SegaSonic the Hedgehog

 

SegaSonic the Hedgehog is a 1993 arcade game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series by Sega. Controlling Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel, the player must escape an island as quickly as possible after they are kidnapped by series antagonist Doctor Eggman. The game is presented from an isometric perspective and players use a trackball to move the characters while dodging obstacles and collecting rings. The game was developed by Sega's arcade division, Sega AM3; it is one of four Sonic games to bear the SegaSonic name and was inspired by the 1984 game Marble Madness.

The game was released in Japanese arcades in late 1993. It has never been rereleased; plans to port the game to Sega's 32X platform never materialized and the game was cut from Sonic compilation release Sonic Gems Collection (2005) due to problems with replicating the game's trackball control system on a standard controller. At the time of release, SegaSonic the Hedgehog received highly positive reviews from Electronic Gaming Monthly and Computer and Video Games for its graphics and gameplay. Journalists writing in retrospect have been more divided. The game marked the debuts of Sonic characters Mighty and Ray; both have reappeared sparingly in the franchise.