For other articles of a similar name, see Sonic the Hedgehog (disambiguation).

Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit)
Developer(s)	Ancient
Publishers(s)	Sega
Designer(s)	Ayano Koshino Takefune Yunoue
Series	Sonic the Hedgehog series
Release date(s)	GameGear JP December 28, 1991 NA December 1991 EU December 1991 Sega Master System NA October 25, 1991 EU October 25, 1991 Virtual Console JP August 5, 2008 NA August 4, 2008 PAL September 19, 2008
Mode(s)	Single player
Platform(s)	Sega Game Gear Sega Master System Nintendo GameCube Sony PlayStation 2 Microsoft Xbox PC (Sonic Adventure DX) Nintendo Wii (Virtual Console) Sega Mobile range
Media	Cartridge Download CD-ROM (Sonic Adventure DX) DVD-ROM (Sonic Adventure DX)

Sonic the Hedgehog is Sonic's first 8-bit outing, released on the Sega Game Gear and Master System in December 1991. The gameplay is similar to most side-scrolling Sonic games, and as with the other early outings, the plot is scarcely more sophisticated than "Get the Emeralds and stop Robotnik!". As was often the case for 8-bit releases, the Chaos Emeralds in Sonic the Hedgehog are hidden about the zones instead of residing in a Special Stage.

The game's zones each contain 3 Acts, the first two involving standard platforming, while the third is a shorter stage containing the Boss.

Unusually for an early Sonic game, Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit) included a 'world map' which appeared between zones, showing the player's physical progress across South Island.

Also, there's only one "1-up monitor" per stage. If you find all of them, in the last stage of the game you can find the last 1-up monitor as bonus for collecting all of them.

Differences between game versionsEdit

Differences between this game and the Genesis version include:

• The player being able to collect 100 rings to earn an extra life like in the Genesis version, but the ring counter resets to 0 rather than increasing past 99.
• Checkpoints take the form of point arrow monitors rather than posts.
• Chaos Emeralds aren't found in special stages. One of each emerald is hidden in one of the levels of the six regular zones instead.
• The Special Stages act like a bonus stage where players can collect Continues and Extra Lives, but no additional reward is given for collecting all items. No Chaos Emeralds can be found in these stages due to how they are hidden within one of the 6 normal Zones.
• At the end of Acts 1 and 2 of each zone, the sign at the end of the stage now gives a reward based on what it lands on. If it lands on Robotnik, you get nothing. This panel appears most often in the entire game, provided the player's ring count is below 50. If it lands on a Ring, 10 rings are added to the final ring tally. This one comes up rarely. Unlike in Sonic Chaos, having a multiple of 10 rings doesn't trigger it. If it lands on Sonic, you get an Extra life. This one comes up rarely too. Again, unlike in Sonic Chaos, beating an act with no hits taken doesn't trigger it. If it lands on an Exclamation Point, this triggers the Special Stage. It appears if 50 or more rings are still in possession when passing the sign.
• Both the Master System and Game Gear version have a "Lose Life" music that plays when the player dies.

This version even had differences with its Game Gear counterpart. These included:

• The Game Gear version had smaller screen resolution, but higher color palette.
• In the Game Gear version, Sonic's sprite's smaller and the control feels lighter.
• The Game Gear version's first zone had warning signs in certain places because the high speed combined with the narrow screen could have presented problems.
• The Game Gear's version of the first Robotnik boss has Robotnik do nothing except float in the air, for Sonic to hit him.
• In the Game Gear version, Jungle Zone Act 2 allowed for vertical descent without losing a life, which made this stage easier. Labyrinth Zone's level design was completely done over, with the Chaos Emerald hidden in a completely new location. The special stages also got a do-over, with all springs being of like color.
• In the Game Gear version, many bosses, including the very last one, were either modified or replaced.
• The Game Gear version uses a Sega screen with a jumping Sonic sprite. The Master System version lacks a Sega screen. One is provided by the Master System's BIOS.

LevelsEdit

1. Green Hill
2. Bridge
3. Jungle
4. Labyrinth
5. Scrap Brain
6. Sky Base

There are also Special Stages accessible if you pass the Goal Signpost with at least 50 rings.

TriviaEdit

• The background music for the Bridge Zone was, years later, remixed as Tails' theme music in Sonic Adventure, "Believe in Myself".
• The credit's theme bears resemblance to the day theme of Savannah Citadel.
• This game reappeared on Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut and on Sonic Mega Collection Plus alongside other Game Gear titles.
• Bridge Zone is the only level of a Sonic game that the screen scrolls automatically.
• Power-ups (aside from the Shield) are extremely rare in this game. The Power Sneakers only appear once in Green Hill Zone Act 1, and the Invincibility Monitor appears twice: Green Hill Zone Act 1 and Labyrinth Zone Act 2.
• This game was not made by the Sonic Team.

Beta ElementsEdit

Main article here: Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit)/Beta Elements