Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - Simon Wai Prototype

CHEATS

C + C + Up + Down + Down + Down + Down + Up // FFFFFA:0001

Activates debug mode, this code (along with the level select code) are ESSENTIAL to play this prototype, otherwise you won't be able to see much.

A + START

Sends you to the level select, if you select a stage with B you'll also unlock a (very broken) 2 player mode.

C + START

Activates a hidden "Night Mode" that makes some things ever so slightly darker.

CFFFE10:__00

A "secret level select" of sorts, replace the blank spaces with one of these 5 level IDs and you'll be able to access hidden leftover zones from most likely earlier prototypes. Don't get to excited though, these have long since been wiped and are basically just blank stages with messed up backgrounds.

01 - Said to be Ocean Wind, one of the scrapped stages that has still yet to be seen in any publicly released prototype.

03 - Said to be Sand Shower, yet another scrapped stage. Although the assets for this one (Along with it's snowy counterpart, Rock World.) did get leaked a few months ago, along with Cyber City/Genocide City's assets.

06 - Said to be Blue Ocean. Would later be used to store Wing Fortress in the final build.

09 - Said to be Rock World (By Brenda Cook, The sprite artist for most of these unused stages.), Sand Shower's long lost twin from the North Pole!

10 - Same as ID 06, except this one was used to store Sky Chase.

(Sand Shower and Rock World mockups taken from the Cutting Room Floor, originally from Brenda Cook's videogame art portofolio.)

EXPLANATION... DONE QUICK

Since this isn't exactly a finished game, the guides for this page will instead be about how to get around the unfinished broken maps, along with some cool facts.

I'll start by explaining the regular level order, that's seen when you start the game normally. Then after that I'll go over the unused levels, with corresponding tidbits for each.

ZONE 1: NEO GREEN HILL (AQUATIC RUIN)

The first zone that you'll see through regular gameplay, which makes sense seeing that it's called "Neo Green Hill" in this prototype, after (obviously) the first zone from Sonic 1. (which BTW, that was such an awesome name, Sega was so stupid for replacing it with the lamer sounding "Aquatic Ruin".)

Since it's at an earlier state of development, there haven't been any hazards added to it yet aside from water and arrows, so it'll be a walk in the park as long as you know to keep your head up from Dr. Robotnik's arrow-spitting walls and evil anti-hedgehog liquid. (Or Water, as some people call it.)

The music in this stage is also at an early state, replacing the final build's flutes with a more chiptune-y sounding instrument.

Did you know: When you're about to drown, instead of playing the regular drowning music, it'll play the menu music instead. And if you thought it couldn't get any weirder, if you get out of the water as the last 5 seconds are counting down, it'll start playing Emerald Hill's music for the rest of the level.

ZONE 2: CHEMICAL PLANT

Same thing as Neo Green Hill, no hazards except for water (Or atleast that's what I think it is... Who knows, Sonic might as well be swimming on Gatorade.) and those weird blue snakes.

The only thing I'd call even remotely challenging in this stage would be the awful platforming sections with the ridiculously tiny moving platforms. (And yes, the even more awful section with the moving stairs and rising water is still here, sadly.)

Also like Aquatic R- I mean Neo Green Hill, the layout is juuust a bit different. I couldn't spot any notable differences aside from a few missing/differently placed monitors and objects, but if you want a full side to side comparison of the level layouts, go here.

Did you know: There was originally going to be a scrapped Badnik named "Bubbler's Mother' that would've shot small explosive projectiles named... Well, Bubblers. And was going to be used in this zone, but was cut for unknown reasons (most likely time constraints).

(GIF taken from the Sonic Wiki Zone.)

ZONE 3: HILL TOP

Same thing as the previous 2... No hazards apart from spikes, lava, and those weird seesaw enemies... The layout and music are slightly different... Yadda yadda yadda, you get the point, I'm quite tired of this shit... Can't we get to the cool parts already!

Seriously, this is as lame and uninteresting as a videogame prototype can get, even the music sounds depressing! Hell, they even left out that little pit from the final version with the springs that bounce you from side to side... Seems like Sega really had a "No fun" rule going around this time.

Did you know: There's no fun facts this time, really. Hill Top is THAT lame.

ZONE 4: GREEN HILL

What the hell is this? Actually challenging level design?... A boss?... STUFF TO ACTUALLY TALK ABOUT?! Oh my oh my, Must be my lucky day!

As glad as I am to actually play something fun and polished for once on this prototype, this stage still isn't anything special... Aside from a few changed layout elements, early boss music, and some VERY inconveniently placed unused snail Badniks (similar to the Motobugs from Sonic 1), it's basically just the same old Emerald Hill.

The boss at the end of the stage is also only partially finished, the intro animation doesn't have the car moving, and there's some very long awkard pauses every time Robotnik goes off-screen.

And yes, I know it's called Green Hill in this prototype, but I'll still call it Emerald Hill since Green Hill was most likely just a placeholder name.

Did you know: In the final build of the game, if you try entering Wood Zone (A zone we'll talk about later on) by using the Death Egg exclusive code "FFFE10:0300", you'll instead be transported to a strange version of Emerald Hill with broken colissions and the original palette mixed in with the Emerald Hill sprites (Which looks really, REALLY ugly.)

(Picture taken from the Cutting Room Floor.)

UNUSED ZONE 1: WOOD ZONE

Finally, onto the interesting stuff! Get your debug modes ready, since you won't get very far from now on without it. This is one of the many zones artist Brenda Cook worked on, as she is known for working on most of these scrapped Sonic 2 levels, as the Videogame History foundation put it: "She's like Sonic's unheard voice".

Since this stage was scrapped very early on, there's not a lot to look at in here, but it's still interesting nonetheless.

With Metropolis' early music playing in the background and the conveyor belt objects you can see above the stage, you'd think this was maybe a sort of past version of Metropolis, right? Well, as seen on early island map concept art, it's revealed that this stage was actually going to be a past version of Casino Night! And not only that, this also reveals that Sonic 2's scrapped time travel mechanic (which was later moved to Sonic CD) DID get developed into the game somewhat, even if it wasn't that much.

Level design-wise, it isn't that interesting. There's a broken ramp at the start that makes you noclip through the wall, and even if you manage to avoid it with Debug mode, the stage is still pretty barebones.

This page is discontinued. STUPID!!!

Last updated May 29th 2024, contact me at my Escargot: AIMguy@escargot.chat

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