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Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)

Sonic Team

Arcade · PC (Microsoft Windows) · PlayStation 3 · Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · Wii · Xbox 360 · iOS

3.60 from 3200 ratings

5800 members have it in their collection · 73 playing now · 561 backlogged · 198 wish listed

How long? Main story 8h · 100% 4h (from 34 logged playthroughs)

Sonic the Hedgehog is a 2D side-scrolling platformer developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Genesis/Mega Drive. Players control Sonic the Hedgehog, who can run at near supersonic speeds and sets out on a quest to defeat Dr. Robotnik, a scientist who has imprisoned animals in robots and seeks the powerful Chaos Emeralds.

Details

Developers
Sonic Team
Publishers
Sega, Tec Toy
Genres
Platform
Themes
Action, Fantasy, Science fiction
Franchises
Sonic The Hedgehog
Series
Sonic the Hedgehog
Events
Microsoft E307 Media Briefing, Microsoft E306 Media Briefing
Steam
View on Steam

Release dates

  • Jun 23, 1991 (North_America) Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
  • Jul 1991 (Europe) Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
  • Jul 26, 1991 (Japan) Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
  • 1991 (Brazil) Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
  • Jan 01, 2000 (Brazil) Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
  • May 2007 (Worldwide) Xbox 360
  • Aug 04, 2008 (North_America) Wii
  • Aug 05, 2008 (Japan) Wii
  • Sep 19, 2008 (Europe) Wii
  • May 20, 2009 (Worldwide) iOS
  • Oct 26, 2010 (Worldwide) PC (Microsoft Windows)
  • Mar 02, 2011 (Worldwide) PlayStation 3

Related

Bundled in

+29 more

Remasters

Expanded versions

Ports

Featured in lists

1990's Games by Roach · 140 games · 2
The Best Video Game Soundtracks by WerqKween · 41 games · 2
Sonic The Hedgehog by wheneverifeel · 60 games · 0
Jogos finalizados by vingador · 5 games · 0
Sega Genesis by KiingShady · 62 games · 0
Every Platformer I've played, ranked by shinespark · 133 games · 0

Rating distribution

5 stars
586
4 stars
1106
3 stars
1192
2 stars
271
1 star
45

Community All Reviews Statuses

BMO

Status BMO May 25, 2021

Sonic event incoming:

Sonic the Hedgehog gets his own digital showcase on May 27

Sonic the Hedgehog celebrates his 30th birthday this year, and a new digital showcase coming Thursday, May 27, will reveal the future of Sega’s enduring mascot. Sonic Central, described as a virtual event focused on the famous hedgehog, will feature appearances from Sega’s Sonic Team and …

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Sonic event incoming:

Sonic the Hedgehog gets his own digital showcase on May 27

Sonic the Hedgehog celebrates his 30th birthday this year, and a new digital showcase coming Thursday, May 27, will reveal the future of Sega’s enduring mascot. Sonic Central, described as a virtual event focused on the famous hedgehog, will feature appearances from Sega’s Sonic Team and unannounced special guests.

In a news release Tuesday, Sega promised to reveal “a plethora of upcoming projects, partnerships and events spanning the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and beyond” during the livestream. Sonic Central will stream at 12 p.m. EDT/9 a.m. PDT on May 27, on the official Sonic the Hedgehog YouTube and Twitch channels.

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internpepper

Status internpepper Nov 12, 2020

The one that started it all. It's my least favorite in the classic trilogy, but I can't deny its impact. I enjoy half the levels in this game while the others kind of drag for me. Best thing about this game is the soundtrack!

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Jusfei

Status Jusfei Oct 11, 2020

Played via Sonic Mega Collection on Gamecube

  • Reached Perfect Ending (Collected all 6 Chaos Emeralds)
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Reset_Tears

Status Reset_Tears Mar 16, 2020

I recently played through this classic again via the Sega Ages Switch release. Still a fun game. I actually managed to stumble upon a hidden 1-up in a secret area I never knew about before -- this sort of thing always blows my mind, since I've played the classic Sonics so many times. Some levels I enjoy more than others, …

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I recently played through this classic again via the Sega Ages Switch release. Still a fun game. I actually managed to stumble upon a hidden 1-up in a secret area I never knew about before -- this sort of thing always blows my mind, since I've played the classic Sonics so many times. Some levels I enjoy more than others, but for playing the game all together I'm finding I appreciate the variety a bit more than in past playthroughs. Not every stage needs to be full of loop-da-loops, steep hills, and winding tunnels. Trap-filled platforming stages and water-filled stages have their place too.

I made sure to collect all the Chaos Emeralds as I went along. (It wasn't as hard as I was expecting...) I have a soft spot for the Sonic 1 special stage. The song for it is strangely soothing.

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RandomArc

Status RandomArc Nov 19, 2019

After a decade or two of picking up the game and just giving up around Labyrinth Zone, I finally beat the game and got all 6 chaos emeralds - Game wasn't as satisfying as I remember it as a kid, but glad to finally have completed it SonicTheHedgehog1-Ending

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BMO

Status BMO May 29, 2019

Although the fan fix looks a little rough in spots, this trailer makes this film feel instantly more watchable. Seeing Sonic look like actual Sonic does wonders for it.

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BMO

Status BMO Apr 30, 2019

@tylerisrandom, this one is for you ;-)

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dfkennedy

Status dfkennedy Sep 28, 2018

Deep in my bones I feel it. At the very core of my being, I feel it. A desire for speed. A Need... To Go Fast

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NotRegret

Status NotRegret Jul 26, 2018

Beat it.

It's a pretty solid game. Decently challenging, not hold-right to win like newer Sonics. It's about at the level where an inexperienced kid could clear it if they worked at it. There's only a handful of moments where the game just expects you to go brain-dead while watching loop-da-loops.

I wish there were fewer slow platforming sections and …

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Beat it.

It's a pretty solid game. Decently challenging, not hold-right to win like newer Sonics. It's about at the level where an inexperienced kid could clear it if they worked at it. There's only a handful of moments where the game just expects you to go brain-dead while watching loop-da-loops.

I wish there were fewer slow platforming sections and more of the obstacle course speed challenges like in Scrap Brain Zone or Star Light Zone. Those two and Green Hill were my favorites.

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NotRegret

Status NotRegret Jul 25, 2018

I played many Sonic games before, never got very far in any of 'em; changing that now. Just recently got to the last boss and game over on him, think I got his pattern down though.

The speed control in this is really interesting. The game's essentially about controlling inertia. Sometimes it's safer to limit speed by tapping the move …

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I played many Sonic games before, never got very far in any of 'em; changing that now. Just recently got to the last boss and game over on him, think I got his pattern down though.

The speed control in this is really interesting. The game's essentially about controlling inertia. Sometimes it's safer to limit speed by tapping the move keys rather than holding down right. No spin-dash, need to build speed in advance and be aware of how long it takes to accelerate. It makes otherwise simple jumps much trickier. The game is also pretty free of gimmicks compared to later Sonics, which is a definite plus.

I hate how the bonus rounds: they're very important since you can get a whole continue from them, ontop of being able to earn 1ups, but they're annoying and last way too long so unless I'm planning to win with only the 3 starting lives I'm kind of forced to play shitty mini-games.

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tw

Status tw Apr 16, 2017

Beaten with all emeralds (Sonic Jam, NTSC-J).

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tw

Status tw Apr 3, 2017

(Sega Master System) Beaten with 3 emeralds.

(Sega Mega Drive) Beaten with all emeralds.

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minibit

Status minibit Apr 2, 2017

Cleared master system version without all emeralds

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