General Information
The 8 Pico Emeralds have been scattered! Sonic arrives on Pico Island, ready to collect them all!
pico sonic is a partial demake of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 made with PICO-8. It features a simplified version of Angel Island Act 1 Part 1, with no enemies. Instead of the usual run to the goal, the objective is to collect all 8 pico emeralds by platforming around the level (you still have to pass the goal plate at the end).
Disclaimer for PICO-8 users: the game only runs on a patched version of PICO-8 that doesn't have the original token count limitation. However, I do respect the (compressed) characters limit for each cartridge.
Play
Desktop
To play the latest version, go to the itch.io page.
To play the SAGE 2021 version (v6.0) or the following patch I worked on starting August 30 (v6.1), download the game from the side bar on the right, or from the links below.
Windows
SAGE 2021 + patch (2021-08-30): v6.1
SAGE 2021 (2021-08-17): v6.0
OSX
SAGE 2021 + patch (2021-08-30): v6.1
SAGE 2021 (2021-08-17): v6.0
Linux
SAGE 2021 + patch (2021-08-30): v6.1
SAGE 2021 (2021-08-17): v6.0
Browser
You can play the latest web version on the itch.io page.
Controls
Controls are standard PICO-8 controls, i.e. you can play on a keyboard with the arrow keys, Z/C/N and X/V/M, or alternatively use a gamepad.
Keyboard
Move: Left/Right arrows
Crouch/Roll: Down arrow
Jump/Confirm: Z/C/N
Open/close pause menu: Enter
Gamepad
Move: D-pad left/right
Crouch/Roll: D-pad down
Jump/Confirm: Face button up/down (button Y or A on Xbox gamepad)
Open/close pause menu: Start
Notable differences with Sonic 3
- Scale is close to 1:1, but Sonic is slightly smaller, relatively to the environment, than in the original game.
- There are no enemies, hazards, rings nor item boxes. Rocks are not destructible.
- Level gimmicks have been removed or replaced with static platforms. Some enemies and hazards have also been replaced with static obstacles.
- Emeralds have been placed around the level. I changed level geometry a bit at places to make them harder to reach.
- I implemented physics differently where I found it easier or more fitting.
I originally wanted to make a tech demo in Unity as a personal challenge, but I didn't manage to make the 2D physics work as I wanted. After deciding to go with custom physics, I rebooted the project on PICO-8, aiming at a full-fledged fan game. After 1 year and half of development, I switched to another PICO-8 project, but the incoming SAGE 2020 and a video of the Sonic 2.5 demo, also made with PICO-8, motivated me to finish the project, even if it meant reducing the scope to a single level. Except I missed the deadline for SAGE 2020, so here I am for SAGE 2021!
The project was started as a personal challenge and was meant to be a fully-fledged fan game, but I eventually dropped many features to focus on Sonic's main movements and the exploration of the stage. Consider it a technical demo with some exploration challenge.
References
Visual & Audio
Of course Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but also sprites from Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2, and the 8-bit games (Game Gear and Master System) which tend to have flatter sprites, easier to translate into PICO-8 (which uses a 128x128 resolution with 16 colors). The GBA sprites also helped as they are very clear-cut. And a little from Sonic CD/Mania.
Physics
More information available on the itch.io page.
Similar games
After releasing this fan game I found another one focused on collecting emeralds, Knuckles' Emerald Hunt Mania (SAGE 2020), itself inspired by MainMemory's Knuckles Emerald Hunt (also linked on that page). They play in classic/Mania levels but the concept is based on Sonic Adventure 1 & 2's emerald hunting with Knuckles.