It established the Genesis as a key player in the 16-bit era and allowed it to compete with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is widely considered one of the greatest video games of all time and became one of the best-selling video games of all time with approximately 24 million copies sold worldwide across all platforms. Sonic the Hedgehog was well received by critics, who praised its visuals, audio, and gameplay. The music was composed by Masato Nakamura, bassist of the J-pop band Dreams Come True.

Sonic the Hedgehog, designed for fast gameplay, was influenced by games by Super Mario series creator Shigeru Miyamoto. It uses a novel technique that allows Sonic's sprite to roll along curved scenery which was based on a concept by Oshima from 1989. The developers chose a blue hedgehog designed by Naoto Oshima after he won an internal character design contest, and named themselves Sonic Team to match their character. The gameplay involves collecting rings as a form of health, and a simple control scheme, with jumping and attacking controlled by a single button.ĭevelopment began in 1990 when Sega ordered its developers to create a game featuring a mascot for the company. Robotnik, a scientist who has imprisoned animals in robots and seeks the powerful Chaos Emeralds. Players control Sonic the Hedgehog, who can run at supersonic speeds Sonic sets out on a quest to defeat Dr. It was released in North America on June 23 and in PAL regions and Japan the following month. Sonic the Hedgehog is a multidirectional scrolling platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega in 1991 for the Genesis/Mega Drive.

Sonic 1 sprite rings