Uploaded September 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The SEGA Ages version of Sonic 1 adds some things from the 3DS version, including the spin dash and drop dash. But the biggest new feature is that it contains the Mega Play version of the game, which had never seen a console port before. The Mega Play was an arcade system which let players select from several titles:
segaretro.org/Mega_Play
For Sonic 1, the Mega Play version has some big differences when compared to the Mega Drive/Genesis original. Most notably, the Marble and Labyrinth Zones were removed, and Scrap Brain's third act was also cut. The special stages were also taken out, although the big rings used to enter them remain -jumping into them does nothing, you'll just start the next act instead.
You have to beat each level within a set time limit, failing to do so results in the loss of a life. This means you haven't got much time to explore, you need to get to the end as quickly as possible. You can't earn any extra lives in the usual way, breaking open a 1 up item box will just give you some points instead.
Beating the game will show the good ending, despite the fact that you can't collect any chaos emeralds in the Mega Play version. The credits sequence was removed, after the ending is shown it cuts to a high score table which uses the special stage's music.
The SEGA Ages version of Sonic 1 adds some things from the 3DS version, including the spin dash and drop dash. But the biggest new feature is that it contains the Mega Play version of the game, which had never seen a console port before. The Mega Play was an arcade system which let players select from several titles:
segaretro.org/Mega_Play
For Sonic 1, the Mega Play version has some big differences when compared to the Mega Drive/Genesis original. Most notably, the Marble and Labyrinth Zones were removed, and Scrap Brain's third act was also cut. The special stages were also taken out, although the big rings used to enter them remain -jumping into them does nothing, you'll just start the next act instead.
You have to beat each level within a set time limit, failing to do so results in the loss of a life. This means you haven't got much time to explore, you need to get to the end as quickly as possible. You can't earn any extra lives in the usual way, breaking open a 1 up item box will just give you some points instead.
Beating the game will show the good ending, despite the fact that you can't collect any chaos emeralds in the Mega Play version. The credits sequence was removed, after the ending is shown it cuts to a high score table which uses the special stage's music.
