Sonic The Hedgehog XA

 

Developer:  luksamuk

Release Date: June, 2024

Last Update: August, 2025

Graphics: 2D

Version: 0.6

Genre: Platformer

Players: 1

Description

Sonic The Hedgehog XA is an open-source fangame created as an exploration of the PlayStation hardware’s capabilities and limitations. It serves as a proof of concept, demonstrating that a Sonic game could be developed from the ground up for this console. The project is non-commercial and has been developed by a single individual, driven by passion and experimentation.

Extra info

The game blends classic 2D Sonic gameplay with the unique possibilities of the PlayStation, offering a fresh take on the series. Utilizing modern development tools like PSn00bSDK, it’s an attempt to reimagine the Sonic experience on hardware that was never intended for it, all while respecting the spirit of the original games.

IMPORTANT: THIS IS A PROTOTYPE AND HIGHLY UNFINISHED. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU WILL BE PLAYING BETA-QUALITY SOFTWARE, LACKING SIGNIFICANT CODE, OPTIMIZATIONS, AND POLISH.

What is the meaning of "XA"?

"XA" refers to a widely used audio format on the PlayStation, which this fangame adopts for encoding its background music. Including it in the title pays homage to the target platform, adds a sense of originality, and serves as a subtle nod to Sonic CD.

There's two new other builds of this project, for consoles of other regions that are not the US. U stands for USA, E stands for Europe, and J stands for Japan. Both U and J versions run at NTSC 60Hz, but E stands for PAL 50Hz. Notice that, if you play the PAL version of this game, you might feel Sonic a little slower and "float-y", since the game is FPS-locked.

The game was presented at SAGE 2025:

"SAGE is a yearly, non-profit put together by Sonic Fan Games HQ and it's partners to support, promote and celebrate the community's creative efforts."

Changelog

V. 0.1

• Updated sprites and extra animations for Sonic.
• Super Peel-Out move.
• New playable characters: Tails and Knuckles
• Bubbles!

 V. 0.5.1

• Improved character rendering.
• Improved audio quality.
• New level specific objects.
• Enemies
• Bosses
• 1 ups available
• Controls to change audio
• Added pause menu
• And more!

V. 0.6

• New playable character: Amy Rose.
• Fixed hitboxes.
• Bug fixes.

For more detailed info about the different versions, check official links:

V. 0.1 -  V. 0.51 - V. 0.6

Media

 

Links

Official Website - Itch.io - Github