Sonic The Hedgehog: The Next Level

' (commonly shortened Sonic 1: The Next Level') is a ROM-hack of Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis, created by MarkeyJester with the help of others.

The hack takes place on a planet called "Gust Planet" and Sonic must get to the end of each act in typical Sonic fashion. It is a short, single-zone hack.

The end result receive acclaim from players, praised for its smooth animations and beautiful visuals.

Premise
The game lasts one zone, made up of three acts (individual stages). At the end of the first two acts, there is a traditional Sonic signpost which clears the stage when past. The final act has Sonic fight against a giant robot whilst moving freely in a zero-gravity field. Upon the robot's destruction, the game "crashes" before transitioning to a screen of text left by the creator.

Gameplay
Whilst the gameplay is built off Sonic 1, the spin dash technique from Sonic 2 can be pulled off.

Music
A very noteworthy feature of Sonic 1: The Next Level is its use of MD/Genesis conversions of 80s/90s pop and dance music for its soundtrack. Only one of the new tracks is from another video game; Sonic Labyrinth
 * "Title Screen Theme" - '20 Million Miles from Earth' by Space
 * "Gust Planet Zone Act 1" - 'It's Gonna Happen' by Wes Clarke & Maxine Hardcastle
 * "Gust Planet Zone Act 2" - 'Take It (1992)' by Alex Lee
 * "Gust Planet Zone Act 3" - 'Treacle' by I-Level
 * "Invincibility Theme" - 'Reach to the Top' by Rapina Bros
 * "Super Sneakers Theme" - Bonus Stage, Sonic Labyrinth
 * "Act 3 Boss Theme" - 'M-Power' by DJ Mayhem
 * "Bonus, Unused Boss Theme" - 'Treacle' by I-Level [Remix]
 * "Stage Clear" - Stage Clear, Sonic the Hedgehog

Trivia

 * Sonic's smooth walking cycle is similar to the one seen in Sonic Mania.
 * The project was the result of the creator, MarkeyJester, not being able to finish a planned homebrew for a homebrew contest. This hack was created and submitted instead.
 * On that note, this hack apparently took around 3 months to complete in order to meet the deadline.