Eggman in Japan) learns of the power of the Chaos Emeralds and decides to harness their power to conquer the world. This drifting is the result of the power of the Chaos Emeralds - a group of six mystical gemstones said to be residing on the island - each of which can provide an unlimited supply of pure energy.Īn evil scientist by the name of Dr. The plot of the first Sonic the Hedgehog game takes place on South Island, a mysterious island teeming with amazing natural scenery and wildlife which is forever drifting across the sea. This version included an 'Anniversary Mode' where the only change was the addition of the spindash move introduced in later games. A special Game Boy Advance version called Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis was released to celebrate the series' 15-year anniversary. It is also available via the GameTap and Wii Virtual Console download services. Since its release it has been ported to many other systems and compilations, including Sonic Jam, Sega Smash Pack: Volume 1, Sonic Mega Collection (and Sonic Mega Collection Plus) and, most recently, the Sega Genesis Collection. Sonic the Hedgehog added the element of speed to the standard platform formula and introduced other unique elements as well, such as the loops, springboards, hi-speed devices, and rings now permanently associated with the game series. The game featured many novel elements which contributed to its popularity and helped to promote the uptake of 16-bit consoles. After it was released, it eventually replaced Altered Beast as the bundled game with the console. This was the first game to propel the Genesis into mass popularity in North America. The game and character were specifically designed to demonstrate the processing speed of the Sega Genesis. Sonic was intended to Sega's mascot to compete with Nintendo's Mario. It was the first in Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series.

Sonic the Hedgehog is the platform game that launched the career of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Team. For the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game, see Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).

For the Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear game, see Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit).

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