Difference between revisions of "Wood Zone"

Revision as of 15:58, 27 April 2019

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)

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Wood Zone

Beta level, Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Number of Acts: 1 (incomplete)
Level theme: jungle

Wood Zone is a wood-themed level planned for the Sega Mega Drive version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It was designed primarily by Brenda Ross but was never finished, ultimately being pulled from the game before release. It hosts flora and fauna in its backdrop, and an elaborate maze of trees in the foreground.

Design

Wood Zone is thought to be Brenda Ross' second Sonic 2 level, after (the also unused) Dust Hill Zone^[1], with Ross claiming the art was 50% finished before being scrapped^[1]. No boss was ever created for the level.

Implementation

Wood Zone in the final game.

Unlike several scrapped stages, Wood Zone was at one point partially playable within Sonic 2, being present in the "Simon Wai" prototype and at least one public build afterwards. The prototype shows a very unfinished act 1 which ends rather quickly, while the second act is little more than an empty level slot with a palette. The music of Metropolis Zone plays in the stage.

The level seems to have been worked on after the Simon Wai prototype, as new background scrolling data is present in revision 00 of the final game. While the graphics and stage layouts were removed, it can still be accessed in the final game by using the Game Genie code ACLA-AECY (AB6X-AEBR in Knuckles in Sonic 2) - go to the stage select menu and select Emerald Hill Zone (Special Stage in Knuckles in Sonic 2), and Sonic will be taken to a broken stage with Emerald Hill Zone graphics and the old Wood Zone palette.

With Dust Hill Zone unlikely to have been added to the game at any point and Wood Zone being removed almost completely, no artwork created by Brenda Ross is thought to have made it into the final release of Sonic 2.

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-'''Wood Zone''' is a wood-themed level created by [[Brenda Ross]] that is present in the [[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Simon Wai prototype)|Sonic 2 (Simon Wai prototype)]]. It hosts flora and fauna in its backdrop, and an elaborate maze of trees in the foreground. The level is very unfinished: in the Simon Wai prototype, the first act ends rather quickly, and the second act is simply an empty [[level slot]] with a [[palette]].
+'''Wood Zone''' is a wood-themed level planned for the [[Sega Mega Drive]] version of ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]''. It was designed primarily by [[Brenda Ross]] but was never finished, ultimately being pulled from the game before release. It hosts flora and fauna in its backdrop, and an elaborate maze of trees in the foreground.
-The music that plays in the working version of the zone is very similar to that of [[Metropolis Zone]], and is actually the same music used in the beta Metropolis Zone. For a long time, the music connection made people question if this zone was a supposed "past" version of Metropolis Zone, like [[Rock Zone]] was a past version of [[Dust Hill Zone]]. Though with the reveal of many scrapped concepts in May 2017, this theory was put to rest. Instead, Wood Zone was supposed to be the present version of [[Casino Night Zone]], which was itself in the medieval time-frame.
+==Design==
+Wood Zone is thought to be Brenda Ross' second ''Sonic 2'' level, after (the also unused) [[Dust Hill Zone]]{{intref|Brenda Ross interview by Deviance (February 2001)}}, with Ross claiming the art was 50% finished before being scrapped{{intref|Brenda Ross interview by Deviance (February 2001)}}. No boss was ever created for the level.
-[[File:SonictheHedgehog2-WoodZone.png|thumb|right|Wood Zone in the final.]]
+==Implementation==
+[[File:SonictheHedgehog2-WoodZone.png|thumb|right|Wood Zone in the final game.]]
+Unlike several scrapped stages, Wood Zone was at one point partially playable within ''Sonic 2'', being present in the [[Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Simon Wai prototype)|"Simon Wai" prototype]] and at least one public build afterwards. The prototype shows a very unfinished act 1 which ends rather quickly, while the second act is little more than an empty level slot with a palette. The music of [[Metropolis Zone]] plays in the stage.
-The level seems to have been worked on after the Simon Wai prototype, as new background scrolling data is present in revision 00 of the game (a much later build). Through [[hacking]], Wood Zone can be accessed in Zone slot 02 of the final ''[[Sonic 2]]''. A [[Game Genie]] cheating device can also be used to access Wood Zone in the final version. Use the code '''ACLA-AECY''' ('''AB6X-AEBR''' in ''[[Knuckles in Sonic 2]]''). Then go to the stage select menu and select Emerald Hill Zone ([[Special Stage (Sonic the Hedgehog 2 16-bit)|Special Stage]] in ''Knuckles in Sonic 2''). Unlike [[Hidden Palace Zone (S2)|Hidden Palace Zone]], very few parts of Wood Zone remain in the final game: only the palette and music data are present. Also Sonic, instead of using his regular life icon and name, uses Tails’ icon and the western name “Tails”.
+The level seems to have been worked on after the Simon Wai prototype, as new background scrolling data is present in revision 00 of the final game. While the graphics and stage layouts were removed, it can still be accessed in the final game by using the [[Game Genie]] code '''ACLA-AECY''' ('''AB6X-AEBR''' in ''[[Knuckles in Sonic 2]]'') - go to the stage select menu and select [[Emerald Hill Zone]] ([[Special Stage (Sonic the Hedgehog 2 16-bit)|Special Stage]] in ''Knuckles in Sonic 2''), and Sonic will be taken to a broken stage with Emerald Hill Zone graphics and the old Wood Zone palette.
-Wood Zone was subject to much speculation for many years. It became a fan favorite, perhaps as well known as the [[Hidden Palace Zone]], and has been featured in several hacks. Two notable hacks, [[Sonic 2 Delta]] and [[Sonic 2 Long Version]], each contain fan created versions of what their creators thought the zone might have looked like had it been completed.
+With Dust Hill Zone unlikely to have been added to the game at any point and Wood Zone being removed almost completely, no artwork created by Brenda Ross is thought to have made it into the final release of ''Sonic 2''.
-The idea of a forest-themed level was used later in [[Mushroom Hill Zone]] in ''[[Sonic & Knuckles]]''.
+==References==
-<br clear="all">{{S2MDOmni}}
+<references />
+{{S2MDOmni}}
 [[Category:Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit) levels]]
 [[Category:Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit) scrapped levels]]

Difference between revisions of "Wood Zone"

From Sonic Retro

Revision as of 15:58, 27 April 2019

Design

Implementation

References