MD-SONIC (Genesis) Homebrew

By MDTravis

Posted by MDTravis Feb 05, 2026 Updated 1 day ago

Game Name MD-SONIC

Platform SEGA Genesis

Genre Platformer

Language English

Status Complete

Version v1.2

Release Date 2026-02-05

Downloads 228

Description

This is a port of the Yuusei demo of Sonic CD to stock Sega Mega Drive, better known as v0.02 or the 1204 prototype. It is directly built off of the R11B__.MMD file in the disk, which originally handled Round 1 Zone 1 Past. This project was started on August 4, 2024 using a disassembly by Katsushimi.

This project won the Hexadecimal Trophy (Best Technical as voted by judges) at Sonic Hacking Contest 2024.

This port features:

Zones 1 and 2 of Palmtree Panic Salad Plain (Not just R11A!)
NEW: R13D, including its boss ported from 510!
Functional time travel
A Sega and Title screen
New sound effects
Pausing
Level select (LRLRLR): Can access all normally accessible levels from v0.02 plus R13D, and a bonus level, R31A (objectless)!

This port isn't fully feature-complete. Missing big features include:

Time Attack
Time travel cutscene
The music. Unfortunately, the full soundtrack could not be translated to the Mega Drive's sound chips in time for the submission, so what you'll hear is music borrowed from Sonic 1.
Good Future levels (you can't access them in the original demo anyway)

Bugs present in the original demo are mostly retained here, but certain ones have been fixed due to the porting method. Those would include:

Sonic's sprites being bugged
Time and rings clearing upon time travel
Time travel not working on spinning platforms
Any sound related bug that existed in the original version (The project now uses Sonic 1's sound driver)

Another notable feature in this port, Lock-On Technology! This will allow you to play custom user-generated levels within this port without the need to modify the source code! These are known as PAKs, which are appended to the end of the ROM data and detected by the game when it's attached. To use or even create a PAK, download the ZIP file in the "Extras" section, place this ROM in the folder, and run one of the two BAT files depending on what you want to do. Maybe you want to add in your own R2, or want to port another Sonic CD level to feel how it functions in v0.02. The filesizes I set up is the limit! The ZIP contains two BAT files, one to lock on the ROM to a PAK file, and one to create your own PAK file, which you can do by using SonLVL. The template included with the ZIP is Sonic CD's R31D.

Update history ---

V1.0 (August 28, 2024) - Contest release
V1.1 (September 27, 2025): Source release
V1.2 (February 5, 2026): Updated credits information

Staff Credits

MDTravis - Main programmer + Custom artist + Hardware verification (NTSC-U Model 1 VA6.5) + everything else not listed below: Katsushimi - Original disassembly + Secondary programmer + General support Devon - Initial MD port code reference + Un-hardcoded chunks guide + General support VladikComper - DAC driver (MegaPCM v2.0) + MegaPCM2 debugging + Error handler SleekFlash-16 - MD arrangements of the CD-SONIC music Collision Chaos Radio - Music research assistance Filter - Z80 help RadiantNexus Team - General support BladeOfChaos - Title screen intro art (modified from the 1995 PC version) Naoto - Security Sega Classics Arcade Collection - Sega screen FMV

Gallery

Relevant Link

https://github.com/MDTravisYT/MD-SONIC

Youtube Video

Reviews

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Last comments

Adrian Gauna 2026-02-13

Yeah it was Markey Jester. It was just to prove that scaling and rotation was possible without the CD add-on.

PoyoPoyo1985 2026-02-11

I think someone ported the Sonic CD special stages to Sonic 1 now that I think about it. I remember seeing video a long time ago...

Simone D. Alemanno 2026-02-05

Sure, we only have to find a team who is willing to finish work on the rest of the game and in like, six-seven years we'll have a functional port of Sonic CD on the Genesis!

MDTravis 2026-02-05

I will reiterate, this is a finished work. I had no plans to add anything beyond the first level, even when the project was started. I have achieved everything I initially planned with the project. This is a tech demo that was submitted for a contest, with the aim of getting everything done small and quickly. If you want more, the PAK tool included with the game allows you to create your own simple levels :)

Adrian Gauna 2025-12-23

Does that make the situation better or worse? I personally see this pattern all the time especially on places like Youtube and it's been going on for nearly 20 years now. A lot of newbies will make a Green Hill Rom Hack and show it off then call it a day and half the time I don't even bother checking them out anymore as once you get to Marble Zone it's vanilla Sonic 1 for the rest of the game, I just personally don't see the point or the mentality behind it. If I was to make a ROM hack or a homebrew myself I wouldn't show the public anything unless I actually finished it but that's just me. This is an impressive tech demo for what it is but to be honest, there has already been countless attempts released before of bits and pieces of Sonic CD's game play/art in a Mega Drive Sonic hack, so we've seen this happen before like in LuigiXHero's full art and stage attempt and a few others plus i've already played this tech demo and now that i've played it I probably won't play it again. It joins the 13 pages of my ''Broken Unfinished Sonic ROM Hacks'' folder in my EverDrive gaining dust.

Simone D. Alemanno 2025-12-23

I gotta remind you guys that we are talking about a homebrew here, and not a ROM hack.

PoyoPoyo1985 2025-12-23

Same here, I mind people releasing unfinished work but It would nice if they at least update it overtime to end up making finished Rom Hack. (Can I really be talking though... Boxguy in SMB2 is still unfinished. I got to finish that ending art.) Still a cool demo!!

Adrian Gauna 2025-12-23

I agree with you. I never see the point in why modders love to release 5% finished ROM hacks with no intent on ever completing them to 100%. Don't get me wrong and no offence to the modder, this is an impressive tech demo but it's just another one to add to the pile of unfinished ROM hacks.

Mildanner 2025-12-18

From the same creator of SONIC DEBUT, adapted to Mega Drive with Sound Driver from Sonic 1.

Simone D. Alemanno 2025-12-18

Well, I'm disappointed. Tons of potential that only lasts two levels.

MDTravis 2025-12-18

Oh, I didn't know we had a forum now. I consider this project finished. This is just a tech demo to demonstrate that such a thing is actually possible without the CD addon.

Simone D. Alemanno 2025-12-18

For being a demo this looks pretty awesome, especially the Sega logo at the start. Hopefully the game will be fully ported to Genesis hardware, but for now I'm just going to play the Sega CD original.