Somari
From Sonic Retro
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Somari is a pirated hack of Sega's flagship video game Sonic the Hedgehog produced for the Famicom. It was sold primarily around Hong Kong. The game is notable in the fact that it contains a wealth of coding information from Sonic the Hedgehog, a 16-bit game produced for the Sega Genesis, transferred into an 8-bit cartridge - something thought impossible by many video game experts at the time. The game features a character named "Somari" - Nintendo mascot Mario wearing Sonic the Hedgehog's trademark shoes, as well as possessing his abilities.
Video game enthusiasts have suggested the possibility of reverse engineering or the posession of Sonic the Hedgehogs source code in explaining Somaris creation. It is also estimated that the game was created sometime after late 1992, as Somari has abilities only available in the game Sonic the Hedgehog 2, opening possibility that it contains coding information from that game as well. However, these concepts are merely speculative, as it is unknown exactly how, when, or where this game was created.
As with many independently pirated games, the coding is flawed. Somari's physics are imperfect in comparison to the original game's, certain areas have numerous glitches, and access to certain levels requires the use of special computer programs. There is no ending sequence - after the final boss has been defeated, the screen fades to black, requiring the player to reset.
Being a pirate game, it was probably released in fairly limited numbers, and only in Asia. The game has become more well known recently through the phenomenon of console emulation.
Other versions
Sonic 3D 5 is identical to Somari, except the player plays Sonic the Hedgehog.
Sonic 3D 6 is basically Sonic 3D 5 with a new title screen.
These games are not to be confused with the legitimate Sonic 3D Blast.
There is also a hack of Somari called Family Kid.