Sonic CD

Sonic CD is a side-scrolling platform game similar to the original Sonic the Hedgehog. Players control Sonic the Hedgehog as he ventures to stop his nemesis Doctor Robotnik from obtaining the magical Time Stones and conquering Little Planet. The game has seven levels; each is split into three zones, the third of which ends in a boss fight against Robotnik. Players start with three lives, which are lost when they suffer any type of damage without rings in their possession; losing all lives results in a game over. The game also includes a save feature, which uses the back-up memory of the Sega CD. ==Plot==

At Never Lake, an extraterrestrial body, Little Planet, appears in the last month of every year. Sonic's nemesis, Dr. Robotnik, has chained the planet to a mountain and begun transforming it into a giant fortress with his robot army. To execute his plan, Robotnik uses the Time Stones, seven diamonds which control the flow of time, hidden in the different zones. Sonic ventures to the planet, followed by the besotted Amy Rose, his self-proclaimed girlfriend. Robotnik dispatches his newest invention, Metal Sonic, to kidnap Amy at Collision Chaos, luring Sonic into danger. After fighting and outrunning Metal Sonic in Stardust Speedway and saving Amy, Sonic fights and defeats Robotnik in his lair, Metallic Madness. Two endings exist, depending on whether or not the player collected the Time Stones or achieved a good future in each level. In the good ending, Little Planet thanks Sonic with a shower of stars and leaves Never Lake; in the bad ending, Little Planet still leaves, but Robotnik uses the Time Stones to bring it back and the player is urged to replay the game to achieve the good ending. ==Development==

Background and conception at the 2018 Game Developers Conference The original Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) was developed by Sonic Team at Sega. It was a major commercial success and positioned Sega as Nintendo's main rival in the console market. The lead programmer, Yuji Naka, dissatisfied with Sega of Japan's rigid corporate policies, moved with several members of Sonic Team to the United States to develop Sonic the Hedgehog 2 with Sega Technical Institute (STI). Meanwhile, Sega planned to release the Sega CD add-on for its Genesis, and wanted a Sonic game that would demonstrate its more advanced features. Naoto Ohshima, the designer of Sonic, was Sonic CDs director; the remainder of the team comprised Sega staff who had developed The Revenge of Shinobi, Golden Axe II, and Streets of Rage. The team built Sonic CD using the original Sonic the Hedgehog code as a base. Sonic CD was conceived as an enhanced port of Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega CD, but it gradually developed into a separate project. before being renamed Sonic CD. Ohshima does not consider Sonic CD a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog or Sonic 2, although the artist Yasushi Yamaguchi said its story may be set between the two. Design Sonic the Hedgehog had a balance on speed and platforming; STI built on the speed with Sonic 2s more focused level designs. However, Ohshima's team sought to focus on the platforming and exploration aspects. Though Naka was not directly involved with Sonic CD, he exchanged design ideas with Ohshima. The developers designed four variants of each stage, one for each time period. Ohshima hoped for the period to change instantly with a "sonic boom" effect, but the programmers argued this was impossible and produced a loading sequence instead. Music The Sonic CD soundtrack was composed by Naofumi Hataya and Masafumi Ogata. According to Hataya, Sega allocated a large audio budget to showcase the audio functionality of the Sega CD, aiming for CD-quality music superior to video game music of the time. The team worked with the Japanese music production company Being, and enlisted Keiko Utoku to provide vocals. Sega of America delayed the North American release of Sonic CD by two months to have a new soundtrack composed by Spencer Nilsen and David Young, with the addition of the boss music and the themes for the Collision Chaos and Metallic Madness stages by Sterling Crew (credited only as Sterling). The new theme song, "Sonic Boom", was composed by Nilsen and performed by the female vocal trio Pastiche. Den of Geek described the American soundtrack as "more orchestral and 'rocking' ... a bit more 'epic' and almost mournful", with "a sense of dread" compared to the "bouncy and joyful" Japanese soundtrack. Nilsen said the two soundtracks represented "completely different musical philosophies and approaches". == Release ==

Sonic CD was released in Japan on September 23, 1993, and in Europe a few weeks later in October. Sonic CD was the flagship game for Sega CD and its only Sonic game. An enhanced version of the original Sonic the Hedgehog and a Sonic-themed port of Popful Mail were canceled. == Rereleases ==

(seen here attached below the Genesis). Two versions of Sonic CD were released for Windows: one in 1995 for Pentium processors, and another in 1996 for DirectX. and it was released in North America on July 8 and in Japan on August 9. but loading screens were added Both Windows versions use the North American soundtrack. This port uses the original soundtrack in Japan and the North American soundtrack elsewhere. The ports introduced some graphical problems, such as a blurry anti-flicker presentation, In 2009, the independent developer Christian Whitehead produced a proof-of-concept video of a remastered version of Sonic CD, using his Retro Engine running on iOS. Sega released this version in December 2011 for Android, iOS, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, and in January 2012 on Steam, with assistance from BlitWorks in the PC and console ports. The remaster features enhancements such as widescreen graphics, fine-tuned collision detection to make time traveling more consistent, refined visuals and frame rate for Special Stages, the option for spin dash physics from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, both the Japanese and North American soundtracks, the ability to unlock Tails as a playable character, and achievement and trophy support. Whitehead designed two original stages, but they were excluded as Sega wanted to keep the game faithful to the original release. The remaster was not released on the Wii as it exceeded the WiiWare download size. It was included in the 2022 compilation Sonic Origins, which removed voice lines for Sonic and Amy. Amy and Knuckles also became selectable characters in a later update to Origins. ==Reception==

The Sega CD version sold more than 1.5 million copies, making it the system's best-seller. In the United Kingdom, it was the top-selling Mega-CD game in December 1993. Sonic CD received acclaim. The reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) praised the animated cinematics and sound, but noted frame rate drops during special stages. Retrospective opinions of the presentation have also been positive. IGN praised its vibrant colors and felt the game looked nice, and GamesRadar thought its music aged well, writing: "What must've dated very quickly in the 1990s is somehow totally fresh today." Critics were divided over the North American soundtrack. GameFan, which had given the Japanese version of Sonic CD a score of 100%, lambasted the change. In 2009, GameFan editor Dave Halverson called it "an atrocity that remains the biggest injustice in localization history". The reviewer for GamesRadar said he shut his GameCube off in disgust when he realized Sonic Gems Collection used the American soundtrack. In its debut issue, Sega Magazine said Sonic CD was "potentially a classic". GameSpot singled out the "interesting level design and the time-travelling gameplay" as a major selling point, saying it provided a unique take on the classic Sonic formula. Critics wrote that Sonic CD was one of the best Sega CD games. Electronic Games called it a must-have, Reception to later versions of Sonic CD varied. GameSpot considered the 1996 Windows version inferior, criticizing its technical performance and "tedious and monotonous" gameplay. The reviewer wrote that "those who have played Sonic on a Sega game system will find nothing new here" and that it was not worth its $50 price. According to Metacritic, the 2011 console version received "generally favorable reviews", while the iOS version received "universal acclaim". Sonic CD is frequently named among the best Sonic games and platform games. In 1997, EGM named it the 17th best console game of all time, citing the bonus levels and animated intro. ==Legacy==

The story of Sonic CD was adapted in the twenty-fifth issue of Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series. The adaptation featured some changes to the story, such as Tails being an important character and Metal Sonic having the ability to talk. British publisher Fleetway Publications published their own adaptation in Sonic the Comic. The final issue of Archie's comic, #290 (December 2016), also featured a retelling of the game's story. Two characters introduced in Sonic CD, Amy Rose and Metal Sonic, became recurring characters in the Sonic series. Metal Sonic appeared as an antagonist in ''Knuckles' Chaotix (1995), the Sonic the Hedgehog anime film (1996), Sonic Heroes (2003), Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II (2012) and Sonic Mania (2017). Amy Rose most notably appears in Sonic Adventure. The Sonic CD animated sequences were included as bonuses in the compilations Sonic Jam (1997) and Sonic Mega Collection'' (2002), and "Sonic Boom" was used as one of Sonic's themes in Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008). In 2011, Sega released Sonic Generations in celebration of the franchise's 20th anniversary, which includes a remake of the boss battle against Metal Sonic. Sonic Mania, produced for the series' twenty-fifth anniversary, features updated versions of Sonic CDs Stardust Speedway and Metallic Madness levels, including a boss battle against Metal Sonic. The 2027 film Sonic the Hedgehog 4 was initially presumed to be a film adaptation of Sonic CD's main plot after the mid-credits scene from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (2024) introduced Amy and Metal Sonic simultaneously. Jeff Fowler, director of the Sonic film series, stated he thought it "felt very cool to honor that chronology and have them simultaneously introduced". == Notes ==