Since its inception in 1991, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has spawned numerous mainline games and spin-offs. Advertised as the fastest thing alive, 2D and 3D games featuring the blue hedgehog often emphasize fast-paced gameplay. As a result, many of these titles are more horizontally oriented, giving space for the player to see what is coming next and allowing Sonic to reach and maintain his top speed. However, one developer had an idea that looked to take the character in a new direction a while back.

Based in London, Nitrome is a British-based game developer known for the pixel art style of its games. Over the years, it has produced numerous titles, such as Bomb Chicken. In addition, the company is currently working on the upcoming Shovel Knight Dig. Beyond these games, the company revealed that it had pitched a game concept to SEGA in the past.

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In a tweet from December 22, Nitrome unveiled details about a previous game concept it had worked on and pitched to SEGA. While the project had no name, it was related to the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and featured the titular hedgehog. However, unlike many other games in the franchise, this concept came with a twist. Instead of focusing on running in a horizontal direction, this Sonic demo had vertical-based platforming that required players to jump from one platform to the next.

In addition to revealing the game idea, Nitrome shared a video of the demo for the game concept. In the short clip, Sonic was seen on a vertical stage that necessitated him to wall run and land on springs to advance further up. The level had a nostalgic feel, as it included classic enemies and featured a setting reminiscent of that found in the iconic Green Hill Zone. Unfortunately, this intriguing game idea never saw the light of day as the “Sega Gods,” as Nitrome put it, decided not to move forward with the pitch. However, the developer revealed that the wall-running mechanic made its way into another one of its games, Super Leap Day.

This isn't the only never-before-seen footage from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise to be revealed recently. A couple of days ago, an unreleased intro for Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood found its way onto Twitter. While the cinematic never appeared in the Nintendo DS game, it gave fans another unique look at Sonic battling Dr. Eggman with stylized animations and a rocking music track.

It’s exciting to see unreleased projects from developers finally get the recognition they deserve. For those wishing that this Sonic game concept would be made into a complete game, Nitrome revealed that it was still interested in the project. According to the developer, it would continue to work on the title if SEGA gave it the green light in the future.

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