Sonic the Hedgehog Megamix
From Sonic Retro
Sonic the Hedgehog Megamix |
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Version: 4.0b (unstable) / 3.0 (stable) |
Last release: 08/13/08 |
Status: In Progress |
System: Sega Mega Drive (to v3.0), Sega Mega-CD |
Original game: Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit) |
Credits: Team Megamix, JohnnyUK, SCAA, nineko |
Sonic the Hedgehog Megamix (commonly shortened to Sonic Megamix) is a work-in-progress multiperson disassembly modification of the original Sonic the Hedgehog videogame for the Sega Mega Drive, developed by Team Megamix and more recently moved to the Sega Mega-CD. The game features the ability to play as one of five different characters: Sonic the Hedgehog, Mighty the Armadillo, Shadow the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, and Knuckles the Echidna. It is an extensive reworking of the original game, featuring new art, music, abilities, layouts, and other things.
Contents
Story
South Island. A magnificent land; one that is not bound by restrictions such as time.
15 years have passed since Sonic the Hedgehog's first plight against the nefarious Dr. Eggman (originally known as Dr. Ivo Robotnik in English localisations). Ever since, the two sides have clashed nonstop in a variety of settings, with the eventual outcome always being Sonic's victory. Both sides have gained both new allies and new enemies; some helpful, others... not so much. Naturally, throughout this time, Sonic has learned a few new techniques, which he uses to further stifle Eggman's plans of world domination. And so, the world is safe - but always just out of Eggman's grasp.
Some say history repeats itself. In this case, the statement is proven true, as Eggman returns to South Island, in hopes that he can obtain the land's powerful Chaos Emeralds, and finally put forth a solid step in conquering the planet. As he arrives on the island, he brings with him a single Chaos Emerald - one that had been missing, and had upset the natural balance of the island for decades beforehand. The others were trapped in an alternate dimension; one which only very few could enter, and from which even fewer returned.
Of course, Eggman isn't very good at keeping his plans secret (a big reason why they're foiled so easily). As a result, Sonic hears of this, and readies his travel back to South Island. With him, he brings two allies: one being Mighty the Armadillo, a longtime friend of his (though they had not spoken in quite some time); and the other being Shadow the Hedgehog who, after finally getting over his angst (at least for the moment), felt like teaching Eggman a thing or two about trying the same thing twice. And besides that, he had never seen South Island before; he had heard things about it, certainly, but never saw it for himself. So, he figured, why not?
And so, the three begin their trek of South Island, each taking their own unique abilities with them, and going their separate ways, each in search of the remaining Chaos Emeralds, and of Eggman, in hopes that once he is defeated, he will finally abandon his plans of world domination. But, then again, that's not very likely to happen.
We can all dream, I suppose.
Characters
The player has the choice to play through Sonic Megamix as one of five characters: Sonic the Hedgehog, Mighty the Armadillo, Shadow the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, or Knuckles the Echidna. Each character has their own specific abilities, while some share common abilities.
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic is a blue, 15-year-old hedgehog who lives on the planet Earth. He has the ability to run at supersonic speeds, hence his name. He is always running all over the world, rarely stopping for anything. He is carefree and relaxed; however, he is also very intolerant of injustice, and he will do anything he can to help those in need. He also has a quick wit, a short temper, and a fairly large ego.
Mighty the Armadillo
Mighty is a 16-year-old red and black armadillo who has a strong sense of justice. Opposed to any and all inhumanity, he uses his power to control the elements - Water, Fire, and Electricity - in his battle against Eggman. He enjoys nature, tranquility, and hot springs.
Shadow the Hedgehog
Shadow is the "ultimate life form", created in an experiment by Professor Gerald Robotnik aboard the Space Colony ARK. His exact age isn't known, but he is assumed to be around 50 years old. Once hungry for revenge after the death of Maria, Gerald's granddaughter, he is now aware of his past, and who he "is." He prefers to be a loner, but he occasionally tags along with Sonic and his friends when Eggman is up to no good. He uses his ability, Chaos Control, to harness the powers of the Chaos Emeralds to enhance his natural abilities. While he is unable to move very quickly on his own, he possesses fire-powered jet skates, which allow him to move much faster than he can without them.
Miles "Tails" Prower
Miles, better known by his nickname "Tails", is Sonic's faithful eight-year-old sidekick. Although best known for his two tails, which enable him to fly like a helicopter and give him his nickname, Miles is very intelligent; one could say he is a mechanical genius!
Knuckles the Echidna
Knuckles, named after his fists, is a 16-year-old echidna known for his red-hot temper. An inhabitant of Angel Island, and the guardian of the Master Emerald, he is well known for his brute strength and gullibility.
Controls
In order to execute all the character specific abilities in Sonic Megamix, you'll need to know the ropes. Here's how you play...
Basic moves
- : Action button. Each character has a specific use for this button - read below for more info.
- in free fall: Roll into a ball. Allows further execution of double jump moves.
- or : Jump
- + /: Spin Dash. Roll up into a ball and shoot off at supersonic speeds to destroy enemies!
- + : Transform into Super form (requires all Chaos Emeralds)
- Use the same button combination while Super to de-transform, returning you into your normal state.
Character-specific abilities
Sonic
Sonic's gameplay is based on pure, unadulterated speed.
- : Light Dash. Dash towards a path of rings at supersonic speeds!
- Double jump when near an enemy or monitor: Homing Attack. Zoom towards any nearby enemy (Robotnik's Badniks or Eggpod) or monitor at supersonic speeds to destroy them!
- Double jump when not near a target: Jump Dash. Zoom forward at high speeds to pick up more speed.
- +Double jump: Light Speed Attack. Zoom towards all available targets within a certain range and destroy them all, one after another! For each additional target other than the first, there is a cost of five rings to continue attacking more targets.
- +Jump: Super Peel-Out. Sonic stands in place, moving his legs into a figure-eight shape. Release the buttons to shoot off in a burst of speed!
While Super...
- Double jump when not near a target: Super Air Dash. Hold a direction on the second button press to shoot off in that direction at supersonic speeds!
- +Jump (with S monitor): Flight. When at full speed, jump into the air and hold the A button to defy gravity and fly in a straight line at your current vertical height.
Mighty
Mighty's gameplay is primarily centered around the different shield powerups you can obtain in the game. He has the ability to store up to four different shields in his shield inventory, displayed in the bottom right corner of the screen. Switching shields in mid-air allows you to chain various shield moves together. Use it to your advantage!
- Double jump without an elemental shield: Insta-Shield. Produces a small shield around Mighty, which extends his attacking range, as well as temporarily protects him from being attacked.
- Double jump with a fire shield: Fire Dash. Shoot off in the current direction you're facing in a burst of speed.
- Double jump with a lightning shield: Lightning Jump. Double your jump height by executing another jump in midair!
- Double jump with bubble shield: Bubble Bounce. Bounce off the ground repeatedly by pressing jump in midair.
- : Shield swap. Change between currently stored shields displayed in the bottom right corner of the screen. Costs 5 rings.
- +: Store currently held shield into the shield storage. Has no ring cost.
While Super... Mighty has the ability to stack all currently selected shields together in his super form, allowing him to use all abilities granted by currently equipped shields. During this time, the ability to swap shields is disabled (due to redundancy).
- /+Jump with a fire shield: Fire Dash. Shoot off in the current direction you're facing in a burst of speed.
- +Jump with a lightning shield: Lightning Jump. Double your jump height by executing another jump in midair!
- +Jump with bubble shield: Bubble Bounce. Bounce off the ground repeatedly by pressing jump in midair.
- with normal shield: Super Killall. Destroy all enemies currently on screen with a ring cost per enemy. Cost is lessened depending on how many shields you currently have equipped.
- S monitor ability: When Mighty collects an S monitor, he automatically receives all possible shields, and they are also added to his current shield storage when you de-transform.
Shadow
Shadow's gameplay is mostly centered around exploration, as well as taking advantage of ring-powered speed boosts to even things out. While he isn't very fast in his normal form, his super form really brings out his true power.
- Double jump when not near a target: Double Jump. Double your jump height by executing another jump in midair!
- Double jump when near an enemy or monitor: Homing Attack. Zoom towards any nearby enemy or monitor at supersonic speeds to destroy them!
- +Double jump: Light Speed Attack. Zoom towards all available targets within a certain range and destroy them all, one after another! For each additional target other than the first, there is a cost of five rings to continue attacking more targets.
- : Speed Boost. Shoot off in a burst of supersonic speed! Costs five rings per boost.
While Super...
- : Chaos Control. Shadow shoots off at hyper speed, continue tapping A for extra acceleration or hold A button to keep hyper speed! Can only be initiated on the ground, but lasts in air as long as the A button is held and there are rings to fuel it. Hextuples your ring loss.
- Jump+ (with S monitor): Chaos Blast. Destroy all enemies on screen instantly! (no cost)
Tails
Tails's gameplay is, like Shadow's, focused on exploration. With the ability to fly, Tails can reach heights no other characters can!
- Double jump: Flight. Continue hitting the jump button and Tails will fly even higher. Be warned, however, that he can't fly forever, so make sure you have a good place to land!
- : Tails Attack. Tails will whip around, attacking nearby enemies, or open monitors with his two tails. Can be done on the ground or in the air, but not while flying. (Hint: press while flying to roll into a ball, then again quickly to use the attack. If you're fast enough, you can continue flying after the attack by pressing jump again.)
While Super...
- : Super Tails Attack. Tails will do the same two-tail attack move as before, but now the range reaches to the very edge of the screen. Use it to snipe enemies the moment you see them!
Knuckles
Knuckles's gameplay is based on power. His powerful fists allow him to break certain barriers to reach previously unknown areas. Be warned, however, as Eggman has filled these areas with booby traps!
- Double jump: Glide. Continue holding down the jump button to glide so long as there is room. Use the and buttons to steer. You will slowly lose altitude however, so don't glide too close to spikes! You can defeat Badniks and damage Eggman while gliding, by ramming them with your fists. When you let go if the jump button, you will fall, so make sure you have a place to land.
- Glide into the ground to perform a short slide, which can also be used to damage enemies!
- Glide into a wall to snap onto it, enabling you to climb. You do not need to hold the jump button. Use the and buttons to climb up and down the wall. Beware, not all walls are climbable! Press , , or to hop off.
Items
Monitors
Super Ring | This monitor gives the player 10 rings. Collect 100 rings for an extra life! |
Normal Shield | Gives the player a temporary barrier, and allows him to retain one hit without losing any rings. Item disappears once you're hit, so be careful! |
Fire Shield | Has the effect of a normal shield, but also protects the player from projectiles and fire damage. |
Bubble Shield | Has the effect of a normal shield, but also protects the player from projectiles, and allows him to breathe underwater. |
Lightning Shield | Has the effect of a normal shield, but also protects the player from projectiles, electric damage, and attracts rings towards the player. |
Speed Shoes | Temporarily gives the player a large burst of speed! Use it to your advantage! |
Invincibility | Temporarily renders the player invulnerable to all damage, and destroys all enemies on contact. Be careful, though, as you can still die from getting smashed, drowning or falling down a bottomless pit! |
1-Up | Gives the player an extra life. Collect as many as you can! |
Eggman | Eggman has placed these monitors in various areas on South Island. Avoid them, as breaking one open will deal you damage! |
S | Breaking open this monitor will immediately grant you 50 rings, and transform your character into their super form. It also grants each character a specific ability, described in the Controls section above. Note: To unlock this box, you must complete the game with all of the Chaos Emeralds (or use debug mode). |
Checkpoint
These save your current position during a level. If you die after hitting one of these, you'll return to the position of the last checkpoint you hit.
Chaos Emeralds
Six of these are found in special stages, while Eggman is in possession of the 7th. Collect them all!
For some reason the characters transform using six instead of seven.
Levels
Three modes exist within the game: normal, which features new levels, original, which has the original levels from Sonic 1 intact, and extra, where you play a harder version of normal mode, but you can collect a few extra goodies (unlocked by completing normal mode). Extra mode places several S monitors throughout the level. The catch is that you only receive one life. All of the Zones have 4 Acts, instead of the original Sonic game's 3. The 4th act of Misty Maze, Starry Night Zone, and Metallic Base Zone are not complete. Starry Night can be completed if the capsule is hit in a certain way. Misty Maze cannot be completed in extra mode without debug. Metallic Base blocks your path before you've really gone anywhere and thus can't be completed. Normal levels include:
- Misty Maze Zone (background music being stolen from Columns 3: Revenge of Columns)
Piracy
Sonic Megamix had been burned onto cartridges and sold in pirate markets such as in Russia, both for regular Mega Drive systems and the Mega Drive Portable. The version that was pirated was v3.0, the last version made for the Mega Drive before the project shifted to the Mega-CD. It is the first hack of a Sonic game known to be released on cartridge (by pirates, of course).
Physical scans
Mega Drive, RU (Mega Drive Portable) |
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Downloads
Latest release (Sega Mega-CD)
Due to a (very) temporary cancellation of the project, the latest release was made in an incomplete state, and as such, contains various issues ranging from minor to major, which can possibly hinder gameplay under certain circumstances. This is far from an ideal release, and the authors do not claim it to be one. To play a "complete" version, please wait for the next release, or see version 3.0 for the Genesis.
Download Sonic the Hedgehog Megamix US MegaCD version "4.0b" (unstable) (3.26 MB) (info) EU MegaCD version "4.0b" (unstable) (3.27 MB) (info) JP MegaCD version "4.0b" (unstable) (3.26 MB) (info)
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Previous versions (Sega Genesis)
- Version 3.0 (info) (794 kB) (793KB, released 06/30/07. Last Genesis build and latest stable version)
- January 7, 2007 Build (info) (617 kB) (617KB, released 6/7/09, dated 1/7/07)
- Version 2.0 (info) (473 kB) (474KB, released 06/16/06)
- Hacking Contest 2006 Build (info) (472 kB) (472KB, released 05/31/06)
- Version 1.5 (info) (387 kB) (387KB, released 12/11/05)
- Version 1.0 (info) (388 kB) (388KB, released 11/15/05)
- Hacking Contest 2005 Build (info) (354 kB) (354KB, released 05/31/05, dated 7/9/05)
External links
- Preview footage on YouTube
- More Preview footage on YouTube
Previous Sonic Megamix discussion thread at Sonic Retro
Previous Sonic Megamix release thread at Sonic Retro
Previous Sonic Megamix release thread at Sonic CulT