- Back to: Sonic the Hedgehog (Game Gear prototype).
General comparisons
There is no Sega logo in the prototype - the game jumps straight to the title screen like the Master System version.
The "1"s in the copyright date are the same as they were in the Master System version. There is also no ™ symbol regardless of system region.
The map screen uses the same smoke graphics and similar colours to the Master System version, but the stage points are misplaced.
The "Game Over" screen is corrupted.
Sonic starts in an odd position, slightly further ahead of two Rings. Some of the new Game Gear scenery is in place (such as the sunflowers), but parts are still missing. Sonic is also still using graphics from the Master System version of the game. In the final, the character would be made slightly smaller to better suit the Game Gear's resolution (though no such provisions were made for future Master System-to-Game Gear conversions).
Jumping up will reveal a strip of ground tiles graphics hovering in mid-air. This is thought to be a glitch from the porting process, and disappears after repeatedly moving the camera away from it. The camera is also less "rigid" in the prototype - Sonic has to move closer to the edge for the screen to start scrolling vertically in the final game.
The developers are still playing with this totem pole. It's five "heads" high in the Master System and only two in the Game Gear final, but here it's three.
The mountains in the background are still using Master System colours.
Master System-style invincibility stars are still being used.
Sonic changes colour when he nears the Bonus Panel.
Beating Act 1 will restart the player from the beginning. That is, unless they've hit the Arrow monitor, in which case they'll be taken to the level's mid-point. This is a one-level demo of the game so no other stages can be accessed during normal play.
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| Master System version
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| Game Gear prototype
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| Game Gear final
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References
