WHAT'S COVERED

Somari (1994)
The original bootleg. Most of its graphics are based on Sonic 1 for the Genesis, while the Green Hill background and the Special Stages come from the Master System version. Somari himself was drawn over Mario's sprite from Super Mario Bros. 3. It includes every zone except Scrap Brain and even adds the Spin Dash, but the physics are clumsy, the level design is poor, and there are no checkpoints or continues.

Sonic the Hedgehog (1998)
A Hummer Team hack, also sold as Sonic 3D Blast 5, that puts Sonic back in the lead. It adds a new title screen and an attract mode, but starts in Spring Yard Zone and comes with a misassigned level select and typos like "Spring Yand."

Level Fix (2016), by Hybrid
Puts the start back at Green Hill Zone, fixes the level select mapping, and corrects "Spring Yand."

Improvement V1.0 (2016), by the jabu
Made for Sonic's 25th anniversary, this is where the community's work on the original Somari begins: new Sonic sprites, retouched palettes, extra animation, a better-centered camera, a controllable Spin Dash, and reworked acceleration. Fifty rings now get you into the Special Stage, though the Chaos Emeralds are still missing.

Improvement + Music (2016), by Ti, with tracks by Amilgi
Every track redone using only the NES's own sound hardware, and sound effects no longer cut off the music.

Improvement + Graphics (2016), by Terwilf
A graphics-focused patch covering scenery, items, enemies, and Sonic himself.

Improvement V1.2 (2017), by FuriousHedgehog
Another graphics pass, with the jabu's, Ti's, and Terwilf's work already included: a reworked title screen, corrected Sonic sprites, updated background tiles, redrawn rings, a Genesis-style number font, and a life icon inspired by Sonic Mania.

Sonic the Hedgehog Vol. 2 (2020), directed by Terwilf
An unofficial continuation of the jabu's project and a full rebuild of the game: overhauled physics and collisions, variable jump height, checkpoints and continues, the Chaos Emeralds and Super Sonic, fourteen emeralds with a second round of faux 3D Special Stages in the style of Sonic 3's Blue Spheres, a redesigned Labyrinth Zone, Scrap Brain Zone made from scratch, proper endings with cutscenes, and an optional FM soundtrack for EPSM hardware and compatible emulators like Mesen-X.

Channel members get full longplays of several of the versions featured in this video.