Sonic The Hedgehog: The Next Level is a ROM Hack. See ROM Hacks
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[]
Sonic in Act 1, next to an Anti-Gravity switch.
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.
External Links[]
- Sonic Retro Forum Post
- Download BIN (Right-click, then select 'Save target as').