Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit)

Sonic the Hedgehog (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ Sonikku za Hejjihoggu^?) is a 2D platforming video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Ancient in collaboration with a few Sonic Team members, and released in late 1991 for the Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear consoles. It serves as an 8-bit version of the original Sonic the Hedgehog that had been released on the Sega Mega Drive earlier that year, with a similar setting and other elements in common. The game features several new gameplay elements which would become implemented in later 8-bit handheld titles.

The game is noticeable for featuring Sega's freelance composer Yuzo Koshiro, who is recognized as one of the finest game music and chiptune composers of the 1980's and 1990's. Koshiro rearranged many of Masato Nakamura's iconic music tracks from the game's 16-bit counterpart while also composing original content for this 8-bit version. Like later Game Gear and Master System games, this game has been re-released on numerous compilation titles and as an unlockable mini-game, including re-releases in the discontinued Virtual Console service for the Wii and Nintendo 3DS.

Plot

South Island is a tropical paradise blessed with lots of vegetation and is where Sonic the Hedgehog lives with his Animal friends. It also hosts various jewels and ruins, and it is said to be where the six mysterious Chaos Emeralds lay dormant. These gemstones are a super-material that can give energy to all living things, but can also be used to fuel fearsome nuclear and laser-based weapons through science and technology.^[9]

Coveting the Chaos Emeralds' power to conquer the world, the infamous mastermind Dr. Ivo Robotnik, also known as "Eggman", invades South Island, traps all the local Animals, puts them in Capsules, and sends his army of Badniks to find the six jewels.^[9] After learning of the doctor's actions, Sonic rushes to foil his nasty ambitions while he hunts for the gems.

Eventually, Sonic finds Dr. Eggman in his stronghold, the Scrap Brain. Despite the odds though, the doctor manages to escape his nemesis and reach his blimp in the Sky Base via a platform. However, the hedgehog is able to reach his adversary's vessel via the same platform. Traversing the battleship, he enters a trap-ridden room, where the scientist is waiting for him. Eventually, Sonic destroys the contraption and gets through Eggman's barrier in the room. Defenseless, the doctor escapes to Green Hill through a teleporter. However, Sonic follows him through the same teleporter and lands a decisive hit on him before he is able to escape in his Egg Mobile. From there, the ending of the game will depend on the player's process:

• If the player has not managed to gather all six Chaos Emeralds, they will be taken to a results screen where the game will gather the points obtained by the player before playing the credits.
• If the player has managed to find all six Chaos Emeralds, the Emeralds will fly above South Island, reverting all of Eggman's pollution. From there, the rest of the ending will be the same.

Gameplay

Sonic the Hedgehog is a side-scrolling platforming game with a lot of gameplay elements imported from its 16-bit counterpart, where the goal is to reach the end of each Act of a Zone (a level in the game) within ten minutes. The player begins the game with three lives. For the entirety of the game, the player takes control of Sonic, whose basic maneuvers and attacks include the Spin Jump and Super Sonic Spin Attack.

In each Zone, Rings appear everywhere. Like in most Sonic the Hedgehog games, collecting Rings protects Sonic from taking damage, though they cannot protect him from drowning, bottomless pits or Time Overs. When taking damage, Sonic loses all his Rings, which shown as a single Ring being dropped. Getting hit without Rings will cost Sonic a life and makes him restart from either the beginning of the Act or the last Arrow Monitor. Losing all lives either ends the game or provides another chance with a Continue. Collecting Rings also grants points and getting 100 Rings gives a 1-Up while also restarts the Ring counter from zero.

The game features Item Boxes with the same power-ups as its 16-bit counterpart, including Super Rings (grant ten extra Rings), 1-Ups, Shields (protects from one hit), Power Sneakers (increases speed briefly), and Invincible (grants brief invulnerability), though some power-ups are rarer than others. If the player survives an Act with the Shield, they will keep it for the next Act. There is also a single One-Up Video Monitor for each Act, and by collecting them all a last One-Up monitor will be available in the third Act as a bonus. Also, exclusive to this game are Arrow Monitors which save the player's progress in an Act after being broken, similar to Lampposts in the 16-bit version.

Exclusive to the game are the Bonus Panels at the end of the first two Acts of a Zone and the Special Stages. Upon being passed, the Bonus Plates will spin and give awards based on the image they show. In Special Stages, Bonus Panels will always have a Eggman bonus when flipped. The rewards are:

Image	Name	Reward
	Question mark (default)	Nothing
	Dr. Eggman	Nothing
	Sonic	1-Up
	Ring	10 Rings
	Exclamation point	Access to the Special Stage

Due to the hardware limitations of the Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear, the game's level design is significantly more straightforward than its 16-bit counterpart. There are no loops or alternative pathways as the game is based around basic side-scrolling platforming, with the only way to gain more momentum being the use of slopes, Springboards, and ramps. Because of this, the game tends to be challenging due to a large number of obstacles and different level gimmicks. Another feature players can find in the levels are the Chaos Emeralds. In one of the two main Acts for every Zone, there is a Chaos Emerald hidden and ready to be collected. Collecting all six affects the game's cinematic ending and grants extra points.

Scoring system

Main article: Point#Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit)

Controls

Button formation	Movement
left/right	Walk/Run
up	Look up
down	Look down/Crouch
/	Spin Jump
left/right + down	Super Sonic Spin Attack
START	Pause