Sonic - The Hedgehog 1

The development began with an internal contest at Sega to find a new flagship character. While early concepts included a rabbit and an armadillo, Ohshima’s blue hedgehog won out. Sonic’s iconic design was inspired by a mix of , Felix the Cat , and Santa Claus (for his red shoes), while his signature footwear was modeled after Michael Jackson’s boots on the Bad album cover.

: Yuji Naka developed a novel physics engine that allowed sprites to roll along curved scenery—a massive technical feat at the time. Core Gameplay Mechanics

In the late 1980s, Sega was looking to create a mascot that could rival Nintendo's iconic Mario. The company held a contest among its developers to come up with a character that could star in a new game. Yuji Naka, a talented programmer and game designer, was working on a game called "Dreams Come True" when he was approached by Sega to create a new character. Naka's vision was of a character that could roll into a ball and move at high speeds, which would become the foundation of Sonic's design. Sonic The Hedgehog 1

In the original Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version, there’s a famous glitch tied to the spike traps in Labyrinth Zone. If Sonic gets hurt by spikes at the exact frame that he collects the in a Special Stage, the game’s zone order counter can become scrambled. After exiting the Special Stage, the game may incorrectly warp Sonic to a completely different zone — sometimes skipping zones entirely or sending him to a glitched, half-loaded version of Scrap Brain Zone Act 3 (which is normally the final stage).

In 2011, Sega released Sonic Origins, a high-definition remaster of the original game, which featured updated graphics, sound, and gameplay. The game was released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The development began with an internal contest at

A beautiful nighttime cityscape. This is a return to form. The bridges bounce, the music is melancholy yet hopeful, and the platforming is fair. It feels like a victory lap before the end.

was Sega's definitive answer to Nintendo’s Mario, designed to showcase the "blast processing" speed of their 16-bit hardware. Developed by the newly formed Sonic Team : Yuji Naka developed a novel physics engine

The genius of Sonic The Hedgehog 1 lies in its physics engine, which was revolutionary for 1991. Unlike the grid-based movement of Mario , Sonic moved with inertia. If you pressed right, he didn't just run; he jogged, then sprinted, eventually breaking into a roll that turned him into a blue sphere of destruction.