SonicTheHedgehog/TheOriginal

Pretty much as simple as a platformer gets - it was designed to do one thing. go really really fast.

There are several stages which you can complete in under twenty seconds. (If you try really hard.) No stage takes longer than five minutes, no matter how badly you play. (A timer goes off and you die!)

The following gameplay is the basis of all the SonicTheHedgehog PlatformGames?.

You character (a blue hedgehog, named sonic. Duh.) can, um - jump.
Oh, you can roll as well. Curling up into a ball whilst moving.
Whilst curled into a ball you can hurt things that you crash into. Though some things still hurt you.

Through a stage you collect rings, either scaterred around the level or in boxes. I believe (though can't be bothered to check right now) that SonicTeam? (the creators) actually enforce copyright on the extremely characteristic 'brring' sound picking up a ring makes. Picking up 100 rings gives you an extra life.

There are a few other powerups. Speed shoes makes you run really fast. Invulnerability makes you invulnerable for twice through the musical loop seconds.

Being hurt causes you to throw your rings into the air. Being hurt whilst carrying no rings kills you.

The games has very clean but pretty good graphics, and very good music.

When you kill an enemy a little creature bounces free. At the end of a stage you bounce onto a giant box thingy, and free all the creatures inside.

The bonus stages are reached by hitting a giant ring (which appeared at various points) whilst carrying over fifty rings.

: Um. I'm confused myself now. I think it's only at the end of the level for the original - but I also remember, very distinctly, a bit of green hill (the first level) with a giant ring hidden in a wall. I may be confusing it with the sequel though. --Vitenka

The aim of a bonus stage is to collect a chaos emerald. Collect all six (seven in most of the games, six in this one) to gain access to 'super sonic' mode (Loses rings over time, but is invlulnerable. And can fly. Until the rings run out... But not available in sonic one.) and a different ending sequence.
The secondary aim is to collect enough points to earn a continue credit.

Stages are divided into acts - usually two main acts and then a boss act. The boss is pretty much always robotnik (EggMan?) with different weapons. He takes eight hits to drive off.

The stages were, IIRC:

Green hill zone. Rolling green hills, lots of jumping, bits of deadly water, loop the loops and walls you could bust through. The act three boss swings a ball and chain. Either jump onto the platform, then hit him, run through the chain as it swings back and repeat - or, more amusingly, approach the boss at light speed and jump real high - landing on top of him and bouncing repeatedly to destroy him in about 15 seconds for a very hefty bonus.
Marble zone. Lots of lava, bits of travelling on blocks and pushing things onto switches. Several hidden bonuses. To beat the boss, just dodge the lava he pours and, well, hit him.
Spring Yard zone. Bouncy bouncy bouncy bouncy fun fun fun fun funnn... Lots of trampolines. And pinball. Go for the sky route for a serious shortcut. Otherwise you've got to slow down to navigate the traps. To beat the boss, just don't stand underneath him, and don't try to hit him too many times or you'll fall into the hole he makes and have to start over. The introduction of metal sonic! You won't see him again for quite some time.
Labyrinth. Aztec imagery. Purple water. Lots of underwater bits - and despite its name pretty linear. Had bits of scenery that actively changed. The boss lures you through a series of traps, as the water rises. Stay ahead of the water - if you can stay ahead of the scenery changes you can take a shortcut or two. Hit him as often as you can on the chase and you make the ending much easer. As usual, just dodge until he's in range to clobber.
Starlight. So calm. So peaceful. Neo industrial at night. Unlike most zones, in this one you have to work your way up, rather than right - so double back often for rewards. Exploding invulnerable things are a pain, so avoid. The pinball-like fight at the end is annoying, so arrange to land on him and bounce there repeatedly.
Scrap brain. The giant machine level. Slow, you just have to wait for the giant cogs and such to move into position before you can go. Try to stay as far up as possible, since there are two routes, and if you fall once you'll just have to take the other, but if you fall again it's game over. No boss - instead Act three is a repeat of labyrinth three - but with more water slides and a longer chase.
Final Zone. Boss fight. Stand under the piston that isn't gona crush you. As they reset, if it's in range attack the piston he's hiding in. Then stand to the side with the fewer sparks, and jump through the gap. Repeat for aaages. You have no rings, so... get it right.

And then the ending sequence. A runthrough of the entire game, lots of piccies of all the baddies and goodies and the creidts of the game makers.

And then botnik laughing as he juggles the remaining emeralds. Or no! Perhaps you got them all, and you get a happy pitcture of animals frolicking in greenhill zone whilst botnik stamps his foot and curses.

OP=Vitenka
CategoryComputerGames