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Released for the Sega CD, Sonic CD was a Sonic the Hedgehog game of a different color. While players were still tasked with going from the start of the level to the end of the level as quickly as possible, Sonic CD introduced several unique additions to the gameplay structure.
The most significant addition was time travel. By passing a sign marked "PAST" or "FUTURE", Sonic would become charged with time travel energy. If the player could maintain a high level speed for several seconds, Sonic would be whisked off to a different time zone, featuring a changed - but familiar - version of the level he was located within. Depending on the player's actions in the past, the future would modify accordingly: Destroying robot generators in the past would clean the present of enemies and transform the future in to a shining utopia. Traveling to the future before destroying a robot generator in the past would showcase a ruined dystopian landscape thick with deadly obstacles where Dr. Eggman (Dr. Robotnik) ruled the world. In total, each level in the game features four variations (Past, Present, Good Future, Bad Future). Depending on whether or not you created Good Futures or Bad Futures, you would receive one of two slightly different endings.
For one month out of every year, the aptly-named "Little Planet" materializes over the shores of Never Lake. It is said that the flow of time on Little Planet shifts irregularly and unpredictably due to seven "Time Stones" located on it. Whoever controls the Time Stones is granted the ability to control time itself. Never one to miss an opportunity for world domination, Dr. Eggman travels to Little Planet, tethering it to a nearby mountain to ensure it never vanishes. Utilizing the weak temporal boundaries, he begins conquering the past, giving him an iron grip on the future. Knowing all too well that a certain blue rodent often tries to thwart his plans, Dr. Eggman begins construction on a unique weapon to deal with the bothersome pest...
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Sonic the Hedgehog just so happened to be on his way to Never Lake to see Little Planet for himself. Upon arrival, Sonic is shocked to find Little Planet covered in smoke-belching factories and other such dangerous materials. Knowing only one person who would do such a thing, he quickly runs up the tether and on to Little Planet in order to liberate it from Doctor Eggman.
But Sonic is not alone; hot on his trail is Amy Rose, a pink hedgehog who believes Sonic is destined fall in love with her after foreseeing it in her tarot cards. She slowly follows Sonic to the surface of Little Planet, unaware of her role in what is about to play out...
Gameplay
Sonic CD plays like many of the previous games, and is about speed and precision. The player navigates Sonic through a wide variety of environments without sacrificing a second. Scattered throughout every level will be enemies and obstacles, each attempting to slow Sonic down, and stop him from reaching the goal. The basic goal is to progress from left to right on each stage, but rarely are the stages simply right to left. They often wind up and down, and the player will traverse loops, moving platforms, and many other staples of the platformer genre. Sonic CD brings back the staple Sonic system of ring collection for life. Scattered around levels are golden rings; as long as Sonic is holding one ring, he is afforded the ability to survive most types of damage he can take. If Sonic does end up taking damage, he will drop all of the rings he is currently holding. If Sonic takes damage without any rings, he dies.
New to Sonic CD are the Spin Dash and Super Peel-Out abilities. The Spin Dash works almost exactly as it does in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (duck and then press jump), with a few minor differences: It cannot be "charged" up more than once, and it cannot be used until it is fully charged, which can take several seconds. The Super Peel-Out is very similar to the Super Spin Dash (hold up and then press jump), except that, instead of rolling in to a ball, Sonic takes off running at high speed.
Development History
Sonic CD originally started its life as an enhanced port of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the Sega CD. The project was lead by Naoto Oshima, the original character designer of both Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman. With the majority of Sonic Team in America working with Sega Technical Institute for the Sega Genesis version of Sonic 2, Naoto Oshima was forced to go with a new team of artists and designers to work on the Sega CD project (contributing to the game's unique flavor). As time progressed, Sonic 2 CD began to drift farther and farther in its own direction and eventually, Sega felt it would be best if the game became a stand-alone title.
It was originally intended to launch before the Sega Genesis version of Sonic 2, but Sega felt Sonic 2 was more important and Sonic CD's release date was pushed back almost an entire year. As such, instead of being based off of the streamlined game mechanics and content of Sonic 2, Sonic CD plays more like the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
Soundtrack
Sonic CD was the first Sonic game to feature full CD-quality redbook audio, and two versions of the soundtrack exist; the original Japanese soundtrack composed by Naofumi Hataya and Masafumi Ogata, and the American-exclusive soundtrack composed by Spencer Nilsen and the female vocal group Pastiche. Sega of America felt that gamers would be too alienated by the original Japanese soundtrack's more techno-pop sound, so they had Spencer Nilsen construct a more American-friendly replacement. Despite this, each song's "p-mix" (Past Mix) version is the same universally across all regions. The Japanese soundtrack contains two vocal tracks:
The American soundtrack contains a single vocal track that is re-used both for the game's intro and ending sequences:
The song "Sonic Boom" is also featured on the soundtrack of Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii. It is played on Sonic's stage, Green Hill Zone.
Sonic CD is Sonic's debut on the Sega Genesis add-on, Sega CD. Some consider it to be Sonic's greatest adventure.
Overview
Sonic BOOM!
The most significant addition was time travel. By passing a sign marked "PAST" or "FUTURE", Sonic would become charged with time travel energy. If the player could maintain a high level speed for several seconds, Sonic would be whisked off to a different time zone, featuring a changed - but familiar - version of the level he was located within. Depending on the player's actions in the past, the future would modify accordingly: Destroying robot generators in the past would clean the present of enemies and transform the future in to a shining utopia. Traveling to the future before destroying a robot generator in the past would showcase a ruined dystopian landscape thick with deadly obstacles where Dr. Eggman (Dr. Robotnik) ruled the world. In total, each level in the game features four variations (Past, Present, Good Future, Bad Future). Depending on whether or not you created Good Futures or Bad Futures, you would receive one of two slightly different endings.
Plot
Taking on Robotnik
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Sonic the Hedgehog just so happened to be on his way to Never Lake to see Little Planet for himself. Upon arrival, Sonic is shocked to find Little Planet covered in smoke-belching factories and other such dangerous materials. Knowing only one person who would do such a thing, he quickly runs up the tether and on to Little Planet in order to liberate it from Doctor Eggman.
But Sonic is not alone; hot on his trail is Amy Rose, a pink hedgehog who believes Sonic is destined fall in love with her after foreseeing it in her tarot cards. She slowly follows Sonic to the surface of Little Planet, unaware of her role in what is about to play out...
Gameplay
Sonic CD plays like many of the previous games, and is about speed and precision. The player navigates Sonic through a wide variety of environments without sacrificing a second. Scattered throughout every level will be enemies and obstacles, each attempting to slow Sonic down, and stop him from reaching the goal. The basic goal is to progress from left to right on each stage, but rarely are the stages simply right to left. They often wind up and down, and the player will traverse loops, moving platforms, and many other staples of the platformer genre. Sonic CD brings back the staple Sonic system of ring collection for life. Scattered around levels are golden rings; as long as Sonic is holding one ring, he is afforded the ability to survive most types of damage he can take. If Sonic does end up taking damage, he will drop all of the rings he is currently holding. If Sonic takes damage without any rings, he dies.
New to Sonic CD are the Spin Dash and Super Peel-Out abilities. The Spin Dash works almost exactly as it does in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (duck and then press jump), with a few minor differences: It cannot be "charged" up more than once, and it cannot be used until it is fully charged, which can take several seconds. The Super Peel-Out is very similar to the Super Spin Dash (hold up and then press jump), except that, instead of rolling in to a ball, Sonic takes off running at high speed.
Levels
- Palmtree Panic Zone
- Collision Chaos Zone
- Tidal Tempest Zone
- Quartz Quadrant Zone
- Wacky Workbench Zone
- Stardust Speedway Zone
- Metallic Madness Zone
Rounds
Typically, Sonic games refer to the distinctive levels as 'zones.' This was hanged for Sonic CD, where what was once a an act of a zone is now called a round. An example of this would be Palmtree Panic, known as Round one. There are a total of 7 rounds in the game which the player must complete, each one with a past, present, and future for Sonic to explore. The first two areas of each round allow the player to go through each time period, however, the third area is always set in the future. The third area will change appearance based on the player's performance on the previous areas. In total, there are 70 different level designs, with the futures being contingent on a player's actions.Development History
Sonic CD originally started its life as an enhanced port of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the Sega CD. The project was lead by Naoto Oshima, the original character designer of both Sonic the Hedgehog and Dr. Eggman. With the majority of Sonic Team in America working with Sega Technical Institute for the Sega Genesis version of Sonic 2, Naoto Oshima was forced to go with a new team of artists and designers to work on the Sega CD project (contributing to the game's unique flavor). As time progressed, Sonic 2 CD began to drift farther and farther in its own direction and eventually, Sega felt it would be best if the game became a stand-alone title.It was originally intended to launch before the Sega Genesis version of Sonic 2, but Sega felt Sonic 2 was more important and Sonic CD's release date was pushed back almost an entire year. As such, instead of being based off of the streamlined game mechanics and content of Sonic 2, Sonic CD plays more like the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
Trivia
- Viewing the contents of the Sonic CD disc on a Windows PC reveals that at least one level was cut during production: the level data for each stage is arranged in numbered folders, starting at 1 but then jumping directly to 3 and continuing on as normal (4, 5, 6, and 7). This suggests that the second level was removed at one point in development. Several hints around the game suggest what this lost level could have looked like: Little Planet Artwork available from the game's "D.A. Garden" sound test displays a cactus-filled desert region, and during the game's animated credits montage, Sonic is seen leaping through vine-choked ruins dodging a massive robotic ant lion (similar to the first boss in Sonic 2 for the Game Gear). Neither location is ever seen in Sonic CD.
- Upon entering the game's "Debug Mode" Cheat Code, you see artwork of Miles "Tails" Prower standing next to a jeep with the text, "See you next game - Judy Totoya". Judy Totoya was a pen name sometimes used by Yasushi Yamaguchi, original character designer for Tails. "See you next game" is in reference to the game's original release date.
- In an effort to tie Sonic CD to the upcoming wave of Sonic the Hedgehog comic books and TV shows, Sega of America renamed Amy Rose in the original English Sonic CD game manual to "Princess Sally". This was eventually retconned by the aforementioned comic books, who restored her name back to Amy Rose.
- The character of Amy Rose is likely based off of a character introduced in the Japan-exclusive Shogaku Yonensei Sonic the Hedgehog manga; in it, Sonic had a girlfriend named Amy.
- Anywhere in the game, if you happen to leave Sonic idle for more than three minutes, he will proclaim "I'm outta here!" and jump off screen, eliciting an instant Game Over.
Soundtrack
Sonic CD was the first Sonic game to feature full CD-quality redbook audio, and two versions of the soundtrack exist; the original Japanese soundtrack composed by Naofumi Hataya and Masafumi Ogata, and the American-exclusive soundtrack composed by Spencer Nilsen and the female vocal group Pastiche. Sega of America felt that gamers would be too alienated by the original Japanese soundtrack's more techno-pop sound, so they had Spencer Nilsen construct a more American-friendly replacement. Despite this, each song's "p-mix" (Past Mix) version is the same universally across all regions. The Japanese soundtrack contains two vocal tracks:- "Cosmic Eternity" by Dreams Come True
- "You Can Do Anything" by Dreams Come True
The American soundtrack contains a single vocal track that is re-used both for the game's intro and ending sequences:
- "Sonic Boom" by Spencer Nilsen, featuring Pastiche
The song "Sonic Boom" is also featured on the soundtrack of Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii. It is played on Sonic's stage, Green Hill Zone.
| Game Name | Sonic CD |
| Platform(s) | |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Developer(s) | |
| Genres |
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| Themes |
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| Original US Release |
Nov. 19, 1993
need a fuzzy date? |
| Original US Release |
know the real date? |
| Aliases | Sonic the Hedgehog CD |
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