Splats

Splats
Games: Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit), Sonic Mania, Sonic Superstars

Splats is a Badnik originally intended to appear in the original Sonic the Hedgehog. Despite not appearing in the game, it appeared in a set of promotional trading cards for the game, was shown on the box of a series of Japanese Sonic figures, was featured in the UK-based Sonic the Comic and US based Archie Sonic the Hedgehog.

Discovery

When Nemesis Format was finally cracked in 2002, the sprites were discovered in the US/European Sonic the Hedgehog ROM. There is no programming or sprite mappings for the object. With the discovery of a prototype build of Sonic the Hedgehog, full coding for Splats was found within the prototype, and the Badnik can be placed in Marble Zone using Debug Mode. When placed, Splats will continually hop forward, only changing directions if it reaches a wall.

Splats is depicted in secondary sources (merchandise etc.) as being grey with blue highlights. The unused sprite, however, is blue with tan highlights when using Sonic's palette line. It could also use the second palette line, which is either green or purple depending on the level. When placed in Marble Zone in the prototype, it becomes purple.

Other game appearances

2013 remake

The game's 2013 remake adds two functional versions of the Badnik to the list of objects which can be placed in Green Hill Zone using Debug Mode. One will simply hop forward, not stopping to turn around for pits or anything of the sort. The other will take a couple hops one way, and switch direction.

Sonic Mania

Splats also makes three appearances in Sonic Mania, though only two can be encountered during normal gameplay. Firstly, another unused version can be placed in Green Hill Zone using Debug Mode. This variant has yet another different attack pattern, this time making a single much higher hop before reversing direction. The sprite for this version is identical to those found in the original game, though the palette used means it appear slightly different as the lightest shade of tan is instead replaced with grey, and one of the shades of blue is replaced with a shade from the cycling palette used for the animated waterfalls. Since no additional shading or animation frames have been added compared to the original, it's reasonable to asssume this enemy was cut relatively early on if it was ever seriously considered for inclusion in the Zone itself.

Secondly, the same version of Splats makes a cameo appearence later in the game - this time redrawn with additional shading and with all its tan shades altered to grey - during Flying Battery Zone, as one of the defunct Badniks in the junk piles found throughout the stage.

Finally, a version of Splats appears as an enemy in Press Garden Zone, where it jumps out from large bottles of ink to attack the player, leaving splats of ink on the ground wherever it lands. This version's sprite art appears to have been redrawn from scratch, and is significantly different to the previous versions. It has a pale blue body and orange ears, and its bottom half is completely coated in black ink.

Sonic Superstars

Splats later appear as a regular enemy in Speed Jungle Zone and Pinball Carnival Zone in Sonic Superstars.

Images

• 

  Splats on a promotional trading card.

• 

  Packaging for Tomy figures, featuring Splats on the first row.

• 

  Tomy's Splats figure, middle row far right.

• 

  Splats, seen in Sonic the Comic #42.

Technical information

Game	Object ID #	Code offset	Mappings offset	Compressed art offset	Subparameters
Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)	n/a	n/a	n/a	$3850E (Nemesis Format, 29 blocks)	n/a

In other media

Sonic the Comic

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Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie comics)

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Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW comics)

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