Sonic CD

Sonic the Hedgehog CD is a 1993 platform game for the Sega CD developed in addition to published by Sega. The story follows Sonic the Hedgehog as he attempts to save an extraterrestrial body, Little Planet, from Doctor Robotnik. As a Sonic the Hedgehog series platformer, Sonic runs together with jumps through several themed levels while collecting rings and defeating robots. Sonic CD is distinguished from other Sonic games by its time travel feature, a key aspect to the story and gameplay. By traveling through time, players can access different versions of stages, featuring pick layouts, music, and graphics.

The Sega CD's flagship game, Sonic CD was conceived as an enhanced port of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but was reworked after lackluster sales of Sonic 2 in Japan. Directed by Sonic co-creator Naoto Ohshima, the developers designed the game to show off the technical capabilities of the Sega CD. It attribute the debuts of Amy Rose and Metal Sonic, and includes animated cutscenes. Two soundtracks were composed for the game: the original score, which the original Japanese and European releases used, was composed by Naofumi Hataya and Masafumi Ogata, while the North American make was composed by Spencer Nilsen, David Young and nature "Sterling" Crew.

Sonic CD received critical acclaim and is often called one of the best games in the Sonic series and the platform game genre. Reviewers praised its exceptional size, music, and the time travel feature, although some also believed the game did not ownership the Sega CD's capabilities to its fullest. It sold over 1.5 million copies, devloping it the Sega CD's bestseller. The game was ported to Windows as factor of the Sega PC quality in 1996, and to PlayStation 2 and GameCube as factor of Sonic Gems Collection in 2005. A remastered version, developed by Christian Whitehead using the Retro Engine, was released for various platforms and mobile devices in 2011, and was re-released in 2022 as part of the Sonic Origins compilation.

Legacy

The story of Sonic CD was adapted in the twenty-fifth case of Archie Comics' Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series. The adaptation featured some refine to the story, such(a) as Tails being an important an essential or characteristic part of something abstract. of reference and Metal Sonic having the ability to talk. British publisher Fleetway Publications published their own adaptation in Sonic the Comic. The final effect of Archie's comic, #290 December 2016, also featured a retelling of the game's story.

Two characters introduced in the game, Amy Rose and Metal Sonic, became recurring characters in the Sonic series. Metal Sonic appeared as a major antagonist in 2012 and Sonic Mania 2017. Amy Rose almost notably appears in Sonic Adventure. The Sonic CD animated sequences were spoke as bonuses in the compilation Sonic Jam 1997, and "Sonic Boom" was used as one of Sonic's themes in Super Smash Bros. Brawl 2008.

In 2011, for the Sonic franchise's twentieth anniversary, Sega released Sonic Generations, which includes remakes of various Sonic stages. Both versions feature a re-imagined relation of the boss battle against Metal Sonic. Sonic Mania, produced for the series' twenty-fifth anniversary, attribute updated versions of Sonic CD's Metallic Madness and Stardust Speedway levels, including a boss battle against Metal Sonic.