Sonic 1 – Score Rush is a modification of Sonic the Hedgehog.
This ROM hack introduces three new gamemodes to the game, all focused around one central gimmick, that being the Score Rush.
The Score Rush is a gameplay gimmick in which your score, which starts from 5000 points, constantly goes down at a steady pace. Should it go down to 0, the player immediately fails the challenge. Most standard methods of obtaining points still work, but you can also obtain points through rings, checkpoints, and powerups. Finishing levels awards you a fixed 1000 point bonus, with the score tallies being completely removed.
The gamemodes featured within this ROM hack are the following:
- Score Rush: A full playthrough of Sonic 1 from start to finish, with the Score Rush gimmick. The objective is beating the game with the highest score possible. Running out of points leads to an immediate, full restart of the playthrough.
- Endless Rush: A playthrough of randomly selected Sonic 1 levels, increasing in difficulty as it goes on. The objective is beating the highest possible amount of levels in one sitting.
- Quick Rush: The gamemode allows the player to select one level of their liking, and playing said level under the usual Score Rush gimmick.
Other changes include:
- A brand new main menu, from which all features of the game can be browsed;
- The option to have a modernized moveset, including moves such as the Spin Dash, the Super Peel-Out, and the Drop Dash;
- Leaderboards;
- Complete, automatic SRAM support.
To play Sonic 1 – Score Rush, you must provide an original ROM of Sonic the Hedgehog (REV01). If you have bought the Sonic 1 ROM from Steam prior to its delisting, that should work just fine.
*Staff note: This submission uses an XDELTA patch*
Programming: Giovanni, djohe
Menu artwork: Giovanni, Monopattino
Debugging: djohe, Giovanni
Additional Testing and Feedback: redhotsonic, DaxKatter, Imfernol, Monopattino, Scrap Sorra, djohe
Additional Tools:
vladikcomper (Advanced Error Handler and Debugger)
Selbi (Sonic 1: Text Code Generator)
MainMemory (SonLVL, SonPLN and others)
snkenjoi (Flex 2)
Additional Code:
warr1or2 (Sonic 1 - Have an Option Screen up using the level select, and separating the two)
Hixatas, ProjectFM (Static Splash Screen Guide)
Tweaker, Puto (Speed Cap Removal)
FraGag (Spike Behavior change)
Lightning, kram1024, Puto, shobiz, Mercury (Spin Dash Guide)
Cinossu, Mercury (Walk-Jump Bug Fix)
redhotsonic (Individual Ring Timers)
MarkeyJester (Improved Fade-In/Out routines, Fix a remember sprite related bug)
redhotsonic, LuigiXHero (Optimized object movement routines)
MoDule (Water interaction while hurt)
Mercury (Select fixes and features from ReadySonic)
Additional Artwork:
Rosabelle and others (Sonic 1: Expanded)
MunchJrGames, Slick-Nick and others (Sonic Title Emblem Sheet 2)
thelilcoin (Sonic HUD Font)
Techokami (Font used in the credits)
Mercury (Select assets from ReadySonic)
Additional Sound:
LuigiXHero (Peel-Out sound effects pulled from Sonic CD Art Test)
Special Thanks:
MarkeyJester (For the great amount of resources about the VDP, which were vital for the creation of all of the menus.)
MainMemory (For teaching me about the VDP buffers, which helped fix a few bugs with the menus. Additionally, for explaining how the Drop Dash works.)
Monopattino (For being an overall great friend, and for his work, which went unused in the final game.)
Werster (Their Score Attack videos by helped me find some score farms within Sonic 1, which were patched out.)
Noah Copeland (I borrowed a feature from Sonic Triple Trouble 16-bit that turns off the Roll Jump Lock when a Drop Dash is charged.)
djohe (For teaching me a LOT of stuff, and giving me the push to learn new stuff that has been essential throughout the development of Sonic 1 - Score Rush.)
Sonic Retro
SSRG
The redhotsonic Sponsors
The Spriters Resource
The Razor and Zenon community
Yuji Naka
Hirokazu Yasuhara
Naoto Ohshima
Jina Ishiwatari
Rieko Kodama
Masato Nakamura
Hiroshi Kubota
Yukifumi Makino
Fujio Minegishi
Papa
All of SEGA and Sonic Team
This is absolutely incredible! This isn’t some janked up, hacked up mod.
This is a fully featured love letter to the game!
Its hacks like this that make old games breathe some fresh air. Bravo!
Thank you so much for the kind words! Really glad my efforts have been appreciated, it sure took me a while before I could deliver works of this quality!