The Making of Sonic the Hedgehog

The orginal Sonic The Hedgehog, next to introducing a new star it stood out for its unique art-style and gameplay with an analogue feel. I've remade my original video from 5 years ago into a full 24 minute episode that fits in with the rest of my series.
///Support the channel
All your views, likes comments and shares are really appreciated! This video is part of a series called Super Splash Wave covering game development during the 16-bit era. I set up a patreon for those who would like to financially support it: / strafefox
Narration by Steven Kelly
/ stevenmkelly
//Music and Sources
For the complete track-listing with time-codes skip to the end of the videoSources used for this video are also listed there.

[@digitalchewie]

I love the fact that you are not only creating new content, but are also taking the time to remaster older content to bring it up to your incredible modern high standards. It's always a pleasure to rewatch some of your classic videos :)

[@strafefox]

Thanks so much Dean! Yeah it's fun to revisit some of my favorite games once in a while :)

[@efuuu]

@@strafefox Please upload 60fps videos, it's eyebleeding seeing Sonic at 30

[@SRC267]

@@efuuu just use SVPlayer. It interpolates all media to 60fps

[@efuuu]

@@SRC267 It's an Android app, i'm on PC, and interpolation is not the same thing. Who the hell doesn't upload this kind of content at 60 anyway?

[@leeartlee915]

I really agree with you on the point of updating older content. So many creators have humble beginnings, which there is no shame in that. But it creates this situation where great topics are “already covered” and it leaves the audience wanting. I think it’s really great when creators are willing to apply the skills they developed to revisit previous topics. It’s f’ing awesome.

[@GokkunGuru]

The Sonic soundtrack is a masterpiece just like in Revenge of Shinobi and Streets of Rage!

[@vectorx2907]

just like virtua fighter 1 and 2 its sega of 90s :)

[@alZane]

Yuzo koshiro is a genius

[@magicmagicman]

Probably the most underrated gaming history channel on youtube. One of the few channels i have the bell turned on for.

[@skunthundler]

Really? People have bad things to say about Splash Wave? I've only ever seen positive comments, they have a fair bit of subscribes, and they don't get terrible views. What bad things are people saying about Splash Wave?

[@genericstain]

They are just saying that the StrafeFox subscriber base should be much larger than it is! 🙂

[@VashStarwind]

For real, great channel. Very underrated..

[@RodrigoBadin]

While I do agree Splash Wave deserve WAY MORE subscribers, is not the most underrated gaming history channel I know, that goes to GTV Japan.

[@drunkensailor112]

Check out pandamonium reviews us saturn games. That one is triple a

[@Jingleboy14]

I loved seeing all the influences on the art style. I also enjoyed the footage of the Tokyo Toy Show Sonic demo - I wasn't aware any existed.

[@strafefox]

Thanks! I actually captured the TTS footage from a fan made rom

[@MDTravisYT]

This is my remake, which is specified in the video (albeit with an older username of mine)

[@KatKuriN]

the whiplash man...

[@thetriggeredone3461]

@@strafefox love your content I saw this video today and honestly I wasn't expecting you to remaster this you just keep smashing our expectations when you make a new video and I love the cg art in your videos there honestly amazing but I have one question will you ever do videos on the 8 and 32 bit era of games would love to see how those turn out

[@strafefox]

@@thetriggeredone3461 Thanks! Great to hear! And yes next video will be focused on 8-bit games :)

[@bruhaha69]

Just wanted to say, as a longtime Sega fan, it's nice that there's somebody out there doing this kind of amazing research and quality production. Even for games as frequently reported on and widely known as Sonic, you always manage to show me something I didn't know about the history of these games.

[@OreVYuss]

it's always a good day when strafefox uploads

[@Aeoncalcos91]

As a long-time Sonic fan, this was amazing to see. Furthermore, the fact that you've made such great content and then went and remastered it should be a testament to the quality of your channel and all the work that goes into it. Phenomenal job well done here to all involved.

[@Absolutely_Nobody]

I have nothing clever to say. I just wanted to say thank you for continuing to make these incredible videos!

[@jarlwhiterun7478]

You should've stopped with the first sentence.

[@Absolutely_Nobody]

@@jarlwhiterun7478 Okay. Hope your day gets better.

[@rope435]

Extremely underrated channel. The amount of time and editing you put into your videos really makes it deserves more views

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

Honestly, the Japanese box art of the Classic Sonic era aged like fine wine. There is something unique and timeless about the airbrush artwork of Sonic that even most digital artists can replicate. Akira Watanabe has the skill of professional that Greg Martin wish he could have (no offense to Greg). _"Don't just sit there and waste your precious time. When you want to do something, do it right away. Do it what you can. It's the only way you can live a life without regrets."_

[@Mazgid]

Your wine comparison is so perfect. Original Japanese Sonic artwork feel like something so old yet you just feeling luxury by looking at it.

[@supersexysega]

I prefer the U.S. Sonic box art and promotional look. 18:24 I still vividly remember seeing this poster in the front of video game stores.

[@unstoppableExodia]

I can just appreciate that the western and Japanese art wasn’t so far apart stylistically. During the NES era we saw a lot of horrible western reinterpretations of Japanese IP because publishers didn’t trust kids to love the manga/anime look. A classic example is the NES box art for the first megaman game. Thankfully that had almost completely been eliminated by the late nineties. But still I do rate the Japanese sonic box art higher than the western art but not by a massive degree

[@VashStarwind]

In the 80s, 90s Japan was way ahead of its time

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

@RockManLP_Radio Bad taste.

[@theholygamer969]

One error: The name "Robotnik" was never a thing in Japan. That was part of the US localization. His original name was always Eggman. Same goes for the name "Badniks". Eggman's machines never had a specific name either.

[@Level1Sword]

Mario introduced me to gaming, then Sonic cemented it as a lifelong passion. I've seen so much cut content and prototype footage from this game, but I was pleasantly surprised to see new stuff I had no idea existed! You da man, strafefox!!

[@jarlwhiterun7478]

The*

[@Inverse_to_Chaos]

Same for me. My first decade of video gaming (aged 5-14) was restricted to Nintendo, as I had mentally connected myself with Mario and Kirby. I simply regarded anything other than Nintendo too adult for my liking. Eventually, while I was researching various platforms of the past as part of my interest, I learned about Sega’s Dreamcast console, and I grew attached to the sleazy cutting-edge box very quickly. Months later, I bought it with Sonic Adventure, and the rest (5 years up to now) is history.

[@BladeShadowWing]

This was such an incredible video! I never knew about the WW2-inspired story for Sonic, that was so cool to learn about! Always a treat to see these vids.

[@abundantmagnet]

Most of these creators like Walt Disney and Stan Lee fought in ww2

[@johnRivs]

Damn, the medley at the end hits hard.. I love the idea of creating interesting scenarios first and putting them somewhere in the stage.

[@RandoSnaps]

I’m pretty sure that you’re the first person to specify that Sonic’s shoes were inspired by the “BAD” music video outfit and not just Michael Jackson. Thank you for that detail👏🏾👏🏾

[@siiseli92]

The sonic games were the beginning of my gaming journey as a child, and will always have a special place in my heart for that. Thanks.

[@sophiacristina]

Me too, my first console was Mega-Drive and it came with Sonic 2... On computer, Doom was my first game...

[@atolm1]

So many emotions watching this, for a moment it felt like it was all happening for the first time. Amazing content as always, thank you!

[@astrumespanol]

I hope this video reaches millions! I enjoyed every second and cant wait for your next release

[@macarotto]

Knowing that the person who composed the music was a bassist explains how the soundtrack slapped so fucking hard, especially Spring Yard Zone

[@sleepykirbo6392]

Man that feeling of speeding and knowing that you might get in trouble was something else back in the day

[@bananabike279]

A tale as old as time... and it never gets old. Such an awesome story, now told with the awesome Splash Wave treatment!

[@DjAdam16]

I've always wanted to know the inner development details of these old games. It amazes me how people created such masterpieces with limited technology.

[@thehumbleone1983]

Strafefox always make the best videos 👍

[@barryschalkwijk9388]

Why can't i stop watching these? Oh that's right...The amazing background renders, The 3d modelling, the smooth transitions, the plethora of knowledge, the highly structured narrative....

[@amigaworkbench720]

The aesthetically pleasing aspect is confined to the Green Zone. The remaining elements appear hastily executed.

[@Trooth]

Love the Super Hang-On music here! Such an underrated soundtrack

[@ZenithMusicNet]

So glad that Sonic was a part of my childhood and that the 16-bit games have aged well. Thumbs up for your work!

[@ssg-eggunner]

Well the 3rd game did age well But the others Not so much

[@datoda3593]

@@ssg-eggunner I wouldn't agree. All mainline 16-bit Sonic games have ages rather well. Played their mobile ports and they are just as good as they were back in the day

[@ssg-eggunner]

@@datoda3593 thats because of the widescreen that increases the reaction time to enemies Thats why you had a better experience with the mobile ports

[@datoda3593]

@@ssg-eggunner True, but the core gameplay and level design has stayed the same. And from now on, the Christian Whitehead versions of those games are gonna be the definitive re-release editions

[@ssg-eggunner]

@@datoda3593 about the level design Just remember about metropolis zone, marble zone, labyrinth zone and scrap brain zone which are all badly designed

[@combeechan]

I wonder at what point of development for Sonic 1 that the devs realized, "Holy shit, this is FAST". What an amazing day that must have been when they realized they were going to be able to make a game worthy of the title "sonic".

[@spartan.falbion2761]

Did anyone else notice 'Laserbeak' was written on the cassette? It's a Transformer who turns into a bird/cassette etc etc.

[@anthonyfrench3169]

I just got tickets to Dreams Come True and I enjoy coming back to your documentary

[@abundantmagnet]

Sonic has always been my favorite games. I being born in the 80's I got the privilege of playing it on Sega mega drive. I cherish those times.

[@ok-tchau]

The absolut gold standard of KZbin content, as usual.

[@pyxelpub8251]

A unified 25-minute Sonic the Hedgehog Strafefox video. I always knew that one day, you would finally come. Next, a 3-hour documentary about the Phantasy Star series, and a 1-hour video about Terranigma. I refuse to give up hope on those. Cheers Strafe!

[@trevinodude]

I don’t think I left a comment the first time I watched this video, which is a shame because this one is truly special. I just watched both your older ‘Making of Sonic the Hedgehog’ video and this one back to back, and they both do such a great job explaining many of the same, but also many different aspects of Sonic 1’s development. This more in depth look at the creation of the first Sonic game, however, is really special even when compared to the older video (which is still fantastic) because it goes into the roles of even more people behind Sonic 1’s development, while the first one fleshes out the inspirations behind Sonic 1. I’d say watching both back to back might’ve given me the best Splash Wave experience I ever had, which is really saying something because your production values alone are insane, let alone the passion and research that goes into these amazing videos.

[@mickmook1317]

It really shows us about how simple games where back in the day. A hedgehog and a plumber became iconic. Look at today's icons.

[@RabbitEarsCh]

As someone who's followed the story of these games for decades at this point, and how it's evolved as we get more information, this is stellar. Very well researched, very well presented, and I even learned a few new things despite being steeped in this for as long as I was. *And* you didn't trip on "Mr. Needlemouse"! That one's gotten so many people for so many years, even Sega themselves. Great work.

[@zleepydude224]

Damn the air force story adds so much depth to sonics backstory. So cool

[@Left-Earth]

Excellent video as always! Long time fan of this channel. Sonic is a true icon of the 16 bit era. Long live the blue blur! 🌀💨

[@theverstappening4389]

I hope one day we can see the development of Jet Set Radio through your lens and storytelling. Great work as usual!

[@mikekhoshaba4452]

Always love watching your videos, the level of detail and effort doesn't go unnoticed.

[@MarvinPowell1]

This channel and GVMERS are the two best game documentary channels on KZbin.

[@davidt3563]

This content is so amazing. The only reason it doesn't hit millions of people is the fault of the KZbin algorithm. Your content is from the gods!

[@marcianoacuerda]

4 months to deliver a game is crazy. They’ve must have slept a just couple of hours a day! Also marble and starlight zone tunes are ones of my favorite of all time!!

[@01DOGG01]

Another masterpiece. This channel deserves so many more subs!

[@user-ik8vy1rg8f]

9:00 - Wow! That's an amazing bit of Sonic trivia I've never heard before.

[@0V3CHKiN]

It's such a long time between episodes, but the production quality shows a lot of effort and details put into each. Many thanks!

[@Xyabra]

Praise the editing staff It's on par with news documentaries with its own flair Good job on everyone's part

[@MikiButler]

Such a cool documentary, this took me straight to my childhood when I opened that box with the blue hedgehog on it ❤️

[@xdashocho698]

11 out of 10 guys. Your quality of content for retro gaming is the best on KZbin.

[@tolust]

when my Bell rings and its strafefox, I get a tear in my eye for joy of happiness. I have no idea why Amazon or Netflix don't knock on your door; you deserve a Million-dollar check. Your talents are worth 5 million subscribers

[@strafefox]

Thank so much!

[@patrickthehedgehog]

Your usage of Jem BGM during the the part where you’re talking about CG graphics made me so happy. Lovely video about my favorite video game character!

[@ADTribalChild]

Truly were living in a strange time that the things we grew up with are still striving. I'm not gonna sound like an "old head" and say something cliché like "you had to be there." Granted, I didn't have the best upbringing as the next person, but after playing Sonic 2 for the first time at my grandma's house in '92 I've followed the series since then. This detailed summary of how it all started really made being a Sonic fan today worthwhile. Kudos!

[@bradystardust7708]

love that little animation of the fan blowing the genesis closer to the tv at 17:15

[@ProTayToeGamer]

The amount of work that goes into making these videos look good has to be absolutely monumental. Thank you for making these!

[@Andy23497]

these videos are the definition of aesthetic, its a good day when a new one comes out!

[@dricep]

21:47 mean machines memories .was always a moment of happiness when that magazine was back in the netherlands.

[@sahaprocks7751]

How does this channel not have a million views, Its quality is SO GOOD

[@oceanman7336]

I'll never forget watching this video for the first time the visuals and editing are impeccable!

[@TinyShoken]

Amazing 10/10 video as always. I really hope to see an in-depth making of Streets of Rage 1, that game was like my baby for the Sega Genesis lol

[@sonicthebyrd2788]

The quality of this remastered video is incredible. New sub here

[@EinhanderPilotSantos]

The credits roll at the end hit me!

[@ViewpointProd]

Allways love the subtle TF references in these videos, the cassette being labeled as Laserbeak, Teletraan 1 in a few other making of's. Love em

[@strafefox]

Cool! Yeah I also used the season 3 music in one video. and most important the Strafe part of my username is actually a reference to Strafe the Technobot :) I loved the Technobots as a kid, the first subgroup I actually completed.

[@ViewpointProd]

@@strafefox i remember having nosecone as a kid, sadly traded him at school and never got what i traded him for haha.

[@TheFlush1980]

Omg dat pakje Tjolk op het einde. Daarvan was ik tot nu het bestaan helemaal vergeten! Doet me ineens weer denken aan zwemles waar je een pakje Tjolk uit een vending machine kon trekken.

[@strafefox]

"Tjolken doe je overal en altijd!" ;)

[@yeah4077]

What a great video! I got kind of uneasy every time you put up various fanarts of Yuji Nakamura kissing Sonic signed "strafefox" that only lasted a few frames each throughout the video, but other than that this is easily one of the highest quality gaming history videos on Sonic ever!

[@colebendall]

Excellent writing - and shout out to Steven Kelly’s brill VO.

[@Asterra2]

Really glad the homages to golden age animation mascots was noted right away. Intentional or not, to me, the appeal of the character was mostly in that he was what a "Mickey Mouse" type character would be like if "badass" had ever been part of the repertoire of cartoon characters of that era. I was always fond of interesting juxtapositions like that.

[@rael_gc]

Yeap, unfortunately later, Sega decided that Sonic should be more cool, the one that arrived in Sonic Adventures :(

[@Station9.75]

*A new Splashwave video lands* It’s time to drop everything you’re doing boys.

[@MicahBuzanANIMATION]

The level of attention to detail in your videos is absurdly high.

[@SalaDeVideoGame]

My comments here are always the same: it's always a delight to open youtube and see a notification of new content of yours. Thank you VERY much for your dedication, your videos are the best.

[@bizarroman69]

Waiting or the release of a Bluray, filled to the rim with extras and the best quality ever. I live in Argentina, but i would gladly pay for it!

[@theholygamer969]

I recognize several of these old 3D animations from The Mind's Eye. So glad Ohshima took inspiration from those.

[@jacklazzaro9820]

Good, you didn’t delete the original video. Now everyone who watches can watch both.

[@greenlightning6803]

The original video was actually the reason I decided I want to go into programming I’m so glad you remastered this video

[@rogerriggii6733]

I got off work early today with full pay and I also get to watch splash wave on my way home? This is as good as a Friday as one can ask for!

[@satin8683]

Happy 29th Anniversary; Sonic CD And Honorable Mention for both Amy Rose and Metal Sonic! Now we just need "The Making Of Sonic 2" and the trilogy can finally be completed!

[@AIex_Kidd]

Great video, as always. Pretty sure the monster on the left at 11:13 was inspired by the Guntank :)

[@seanblanchard3333]

I remember when this game came out. Everyone went crazy over the Sega Genesis. There were arguments in school over which was better, The Genesis or the SNES. I thought both systems were great but Sonic allowed me to speed run the game. It was the first game where I remember speed running to get to the end of the level as fast as Sonic could go. I was also blown away at how fast the Genesis was with zero frame rate drops or any noticeable game slow down. I still have a Sega Genesis today and I play Sonic 2 often. It was Sonic VS Mario. I also have a Super Nintendo. Both consoles have a special place in my heart.

[@tardiscommand1812]

Anyone else miss the days of renting video games at the movie store and eating those small bags of popcorn while doing so?

[@pelvist]

I rmember when I got Sonic on the Megadrive. Played it ALL day, non stop the first couple of days I got it. I remember going to bed both nights and couldnt sleep a wink because I had the game still playing in my head. Those were the days.

[@saulaguilar6944]

Can't wait to watch the "The Making of Sonic the Hedgehog GBA Port"

[@Sinn0100]

I know I posted already but my story with Sonic is very unique. You see, I got my Snes the same day I got Sonic The Hedgehog for my Genesis. By this point I was a huge, huge Sega fan that slowly stepped away from Nintendo. So the stage was set at my home for a true super 16-bit showdown of mass proportions. My friends showed up with games from both machines and I got 3 games for each. My dad being a gamer himself printed up scorecards for all of us and we began the festivities. While F-Zero garnered huge praise from us the real fight was between Sonic The Hedgehog vs. Super Mario World. The winner of this bout is still talked about by us too this day...Sonic The Hedgehog by a landslide. While Super Mario World was great it didn't show us anything new and was rather safe when compared to Sonic.

[@HibHab69]

Most underrated retro game channel I swear.

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Oh man I missed this. Time to finish this!

[@AdrianoSnake]

Back in 1992 ,christmas day, i got a Megadrive and it came with Sonic. I remember the feeling of seeing and playing something like i'd never played before. It was amazing

[@afropowa1598]

3 months to make those games is insane! Those dev's eyes were bleeding nonstop. The demo version of sonic 1 music sound wayy better than the final one. If they ever remake Sonic 1, I hope Sega can get Dreams Come True to do the remixes.

[@CarfDarko]

I just had to take a break at 16:50, being a musician myself, grown up with the Mega-Drive and Sonic 1 as my first game this original score is just something magical to behold. I always was font of your channel but this kind of info really REALLy took it to new heights! Keep up the AMAZING work maat!

[@ClaudioFirsoff]

Going to watch again and again until reach 100k views, it deserve a lot!!!

[@TheBeird]

I know this game like the back of my hand. Nuts to think that it is among my first memories I can recollect. Played it again recently for the first time in years and I got really emotional after finishing it. Guess it did something right

[@creativeed6788]

How to make my day: Get new Strafefox video :) Even though it's a remake, it's always a welcome sight!

[@serkanunal4784]

Amazing really made me feel being teleported back to when we just bought the Megadrive packed with Sonic. In the Netherlands prices were fairly high compared to the US in terms of average earnings per household, however my brother and myself kept saving to be able to play these different consoles and games. Gotta love the 80’s and 90’s!

[@nelsoncabrera6464]

This channel is criminally underrated.

[@mettlezero]

Easily the most underrated channel on this entire site!

[@Jdylanable]

I just checked this channel to see if there was anything new so I feel lucky to see that only an hour later you’d upload this. Thank you!

[@pabloabellacalle]

This channel's content makes me feel warm inside as someone with lots of love and passion for games

[@OtherRealmProductions]

I don't understand how is this channel so underrated! Keep it up, man! Your content is really good!

[@PXAbstraction]

Always a happy day when I see a new strafefox video in my feed. Top shelf work as always!

[@jasonblalock4429]

Excellent work, as always! Funny, I had no idea that so many of the first wave of Mega Drive titles were rushed out so quickly. It makes sense, but kudos to Sega's staff for making them as good as they were.

[@-redacted_by_youtube]

Loved my genesis back in the day. I wish kids today could experience arcades and the revolution of games back then. It was something special.

[@Subzeranea]

i'm on my lunch break at work and i watch the new strafefox video. what's better? flawless work as always

[@markdinsdale4869]

The production quality of these videos honestly puts big TV companies to shame. So we'll researched, intriguing and well made. Love this channel