SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
For Sega Game Gear
FAQ/Walkthrough by William Walker
1. Introduction
This FAQ/walkthrough is copyright William Walker, begun January 5, 2003. If you
want to use it on your site, e-mail me first, it is probably alright. Do not
use it for commercial gain or plagiarize part of it. Thank you.
I am back into the swing of FAQ writing. My first FAQ in a long time was for
the Game Gear version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Writing it was great fun, so I
decided to go ahead with my plan of writing a FAQ/walkthrough for every Sonic
game in my collection. That's a lot of games! I already have a FAQ for this
game posted on game sages, it was written by me some time ago. I'd like to add
this one to the site, replace the old one, or update it. I hope this does not
cause any confusion. Anyway, I hope that it gets posted on game sages.
Sega Game Gear was a portable system that ran on batteries but could be hooked
up to an adapter. Almost all of my Sega Game Gear games are in the Sonic the
Hedgehog series, one of my all-time favorites. Sonic the Hedgehog was the first
Sonic game released for Game Gear, and was the only one that followed a Genesis
game closely. There is no numeral 1 in the game's name, but it gets that
because there was a Sonic 2 released for Game Gear. This is not my favorite
Sonic game for Game Gear, since it takes too much from the Genesis version, but
it is very simple, so I decided to write a FAQ for it before moving on to more
complicated games. It is a fun game, and very easy to play, not as challenging
as Sonic 2. I still enjoyed it when I played it to write this FAQ/walkthrough.
I hope you enjoy it too.
If you want to e-mail me, either to compliment my work, suggest changes, or
mention something I missed, by all means, do so! It reminds me other people
still play this game which was released 12 years ago, and I love getting
e-mails! Just specify what you want in your e-mail, and no ads or stupid
e-mails, thank you. My e-mail address is: [email protected] .
2. Controls and Basic Gameplay
Sonic the Hedgehog 1 has the same story as the Genesis version. Dr. Robotnik
the mad scientist wants to conquer the world with his own robots and by
enslaving the animals of Sonic's island. The only person who can stop him is
you, Sonic the Hedgehog, a rolling, speedy character who is the star of every
Sonic game. Tails, the two-tailed fox who is Sonic's sidekick, is not in this
game.
Not a very engaging story, but it works nevertheless.
Sonic 1 has six main levels. Each level is divided into three areas. Unlike
other games, levels are not called zones and areas not called acts, so I simply
use the terms level and area in this game. If I say the word act accidentally,
you know what I mean. Three levels are borrowed from the Genesis version of
this game. There is a map in the game but it just shows where you're going
between the levels. Levels 1-3 use one map, 4-6 use another map, but it has no
effect on the game. Areas 1 and 2 of each level are generally longer, have more
power-ups and secrets, than area 3. Area 3 is fairly short, has no rings, and
ends in a boss battle.
Areas 1 and 2 of most levels have rings. Rings are your sustenance in this
game: as long as you have any rings, you cannot die from a normal hit, although
getting hit makes you lose all your rings. You can, however, die at any time by
falling off the screen or drowning. Unlike other games, you cannot recover any
rings when hit. There are less rings in this game than in other Sonic games,
generally speaking, so be careful. Area 3 has no rings so any hit will kill
you, unless you have a Shield (see a little later on about power-ups). If you
lose all your lives, your game is over unless you have continues.
Sonic is a very simple game to control. Use the directional pad to run left or
right, and down to duck. Pressing down while running will make you roll into a
ball, which is one way to defeat your enemies. The other way is by jumping onto
or into them. Buttons 1 and 2 make you jump, and start pauses/un-pauses the
game.
At the end of each level is a turnstile. Touch it to clear the level. After
each level you score 100 points per ring in your possession and a time bonus
depending on how quickly you finished the level (there is table to determine
how much you get but I won't bother listing it here). You also get 100 points
for each enemy you defeat, and 1000 for each boss you defeat. In addition, you
may get another bonus, depending on what is on the turnstile:
Robotnik - The most common thing on the turnstile. You get nothing at all.
! - You get this for finishing area 1 or 2 of zones 1-4 with 50 or more rings.
It means you get to play a bonus stage between areas. See section 5 for
information about bonus stages.
A ring - This appears sometimes when your ring total is divisible by 10. It is
worth 10 rings.
Sonic's face - This sometimes appears when you had trouble with an area. It is
worth an extra life.
You get a free life every 50,000 points you get. Also in the levels, you can
find various power-ups. All of them except the chaos emeralds look like
monitors. Jump on them or roll into them to collect them. here's what you can
get:
Super Ring - This looks like a ring. It is worth 10 rings.
Shield - This looks like a strange blue dot. It surrounds you until the next
time you get hit. When you get hit, you lose the Shield, but no rings or life.
Additional shields will have no effect, though.
Speed Shoes - This looks like a red shoe. It gives you a temporary speed boost.
This power-up is rare; there is only one or two in the game to my knowledge.
Invincibility - This looks like a few stars. It gives temporary invincibility
to all physical damage. This power-up is rare, there are only two in the game
to my knowledge.
1-UP - This looks like Sonic's face. It is worth an extra life. There is one,
and only one, of these in all areas, including area 3. This does not reappear
when you lose a life.
Continue Point - This looks like an arrow pointing down. It allows you to
restart where you hit this power-up if you should die later in the area.
Continue Box - This is only found in the bonus stage. It is worth a continue,
three extra lives after you run out of lives.
Chaos Emerald - This does not, unlike other power-ups, look like a monitor with
something on it. Instead, it looks like a flashing blue diamond. There is one,
and only one, in every level. It is not necessary to collect to finish the
game, but provides bonus points at the en of the game, and gives you a little
better ending if you collect all six. These are well hidden but read on to find
out where!
That about does it for the basic gameplay. Remember that Sonic 1 is a simple
game, and most of the elements will come to you once you start playing.
3. General Tips
-Avoid getting hit. Getting hit in this game is more damaging than other Sonic
games, since you cannot recollect any of your lost rings. Also, you get knocked
back quite far when hit, so in some areas getting hit can result in you falling
off the screen to your doom.
-If you collect 100 rings in this game, you go back to 0, and you get awarded
with a 1-UP. Due to the fact that there are less rings in this game than other
Sonic games, this is only possible in two regular areas: Area 1 of Green Hill
and Area 1 of Bridge. Also remember that it is usually not in your best
interest to do so, as you give up an opportunity to enter a bonus stage where
you could get a free continue.
-Master Sonic's movement as quickly as possible. Sonic can have a lot of
momentum at some times, although sometimes you don't want momentum at all. Get
comfortable jumping and rolling as these skills are important in the later
levels.
-At each an every turnstile, it is possible to get an extra bonus of 10, 100,
1000 or even 10,000 points. To get this bonus run up to the turnstile and hit
it, then stop quickly. The higher the turnstile goes up in the air, the more
points you get. However, if you don't stop immediately, or slide too far to the
right, you get nothing. It is hard to master when to stop, but I want you to
know how to do this, and not be in too much of a hurry to clear the turnstile.
-If you want a high score, collect all the chaos emeralds and enter the bonus
stage as much as possible. Also, get proficient at the bonus stage to earn lots
of points (advice for each bonus stage is in section 5) and continues. Getting
a high score is not necessary, but fun to try and about all there is to do once
you've cleared this game a few times.
-Don't take the game too seriously or get over stressed. Sonic 1 is not a
particularly hard game, but you may have some trouble with it if you are a
novice gamer or unfamiliar with Sonic. If you are having trouble with a section
try turning the game off, regrouping, and then trying it again later. This game
was meant for light entertainment, nothing more seriously, so don't get too
worried.
-There is no level select in this game, so you cannot skip the early levels if
you wanted to; get used to playing them instead.
And, without further deliberation...
4. Walkthrough
This walkthrough does not give detailed, step by step advice for every level,
especially the simple, linear levels. Some of the more complicated levels it
can be difficult to write a walkthrough for. This is true of many Sonic games,
due to the various paths and secrets which make Sonic games so much fun. I hope
you appreciate my best efforts and I hope you do not get frustrated.
4a. Green Hill
The rolling, lush lowlands of Sonic's island are your first stop. This level
and its music are borrowed from the Genesis version of Sonic 1, but the music
isn't as intense (the music for the Genesis game was awesome). It is very easy,
and should not be a challenge for you. Note that I refer to 1-UPS as the,
because gthere is always one and only one in each area, even area 3.
Area 1
This level is very linear. Just go right as far as possible. You'll encounter a
few enemies on the way. Get used to jumping and rolling and collect any
power-ups you see. There is an invincibility and Speed Shoes here, rare
power-ups. The only parts that are a little tricky are the moving platforms
over spikes. Just aim your jumps well and take your time and you'll do just
fine. After the third spike pit, you are almost home. Just a little further
right and you'll find the goal. The 1-UP is located in the second tree after
the first spike pit. Hit it from below to knock it down. If you finish with 50
or more rings, you will play a bonus stage; see section 5 for details in the
future whenever you finish an area in levels 1-4 with 50 or more rings.
Area 2
Go right and you'll drop into an underground area. Collect the Shield to the
left and go right and drop down. You can collect a Super Ring here. Once on the
bottom, you'll be in shallow water. Jump into the wall on the left - it hides a
secret passage that leads to a room containing the 1-UP. Take it and go right
through the pools of water. Don't touch the spikes on the ceiling and defeat
the enemies in the water. Farther right, jump out of the water and you come to
a spring. Jump over it as it will bounce you back to the left, but bounce on
the second spring. It will spring you up, and you can go right to a Continue
Point. From the Continue Point, jump up to the left. You'll see a spring on the
ground but ignore it for now and go left into the tunnel. Go left as far as
possible, then drop down. You'll see another waterfall to your left but go
right and get the chaos emerald first! Drop down the left to fall back to a
location you were before.
Retrace your steps right, to the Continue Point. This time, jump on the spring
up and left of it. on this higher level, go left. Jump over the first drop you
see. Jump on the spring to be propelled through the ceiling. It may be worth
your while to go left and get the Super Ring first. Back on the ground, go left
to a Super Ring, then right. You come to a cliff but wait for a moving platform
to come an ride it across. Falling down will take you back to near the Continue
Point. Once on the right side, go right down some steps. When you come to a
hill, roll down. You'll fly off the ramp at the bottom. Press no buttons and
you'll fly over some spikes (rolling off the ramp is the only way to get across
them) to the goal.
Area 3
Go right. Jump over the first hole you see, it has spikes in it. drop down the
second hole. At the bottom is a spring to boost you back up and a 1-UP to the
right. Take it, bounce back up, and go right for a while. Eventually you come
to the boss. The boss is very easy. He flies back and forth above you for a
while, then lowers down and tries to ram you. the ramming attack is difficult
to avoid but it is easy to defeat him before he does it. Jump and hit him eight
times to beat him and go right to a prison egg. Jump on it to destroy it and
save some animals. On to the next level!
4b. Bridge
This is an unusual level. It is very linear - just make your way to the right -
but will be a somewhat difficult test of your jumping skills. You must cross
these area via land masses, bridges, and moving platforms. Good luck!
Area 1
Just go right. I shouldn't even write anything, since this level is very
simple. Watch out for the piranhas that jump from the river below. Don't bother
trying to beat them. The enemies with spikes on their backs are only vulnerable
to a roll attack. Falling in the river will make you lose a life. Some bridges
- the flat ones - will collapse when you step on them. Just run across as
quickly as possible. There are a few moving platforms to handle as well. Avoid
hitting a nasty sideways spring about halfway to 2/3 through the level - it
will knock you to your death. Also you will find two catapults. Jump on the
side without the weight and remember, only try to land on wherever you're
trying to land on the second bounce. The first bounce isn't high enough. The
first catapult is needed to scale a wall, while the second can be used to get
the 1-UP. It's on the tall land mass to the right.
The chaos emerald in this area is in plain sight, but is one of the hardest in
the game to get. It's on a seemingly impossible to reach low ledge. The only
way to reach it is to walk onto the first part of the bridge to the right. As
it collapses, stay on it until it is about halfway down to the bottom of the
screen, then jump off to the left and hopefully you'll make it to the emerald.
It takes nerves of steel.
Area 2
This is an interesting area with something I haven't seen in any other Sonic
game: forced scrolling. It is a little difficult but not too bad. The back of
the screen will push you to the right, and you cannot advance any faster than
the screen scrolls. Don't stay on the far right of the screen, as there are
hidden enemies who will come out from the right and you need time to react to
them. Don't linger too far to the left either, though, because you need to be
able to fall back if necessary. To cross the collapsing bridges, I recommend
simply making a long jump over them. You can also run across them, but be sure
the other side is in sight before you do so. The only catapult in this level
can be used to reach a Continue Point on the land mass to the right, but it is
tricky - you must jump on as soon as it comes into view or you won't have
enough time due to the scrolling screen. If you miss, you are fine, but you'll
need to quickly climb up a series of ledges to the right before the screen gets
there. Right after this, you see the 1-UP floating in the water. To get it and
survive, jump on it and HOLD THE BUTTON DOWN. You will bounce high off it,
hopefully high enough to land on the stable bridge to the right. The goal is on
the far right, obviously.
Area 3
The 1-UP is right behind you when you begin. Take it and go right, over the
long collapsing bridge, to the boss. This boss is easy. He'll come up on either
side, wait a second, then fire off three fireballs from either side of his ship
at you. The side he fires at is the side you're on. To beat him, jump on him
and hold the button down. You will bounce high off him and can keep bouncing up
and down. The fireballs should miss as long as you're bouncing straight up and
down on his head. You can hit him about three times before he goes back down.
Stay in the middle when he goes down so he can't come up under you. Eight hits
will defeat him and you can destroy another prison egg.
4c. Jungle
This level is substantially harder and its areas longer than the previous ones,
and will test your jumping abilities a lot more.
Area 1
Go right and climb up the series of ledges. Keep going right until you come to
a green vine. Cross it and go right for a while; this section isn't that hard.
If you take the low route you can find a Shield. Eventually you come to a
waterfall. There are some platforms on this waterfall that you can use to go
right and up. It is trickier than it looks. At the top, climb onto two high
platforms. The 1-UP is on the highest platform to the left. Take it if
possible. If you fall, you'll land on a log right above the river below. Go
right either way. The low road is harder than the high road, since it has a
spiked part of the log you must carefully jump over, and a moving platform with
a piranha that jumps from beneath the river in the middle. The high road has a
vine you can use to easily cross this ravine. After a while you come to the
first Continue Point; if you took the low road you'll have to climb up a little
bit to reach it.
To the right is another waterfall. You see a very small log floating down it
and a wider moving platform to the right. Use these to cross the waterfall. The
jumps, especially to the log, are tricky. Falling will kill you. Once on the
other side be very careful of that spring; it will send you to your death. Jump
over it and keep going right. You come to a platform going in a half circle.
Use it to cross the pit. Next you come to a barrel floating in the water. Walk
on it and go right. You can't fall off the barrel and it will carry you across
the pool of water. Be careful of jumping piranhas though. On the other side,
you come to a long log. Jump over the spiked parts and avoid the enemies. You
come to another waterfall with a log floating down it, but don't be in a hurry
to cross. Instead, drop straight down off the ledge. You should land on a
platform above the river. From here go left. Walk off the ledge and land on the
barrel floating in the river (this area is somewhat hidden). Walk left on the
barrel to find the chaos emerald.
Take it and go right (on the water). When you see a spring above you, jump off
the barrel and hit the spring. It will propel you up to a Super Ring. To the
right is a waterfall with a very difficult series of jumps. You must cross
several small ledges and floating logs, aiming your jump exactly at the next
place you must land. It is quite hard, and you may lose a few lives here before
you get across. Once on the other side, jump on the moving platform going in a
half circle. You then come to a Continue Point. Still farther right is a vine.
Jump on it and roll down. There is a ramp at the bottom which will send you
flying up if you are rolling. Once on this higher level, go right, cross two
pools of water via barrels (no piranhas to worry about here) and you are done.
Area 2
This area is pure skill, so a walkthrough won't help much. You will be heading
up in this level, instead of right. Luckily, if you miss a jump you'll
hopefully fall onto a lower level and not off the screen. The whole area is a
huge waterfall with wooden platforms and logs. Some of the platforms move, or
drop when you touch them. The ones that drop require you to jump quickly.
Power-ups and rings are tucked away to the sides. This area might take a few
tries to fully negotiate, especially when you get higher up and there are a lot
of spikes. There is a Continue Point about halfway up; that should help. Before
the Continue Point, the 1-UP is tucked away on the right side. You cannot get
it from below; you must make a difficult jump or two over a spiked log to reach
it from the left. The goal is at the very top, obviously.
Area 3
At the start, jump into the pool of water to the right to get the 1-UP. The
1-UP is in the pool of water, but getting back out is rather tricky, and
requires a running start. You can keep trying as long as you wish though. If
you have died on this level already don't bother jumping into the pool. Anyway
climb up a series of vines to the boss. This is the only really tough boss in
the game. You'll be fighting on a curved vine with a dip in the center. He'll
fly back and forth above you. Quickly hit him about two times before he drops a
blue energy orb on the vine. It will roll back and forth so you must avoid it
and hit him at the same time. The best way is to make a short jump over it (if
you make a full jump, you may hit Robotnik and bounce back down into the orb)
and look for opportunities to hit him and land to the side of the orb. Waiting
until the orb loses momentum and starts rolling slowly before hitting him is a
good idea. The orb eventually will explode, but he'll just drop another one.
Don't touch the orb or fall off the vine! Eight hits will defeat him. Make sure
not to fall as you jump to the right where the prison egg is.
4d. Labyrinth
This level and many of its enemies and obstacles are borrowed from Genesis. It
is a large underwater maze which can be rather difficult to get through, but
not that bad. When you're underwater you need air unlike most games; if you go
too long without air, a countdown will appear above your head. If it ticks down
to 0, you drown and die. To replenish air, jump out of the water or gulp a
large bubble. Bubbles come from visible spots on the floor and you sometimes
have to wait by one a few seconds before a big bubble appears. You also move a
lot slwoer when underwater.
Area 1
Go right down the water slide. You'll land in a large, underwater area with a
Shield, a few rings, some ceiling spikes, and one enemy near the Shield. Don't
press any buttons as you go off the water slide or you might accidentally hit
the enemy and die immediately, since you have no rings. Jump on the left
spring, take the Shield, and go left through a corridor. Drop down the shaft on
the left. At the bottom is a lighter place on the floor. It is actually a
moving platform that will take you back up if you stand on it. Don't bother,
though. To the left is a vent (a place where bubbles appear). Take a bubble to
refill your air. Then go right. Drop down the first gap you come to but hang to
the left. Make sure you hit the Continue Point. Drop down further and go right.
Be sure to take a breath of air at the vent on the bottom. The steps leading up
and right lead to a Super Ring, not worth it and hard to get without running
out of air.
Further right are two spears. Jump over them when they go down, although if
you're in a hurry, you can jump over them when they are extended. Get another
bubble at the vent (you should always do this, even if you don't need air at
the moment) and stand on the light spot to the right. It is a platform which
will take you up. As you go up hold left, the platform will smash into spikes
so get off quickly. Ride another platform up through a shaft with rings in it.
It, too will smash into spikes so get off to the left when possible. Climb the
steps and go right. You will likely be running short on air now, so quickly go
right, climb up, and jump out of the water. To the left is a Super Ring guarded
by a rotating spiked ball. Once out of the water on the right, go left up the
small hill. Don't get the Super Ring on the ledge above. Instead, hit the
switch on the left one time. This will turn the Super Ring into a 1-UP! Take it
and go right to the goal. If you hit the switch twice by accident, hit it a
third time.
Area 2
Go right but watch out for the enemy. Get on the water slide. On the second
slide, if you time a jump off it correctly, you can access a secret area with a
lot of rings and a Shield. It is hard to time, though. After sliding down the
slide, jump over the hole in the floor. That is the right way to go, but if you
jump over it, you can get a Super Ring to the left. To the right beneath the
slide are ten rings guarded by an enemy. Anyway, drop down the hole in the
floor to proceed. At the bottom is a spring you can use to get back up if you
want. Go right and down the corridor, but watch out for two rotating spiked
balls (they rotate around the blue orbs). At the bottom is a vent sitting on a
plateau, with ways going down left and right. Right is the way to the goal but
take the left path now. At the bottom is a platform you can use to get back up
(these regenerate if you accidentally set it off, in case you were worried).
Further left is a long corridor that ends in the 1-UP. You must roll to get it
to avoid hitting the spikes on the ceiling. Behind the 1-UP is a spring that
will send you back to the right. Go back up the shaft via the platform, take
another breath at the vent, and go right now.
Your path will be blocked by a spear. Jump over it when it retracts. Hit the
Continue Point and climb up the stairs. You will have to worry about two
gargoyle statues to the left that spit bullets at you. Climb up quickly as you
probably need air now. At the top jump over the spikes to the right, where you
come to a vent. Refill your lungs and continue going right. Watch out for two
more gargoyle statues as you descend the steps. At the bottom right corner is a
platform that will take you up. Like most of these platforms, it will hit
ceiling spikes so jump off when you can. Go left. Knock out the enemy to the
left before you take a breath from the vent.
Keep going left. When you see a few steps, stop momentarily. Wait for a
rotating spiked ball to fly past you before climbing up. At the top of the
steps is an Invincibility. Don't bother getting it; air is critical right now.
Go right and you come to an area with four gargoyle heads and ledges on
alternate sides. At the top is the top of the water. Climb this shaft slowly,
not rushing, waiting until a bullet passes you before making your next jump.
Don't worry about your ticking timer; if you get hit you will get knocked back
down and very likely won't make it. When and if you get to the top, you are
almost done. Just go left (out of the water) and climb some small ledges. At
the top left of this area is the chaos emerald in plain sight. Just take it,
this one is really easy to find. Then go right to the goal.
Area 3
Although all of this area is underwater, you have no need to breathe here,
what-so-ever! Just go right and after a while you come to the boss. If you jump
on the spring on the floor, you can access a corridor leading left on the top.
It leads to the 1-UP. It has many floor and ceiling spikes. Jumping over them
is very hard because of the low ceiling and/or nearby ceiling spikes. It
probably isn't worth bothering with, since you need to come all the way out
after you make it to the 1-UP.
This boss is somewhat difficult to defeat. When you begin he appears out of the
chasm in the middle of the room. Don't hit him now; you will be unable to
bounce back to land. He will release two fireballs. As long as you don't jump
and aren't at the edge of the ledge you're on, they won't hit you. Stay on the
left side throughout this battle. He will go back down, than appear above you.
Hit him two or three times from below before he drops a small torpedo that
moves toward you and semi-homes in on you. To avoid the torpedo, go to the far
left, as far left as possible. When the torpedo stops floating down and starts
moving towards you, jump over it. If you try to jump over to the right, there's
a good chance you'll hit Robotnik and bounce down into the chasm. Then he goes
back up, and appears on the right. Stay right where you are and jump over the
torpedo as it comes toward you. Then the whole thing repeats. Eight hits.
4e. Scrap Brain
This level is also borrowed from the Genesis version of this game. However, in
the Genesis version this was the last zone of the game, and it got very
difficult and frantic, as do most final zones of Sonic games. Here, this level,
which is set in a city/factory of some sort, is rather easy, and has a very odd
area 3. The key to completing this level easily is to go slowly. By the way,
just so you know, from now on you will not enter a bonus stage, even if you
complete an area with 50 rings or more. Also, there are no Continue Points from
now on.
Area 1
This area is straightforward - just go right. You will encounter obstacles such
as holes in the ceiling which shoot a jet of flame, and objects on the floor
which light up and shoot out an electric current to either side if them. Don't
rush and you'll have to trouble getting by them. The spiked caterpillar enemies
can be defeated by rolling into their heads. There are two conveyor belts over
a pit about halfway through. Avoid falling into the pits, as they lead to
death. The conveyor belts can be a little tricky but aren't too hard to master.
I recommend against trying to get the 1-UP. It is in plain sight, but is on a
conveyor belt, and will slide into the pit unless you get it very fast. Often
you may fall off the screen, or get it and then fall off the screen. I advise
not going for it but if you want to be sure you can act very quickly. There are
a few doors here. Most just open when you walk near them but one needs a switch
to open. The switch is just to the left; hit it once.
Area 2
This area is one of the longest in the game. Okay - go right, jumping over the
three death pits, and go into the building. Go through a long hallway with a
few petty obstacles. You come to a large area where you have to climb up using
conveyor belts. This can be hard - the belts will quickly fling you in one
direction if you run in the same direction they run, and can slow you down
drastically if you run against them. You will probably fall a few times here;
just take it slow, memorize where the belts are, and avoid the flame-shooting
holes recessed into the walls. The main path is at the top right, but there is
a Super Ring at the top left. Eventually you should make it out and can go
right. You'll come to a drop with rings in it. Drop down. Beware since once you
drop down here, there are no more rings from now on. To your left is the 1-UP,
but it's behind a one-way door. You will get it later. Go right for now.
You come to a fork in the path. Take the top route. You come to a doorway; go
through it to enter a new part of this area. Climb the steep hill to the right.
You will come to three holes. The first two lead to death and must be jumped
over. Jump when the flame hole above them is not shooting a jet of flame, of
course. However, drop into the third hole you'd ordinarily avoid. It is a
well-concealed hidden passageway. At the bottom of the third hole is a spring;
avoid hitting that and go right, through a door, to a teleport. Jump in to be
teleported to another location. Go left and get the chaos emerald. You go
through a one-way door that prevents you from getting the emerald the other
way. Now climb up the series of ledges. On the way up you encounter two pink
enemies who look like teddy bears. Don't be put off by their looks; given time
they will release a crystal ball that will bounce down the ledges, so take them
out quickly if possible. At the top, go left and bounce on the spring.
You now come to a switch, and two doors. Touch the switch ONE TIME. This will
open the door on the left and close the door on the right. You will now go on a
long and twisty route that eventually leads back to this location, but gets you
in between the two doors from above. By hitting the switch first you open the
way to the left (which leads to the goal) but block yourself from going any
further, since you can't slip under the right door before it closes. Now, get
ready for some big backtracking. Go back down the ledges, over the three holes,
down the hill, through the large doorway, all the way back to the fork you were
at before. This time, take the low route. You go through another doorway. Now,
go right, down the hill. At the bottom is a teddy bear enemy. You can either
jump in the sheer drop to your right, or go left and down further. The path
left is the way to the goal but for now take the sheer drop.
You will fall past several passages on both sides and at the bottom, will have
a choice of two ways to go. Right leads nowhere, but go left and get in the
teleport. You will come to the 1-UP; get it and go right to the fork. Take the
bottom route again. This time, don't take the drop. Instead, go down several
levels. Just keep going down, beating the enemies as you go, but don't jump in
the drop to your right. After a while you come to a cross-shaped passageway,
with the drop forming the vertical part of the cross. You will approach it from
the left and must jump across to the right side. It is a somewhat difficult
jump. Once across, go in the teleport and you'll come to the place where you
were before; but this time, if you hit the switch before like you were supposed
to, you can go left. You come to a tricky area with conveyor belts, electric
devises, and flame holes on the ceiling. Take it very slowly (especially if you
have no rings) and take the conveyor belts across (that's the safest route).
Time your jumps to avoid the flame holes. Once you make it to the left, enter
the door, and follow the remaining path to the goal (I don't think this
requires a detailed walkthrough).
Area 3
This is a very unique area 3 in that it does have rings, and has NO boss! Also,
except for a few pits at the beginning and a few electric devices, there is
nothing done to harm you. Alright! Go right, jump over the pits, and enter the
door. The whole rest of the area is a maze of springs and one-way doors. Here's
the directions. Go right. Ignore the first spring you come to. Drop down the
hole. At the bottom, go right. Avoid the electric device. Bounce on the spring
and go left. Hit the next spring (don't go left through the one-way door). Go
left at the top. Hit the spring (don't go left) and at the top, go right. Hit
the spring instead of going right. At the top, go right and hit the next spring
as well. Now you come to a fork. Going right leads to the 1-UP. If you take it,
you'll have to retrace your steps back up. Go left over a conveyor belt. Jump
over the hole (if you go down it and go left, you'll get a Super Ring and fall
back to the start). Jump over the switch (it closes a door right ahead - if you
hit it by mistake, hit it again to re-open the door). Jump on the spring and go
right to meet Robotnik. Chase him and he'll escape on a moving platform. Jump
on it yourself after he gets away and you are done.
4f. Sky Base
Since this is the last level, don't expect it to be any pushover. You will need
to use all the jumping and maneuvering skills you've learned so far if you want
to make it through here.
Area 1
This area isn't as hard as area 2, since it does have rings. However, the major
menace in this area comes from a large system of electric chargers throughout
the area. When lightning strikes, electric current will go between them. It
only is active for a second, but that is enough to harm you severely unless you
find a safe spot. The lines will blink right before the lightning strikes; use
that as an early warning if possible. Also, this area has very difficult
obstacles and enemies, and of course, falling off the screen must be avoided at
all costs.
Okay, go right. Jump over the pits and get used to the electric system. After a
few shocks, you should have it down. After a short while, you come to a large,
flat area. This area will charge with electricity when lightning strikes, so
you must cross it quickly, without stopping to get the Shield. Wait until
lightning strikes and the system goes off before proceeding. You will encounter
two enemies who explode when you go near them, sending shrapnel in all
directions. Jump over the one on the bottom (they are invincible). On the other
side, jump over the orange guy surrounded by spikes; he too is invincible. Now
you come to a large pit you can't jump across, so you must climb up on some
metal platforms. Climb quickly since electricity will go over the first two
when lightning strikes. The third is safe. When jumping to the ledge on the
right be very careful; there is a cannon on it that will fire four fireballs up
and left. Aim your jump so you land on the edge of the ledge - you are safe
there. Get by the cannon and get the Super Ring.
To your right is an area with floating metal platforms. Cross them but watch
out for electricity. Look ahead to see which platforms area safe (the one with
four rings above it is safe) and proceed slowly. At the other side, make a long
jump to the right to ensure you jump over a cannon on the ground right after
the platforms. To the right will be two more cannons. Run by them after they
fire. The second one has a pit behind it. After the cannons come two electric
currents you must pass by between strikes. There is also a bomb guy here. Stand
a good distance away from him and hopefully the shrapnel will miss you. If you
get hit, there are eight rings here, also.
To the right is a yellow-and-black striped platform. It will move when you jump
on it. Jump on it as, or right before, lightning strikes. This way you will
float by the current when it is not active. Jump onto the next platform and
ride it right. This platform is a free ride, but after it stops, go down a
series of ledges. At the bottom is the 1-UP. Take it and go back up again. Now
you must climb another series of metal platforms. You see a yellow-and-black
striped platform at the top but to reach it, you must get by the cannon to the
left. It is tougher than it looks and hit will very likely send you careening
to your doom. Make the jump quickly and get on the platform. Now you see two
platforms to the right which move vertically. Use them to get to the metal
ledge above you. Go right to the goal.
Area 2
The stakes are higher here. There are no rings here so any hit means instant
death. There is a normal path through this area, but this walkthrough takes you
along the secret path, which gets the 1-UP and chaos emerald. The music here
gets on your nerves, and the area constantly sways down and up. Okay, you're on
Robotnik's flying battleship, and you see a ladder to your right. Instead, jump
to your left at the start. This is seemingly jumping into oblivion but, about
one platform length to the left is a yellow-and-black striped platform, just
below your sight. Hopefully you will land on it and can ride it right. This is
very cunningly concealed and it took me a while to find it. Okay, ride the
platform right and you come to a ladder. Climbing it leads to the 1-UP. It is
easy to get but difficult to get back down to the platform. There is also a
cannon just to the right of it. If this isn't your first try at this area,
don't bother with it.
Anyway, jump on the platform at the bottom of the ladder and ride it right. You
will have to jump on a series of platforms. Around here are two or three
cannons that rotate forty-five degrees, shoot two fireballs, and rotate another
forty-five degrees clockwise. Depending on the position they are in when you go
through here, they may not scratch you, or shoot you despite your best efforts
to dodge them. This can be frustrating; just ride the platforms as best you can
to the right. Once you leave the cannons behind, stay on the platform and
eventually you see a vertically moving platform ahead of you. Jump onto it
(harder than it looks). At the top of the vertical platform's motion, jump to
the left. The screw is not solid, mind you. You will get the chaos emerald.
Further left is a chain that you can walk under.
Now you see two machine guns to the left. They shoot out bullets that go
straight right. When the one on the top fires, jump onto it. You are safe on
top of it. Note that there is another machine gun further to the left. From on
top of the second gun, wait for a bullet to go below you, then go left and past
the final machine gun. The final obstacle is a cannon on the ground. Run by it
after it fires and enter the door. You will enter the battleship and are at the
goal.
Area 3
If you cleared area 2 without dying, you'll get one final 1-UP at the beginning
of this area. Roll down the hill to the right to fight the final battle. It is
far too easy. Robotnik will be to your right, behind a panel. You must hit the
panel twelve times. You have a great opportunity to hit him at the beginning.
His only attacks are the three flame shootings on the floor, which shoot up
jets of flame in this order: left, right, middle. You can hit him with any one
active but it's easiest with the left one firing. He also jumps periodically,
which causes the thing at the top to create an energy ball. The ball floats
down and homes in on you, but if you stay to the far left, it will overshoot
and go off the screen. You are invincible on the far left. You can either try
to get in all your hits quickly, or slowly, taking advantage of brief
opportunities to sneak a hit in. Just be patient - you have all the time in the
world. After hitting the panel twelve times, it will break, and Robotnik will
run away. Follow him and he jumps into a teleport and disappears. Jump in
yourself. Congratulations, you have completed Sonic the Hedgehog!!
Ending
The ending isn't much to brag about but it is decent. Robotnik is flying
through Green Hill, when after a while, Sonic falls and hits him from above.
After destroying Robotnik, if you got all six chaos emeralds, you throw them up
into the air, and they go out from Sonic's island in a ring. Then you get your
end-of-game bonus points: 20,000 per chaos emerald, 5000 per life remaining,
and a special bonus. I'm not sure what decides how much special bonus you get.
Then the credits play, and that's about it.
Gee, Sonic 1 wasn't actually that tough. Here are a few extra challenges you
can try to meet: Can you beat the game without getting hit? Without losing a
life? Enter all eight bonus stages? Get every 1-UP? How quickly can you beat
it? How high a score can you get?
5. Bonus Stage
This is what to do if you really want to send your score through the moon. You
can play a bonus stage every time you complete an area of levels 1-4 with 50 or
more rings. That's eight total chances you have to enter bonus stage. There are
four bonus stages. The first time you enter the bonus stage (no matter which
area in the regular game you've cleared) you play bonus stage 1. The second
time you play bonus stage 2, and so forth. After bonus stage 4, you go back to
bonus stage 1, and go through them again. However, the first time you play a
bonus stage, you have two minutes to complete it, the second time, only one,
and there are a few more moving platforms to get in your way.
The bonus stage is played just like the regular game. You try to go through a
large area of springs, bumpers and bouncy poles. Some bonus stages have almost
no plain floor. You get 10 points each time you hit a pop bumper, although
after a while, bumpers stop giving points. If you make it to the goal before
time runs out, you get 100 points per ring in your possession, but no time
bonus. You also get a continue if you collected the Continue power-up in the
bonus stage. If you run out of time, though, you get nothing. You get 200
points per ring the second bonus stage you complete. This means, that if you
played all eight bonus stages, and had 90 rings in your possession at the end
of the eighth one, you would get 72,000 points just like that. Some bonus
stages also have 1-UPS. Here is a short guide for each bonus stage:
Bonus stage 1: In this bonus stage, you'll be bouncing almost all the time
around springs. The only ground here is at the beginning and end. Collect as
many rings as possible, getting over 100 if possible to get a 1-UP. Note that
by doing this, though, you reduce your total to 0, reducing your score at the
end. Take it slowly to get the rings, and also to avoid losing control. The
bouncy poles can be bounced over or under. The second time through, you'll need
to be more quick to avoid running out of time (which is a lousy, lousy thing).
There are also a few bouncy moving platforms here, along with a clean row of
springs on the bottom. The moving platforms actually get in your way a little.
Once you bounce over the last pole on the right, you'll fall down to the goal
area. Once you go down, you can't go back up. The Continue power-up is in plain
sight over the last pole. Collect it as you go over it. This bonus stage has no
1-UP, however.
Bonus stage 2: This one is a bit more twisty. Okay, in the first area there are
a lot of pop bumpers, with rings between them, but only one spring on the
floor. Use it to bounce back up, but you can't collect every single ring; don't
even try. The Continue along with eight rings is on a ledges above the floor.
Bounce onto it using the bumpers. Once you drop down to the right, you'll have
a long hallway to the left, with pop bumpers in the top half of it. Far to the
left is a drop down. That leads to the goal. However, if you can bounce along
the pop bumpers to the left, which is very hard, you can eventually get a 1-UP.
This requires hitting each bumper accurately so you bounce off it the right
way, and retaining control of yourself above all. There are a lot of rings here
but they are hard to get. If you fall out of the bumpers, there is a spring on
the left you can use to bounce back up. You can keep trying to make it to the
1-UP until time gets low or you give up.
Bonus stage 3: This stage can get rather bizarre. The key thing to remember is
to STAY IN CONTROL OF YOURSELF! It is very hard, especially in the second half,
with a lot of pop bumpers. However, if you can do it, you should get a good
result. If you lose control - as you usually do at some time for another - you
can bounce wildly among the bumpers, not knowing where you'll get flung out. If
you get into a cycle of bouncing back and forth, try holding up or down - that
sometimes alters your trajectory enough to get out of it. It is possible to get
permanently stuck here, so watch out. Collect rings if possible, of course. The
Continue is high near the end, and the goal is to the far right. It can be
tough to finish this stage within one minute the second time around.
Bonus stage 4: You will be heading down here instead of right. Try to get as
many rings in the initial area as possible, as once you fall down you usually
can't go back up. You may fall between the springs immediately, but if you
don't bounce around a while. Once you go down, you'll see about four bouncy
poles below you. Also, try to bounce around here, getting as many rings as
possible. When you do go down between the pols, make sure you do not go down a
gap n either far side. There are three or four 1-UPS in this stage, at the
bottom of each shaft except the far left and right ones. However, once you get
one of the 1-UPS, the others disappear. Below them are some springs in the
middle, and gaps on either side. Pop bumpers are all over the place. If you go
down the far left or right shafts by accident, you can usually get the 1-UPS
from below as well. The Continue is very tough to get - it's right below the
bank of springs in the middle, but to get it you must bounce on some pop
bumpers exactly. It's tough. Once at the bottom, go right to the goal. An odd
object here is a flipper of sorts on the right side at two locations - when on
it, pressing the jump button will make it flip you up. It's kind of fun to use.
6. Enemies
Most of these enemies are in the Genesis game.
Rolling Guy - This guy is the first enemy you see in the game. He rolls toward
you on the ground. He is small in size and a little tough to jump on, so
rolling is usually the better option. He shouldn't be much trouble. Found in
Green Hill.
Crab - This guy walks slowly, and shoots out fireballs if left alone. Found in
Green Hill and Jungle.
Bee - A blue, bee robot that flies until he gets near you, then shoot a
fireball down at you, then flies away, Jump and hit hm quickly or ignore him.
Found in Green Hill and Bridge.
Spiked Tank - Sorry I can't come up with a better name. This guy moves slowly
and has spikes on his back. He is purple or pink colored and can only be
defeated by rolling. Found in Bridge.
Jumping Piranha - A common enemy who jumps out of water to get at you. Hit him
in any way, not really dangerous to contend with. Found in Bridge and Jungle.
Flying Lizard - This is a rare enemy, he appears in midair, shoots a fireball,
then quickly disappears. Found in Jungle.
Robot Fish - Slowly swims through the water. Enough said. Found in Labyrinth.
Small Tank Guy - This guy rolls along slowly, jumping sometimes when you go
near him. Found in Labyrinth.
Spiked Orb - There are two varieties. The one in Labyrinth releases his spikes
to float at you, and after they leave the orb, you can hit the orb to defeat
it. The ones in Sky Base never release their spikes, so they can't be beaten
(unless you're invincible from a hit). Found in Labyrinth and Sky Base.
Spiked Caterpillar - Very slow, but protected by spikes on his back. Roll at
his head to defeat him. Found in Scrap Brain.
Robot Teddy Bear - A cute, pink fellow who bounces up and down a little, it
seems. If left alone he'll release a bouncing crystal ball of some sort which
is annoying. Knock him out quickly. Found in Scrap Brain.
Bomb Guy - Invulnerable to all attack. When you walk nearby, he flashes, then
explodes, sending out four pieces of shrapnel. Stand a certain distance away
from him to avoid the shrapnel. Found in Sky Base.
7. Conclusion
I hope you enjoy Sonic 1 - I did! Sure, it's easy and simple, but it can be fun
to pass time. It's also a good game for beginners because of the fairly easy
levels. If you want more of the old-school Sonic the Hedgehog, try Sonic 2. For
more complicated games, with emerald stages and such, try Sonic Chaos or Sonic
Triple Trouble. And of course, try the Genesis games. They beat the Game Gear
versions by leaps and bounds. I enjoyed writing this FAQ/walkthrough for an old
game, released long ago, but still fun to toy around with. I hope to do FAQs
for all the Sonic games sooner or later, replacing or updating my old FAQs on
game sages. Enjoy Sonic 1.
Again, if you want to send me an e-mail with corrections, comments or
suggestions, however trivial, I'd love it! Again, my e-mail address is:
[email protected] .
Once again, this FAQ/walkthrough is copyright William Walker, completed January
11, 2003.

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