Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)/Development/Metropolis Zone

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Thanks to Zone artist Tom Payne, almost the entire history of Sonic the Hedgehog 2's Metropolis Zone's development has been documented. The Zone was originally inspired on the steam-powered factories of the industrial revolution (or "Steam Age Sonic" as one piece of concept art puts it), with steam powered contraptions, furnaces and copper pipes carrying water, though much of the original vision was paired back due to technical and time restraints. It was seen as a "lighter" version of the original game's Scrap Brain Zone, but "darker" than Green Hill Zone.

Metropolis is the only Zone in the game to feature three Acts, the third Act's original map reportedly being recycled from (the later scrapped) Genocide City Zone. This decision was likely made before any art was produced, although Act 3 was seemingly always set to have unique objects not seen in the first two Acts.

Concept art

• Metropolis concept.jpg

  An early piece of concept art for Metropolis Zone.

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  Later revision of the previous concept art.

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  Early concept art. Windows can be seen.

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  Early concept art.

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  Early concept art. Text humorously refer to the level as "Sonic sweat shop."

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  A list of obstacles slated for use.

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  Early concept art of the background. Furnaces can be seen.

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Maps and chunks

• Sonic2 MD TomPayne Chunks.jpg

  Chunks

• Sonic2 MD TomPayne Metropolis1a.jpg

  Early Act 1 map. Has diagonally slanted rotating steel drums. Very different from final. Only two things seem very similar to final; the general positioning of the starting area, and the short downward ramp leading to a flat area with the end sign.

• Sonic2 MD TomPayne Metropolis2a.jpg

  Early Act 2 map. Has giant crusher. Very different from final. Aside from the immediate starting area and an area with a half-loop leading to a ramp in the top-left, almost nothing recognizable remains.

• Sonic2 MD TomPayne Metropolismapx.jpg

  Another Act 2 map.

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  Early Act 3 map. Features a horizontal spike obstacle, similar to the ones removed from Marble Zone of the first game.

• Sonic2 MD TomPayne Metropolis3c.jpg

  Early Act 3 map.

• Sonic2 MD TomPayne MZ1 Map1 1.jpg
• Sonic2 MD TomPayne MZ1 Map1 2.jpg
• Sonic2 MD TomPayne MZ2 Map1 1.jpg
• Sonic2 MD TomPayne MZ2 Map1 2.jpg
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• Sonic2 MD TomPayne MZ3 Map2 1.jpg
• Sonic2 MD TomPayne MZ3 Map2 2.jpg
• Sonic2 MD TomPayne MZ3 Map3 1.jpg
• Sonic2 MD TomPayne MZ3 Map3 2.jpg
• Sonic2 MD TomPayne Map 1.jpg
• Sonic2 MD TomPayne Map 2.jpg

Digitiser art

These are arranged roughly in the order of Tom Payne's listMedia:TomPaynePapers 8.5x11 Miscellaneous Loose Pages (No Order) image1474.jpg.

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