Hill Top Zone
From Sonic Retro
Hill Top Zone |
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Fifth level, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 |
Number of Acts: 2 |
Boss: Submarine Eggman |
Hill Top Zone is the fifth zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It uses the same graphics from Emerald Hill Zone. No one knows for sure why they had this zone clone.
Hill Top Zone has extended level blocks, such as Star Light Zone start loops, and Green Hill Zone spin tubes.
The zone also contains lava, and has caverns where you can be trapped during earthquakes (due to a layer of ground moving up and down). Before the boss in Act 2, there is a room full of rising lava and platforms to the exit at the top. This is commonly known as the "volcano."
Contents
Instruction Manual Description
Lava boils from volcanoes and earthquakes shake the ground. Spring for the rings on teeter-totters and blast through underground tunnels and caverns.
Sonic Team Commentary (from Sonic Jam Strategy Guide)
“ | The thing that stands out most in this zone is probably the way the whole screen shakes in the areas where the lava is moving. And then the mountain in the background has a slightly polygon-like look to it. We were aiming for a look similar to the kind of thing we had in mind with Sonic 1's Green Hill Zone. | „ |
Enemies
- Rexon - Plesiosaur enemy, sits in lava and throws fireballs at you. Once destroyed, its body can be used as a platform to stand on.
- Spiker - Cone enemy, launches its cone at you when you jump over it.
- Sol - Spherical enemy, surrounded by 4 fireballs which it throws at you. Referred to as "Sol" in the instruction manual, and "Ghora" in Sonic Jam.
Prototype Differences
Early Prototype/Nick Arcade Beta
- Lava doesn't cause harm.
- Green orbs are used as the weight on teeter-totters instead of a Sol without fireballs.
- Cable lifts do not work properly.
- The playfield limits are still the same as they were in Sonic 1, but the level does not end at these limits. As a result, Act 1 cannot be played through.
- The secondary collision array for Act 2 is missing.
- Act 2 crashes at about the midpoint. This is because the level event handler calls a subroutine from Sonic 1 that no longer exists (the transition between Acts 2 and 3 of Scrap Brain Zone). Final Zone crashes at the beginning for the same reason.
Wai Beta
- Sonic doesn't spin when going through tunnels.
- There is no earthquake sound effect.
- The background music runs at a slightly slower tempo than in the final.
Technical Information (Final)
Offset | Description |
---|---|
07 | Level Value |
$2BA2 | HTZ Palette (0B) |
$C7F2, C964 | HTZ layer deformation info |
$3FD26 | Dynamic pattern reloading for HTZ |
$40038 | HTZ animated pattern load cue |
$40372 | EHZ, HTZ misc sprite mappings |
$41FFE | HTZ object debug list |
$44E50 | EHZ and HTZ primary 16x16 collision index |
$44F40 | EHZ and HTZ secondary 16x16 collision index |
$46DD4 | HTZ act 1 level layout |
$47044 | HTZ act 2 level layout |
$95C24 | EHZ/HTZ main level patterns |
$985A4 | HTZ 16x16 block mappings |
$98AB4 | HTZ pattern suppliment to EHZ level patterns |
$99D34 | EHZ/HTZ 128x128 block mappings |
$E4D74 | HTZ act 1 ring locations |
$E4EAA | HTZ act 2 ring locations |
$E8302 | HTZ act 1 sprite locations |
$E8668 | HTZ act 2 sprite locations |