- Back to: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Nick Arcade prototype)/Comparisons.
It was once thought that Hill Top Zone was a comparitively late addition to Sonic 2, recycling artwork from Emerald Hill Zone to save development time. The Nick Arcade prototype proves this is not the case, as the stage is here as "Scrap Brain Zone".
Act 1
As with the rest of the game, the layout was changed a fair bit before release, but it's looking the part.
These lifts aren't fully functional yet. The platforms don't fall like they're supposed to.
Lava isn't painful yet.
These see-saws use a green orb as the counter-weight.
Sonic doesn't automatically spin when entering a tube. This is a recurring theme across Sonic 2 prototypes.
This lift needs flipping. Stand on it and Sonic and Tails will be taken into a wall.
This one's stopped before reaching the bottom of the line. Oops.
And finally, a tunnel leading to death. There is more of the level underneath here, but the screen limits have yet to be adjusted from Sonic 1.
Map
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| Nick Arcade prototype
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| Final game
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Act 2
Act 2 has a different layout, but the player will not see much of it during normal play. Instead, within a few seconds of moving right, Sonic and Tails will hit this wall.
With debug we can get to the section above. Slope detection doesn't seem to be working properly.
The objects allowing the player to access the second collision layer are missing, so they can't run around loops.
In fact, all objects are missing.
The camera isn't optimised for the stage.
Some sections seem to be completely missing. It makes the Zone impossible to navigate by normal means.
Hmm... what happens if I start walking forward...
The game crashes! Remember, if this is still playing by Sonic 1 rules, the game is expecting Eggman to show up and jump on a button here, sending Sonic to Act 3. As the data for this event no longer exists, the game doesn't know what to do, and so breaks spectacularly. The same thing will happen if the player attempts to play "Final Zone", although there the screen is purple.
Map
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| Nick Arcade prototype
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| Final game
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Act 3
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| Sonic 2 Nick Arcade prototype
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This is different! But it shouldn't come as much of a surprise, as in Sonic 1, Scrap Brain Zone Act 3 recycles graphics from Labyrinth Zone, and those are now missing. Likewise, using debug mode to move to the right and over the top of the screen will take the player to Final Zone, just like in the first game.
References
