New Amiga Tech Demo Recreates Sonic the Hedgehog’s Opening Stage

When Sonic the Hedgehog first hit the Sega Genesis in the early 1990s, it immediately stood out for its visuals, music, and sense of momentum. Its technical ambition sparked long-running debates about whether Sonic could ever have worked on competing hardware, particularly the Commodore Amiga.

Now, a new tech demo suggests that the idea may not have been as unrealistic as many once believed.

Homebrew developer RetroRic has released a playable Amiga tech demo recreating Sonic’s opening stage. The demo is available in both 32-color and 16-color versions and runs using the Scorpion Engine. While it is not intended to be a full game, it demonstrates how Sonic’s first level can be adapted to the Amiga within the platform’s limitations.

According to RetroRic, the project began as a small experiment. After learning that fellow Amiga developer Reassembler was working on a more ambitious Sonic project built from the ground up, RetroRic chose to shift focus. Rather than pursuing a full production, the goal became creating a self-contained tech demo to explore what was possible using the Scorpion Engine.

What started as a simple test gradually expanded. RetroRic has described the demo as an “almost complete” recreation of Sonic’s first level, rebuilt for the Amiga in both supported color modes. While it remains a technical showcase rather than a full port, it offers an interesting glimpse into an alternate take on Sonic’s early era.

The demo is available to download now, providing fans with a chance to explore how Sonic’s debut stage translates to Commodore hardware.

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