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This page details pre-release information and/or media for Sonic Unleashed (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3).
After the critical disaster of Sonic '06, Sonic Team hoped to win back the crowd with the next mainline Sonic game. Initially developed under the title Sonic World Adventure (which remained the title for Japan) and at one point intended to be the third entry in the Adventure series, it eventually was rebranded as Sonic Unleashed due to the gameplay deviating significantly from prior titles. Sonic Unleashed would also adopt the Hedgehog Engine, which had been in development since 2005 to allow for detailed environments not possible on older hardware.
There is evidence to suggest that the Wii/PlayStation 2 versions were intended to be direct ports of the game to hardware, since the Preview prototype makes reference to "Wii movies" in its debug menu, although they are not present on the currently dumped first disc; early gameplay footage and unused graphics also shows assets more inline with the last-gen releases such as a less detailed Werehog model. In the end, the Wii/PS2 version of Unleashed was reworked into a separate game co-developed between Sonic Team and Dimps.
Initial reception towards Sonic Unleashed was shaky (in fact, the Wii version ended up scoring better from most outlets) due to its reviled nighttime stages, but the praise towards the daytime stages would result in Sonic Colors and other future games to build upon its foundation.
Timeline#
2005
- Unknown - Development on the Hedgehog Engine begins.
2006
- Unknown - Development on Sonic Unleashed, then titled for Western markets as Sonic World Adventure begins.
2007
- August - Composer Tomoya Ohtani joins the project.1
2008
- March 12 - Sonic Unleashed is trademarked by Sega.
- March 22 - Early screenshots and footage of Sonic Unleashed is leaked online by an unknown source, including gameplay and an unfinished version of the opening FMV.
- April 3 - Sega officially announces Sonic Unleashed.
- April 4 - Japanese voice recording sessions begin.2
- April 14 - Japanese voice recording sessions are completed.
- August 31 - The Preview prototype is compiled on this day, although it wouldn't be burnt until September 1. By this point, the Xbox 360 version is still planned to be a multidisc release.
- September/October? - The decision is made to release the Xbox 360 version as a single disc game, necessitating some stages to be removed and redistributed as DLC.
- October 14 - The October 14, 2008 prototype is compiled, but not burnt until October 16, being used as the basis for the official Prima strategy guide.
- October 28 - October 28, 2008 prototype is compiled, being burnt on the 29th and is sent out to reviewers.
- October 30 - Final build date of the North American and European Xbox 360 version.
- November 18 - Sonic Unleashed is released for the Xbox 360 in North America.
- November 27/28 - Sonic Unleashed is released for the Xbox 360 in Australia and Europe.
- December 2 - Final build date of the Japanese Xbox 360 version.
- December 9 - Sonic Unleashed is released for the PlayStation 3 in North America.
- December 18/19 - Sonic Unleashed is released for the PlayStation 3 in Australia and Europe.
2009
- February 19 - The HD versions of Sonic Unleashed is released in Japan as Sonic World Adventure simultaneously for both systems, retaining its working Western title, after a delay due to manufacturing issues.
GDC 2009 Presentation#
A presentation held at the Game Developers Conference 2009, in which director Yoshihisa Hashimoto discusses the creation of the Hedgehog Engine, and the developmental struggles the team went through trying to achieve their desired graphics on the hardware:
- A debug menu (both in-game and in-menu) can be seen, which is also present in the Preview prototype, however it contains an additional element called [GDC] not present in it which loads the level while displaying the mipmaps for the GI maps.
- A PC build is shown off; while it appears to be running very poorly, this is likely an issue with the video capture, as the debug HUD states it is maintaining a consistent 30 frames per second.
- The Xbox 360 version was considered to be split across three discs due to space limitations, an element that is also present in Preview, however eventually it was decided to release it on a single disc by downsizing the global illumination maps and distributing many of the secondary stages as DLC.
March 2008 stuff#
One of the stranger (subsequent) mysteries that wasn't solved until 2022 was the origin of an infamous image relating to Unleashed, where Sonic makes a contorted face of horror while being shocked in Eggman's machine. Believed to be an early version of the same shot from the opening, it's actually quite different in the final FMV. This image was found to be sourced from a March 2008 leak of images that included pictures of a work in progress intro FMV, along with other images of Unleashed. It would later be forgotten.
March 2008 |
Final |
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(Source: Sonic Emerald blog post)
Leaked Trailer#
A trailer for the game was leaked at around the same time as this, showcasing actual gameplay in an early version of Savannah Citadel:
- Much of the geometry was rougher compared to the final game, while other parts of the level were redone. It seems like it was still being worked on when this footage was recorded, as at one point an untextured part of the level can be seen in the background.
- The HUD is slightly different compared to the final:
- Its elements are closer to the edge of the screen, likely changed to account for televisions with major overscan.
- The TIME and SCORE elements are opaque, while the Sonic head has a different drop shadow effect. The EXP element is also completely missing.
- The rings counter is listed as "ring", with all the text using a different font to boot.
- Sonic uses a different model in this early build with smaller pupils and overall less detail than the final. His mouth is also a flat texture rather than modelled.
- Sonic has a different boost effect in the leaked footage; rather than a blue aura, it looks like wind rushing past him.
- Sonic's dust effect is more gray in the leaked footage.
- Sonic's jump ball effect is completely different, being more transparent and lacking his blue trail.
- Unlike the final game, rings lack any effect for collecting them.
- The lighting is more generic and less bright, most noticeable on Sonic and rainbow rings. The actual lighting quality, however, is generally better, using higher quality global illumination maps that were later released with the DLC.
- As a side effect, this results in the framerate being even worse than the final game.
- For some reason, the top of Sonic's head has a weird halo effect, being considerably brighter even in shadows. This effect is missing from the final game.
- An early version of the daytime theme can be heard in the final; it only features the intro and bridge section, and what is there uses much rougher instrumentation.
Prelease Screenshots#
Windmill Isle Act 2 [Day]#
In some screenshots of Windmill Isle Act 2 you can see cut parts of the level or heavily reworked. The first 2D section of this level has undergone the most changes. You can also see that in some places the game looks graphically better than the release version
- Also in some leaked screenshots, we can see how the lighting works in the game
Windmill Isle Act 1 [Night]#
Surprisingly, the night act for Werehog has not undergone any changes compared to the final version.
- The only thing that can be noticed is that the wool on the Werehog model is much better quality than in the final build.
Mazuri Town Stage#
Savannah Citadel Act 1 [Day]#
Savannah Citadel Act 2 [Day]#
Savannah Citadel Act 3 [Day]#
Savannah Citadel Act 4 [Day]#
Savannah Citadel Act 1 [Night]#
Savannah Citadel Act 4 [Night]#
Spagonia Town Stage#
Rooftop Run Act 1 [Day]#
Dragon Road Act 1 [Day]#
Official Trailer#
The official trailer used by Sega during the game's unveiling on April 4, 2008, which appears to be the same build as the March 2008 leak. As a result, only differences now apparent in this trailer from the final will be listed:
- An early version of Apotos is now shown; like the early Savannah Citadel, the layout shown is almost nothing like the final game barring certain segments.
- Egg Fighters don't explode after being attacked.
- Sonic is missing grinding effects.
E3 Trailer#
The E3 trailer was the first official reveal of gameplay, being the X360 version.
- The most noticeable difference is the frame rate, which is running consistently at 60 FPS. While the final PS3 version does have an uncapped frame rate, it is very unstable and prone to dipping, while the final X360 version only supports 30 FPS (with frame drops still occurring). Presumably, the footage was being recorded on a development kit, which was known to be significantly more powerful than the real hardware.
- The blur effect is much stronger in this build.
- The draw distance seems to be further in this build; it's most obvious when gameplay of Apotos starts with distant buildings being clearly visible in the E3 footage, but not in the final.
- The object layouts for all the stages are different, generally being much emptier than the final.
- The lighting is significantly further along than the leaked footage, but still not finalized as areas generally look darker than the final game.
- Egg Fighters in this build T-pose for a few frames whenever hit by Sonic, which wasn't the case in the leaked footage.
Early/Cut Objects#
1-Up Capsule#
At the 2:46 mark can be seen a model of the 1-Up item capsule which probably ended up being used in the Wii version of the game. Watch on YouTube
E3 |
Past-Gen (Wii/PS2) |
Retail |
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Shield Capsule#
At the 53-second mark, can be seen reused the capsule model and textures from Sonic '06. Watch on YouTube
E3 Unleashed |
Sonic '06 |
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Accelerator Gun#
The Accelerator Gun, visible at the 23-second mark, uses a red outline in the E3 prototype. Watch on YouTube
E3 |
Retail |
|---|---|
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(Source: Desko)
Early UI#
Title Screen#
The E3 version has a different "PRESS START BUTTON" prompt compared to both the Preview Build and the final game.
E3 |
Preview Build |
Final |
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HUD#
Hedgehog HUD#
Featuring the same gauge as the final, with a completely different font and different time and score bar. The file is still present in the final game in Sonic.ar.00 titled ui_ps1_gauge1
E3 |
Retail |
|---|---|
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Werehog HUD#
Has a more simplistic design
E3 |
Retail |
|---|---|
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Time of Day Display#
A scrapped HUD element to display the current time
- YNCP file and all assets still left in the game files
- Can be spotted in the preview build when entering the debug mode
- Can be spotted in the EU and Amecian manuals
- The preview build of the game confirms that this unused UI element was used for a dynamic daylight cycle
Leftover |
Preview Build |
Manual |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
Preview Build |
Retail |
|---|---|
Ooh! One more thing! I almost forgot. From now on, night and day will change while you wait in a village! If you hand aroud here, night will fall. Feel like a little break, Sonic? |
Ooh! One more thing! I almost forgot. From now on, you can change night and day when you're in a village! You can use the Pause Menu to advance time. Give it a try! |
(Source: Desko)
(Source: SWAFacts)
Other#
On Maraza's official website, there is an earlier version of the game's intro with some differences, including altered camera angles/some shots are composed slightly differently. However, the biggest change is during the scene when Eggman is zapping Sonic, you can see his skeleton for a few frames. This was absent from the final version, and it's unknown why this was removed.
Website |
Retail |
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