In response to the description, S3&K Hidden Palace and S2 Hidden Palace have more in common than you might think. Hidden Palace S2 was originally going to be where you're sent when you collect all 7 Chaos Emeralds, and you had to complete it to unlock Super Sonic. Sonic 3&K's Hidden Palace Zone was not only where the Master Emerald resides (Don't forget that the Master Emerald is like the Chaos Emeralds' boss), but if you have the full Sonic 3 & Knuckles assembled, it's also where you're sent through the rings if you have all the Chaos Emeralds, where you must unlock the Super Emeralds to unlock Hyper Sonic. Sound familiar?
5 ปีที่แล้ว +33
OH, this makes things make a lot more sense to me now. I've read that it was scrapped due to time constraints in the final version and I always thought "what's so hard about adding a level that's already on the cart?" Now I understand that it would have been necessarily more complicated to link this in the game as intended since they need to make a special case for when you have 7 emeralds, possibly rewrite the part of the code for going to the next level - and this might be duplicated between each pair of levels depending how the game was programmed
@@noobguy57 it was a interview i not remember where but basically sonic 2 hidden palace was a stage that sonic was going to be sent after get all 7 chaos emeralds, it would explain the origins and creations of the chaos emeralds, and would be the first time sonic would turn super.
+Petar Stamenković 1: It was originally going to be where you were taken after collecting the emeralds. That idea was scrapped. 2: The level was designed with both water and a screen wrap and they couldn't find a way to implement both elements.
Man imagine how much the dynamic of the Chaos Emeralds would've changed in future Sonic games if this stage was completed. Instead of them just granting super powers instantly, they instead act like these macguffins that transport you to this mystic cave where you obtain the powers there
I find it unfair for them to scrap a level and leave its song in the game's memory. I remember I played all of the songs in the option menu and the only one I didn't know where it was from was this one. :-(
Metalders People actually use Sound Test to play the sounds of the game? I thought it was just a place to go to enter the secret code for level select.
MacKenzie McDermott To be fair, I think it was best to do so, otherwise you couldn't become Super Sonic until you found this stage and use the collected Emeralds.
Team RetroBlue you're right but it would add more challange to the game, not to mention the awesome music that plays throughout this stage and nice backgrounds
+scribble71891 Go to the sound test and input 03,03,03,0B,10,10,10,04 and select HPZ for a bonus level called Proto Palace Zone. It's HPZ as it was in the original prototypes for Sonic 2. It even has track 10 playing.
A fact: That was about to be used when you collect the 7 chaos emeralds after the special stages, to be Super Sonic. It's a shame that all the hard work and effort on that level has gone to waste
You can Play it in Sonic 2's Mobile release. Go to level Select Ans type the code: 03, 03, 03, 0B, 10, 10, 10, 04. And Select Hidden Palace. It will take you to the Original Hidden Palace but only with a single act.
HIDDEN PALACE ZONE Hidden Palace Zone is a scrapped level from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It is an underground zone with purple water, featuring sparkling gems and dinosaur-esque badniks. Hidden Palace Zone is perhaps the most infamous of the scrapped Sonic 2 levels due to its widespread appearance in gaming media before the game was released. The majority of the art in the level was created by Craig Stitt. Hidden Palace Zone was never completed for the original release; however, a good portion of the first act is playable in the Sonic 2 Nick Arcade prototype and the Sonic 2 Simon Wai prototype. It was one of the first levels to be worked on, however progress stopped early during production. It was nevertheless kept in the game throughout most of Sonic 2's development cycle, with its removal being a last minute decision. This is contrary to Wood Zone and Genocide City Zone, which, culled much sooner, were largely kept a secret. Notable features of Hidden Palace include green bridges which glow if Sonic or Tails walk on them. This is actually the same object as the bridge in Emerald Hill Zone, but is set to glow if the level number is that of Hidden Palace's. Also featured is a large ramp towards the end of the level, whose collision means it cannot be climbed without positioning Sonic on it with debug mode. Moving up this ramp will lead to the top of the screen, however using debug mode again will show that it continues at the bottom of the level, leading to a bridge covered in waterfalls and inevitably a platform to nowhere. Unlike other scrapped levels in Sonic 2, Hidden Palace Zone still remains in a corrupted form on the final version of the cartridge, though can only be accessed through game enhancers such as Game Genie. The level plays the unused track 10 in the final game, but opted for the Mystic Cave Zone 2-player music track in the Simon Wai prototype. A second act can also be accessed, but it is a barren version of the first act in all versions of the game. The zone has an icon, intended for the level select screen, but is never seen in normal play. Oddly, it does appear in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 however, as this game recycles Sonic 2's level select with minimal alterations. An interview with Yuji Naka revealed that Hidden Palace Zone was originally intended to be a level where the player would be warped to after collecting the 7 Chaos Emeralds. Once there, they would receive the power to morph into Super Sonic. The idea was ultimately killed and the ability was given to the player immediately.[1] Craig Stitt, in an interview with ICEknight, mentioned that Hidden Palace Zone started as two acts but then switched to a single act before being canceled.[2] Many parts of the level were once grounds for debate, such as the so called "Master Emerald" which blocks a pipe. In actuality, this was meant to be just a breakable object similar to the ones found in Hill Top Zone and Chemical Plant Zone.[2] The Tails 1-up monitor was once thought to be a sign that the level was a Tails-exclusive zone, though we now know it exists due to object subtype changes, as the monitors in this Zone seem to have been placed with the subtypes from the original Sonic the Hedgehog in mind. Some hacks, like Sonic 2 Delta and Sonic 2 Long Version, have attempted to restore the level using the graphics from the prototype version and level map and object data from the graphic-less version in the final release. Hidden Palace was removed but not forgotten. The name was recycled in Sonic & Knuckles for use in an unrelated level, and some of the background art was re-used in Sonic Spinball's Toxic Caves, also designed by Craig Stitt. Some elements like the glowing bridges and spheres in the background were used later in Sonic 3's IceCap Zone as well. The zone was finally restored 21 years later, as a single-act level in the 2013 remake of Sonic 2. The Sonic the Hedgehog 2 remake for mobile platforms adds Hidden Palace Zone as a bonus single-Act Zone, courtesy of Taxman and Stealth from Sonic Retro who worked on the project. Uniquely, this level is not encountered in the normal level progression; instead, it is a secret Zone whose entrance is hidden in an existing stage. The Zone's entrance is located in Act 2 of Mystic Cave Zone, replacing what was previously an inescapable pit of spikes. In this version, jumping into the pit will instead initiate the transition to Hidden Palace Zone. The level has been completely reworked based on the original assets and sprites seen in the Sonic 2 prototypes. This version of the level uses a brand-new level layout created from scratch, though some areas intentionally share similarities with the layout seen in prototype versions of the original game. The music used for this zone is the 2-Player music for Mystic Cave, as was seen in the Simon Wai prototype. New gimmicks have been added for this version of the stage, including water pipes which blast you through tubes, and ziplines which thrust you upward using the slanted shafts seen in the prototype layout. The curved water slide now functions as intended, and the large Emeralds are now breakable objects concealing springs. The Redz, BBat, and Stegway (formerly Stego) badniks are fully functional and present throughout the stage. Redz now behaves differently to the original scrapped version; in addtion to simply walking back and forth, it now stops occasionally to breathe a stream of fire from its mouth. In addition, an all-new badnik exclusive to this version of the game, Jellygnite, inhabits the underwater sections of this level. Also exclusive to this version of the game is the boss of this stage, Brass Eggman. Eggman pilots an Eggmobile with a gigantic trombone attachment, which emits loud blasts of noise that cause rockfalls from above. He also drops large bombs into the water, which will explode creating a brief vertical jet of water. If the water jet hits the player, they will take damage; however, if the jet instead hits Eggman, it will briefly disable his Eggmobile and he'll fall to the ground, allowing the player to damage him with a Spin Attack. As of version 3.0.9, the original version of the stage, as seen in prototype versions of the original game, can be accessed through a code on the stage select menu. After entering the debug mode cheat, playing the sounds 03, 03, 03, 0B, 10, 10, 10, 04 and selecting "Hidden Palace" will take the player to the Proto Palace Zone, which is Hidden Palace's original layout as seen in the Simon Wai prototype. Unlike its revised counterpart, this version of the stage uses Track #10 as its default background music. The single giant emerald present has a unique behaviour only seen in this version of the stage, acting as a warp which takes the player back to the stage select. Credits: Sonic Retro
@@MrChiriacmihai didn't you read its Mystic Cave 2 Player theme and not Dust hill? Its still a mystery to this day that Dust Hill's real music is still a mystery and no one knows. Some people use Mystic Cave 2 Player's theme for Dust Hill. While others use Oil Ocean's theme instead.
For a Stalker and a porcupine there is a Hidden Palace ZONE. It is indeed hidden, full of nostalgic sadness and a sense of awe, far beyond the Ocean Palace. Purple and Green eye stones dominate the sparse design.
Nah, Hidden Palace Zone was supposed to be a level you transmit after you collected all 7 Chaos Emeralds. But because of time constrains and a deadline SEGA had to ship it out before the holidays, the level was cut off.
Televincanto nah in more early version of the game it was gonna have two acts 2 and after was planned to be an one act level it wasn't an early version of mystic cave
No, someone edited the ROM to put the Mystic Cave boss there. In the original version, you hit a wall in the middle of Act 2 since they never finished the level.
In the 2013 remake, Hidden Palace is where you warp to after you go down the "no escape" spike pit. In recent updates, the Proto Palace Zone was added which is what the Genesis level was supposed to be, without the garbled mess. Completion of both will take you to Oil Ocean
this level actually still exists i remember when I downloaded sonic 2 in my tablet (samsung) while I was playing mystic cave i fell by accident i thought I was gonna die but instead I fell into hidden palace and I got to the boss with robotnik I didn't defeat him because I never knew about that boss so I lost all my lifes but I did realize that in order to hit him you have to make the big bomb explode on the same position robotnik is in
Bleach Pikachu Yeah,the mobile version added a full version of Hidden Palace Zone + secret code to play the beta one which is called "Proto Palace Zone"
I always thought I had to do some Pokegod-level tasks like beat the game 10 times in a row or something to find out what the track was used for. But I'm glad they left it in, it's one of the best tracks among many others to listen to hours on end.
I was playing sonic 2 on mobile I discovered this level by accident, I was just speeding through mystic cave zone until I accidentally fell in a hole and I screamed "NOOOOO" irl but I kept falling and I end up in hidden palace zone, I'm still mind blown lmfao I didn't know this level existed
On the mobile port you can access level select which you probably know how to do In sound test type 1,9,9,2,1,1,2,4 then you sjould hear a ring noise After that type 3,3,3,0B,10,10,10,04 And go on hidden palace
@@thereallystoopidguy1449 Go to no save start game tap sega and a ring sound will play if u did it right then hold down 2 fingers on the screen till level select pops up
GS Gaming Ok, so that works on the IOS version no matter what. It isn't some chaos emerald special zone, like I believe it was originally intended to be.
Currently, Hidden Palace Zone is now in Sonic 2(2013) and is accessed through Mystic Cave Zone Act 2's infamous spike pit with the spikes now removed. If you go through it, you'll be taken to it and hear the Mystic Cave Zone 2p music.
an ad displaying a 3D fidget spinner ap played before the video... im not vomplaining about how there was an ad. im complaining about the fact that there is a *3D fidget spinner ap that exists and has its own professional ad*
If you play the mobile version of it then the hidden palace would use dust hill music and is entered by walking into one of the pits in mystic cave act 2. In time attack however, you would ultimately die if you do that. The zone also has a boss of it’s own. You would continue into oil ocean if you pass. It has only one act and has all the mechanics in this video. Also if you enter a specific code another zone called proto palace would be accessible. It has this music and has the same mechanics
I never knew about this until now. I always thought that to get to the level, you had originally had to fall down a hole in Mystic Cave Zone to get to the boss, but Hidden Palace was actually a zone of its own, which was in fact scrapped until they brought it back in the mobile remake. PLUS it has different music. So glad I found this lol
But Hidden Palace's path in the mobile release is COMPLETELY Different. While the Original one clearly has its own music, and original Path, in the Mobile release, it just uses Mystic Cave 2 Player music for the Mobile / IOS Release.
Select Level 15: Emerald Hill Zone 1, 2, Chemical Planet Zone 1, 2, Aquatic Ruin Zone 1, 2, Casino Night Zone 1, 2, Hill Top Zone 1, 2, Wood Zone 1, 2, Mystic Cave Zone 1, 2, Dust Hill Zone 1, 2, Oil Ocean Zone 1, 2, Genocide City Zone 1, 2, Hidden Palace Zone 1, 2, Metropolis Zone 1, 2, 3, Sky Chase Zone, Wing Fortress Zone, Death Egg Zone 1, 2, 3.
This is actually interesting! You see, I've recently played through Sonic 2 Pink Edition (ver. 2.2) and stumbled across this very stage during my first run as Amy while in her super form during Mystic Cave Zone Act 2. I traveled around that level trying to collect as many rings when I noticed that there were items found beneath the trapped spiky pits. One of those pits appeared bottomless as I was just carelessly zooming up & down these pits. To my genuine surprise, that one bottomless pit transferred Amy into Hidden Palace Zone out of the blue and the footage from this video matches the exact same level sequence as from that obscure area! The entire level was both strange and beautiful to behold as it took a good while to get through it (an underground maze you might say) and eventually left with the level cleared text appearing as "Amy passed through zone." Surprisingly enough, I ended up skipping the rest of Mystic Cave Zone Act 2 & moved on to Oil Ocean Zone Act 1 w/o encountering Eggman (a surprise worth remembering)!
But you may accept the fact that SEGA themselves wanted to make these zones before they changed their minds and leave it there being scrapped. They were from the Beta Anyways.
But track 3 is the real HPZ music, track 10 probably plays when you use the Game Genie code in the final because the data that tells the game whihc song to play got corrupted.
I at least see the argument on why they scrapped the others zones but knowing they scrapped this level hurts. This should have been a hidden level or the secret finale considering the setting tracking Dr Eggman to a palace full of jewels. And yes I also kept pondering what level this track went to in the sound test.
Sega Genesis/Mega Drive collection on steam now has mod support from the steam workshop. You can download Sonic 2 long version from there and play it officially.
Yeah, the real beta version of hidden palace had the mystic cave zone 2p music in the background and had one complete act, act 2 was barely playable. And some other changes were made in this version. So not a beta, but still pretty cool.
This isn't how the 1st act was supposed to go before it got scrapped. When you got to the part with the steep green slope (1:06), the water level would then rise, you would climb up it, and there would be a wavy track with water on it that would push Sonic to the right. What would've happened next is uncertain, since the water track pushes Sonic off into the void, and the level is impossible to beat in the prototypes.
The fact that after all these years Taxman finally had an opportunity to rerelease Sonic 2 and he didn't even pick this song for HPZ is a failure of mind-numbing proportions.
The music Is from proto palace zone (android) hidden palace zone the beta (the code Is 03;03;03;0B;10;10;10;04) AND THAT'S A ROM HACK SONIC 2 LONG VERSION
There is now full evidence that this level originally was in the game: Go to the Sound Test in the genesis version. Sound Test track #10 plays this tune. And the iOS remake features a 1-act version of the level with the 2 player music in Mystic Cave Zone.
Yeah but this is fake. Track 10 wasn't actually meant for this level, it's just that when you use a Game Genie code, it brings you to a level of garbled up graphics and level design data that happens to play this song and use this title card. The actual beta (and the mobile version) use what eventually became the 2 player version of Mystic Cave.
I would not imagine if all the zones and the ones that were finished were ported together and I would say if the game was known as *Sonic 2 and the chaos emeralds* even tho it does I have the Chaos emeralds in the game. This would be a really REALLY long game for a game that's the greatest sonic game of all time sense 1992 where the first sonic the hedgehog game out. This version of sonic 2 oh boy I would not imagine all the zones that were scrapped and the ones that were finished were ported as the FINAL version of sonic 2. But now we must wait for someone too do that as a hack of sonic 2....
SEGA should've kept the music in the mobile edition, as well as the level layout. In the final version of Sonic 2, Hidden Palace was corrupted with collision, and is impossible to finish without placing an Egg-Capsule. Act 2 is Act 1 without an object layout.
Sure it got scrapped in the original version but it came back to life in the 2013 phone version by accessing the spike pit. The beta version aka proto palace zone can be accessed via no save slot. Tap s e g a and you should hear the ring chime. Tap both fingers to access level select menu. Play 03 03 03 oB 10 10 10 04 and you should hear the ring sound once again. Should you choose hidden palace, it will take you to proto palace the unfinished beta map. Touch the emerald and you'll go back to level select menu. Lose in that map and it will load hidden palace zone instead. Thanks for your understanding.
Okay, so graphics come from the prototypes and layout is mostly original with intentional snippets from the prototypes version of the zone, right? In Proto Palace Zone, the graphics still come from the prototypes, as they were likely removed from the final release. The layout also comes from both Nick Arcade and Simon Wai prototypes, both being the same. Only a part of the first act is really playable. Such layout was inherited to ProtoPZone in the 2013's mobile phone remake. The music used for this zone seems to have always been the unused track 10, as the Nick Arcade prototype features this as its theme. Simon Wai prototype has the 2P Mystic Cave theme, and it was chosen for the restored version of the zone released in 2013. But it catches my attention that the final release reversed back into associating the scrapped HPZone with the unused theme 10. No matter what people think, it is really odd that this theme is somehow linked to the zone, while in the 2013 remake, the restored zone, instead of using the theme that the earliest prototype used, they chose to play 2P Mystic Cave as its theme, as in Simon Wai prototype. My take on that is that they decided that that theme suited the zone better and just went Simon Wai prototype's way in terms of music selection for the zone. Is everything I stated here right? Otherwise, please link your sources on the opposite.
Yeah. They made Hidden Palace way more fast paced. And they ended up using the 2-Player Mystic Cave since that music fits the pace of the level. But I like 10 more.
This stage plays different than the rest that's why it was one of my favorite to see on Sonic 2 wish they add this to the final version for Sega Genesis
So that's weird this song is from . I never knew that .I remember as a kid hearing this song , thanks level select code. But had no idea what level it went with
You know what I always wondered about Hidden Palace Zone? I wonder why nobody's EVER fixed those bridge posts. You know, on the glowing green bridges, those posts next to them seem to have an incorrect tile. Thing looks like it should be part of the rocks, not on the post, it even uses part of the waterfall's cycling pallete. What I don't get is why no recreation of HPZ has fixed them. Not one.
In response to the description, S3&K Hidden Palace and S2 Hidden Palace have more in common than you might think. Hidden Palace S2 was originally going to be where you're sent when you collect all 7 Chaos Emeralds, and you had to complete it to unlock Super Sonic. Sonic 3&K's Hidden Palace Zone was not only where the Master Emerald resides (Don't forget that the Master Emerald is like the Chaos Emeralds' boss), but if you have the full Sonic 3 & Knuckles assembled, it's also where you're sent through the rings if you have all the Chaos Emeralds, where you must unlock the Super Emeralds to unlock Hyper Sonic. Sound familiar?
OH, this makes things make a lot more sense to me now. I've read that it was scrapped due to time constraints in the final version and I always thought "what's so hard about adding a level that's already on the cart?"
Now I understand that it would have been necessarily more complicated to link this in the game as intended since they need to make a special case for when you have 7 emeralds, possibly rewrite the part of the code for going to the next level - and this might be duplicated between each pair of levels depending how the game was programmed
So basically, if this were added as intended, you could go as early as the second zone? Dang.
Is there any confirmation on this?
Eric Dubé it was for promos :/
@@noobguy57 it was a interview i not remember where but basically sonic 2 hidden palace was a stage that sonic was going to be sent after get all 7 chaos emeralds, it would explain the origins and creations of the chaos emeralds, and would be the first time sonic would turn super.
This level is so beautiful, the background, the design, the music, EVERYTHING! Such a shame this was scrapped :(
I agree with you! Why did they remove this awesome zone :(
+Petar Stamenković
1: It was originally going to be where you were taken after collecting the emeralds. That idea was scrapped.
2: The level was designed with both water and a screen wrap and they couldn't find a way to implement both elements.
You can still play it. The game with all the scrapped levels is available online
You can play it on the mobile version
Dpzyomh Albeit a redesigned version
Man imagine how much the dynamic of the Chaos Emeralds would've changed in future Sonic games if this stage was completed. Instead of them just granting super powers instantly, they instead act like these macguffins that transport you to this mystic cave where you obtain the powers there
omg i'd love that
Like in S3&K you say?...
😅
Mystic cave zone
I find it unfair for them to scrap a level and leave its song in the game's memory. I remember I played all of the songs in the option menu and the only one I didn't know where it was from was this one. :-(
Same here. Track 10 was just so magical to me.
Metalders People actually use Sound Test to play the sounds of the game? I thought it was just a place to go to enter the secret code for level select.
Yea it's very strange that they decided to scrap this level :(
MacKenzie McDermott To be fair, I think it was best to do so, otherwise you couldn't become Super Sonic until you found this stage and use the collected Emeralds.
Team RetroBlue you're right but it would add more challange to the game, not to mention the awesome music that plays throughout this stage and nice backgrounds
Is it weird that I watch this video daily because I love the music?
It happens the same to me xdddd when I discovered this song in the menu of the game, i couldn't stop listening to it
Mage Licious no
I love this level to be honest. They should have never scrapped it
No Mage Licious. I love the music and the level as well. The music is beautiful. A damn shame they scrapped this zone! :(
I fucking love this music. To bad they replaced it.
They could keep hilltop zone but not this? Hidden Palace was the most polished of all the scrapped levels. Leaving its soundtrack behind was a tease.
I know, but I was taking about the game's release. And from what I read in the comments, people weren't too happen about the track change.
+scribble71891 Go to the sound test and input 03,03,03,0B,10,10,10,04 and select HPZ for a bonus level called Proto Palace Zone. It's HPZ as it was in the original prototypes for Sonic 2. It even has track 10 playing.
kakaronicthemaximum1 will this work in sonic mega collection plus?
+scribble71891 It's only available in the Sonic 2 Remake for iOS and Android.
what's wrong with hilltop zone? i don't think it's a bad zone, it's my favorite one actually :D the atmosphere is nice, so as the music :)
A fact: That was about to be used when you collect the 7 chaos emeralds after the special stages, to be Super Sonic. It's a shame that all the hard work and effort on that level has gone to waste
It didn’t go to waste tho . It came back in the iOS version
Actually that's not true, it was going to be the way Sonic would travel back in time.
sassymetalsonic is correct
This is the only beta stage that got saved from being forgotten forever
Genoc*de city zone’s layout was used in Metropolis Act 3
I would've loved playing this level; I love the background music, the underwater stuff and...that's about it.
You can Play it in Sonic 2's Mobile release.
Go to level Select
Ans type the code:
03, 03, 03, 0B, 10, 10, 10, 04.
And Select Hidden Palace.
It will take you to the Original Hidden Palace but only with a single act.
Or play sonic orgins
@@notmorgyou can also jump into one of these pits in Mistic Cave
HIDDEN PALACE ZONE
Hidden Palace Zone is a scrapped level from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. It is an underground zone with purple water, featuring sparkling gems and dinosaur-esque badniks. Hidden Palace Zone is perhaps the most infamous of the scrapped Sonic 2 levels due to its widespread appearance in gaming media before the game was released. The majority of the art in the level was created by Craig Stitt.
Hidden Palace Zone was never completed for the original release; however, a good portion of the first act is playable in the Sonic 2 Nick Arcade prototype and the Sonic 2 Simon Wai prototype. It was one of the first levels to be worked on, however progress stopped early during production. It was nevertheless kept in the game throughout most of Sonic 2's development cycle, with its removal being a last minute decision. This is contrary to Wood Zone and Genocide City Zone, which, culled much sooner, were largely kept a secret.
Notable features of Hidden Palace include green bridges which glow if Sonic or Tails walk on them. This is actually the same object as the bridge in Emerald Hill Zone, but is set to glow if the level number is that of Hidden Palace's. Also featured is a large ramp towards the end of the level, whose collision means it cannot be climbed without positioning Sonic on it with debug mode. Moving up this ramp will lead to the top of the screen, however using debug mode again will show that it continues at the bottom of the level, leading to a bridge covered in waterfalls and inevitably a platform to nowhere.
Unlike other scrapped levels in Sonic 2, Hidden Palace Zone still remains in a corrupted form on the final version of the cartridge, though can only be accessed through game enhancers such as Game Genie. The level plays the unused track 10 in the final game, but opted for the Mystic Cave Zone 2-player music track in the Simon Wai prototype. A second act can also be accessed, but it is a barren version of the first act in all versions of the game. The zone has an icon, intended for the level select screen, but is never seen in normal play. Oddly, it does appear in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 however, as this game recycles Sonic 2's level select with minimal alterations.
An interview with Yuji Naka revealed that Hidden Palace Zone was originally intended to be a level where the player would be warped to after collecting the 7 Chaos Emeralds. Once there, they would receive the power to morph into Super Sonic. The idea was ultimately killed and the ability was given to the player immediately.[1] Craig Stitt, in an interview with ICEknight, mentioned that Hidden Palace Zone started as two acts but then switched to a single act before being canceled.[2]
Many parts of the level were once grounds for debate, such as the so called "Master Emerald" which blocks a pipe. In actuality, this was meant to be just a breakable object similar to the ones found in Hill Top Zone and Chemical Plant Zone.[2] The Tails 1-up monitor was once thought to be a sign that the level was a Tails-exclusive zone, though we now know it exists due to object subtype changes, as the monitors in this Zone seem to have been placed with the subtypes from the original Sonic the Hedgehog in mind.
Some hacks, like Sonic 2 Delta and Sonic 2 Long Version, have attempted to restore the level using the graphics from the prototype version and level map and object data from the graphic-less version in the final release.
Hidden Palace was removed but not forgotten. The name was recycled in Sonic & Knuckles for use in an unrelated level, and some of the background art was re-used in Sonic Spinball's Toxic Caves, also designed by Craig Stitt. Some elements like the glowing bridges and spheres in the background were used later in Sonic 3's IceCap Zone as well. The zone was finally restored 21 years later, as a single-act level in the 2013 remake of Sonic 2.
The Sonic the Hedgehog 2 remake for mobile platforms adds Hidden Palace Zone as a bonus single-Act Zone, courtesy of Taxman and Stealth from Sonic Retro who worked on the project. Uniquely, this level is not encountered in the normal level progression; instead, it is a secret Zone whose entrance is hidden in an existing stage. The Zone's entrance is located in Act 2 of Mystic Cave Zone, replacing what was previously an inescapable pit of spikes. In this version, jumping into the pit will instead initiate the transition to Hidden Palace Zone.
The level has been completely reworked based on the original assets and sprites seen in the Sonic 2 prototypes. This version of the level uses a brand-new level layout created from scratch, though some areas intentionally share similarities with the layout seen in prototype versions of the original game. The music used for this zone is the 2-Player music for Mystic Cave, as was seen in the Simon Wai prototype. New gimmicks have been added for this version of the stage, including water pipes which blast you through tubes, and ziplines which thrust you upward using the slanted shafts seen in the prototype layout. The curved water slide now functions as intended, and the large Emeralds are now breakable objects concealing springs. The Redz, BBat, and Stegway (formerly Stego) badniks are fully functional and present throughout the stage. Redz now behaves differently to the original scrapped version; in addtion to simply walking back and forth, it now stops occasionally to breathe a stream of fire from its mouth. In addition, an all-new badnik exclusive to this version of the game, Jellygnite, inhabits the underwater sections of this level.
Also exclusive to this version of the game is the boss of this stage, Brass Eggman. Eggman pilots an Eggmobile with a gigantic trombone attachment, which emits loud blasts of noise that cause rockfalls from above. He also drops large bombs into the water, which will explode creating a brief vertical jet of water. If the water jet hits the player, they will take damage; however, if the jet instead hits Eggman, it will briefly disable his Eggmobile and he'll fall to the ground, allowing the player to damage him with a Spin Attack.
As of version 3.0.9, the original version of the stage, as seen in prototype versions of the original game, can be accessed through a code on the stage select menu. After entering the debug mode cheat, playing the sounds 03, 03, 03, 0B, 10, 10, 10, 04 and selecting "Hidden Palace" will take the player to the Proto Palace Zone, which is Hidden Palace's original layout as seen in the Simon Wai prototype. Unlike its revised counterpart, this version of the stage uses Track #10 as its default background music. The single giant emerald present has a unique behaviour only seen in this version of the stage, acting as a warp which takes the player back to the stage select.
Credits: Sonic Retro
It not scraped forever in mystic cave act 2 you can call in a hole and get at hidden palace zone but with dust hill theme
@@MrChiriacmihai didn't you read its Mystic Cave 2 Player theme and not Dust hill? Its still a mystery to this day that Dust Hill's real music is still a mystery and no one knows. Some people use Mystic Cave 2 Player's theme for Dust Hill. While others use Oil Ocean's theme instead.
th hidden palace zone boss hard but i beat it phew
My theory is
Mystic Cave 2P theme was for Hidden Palace
Casino Night 2P theme was for Oil Ocean
Oil Ocean theme was for Dust Hill
@@Skiazo That's the original plan.
In the end:
Hidden Palace's theme was the one in this video.
Oil Ocean ended up with the Music from Dust Hill.
For a Stalker and a porcupine there is a Hidden Palace ZONE. It is indeed hidden, full of nostalgic sadness and a sense of awe, far beyond the Ocean Palace.
Purple and Green eye stones dominate the sparse design.
I hope they include this stage in Sonic Mania, it looks so good, it's a shame it was scrapped from the original Sonic 2.
At least the Sonic 3 version made it in
Too bad. This aged poorly.
@@henryd3bby stfu. the comment was made years ago 😑
Finally in the mobile version of the game
Based on the boss battle, I am assuming this was supposed to be Mystic Cave?
Nah, Hidden Palace Zone was supposed to be a level you transmit after you collected all 7 Chaos Emeralds. But because of time constrains and a deadline SEGA had to ship it out before the holidays, the level was cut off.
+Miggy So where does Super Sonic come in then? Was that a substitute for the lack of this or a part of it?
Televincanto nah in more early version of the game it was gonna have two acts 2 and after was planned to be an one act level it wasn't an early version of mystic cave
This level is on the remastered version. You just have to go to mystic cave zone 2 and go to the previously large hole where u could get stuck
No, someone edited the ROM to put the Mystic Cave boss there. In the original version, you hit a wall in the middle of Act 2 since they never finished the level.
The fact that Prototype Hidden Palace (hidden palace zone 2) was the sonic 2 mobile code 0303030B10101004 in the Sound Test.
(It was also called "Proto Palace Zone".)
(Also for debug mode code is 01090902010104
In the 2013 remake, Hidden Palace is where you warp to after you go down the "no escape" spike pit. In recent updates, the Proto Palace Zone was added which is what the Genesis level was supposed to be, without the garbled mess. Completion of both will take you to Oil Ocean
Replacing THE PIT with this level is to this day the best surprise I've ever found in a game. Thanks, Taxman!!
Taxman the goat.
this level actually still exists i remember when I downloaded sonic 2 in my tablet (samsung) while I was playing mystic cave i fell by accident i thought I was gonna die but instead I fell into hidden palace and I got to the boss with robotnik I didn't defeat him because I never knew about that boss so I lost all my lifes but I did realize that in order to hit him you have to make the big bomb explode on the same position robotnik is in
It's only in the mobile version, not the Genesis version.
+POOP LIKE no wonder thanks for the reply
Bleach Pikachu Yeah,the mobile version added a full version of Hidden Palace Zone + secret code to play the beta one which is called "Proto Palace Zone"
Thank you for your knowledge that was just mentioned TRUMP 2016
It is still in the original Sonic The Hedgehog 2, but you will need to buy a game genie and insert a code to access it.
Honestly if space was an issue, oil ocean zone we could have done without. Or hilltop zone. Id trade in either of those for this one.
I always thought I had to do some Pokegod-level tasks like beat the game 10 times in a row or something to find out what the track was used for. But I'm glad they left it in, it's one of the best tracks among many others to listen to hours on end.
I was playing sonic 2 on mobile I discovered this level by accident, I was just speeding through mystic cave zone until I accidentally fell in a hole and I screamed "NOOOOO" irl but I kept falling and I end up in hidden palace zone, I'm still mind blown lmfao I didn't know this level existed
I think the music for Hidden Palace Zone sounds sad.
probably because this song was originally not for Hidden Palace Zone
@@Skiazo what are you talking about?? This is the real hidden palace song
I think nobody asked.
@@calebellingson8860 Please dont be the person who has to start shit
When I was 4 years old and owned a genesis in 96 I thought it sounded sad also. Melancholy.
On the mobile port you can access level select which you probably know how to do
In sound test type 1,9,9,2,1,1,2,4 then you sjould hear a ring noise
After that type 3,3,3,0B,10,10,10,04
And go on hidden palace
StickSo or when you play mystic cave zone act 2 to get to hidden palace
@@3rdARKnight he's talking about this hidden palace aka proto palace
Proto palace to be exact
how do you access level select in the mobile port
@@thereallystoopidguy1449 Go to no save start game tap sega and a ring sound will play if u did it right then hold down 2 fingers on the screen till level select pops up
Did you know this zone is my favorite zone? Because of the music, it sounds epic :D
also once you release the flickies you can see some rats
I think if you fall in to the spike pit on Mystic Cave Zone as Supersonic, it should take you to this level as an alternate to the Mystic Cave boss.
It actually replaces the spike pit in Mystic Cave with a secret entrance to this level in the iOS version.
+GS Gaming (Jeff) Does that only work when you have all chaos emeralds?
carultch No it's where the spike pit of death in mystic cave used to be
GS Gaming
Ok, so that works on the IOS version no matter what. It isn't some chaos emerald special zone, like I believe it was originally intended to be.
Shenron: YOUR WISH IS GRANTED. FAREWELL.
Currently, Hidden Palace Zone is now in Sonic 2(2013) and is accessed through Mystic Cave Zone Act 2's infamous spike pit with the spikes now removed. If you go through it, you'll be taken to it and hear the Mystic Cave Zone 2p music.
an ad displaying a 3D fidget spinner ap played before the video... im not vomplaining about how there was an ad. im complaining about the fact that there is a *3D fidget spinner ap that exists and has its own professional ad*
Biting Panic what does this have to do with sonic 2?
@@JulianR2JG Don't you know about Fidget Spinner Zone?
If you play the mobile version of it then the hidden palace would use dust hill music and is entered by walking into one of the pits in mystic cave act 2. In time attack however, you would ultimately die if you do that. The zone also has a boss of it’s own. You would continue into oil ocean if you pass. It has only one act and has all the mechanics in this video. Also if you enter a specific code another zone called proto palace would be accessible. It has this music and has the same mechanics
Mystic cave: You're dead
Hidden Palace: NO U *POW*
This was a real stage, design and all. Stage 2 was a copy without assets. So this is a real stage
My favorite scrapped Sonic 2 level!
Mr. Hidden Palace, Mr. Mystic Cave wants his boss battle back.
but we have brass eggman
So hidden that didn't even appears on the final game.
*PARADOX*
It appeared in mobile version of sonic 2
@@min2793 the design is different and the music and how know that is because I played it on the remaster
@@NvanRoblox try proto palace
Ok
I'm glad this was atleast used for the Japanese and mobile version. Goes to show just how good this was
Uh.... this wasn't in the Japanese version. Who told you that lol
Lol idk why I said japanese version
I always felt so empty as a kid never knowing what that song was tied to.
I never knew about this until now.
I always thought that to get to the level, you had originally had to fall down a hole in Mystic Cave Zone to get to the boss, but Hidden Palace was actually a zone of its own, which was in fact scrapped until they brought it back in the mobile remake. PLUS it has different music. So glad I found this lol
It actually had the same music as the port in every prototype, including the one where it was scrapped.
Hidden Palace Zone is one of my favorite scrapped Sonic 2 zones. It is too easy.
Also, you're playing a Sonic 2 hack called Sonic 2 Long Version.
Ah I remember when I put the number 10 in sound test and I hear this for a long time....
Beautiful level... So sad they scrapped it for no reason... The song is so so so beautiful...
they made no progress on this level since the Nick Arcade prototype at least
that's actually why it was scrapped
It's not hidden anymore it's in sth 2 mobile
@@tommybakes5972 Only 2013 version, we are talking about the original Mega Drive release.
not lost anymore, the remake for android and ios features this level
But Hidden Palace's path in the mobile release is COMPLETELY Different. While the Original one clearly has its own music, and original Path, in the Mobile release, it just uses Mystic Cave 2 Player music for the Mobile / IOS Release.
Eric BUT the original music and level disign is playable . Is called proto palace
Select Level 15:
Emerald Hill Zone 1, 2, Chemical Planet Zone 1, 2, Aquatic Ruin Zone 1, 2, Casino Night Zone 1, 2, Hill Top Zone 1, 2, Wood Zone 1, 2, Mystic Cave Zone 1, 2, Dust Hill Zone 1, 2, Oil Ocean Zone 1, 2, Genocide City Zone 1, 2, Hidden Palace Zone 1, 2, Metropolis Zone 1, 2, 3, Sky Chase Zone, Wing Fortress Zone, Death Egg Zone 1, 2, 3.
This is actually interesting! You see, I've recently played through Sonic 2 Pink Edition (ver. 2.2) and stumbled across this very stage during my first run as Amy while in her super form during Mystic Cave Zone Act 2. I traveled around that level trying to collect as many rings when I noticed that there were items found beneath the trapped spiky pits. One of those pits appeared bottomless as I was just carelessly zooming up & down these pits. To my genuine surprise, that one bottomless pit transferred Amy into Hidden Palace Zone out of the blue and the footage from this video matches the exact same level sequence as from that obscure area! The entire level was both strange and beautiful to behold as it took a good while to get through it (an underground maze you might say) and eventually left with the level cleared text appearing as "Amy passed through zone." Surprisingly enough, I ended up skipping the rest of Mystic Cave Zone Act 2 & moved on to Oil Ocean Zone Act 1 w/o encountering Eggman (a surprise worth remembering)!
Pink edition is a great hack
This isnt the Sonic 2 Beta this is Sonic 2 Long Version
yep
Someone finally understands me!
But you may accept the fact that SEGA themselves wanted to make these zones before they changed their minds and leave it there being scrapped. They were from the Beta Anyways.
THANK YOU SO MUCH
for using the actual Hidden Palace Zone music and not the Mystic Cave Zone 2P music.
But track 3 is the real HPZ music, track 10 probably plays when you use the Game Genie code in the final because the data that tells the game whihc song to play got corrupted.
The fact you can find this in not only the beta version but also the final game in sonic 2 somewhere in the mystic caves
Fun fact: S2 Hidden Palace theme was used as Sonic 1 Beta Remake's Night Hill Zone theme
3:31 I always did that after releasing the hostages. 😂😂😂
Why does this zone theme sound so sad... It's like a feeling of loss, and a sense of hope that will be forever dashed.
i've got some sensory issues and i'm feeling like the deserty color of the rocks is offputting.. am i the only one?
The level would be used in the Christian whitehead remaster with the dust hill zone music which fits better in my opinion
You mean Mystic Cave 2P?
@@Chipmunkboy yeah I think
I remember watching this video as a kid thinking “HOLY CRAP HOS DID HE GET INTO HIDDEN PALACE????” And just now realizing it’s a fucking mod
I at least see the argument on why they scrapped the others zones but knowing they scrapped this level hurts. This should have been a hidden level or the secret finale considering the setting tracking Dr Eggman to a palace full of jewels. And yes I also kept pondering what level this track went to in the sound test.
Sega Genesis/Mega Drive collection on steam now has mod support from the steam workshop. You can download Sonic 2 long version from there and play it officially.
28 years later and I finally find out where this song came from.
hidden palace zone is literally the best zone of sonic 2
I'm glad this was in the 2013 remake.
Yeah, the real beta version of hidden palace had the mystic cave zone 2p music in the background and had one complete act, act 2 was barely playable. And some other changes were made in this version. So not a beta, but still pretty cool.
the remains of HPZ in the final game use track 10
This looks like under ground S3&K HPZ (kinda)
sounds like music you'd find in an extra sappy episode of Inuyasha
This isn't how the 1st act was supposed to go before it got scrapped. When you got to the part with the steep green slope (1:06), the water level would then rise, you would climb up it, and there would be a wavy track with water on it that would push Sonic to the right. What would've happened next is uncertain, since the water track pushes Sonic off into the void, and the level is impossible to beat in the prototypes.
The fact that after all these years Taxman finally had an opportunity to rerelease Sonic 2 and he didn't even pick this song for HPZ is a failure of mind-numbing proportions.
Why do I get the feeling they decided to save this zone or concept for Sonic 3?
The fact in sonic 3 and knuckles theres a zone called hidden palace
Because there is a zone of the same name.
Yeah, they kind of did. HPZ was cut in Sonic 2 for time constraints, so they reimplemented it in Sonic & Knuckles where they had more time for it.
peridotangel83 I agree
i love how this level actually visually existing was a myth before this
Those who own the sega genesis mini, is this stage and music in sonic the hedgehog 2?
can you imagine the look on a kids face discovering this in 1992?
i know we're talking about hidden palace zone, but there was a zone called "genocide city"???
one of the best music in the whole game. They might have scrapped the stage but at least you can heard the track in the sound test menu
They brought it back
@@somedumbspammer4408 yep, on Sonic Origins. Thats great!
The music Is from proto palace zone (android) hidden palace zone the beta (the code Is 03;03;03;0B;10;10;10;04) AND THAT'S A ROM HACK SONIC 2 LONG VERSION
There is now full evidence that this level originally was in the game:
Go to the Sound Test in the genesis version. Sound Test track #10 plays this tune.
And the iOS remake features a 1-act version of the level with the 2 player music in Mystic Cave Zone.
Yeah but this is fake. Track 10 wasn't actually meant for this level, it's just that when you use a Game Genie code, it brings you to a level of garbled up graphics and level design data that happens to play this song and use this title card. The actual beta (and the mobile version) use what eventually became the 2 player version of Mystic Cave.
you don't understand how Sonic 2 works internally, do you?
It is in the taxman port but the song is Mystic Cave zone (2-player)
Such a shame this Zone is not in the final release of the Genesis version. It nearly looks complete.
WHO'S GONNA ROCK THE- wait no, this palace hasn't been found yet
Even this hidden palace zone sonic 2 theme is still left in the sonic jam too
For some reason, the darkness of this level reminds me of Golden Axe.
What is your favorite? Hidden palace sonic 2 or hidden palace sonic3 and knuckles?
Both tbh 3 & knuckles has the huge story twist of Eggmans betrayal. 2's Hidden Pallace has the mystic going for it.
Have you seen the other secret level called Woods
I would not imagine if all the zones and the ones that were finished were ported together and I would say if the game was known as *Sonic 2 and the chaos emeralds* even tho it does I have the Chaos emeralds in the game. This would be a really REALLY long game for a game that's the greatest sonic game of all time sense 1992 where the first sonic the hedgehog game out. This version of sonic 2 oh boy I would not imagine all the zones that were scrapped and the ones that were finished were ported as the FINAL version of sonic 2. But now we must wait for someone too do that as a hack of sonic 2....
In Sonic 2 of 2013 that goddamn pit in act 2 from Mystic Cave Zone was replaced to this level.
SEGA should've kept the music in the mobile edition, as well as the level layout. In the final version of Sonic 2, Hidden Palace was corrupted with collision, and is impossible to finish without placing an Egg-Capsule. Act 2 is Act 1 without an object layout.
Don't ask Sega. Ask Taxman and Stealh
How many tmes i gotta fucking say it
HPZ was supposed to use track 3
Sure it got scrapped in the original version but it came back to life in the 2013 phone version by accessing the spike pit. The beta version aka proto palace zone can be accessed via no save slot. Tap s e g a and you should hear the ring chime. Tap both fingers to access level select menu. Play 03 03 03 oB 10 10 10 04 and you should hear the ring sound once again. Should you choose hidden palace, it will take you to proto palace the unfinished beta map. Touch the emerald and you'll go back to level select menu. Lose in that map and it will load hidden palace zone instead. Thanks for your understanding.
I like how in the beginning tails struggeled a lot
Fun fact: you can still find this zone on mobile somewhere pit mystic cave act 2...
Can u get dis stage or beta on sonic mega collection/sonic mega collection plus? (I got for xbox)
Okay, so graphics come from the prototypes and layout is mostly original with intentional snippets from the prototypes version of the zone, right? In Proto Palace Zone, the graphics still come from the prototypes, as they were likely removed from the final release. The layout also comes from both Nick Arcade and Simon Wai prototypes, both being the same. Only a part of the first act is really playable. Such layout was inherited to ProtoPZone in the 2013's mobile phone remake. The music used for this zone seems to have always been the unused track 10, as the Nick Arcade prototype features this as its theme. Simon Wai prototype has the 2P Mystic Cave theme, and it was chosen for the restored version of the zone released in 2013. But it catches my attention that the final release reversed back into associating the scrapped HPZone with the unused theme 10. No matter what people think, it is really odd that this theme is somehow linked to the zone, while in the 2013 remake, the restored zone, instead of using the theme that the earliest prototype used, they chose to play 2P Mystic Cave as its theme, as in Simon Wai prototype. My take on that is that they decided that that theme suited the zone better and just went Simon Wai prototype's way in terms of music selection for the zone. Is everything I stated here right? Otherwise, please link your sources on the opposite.
Yeah. They made Hidden Palace way more fast paced. And they ended up using the 2-Player Mystic Cave since that music fits the pace of the level.
But I like 10 more.
Hey guess what hidden palace is back in the mobile version
True that
This stage plays different than the rest that's why it was one of my favorite to see on Sonic 2 wish they add this to the final version for Sega Genesis
This plase is used in the 2013 remake of sonic 2
Why did they scraped this? It looks cool. Well it came back in Sonic 2 2013 and Sonic Origins
I have Sonic Mega Collection Plus for PS2. Oh so this is how Hidden Palace Zone in Sonic The Hedgehog looks. Sweet!
I have too =D did you unlock some secret levels ?
I unlocked some cheats. I'm still working on unlocking Sonic 3 and knuckles.
But sure in beta version of hidden place there was 2 act's
where did you GET this!?
i love how the level design in act 1 is so good and then act 2 happens
You can really tell they didn't get far into the development. There's nearly no monitors or rings or even enemies.
I remember finding this zone when falling down that one pit in mystic cave zone
This music reminds me of early synth era Rush.
blakfloyd and the Neptunes old sound lol
You know it was scrapped in genienes but was bring back I andriod
Nostalgia.. Love it
So that's weird this song is from . I never knew that .I remember as a kid hearing this song , thanks level select code. But had no idea what level it went with
Nice to see this back on Origins
Rom link?
where is the master eamrald?
You know what I always wondered about Hidden Palace Zone? I wonder why nobody's EVER fixed those bridge posts. You know, on the glowing green bridges, those posts next to them seem to have an incorrect tile. Thing looks like it should be part of the rocks, not on the post, it even uses part of the waterfall's cycling pallete. What I don't get is why no recreation of HPZ has fixed them. Not one.
I think it’s fixed on the 2013 mobile port