more than 1.5 million copies, making it the system's best-seller. In the United Kingdom, it was the top-selling Mega CD game in December 1993. The game received critical acclaim. The presentation, visuals, and audio were praised. ''
Computer and Video Games ''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') is a British-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot web ...
'' wrote that, although ''Sonic CD'' did not use the Sega CD's capabilities to its fullest, the graphics and sound were excellent, calling the music "from the likes of
2Unlimited 2 Unlimited are a Belgian-Dutch dance music act, founded by Belgian producers/songwriters Jean-Paul De Coster and Phil Wilde in 1991 in Antwerp, Belgium. From 1991 to 1996, Dutch rapper Ray Slijngaard and Dutch vocalist Anita Doth fronted the ...
and
Bizarre Inc Bizarre Inc were an English techno/house group. Formed in 1989 as a duo between English DJs Dean Meredith and Mark "Aaron" Archer (not to be confused with the film producer of the same name), they later re-formed as a trio consisting of Me ...
". ''
Electronic Games ''Electronic Games'' was the first dedicated video game magazine published in the United States and ran from October 15, 1981, to 1997 under different titles. It was co-founded by Bill Kunkel, Joyce Worley, and Arnie Katz. History The h ...
'' said that the game looked similar to older games and used the Sega CD's special features minimally, but this did not detract from the quality. The music was singled out as making ''Sonic CD'' "stand above the crowd"; the reviewer wrote that it helped add richness. The reviewers of ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The magazine was fou ...
'' (''EGM'') praised the animated cinematics and sound, but noted
frame rate Frame rate, most commonly expressed in frame/s, or FPS, is typically the frequency (rate) at which consecutive images (Film frame, frames) are captured or displayed. This definition applies to film and video cameras, computer animation, and moti ...
drops during special stages. Retrospective opinions of the presentation have also been positive. ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' praised its vibrant colors and felt the game looked nice, and ''
GamesRadar ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', '' Edge'' and ''Computer ...
'' thought its music stood the test of time, writing: "What must've dated very quickly in the 1990s is somehow totally fresh today." Critics were divided over the change of soundtrack in the North American version. ''
GameFan ''GameFan'' (originally known as ''Diehard GameFan'') was a publication started by Tim Lindquist, Greg Off, George Weising, and Dave Halverson in September 1992 that provided coverage of domestic and imported video games. It was notable for it ...
'', which had given the Japanese version of ''Sonic CD'' a score of 100%, lambasted the change. ''GameFan'' editor
Dave Halverson Dave Halverson is an American video game journalist who has been the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of ''GameFan'' (where he wrote reviews as E. Storm, Skid and Takahara), ''Gamers' Republic'', ''Play'', and currently the new versions o ...
called the change "an atrocity that remains the biggest injustice in localization history". The reviewer for ''GamesRadar'' said he shut his GameCube off in disgust when he realized ''Sonic Gems Collection'' used the American soundtrack. Nilsen said the criticism was "blown out of proportion", as if they had "replaced the music for ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' after the movie had been out for a while". The gameplay was widely praised. ''EGM'' admired the diverse levels and felt the time travel added depth. ''Electronic Games'' wrote that ''Sonic CD'' played as well as previous ''Sonic'' games, and that the time travel—coupled with large levels rich with secrets and ''
Super Mario Kart is a 1992 kart racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The first game in the ''Mario Kart'' series, it was released in Japan and North America in 1992, and in Europe the following yea ...
''-like special stages—added
replayability Replay value (or, colloquially, replayability) is the potential of a video game or other media products for continued play value after its first completion. Factors that can influence perceived replay value include the game's extra characters, se ...
. ''Sega Pro'' also noted the expanded environments and the replay value travel added by the time travel, writing that "the more you play ''Sonic CD'' the better it gets", but felt it was too easy. In its debut issue, ''Sega Magazine'' said ''Sonic CD'' was "potentially a classic". ''
GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
'' singled out the "interesting level design and the time-travelling gameplay" as a major selling point, saying it provided a unique take on the classic ''Sonic'' formula. Critics wrote that ''Sonic CD'' was one of the best Sega CD games. ''Electronic Games'' called it a must-have, and ''Sega Pro'' said it was "brilliant", imaginative and worth more than its price. ''
Destructoid ''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017 and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022. Histor ...
'' described it as "a hallmark of excellence", creative, strange, and exciting, and said that "to miss ''Sonic CD'' would be to miss some of the franchise's best". Reception to later versions of ''Sonic CD'' varied. ''GameSpot'' considered the 1996 Windows version inferior, criticizing its technical performance and "tedious and monotonous" gameplay. The reviewer wrote that "those who have played ''Sonic'' on a Sega game system will find nothing new here" and that it was not worth its $50 price. Reviews of the version in ''Sonic Gems Collection'' were favorable. ''IGN'' remembered ''Sonic CD'' as one of the best things about the Sega CD and called it a standout for the compilation, and a major selling point. ''Eurogamer'' wrote: "Rejoice for ''Sonic CD''... Just don't rejoice for anything else
n ''Sonic Gems Collection N, or n, is the fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...
', because it's mostly rubbish." According to
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, the 2011 console version received "generally favorable reviews", while the iOS version received "universal acclaim". ''Sonic CD'' is frequently named among the best ''Sonic'' games and platform games. In 1997, ''EGM'' named it the 17th best console game of all time, citing the bonus levels and animated intro.


Legacy

The story of ''Sonic CD'' was adapted in the twenty-fifth issue of
Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc. (often referred to simply as Archie Comics) is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the village of Pelham, New York. The company's many titles feature the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Jug ...
' ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' comic book series. The adaptation featured some changes to the story, such as Tails being an important character and Metal Sonic having the ability to talk. British publisher
Fleetway Publications Fleetway Publications was a magazine publishing company based in London. History It was founded in 1959 when the Mirror Group acquired the Amalgamated Press, then based at Fleetway House, Farringdon Street, London. It was one of the companies ...
published their own adaptation in ''
Sonic the Comic ''Sonic the Comic'' was a British children's comic published by Fleetway Editions between 1993 and 2002. It was the UK's Sega comic, featuring stories about its mascot Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters, as well as comic strips based on ...
''. The final issue of Archie's comic, #290 (December 2016), also featured a retelling of the game's story. Two characters introduced in ''Sonic CD'', Amy Rose and Metal Sonic, became recurring characters in the ''Sonic'' series. Metal Sonic appeared as an antagonist in ''
Knuckles' Chaotix ''Knuckles' Chaotix'' is a 1995 platform game developed and published by Sega for the 32X. A spin-off from the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, it features Knuckles the Echidna and four other characters known as the Chaotix, who must prevent Do ...
'' (1995), the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' anime film (1996), ''
Sonic Heroes is a 2003 platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega. The player races a team of series characters through levels to amass rings, defeat robots, and collect the seven Chaos Emeralds needed to defeat Doctor Eggman. Wit ...
'' (2003), '' Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II'' (2012) and ''
Sonic Mania ''Sonic Mania'' is a 2017 platform video game developed by Christian Whitehead, PagodaWest Games and Headcannon and published by Sega. Produced in commemoration of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series' 25th anniversary, ''Sonic Mania'' pays hom ...
'' (2017). Amy Rose most notably appears in ''
Sonic Adventure is a 1998 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Dreamcast. It was the first main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' game to feature 3D gameplay. It follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Pr ...
''. The ''Sonic CD'' animated sequences were included as bonuses in the compilations ''
Sonic Jam ''Sonic Jam'' is a video game compilation developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn. It was released in Japan in June 1997 and in North America and Europe the following August. It contains the four main ''Sonic the Hedgeh ...
'' (1997) and ''
Sonic Mega Collection is a video game compilation developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega in 2002 for the GameCube. It is a compilation of several ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games originally released for the Genesis, along with a few other Sega-published titles fo ...
'' (2002), and "Sonic Boom" was used as one of Sonic's themes in ''
Super Smash Bros. Brawl ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' is a 2008 crossover fighting game developed by Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The third installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series and the successor to '' Super Smash Bros. Melee'', it wa ...
'' (2008). In 2011, Sega released ''
Sonic Generations ''Sonic Generations'' is a 2011 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Windows, and Nintendo 3DS. Produced in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, the ...
'' in celebration of the franchise's 20th anniversary, which includes a remake of the boss battle against Metal Sonic. ''Sonic Mania'', produced for the series' twenty-fifth anniversary, features updated versions of ''Sonic CD''s Stardust Speedway and Metallic Madness levels, including a boss battle against Metal Sonic. ''Sonic the Hedgehog 4'' (2027) is set to be a film adaptation of ''Sonic CD'''s main plot.


Notes


References


External links


Official website

Sonic CD
at
MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controlle ...
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