For example, the acts in each zone are structured differently: the first two acts are your standard platforming levels, while the third act is a brief platforming challenge before you take on Robotnik in one of his machines (this structure stays consistent throughout all the 8-bit Sonic platformers). However, there are a few changes in this version, some caused by the limitations of the Master System, and others made in general. It’s a 2D platformer where your goal is to get to the end of the level, running, jumping, collecting rings to keep you alive, smashing item boxes to get bonuses like shields and checkpoints, and rolling into enemies along the way. The vile scientist Dr Robotnik is kidnapping animals and putting them into his machines to take over the world, and it’s up to cocky speedster Sonic the Hedgehog to stop him. The plot and general gameplay are pretty much the same as on the Mega Drive. Sonic 1‘s 8-bit outing might seem like an inferior version of its 16-bit counterpart at first glance, but is actually a great game that knows its limitations and uses them to make a different, but still very enjoyable kind of platformer.

It was the first game developed by Ancient, a studio founded by composer Yuzo Koshiro that went onto to create acclaimed Mega Drive games like Streets of Rage 2 and Beyond Oasis. The first of these games was a port of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, released for the Master System and Game Gear a few months after the Mega Drive version.

Sonic 1 game gear sprite