It also features a plethora of interesting content that was previously only seen in grainy magazine screenshots and raw gameplay footage, like the rolling checkered boulder in Green Hill Zone, the UFOs in Marble Zone, and Spring Yard Zone when it was still called 'Sparkling Zone'. This build reveals a game that was originally tuned more for traditional platforming and exploration rather than for speed, which would eventually become the hallmark of the Sonic series.
Many stages cannot be completed due to the lack of signposts and bosses some (like Clock Work Zone Act 3 and Final Zone) haven't been started at all, or are obvious placeholder designs (like the Special Stage). It depicts the game midway through development. A prototype of Sonic the Hedgehog was released by Hidden Palace at Midnight (GMT) on January 1, 2021.
