Unused Graphics

This is a sub-page of Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Sega CD).

Unused Color Palettes#

The palette used for Sonic 1‍ 's title screen, found in every stage file.

Sonic 1‍ 's Level Select palette data, found in every stage file.

Unused Sprites#

Sprite	Description
	An unused "TM" Trademark sprite can be found in the VRAM of the title screen. This sprite would later on be used in the international versions of the game and the Ver1.09 prototype.
	Left over in Tidal Tempest's sprite data is the unused black-and-white death sprite from the original Sonic the Hedgehog. It has been present since the v0.02 prototype, making it a very old leftover.
	Sonic being shocked by electricity. It may have been used in Wacky Workbench, which contains various level elements with the potential to electrify the player. It could also have been used in Collision Chaos as part of the Metal Sonic sequence in the 510 prototype.
	Sonic walking while waving his arms with his palms outstretched. This could have been used in Tidal Tempest when walking through the water, to simulate an attempt at moving more quickly. It's also possible that this was intended to be Sonic's falling animation after walking off of a ledge. The final game, much like the other Genesis-era Sonic titles, just reuses his walking or running animation at the appropriate speed. Yet another possibility is that this was meant to be used after Sonic was launched by a diagonal spring, as doing so puts Sonic into his regular walking animation in the final game.
	Sonic looking over his shoulder. It's possible the pre-Stardust Speedway cutscene was meant to use it, as Robotnik is behind Sonic.
	Sonic sneezing. According to the Sonic Jam Official Guide, Sonic will sneeze when danger is near, similar to the Spider Sense from Spider-Man. Curiously, he also appears sneezing in the game's intro.
	An odd sprite, possibly Sonic grabbing onto something and attempting to create traction. This could also go with the 2 sprites shown below. A modified version of this sprite appears in Sonic Crackers.
	An animation of Sonic upside-down with his eyes wide and his mouth open. This suggests that this animation could have either been used for an alternate death animation or if Sonic was caught by an environmental hazard that dangles him in the air somehow.
	Similar to the other horizontal pole sprites from Wacky Workbench, this one has Sonic swinging his feet forward. These can be found in Tidal Tempest's sprite data, which also houses several other unused sprites. In the Wacky Workbench sprite data, all three are replaced with the final sprites; this is the case even in the 510 prototype, suggesting that these are some pretty old leftovers.
	Sonic with his arms outstretched and his chest pushed out in front of him. It is identical to Metal Sonic's floating animation, indicating that his sprites were simply traced over Sonic's (similar to Knuckles in Sonic 3).
	Corrupted leftovers of an animation of Sonic falling into the distance. Their purpose remains unknown. The only thing that remains are mappings data. Pictured at the bottom are the missing graphics for said mappings, found in the 1996 Windows version. Similar graphics exist, also unused, in Sonic 1, however those show Sonic in a slightly different pose and from a different angle.
	Corrupted leftovers of an animation of Sonic rolling from an angled perspective, likely meant for the 3D ramps in Palmtree Panic. The only thing that remains are mappings data. Pictured at the bottom are the missing graphics for said mappings, found in the v0.02 prototype and the 1996 Windows version.
	Sprite of Amy "clinging" with her shoes in a different position than usual. There are also unused sprites of Amy closing her eyes, which appear to be misaligned due to the closed eyelids being a separate sprite.

(Source: Sonic Retro)

Obscured Sprites#

In-game	Colored

In the opening cinematic when Sonic is jumping across rocks, there is a single blank brown frame with credits written on the corners in a faint color. "け" on the top right and "CXX" on the bottom right. This may be a reference to Masato Nishimura's signature. The CXX signature can be found in zones 1 & 2 of Quartz Quadrant.