Sonic After the Sequel

* Main Page
* Unused Content

* Final Game
* DEMO

## System requirements

Newgrounds Flash Player (Optional, for cutscenes)
Clean Flash Player (Optional, for cutscenes)

***Sonic After the Sequel*** (AKA Sonic ATS) is the second LakeFeperd Sonic fan game created, and in the ***Sonic Between the Trilogy*** Series. It takes place after the events of *Sonic the Hedgehog 2*, hence the title. The game completed development in 2012, but its full release was delayed until 2013 due to the soundtrack still being unfinished. Both Sonic and Tails are playable, but instead of alternating zones as in *Sonic Before the Sequel*, either character can be chosen to play through the entire game.

The game once again featured an original soundtrack, with songs by Falk Au Yeong, Pejman Roozbeh (Funk Fiction), James Landino (KgZ), Andy Tunstall (Ristar), who were present in the previous game, as well as newcomers Mr. Lange and Micheal Staple (MaxieDaMan).

The Sonic Worlds engine, created for Multimedia Fusion 2 Developer (now Clickteam Fusion 2.5), is once again used in *Sonic After the Sequel*, as it was with its predecessor. On the same day as Sonic Before the Sequel did on October 22nd, 2016, Sonic After the Sequel went open source.

LakeFeperd released *Sonic After the Sequel DX,* a remaster of *Sonic After the Sequel*, on August 26, 2017.

2. **Gameplay**2.2. Power-ups2.3. Secrets  2.4. Parhelion Secret and Debug Mode
3. **Zones**
4. **Reception**
5. **Remakes & Remasters**
6. **Trivia**
7. **References**

### Story

Directly after the conclusion of *Sonic the Hedgehog 2*, Sonic and Tails arrive in Horizon Heights Zone. There, Sonic encounters Mecha Tails, which he swiftly defeats. This robot is never seen again. Eggman then entraps Sonic in an electric beam and attempts to steal the Chaos Emeralds. Tails immediately jumps into the Egg-o-Matic, scattering the Emeralds amongst the area. The duo travels through Sugar Splash Zone, a sugar factory, and into Cyan City, where Eggman is launching an air attack on the city. After defeating the Egg Fleet, Sonic spots the Death Egg being lowered by an unidentified object onto Angel Island.

In Foliage Furnace Zone, Sonic runs into an old ally, Mighty the Armadillo, who points Sonic and Tails in the direction of Eggman. When the two arrive in Moon Mansion zone and traverse the manor, they reach the top of the tallest tower. M.O.A.B. from *Sonic Before the Sequel* is waiting at the top, accompanied by a large device which can alter the weather in the area. Upon the defeat of M.O.A.B, the badnik's ocular visor displays a short animation of Eggman's plans to take over the world using his weather-controlling machine.

As they are traveling through the caverns of Redhot Ride Zone, Sonic and Tails notice a series of oddly prophetic mosaics on the wall. These mosaics seemingly depict the events of *Sonic Before the Sequel* as well as *Sonic After the Sequel.* Some of the mosaics have been partially or completely lost to time, hiding future events to occur in the game, particularly the true final boss. Upon entering Parhelion Peak Zone, two giant Rexon badniks are fighting in the background. The orange Rexon is friendly to Sonic and Tails, assisting them throughout the zone. After completing Parhelion Peak Zone, a brown object rapidly flies overhead, dropping a singular feather. Sonic examines the feather for a second before being interrupted by the zone's boss.

Sonic and Tails then make their way up to Storm Station, hitching a ride on one of Eggman's flying badniks. Storm Station is revealed to be the final form of the earlier device seen in Moon Mansion Zone. The floating ring would be able to manipulate the weather on a much more massive scale than its predecessor. In Act 3, images of each zone with different weather conditions are projected. Sonic finally reaches Eggman in the center of the enormous ring. Eggman, armed in a modified version of his Eggmobile which reacts to the weather, is then defeated by Sonic. The fortress falls directly around Parhelion Peak, coincidentally where Eggman's Death Egg launch rocket from *Before the Sequel* also crashed. If all of the Chaos Emeralds are not collected in Classic Mode, the game ends here. If all 7 Chaos Emeralds are collected or the game is played in Story Mode, the game continues.

EGGATS-2013 (the brown owl-like badnik's name is not actually revealed until *Sonic Chrono Adventure*) attempts to steal the Emeralds from Sonic via a similar electrical field as Eggman previously used. Sonic then focuses his energy on the Chaos Emeralds, absorbs them, and transforms into Super Sonic. Super Sonic then drops off Tails in Cyan City and gives chase to EGGATS. After battling EGGATS over the ocean, Super Sonic and EGGATS are warped into the Special Zone where they face off for a final time. EGGATS is then defeated, followed by Super Sonic returning to the normal world and safely lowering Angel Island into the ocean. Super Sonic and Tails then fly towards Angel Island, straight into the events of *Sonic the Hedgehog 3*.

### Gameplay

*Sonic After the Sequel* plays similarly to the original *Sonic the Hedgehog* games released for the Sega Genesis. The game runs on the Sonic Worlds 0.5 engine, designed to replicate the physics from the original Genesis games. Being an older version of the engine, the physics are not 100% true to the original.

The game plays similarly to a traditional Sonic game. Zones are laid out in a 3-act format with a separate boss act. The player may select Sonic or Tails as a playable character upon game startup, Sonic has his Spin Dash ability as well as the Super Peel-out. Tails, of course, can fly.

#### Power-ups

Fire ShieldBubble ShieldSpike ShieldSpeed ShoesInvincibilitySuper StarThe Fire Shield and Bubble Shield from *Sonic the Hedgehog 3* are obtainable power-ups, albeit behaving slightly different than their original counterparts. Instead of the Bubble Shield providing a bounce action, it grants a double-jump. Taking damage underwater with the Bubble Shield does not destroy the shield; it simply causes the player to lose their rings as if the shield was not equipped. New to *After the Sequel*, Sonic (or Tails) can also obtain a Spike Shield. The shield makes the player immune to spike damage. Tapping the Jump button in mid-air with the shield equipped causes the player to stomp directly towards the ground.
The Speed Shoes return in *After the Sequel*. Obtaining this power-up will cause the player's speed to increase for a short time.

The Invincibility monitor also makes a return. Breaking it will make the player invulnerable to attacks for a short period.

In Cyan City Zone Act 2, Sonic obtains the Beam power-up from Kirby by obtaining the Super Star. Tapping the Action button will make Sonic do a slash motion, while holding the button charges a beam shot which can penetrate through walls. Similarly, Tails touching the Super Star will give him the Mirror ability. Beam Sonic and Mirror Tails have separate pathways for the act, splitting off in the beginning of the act where each pathway is blocked with a barrier only able to be broken by the character's respective power-up. The Super Star can also be found hidden in Horizon Heights Act 2.
In Dream Dance Zone Act 2, Super Sonic does not have a ring countdown system. He instead has a three-segmented Energy bar. Taking a hit will take away one point from this bar. It can be replenished by finding small Energy rings.

### Secrets

Each Zone has a hidden Special Ring. Finding this Ring will unlock a special act for the zone, featuring the zone with a different weather condition or time of day. Foliage Furnace has two Special Rings. The Special levels have soundtracks unique from in-game.

###### Parhelion Secret and Debug Mode

In Parhelion Peak Act 3, there is a secret exit towards the end of the Act. This pathway will lead the player to a room with eight Horizon Heights pillars, seven of them with a corresponding colored switch. Each other Zone has one of these pillars hidden within it. Pressing the switches in the correct order will activate a teleporter in front of the eighth pillar. The player is teleported upward to a goal sign with the message "Surprise in the next zone" written next to it. The boss act proceeds as normal.

In Storm Station Act 1, the player spawns in a cloud-filled room with a series of ring and extra life monitors. To unlock Debug Mode, the player will need to navigate to the center of the room, once there they will be presented with 2 switches - a yellow one and a blue one if the player hits the blue switch a jingle will sound and Debug Mode will be unlocked in the Special Menu. The player can then proceed to the right, where an early design of Sash Lilac from GalaxyTrail's hit indie game *Freedom Planet* using her beta design from the 2012 demo. She will then have a dialogue sequence about being in a parallel dimension before jumping off-screen and revealing a red spring which leads to the normal stage. Beating the game from this point will unlock Debug Mode.

### Zones

Act 2: A coniferous forest littered with red and white pillars, cliffs, and waterfalls.

Act 2: The interior of the sugar factory. Dunes of sugar are still visible. Sugarcane encased in glass containers line the background. The piles of sugar which make Sonic high are still present.
Act 3: Deep interior of the sugar factory with long, obtuse slopes. A surge of water will occasionally fill the level, knocking Sonic forward and up slightly.

Act 2: The lower grounds of the city. The background is bustling with flying cars and scaffolding. In this Act, the Super Star gives Sonic the Beam power-up and Tails the Mirror power-up.

Act 2: A heavily-industrialized factory filled with molten material. Cannons throughout the level will launch Sonic upon hitting the Jump button. Mighty once again assists Sonic in level progression. One portion in the Act transitions back to the blue-green foliage of Act 1 encased in hexagonal glass panels labeled "HILLTOP" before re-entering the factory.

Act 2: A similar stage, now at twilight. Partially through the stage, a purple UFO with the Eggman emblem will attempt to shoot beams at Sonic. Clearing the act will destroy the UFO.

Act 2: The lower floors of the mansion's interior, also inhabited by ghosts. The lower pathways of this Act are underwater.

Act 2: The interior of the volcano. Some of the lava in this Act is translucent. This lava can be entered similarly to water if Sonic has a fire shield.

Act 2: Similar to Act 1. The orange Rexon is no longer present in the background, but does appear in the foreground as a platform for Sonic. Snow is lightly falling. The sun is higher in the sky than previously.

Act 2: The interior portion of Storm Station. The weather is once again stormy. Glowing red orbs embedded in the background reduce Sonic's gravity in their vicinity.

Act 2: The Special Zone, as seen in the Special Stages. The stage poses various platforming challenges to maneuver Super Sonic through.

### Reception

Sonic After the Sequel was received very well with many denoting it as a refreshing experience for its time compared to even official *Sonic the Hedgehog* titles. Many praised the game for it's gimmicks, levels, soundtrack, and visuals, citing it as a sonic game that brought a lot numerous surprises with every zone. Sonic After the Sequel though has received lower scores due to some technical know-how to learn how to fix the Cutscenes, and also due to the ammount of bugs encountered in the game especially with Debug Mode Enabled.

Overall the game is seen as a massive success with over 200,000 downloads, to this day the game enjoys scores of 86% on GameFAQs and 8/10 on IMDB and various glowing reviews across many websites.

### Remakes & Remasters

***Sonic After the Sequel*** due to being made open source has received various fan-made remakes. ***Sonic After the Sequel DX*** was an official release and thus won't be counted.

(Temporarily?)
 **Sonic After the Sequel Android Port** by Jaxter
(Likely Cancelled)

### Trivia

* *Sonic After the Sequel* was completed in late 2012, only months after the release of *Sonic Before the Sequel*. The game's release was delayed until the next year due to the soundtrack not yet being finished.
* The game seems to take place over the course of a day, starting with the sun up, the sunset into nighttime in Technology Tree Zone, and rising once again in Parhelion Peak Zone.
* While it's unknown where *Sonic After the Sequel* takes place geographically, it seems to take place on the coastline of a bigger continent like the United Federation, Lakefeperd has yet to confirm *Sonic After the Sequel*'s geographical location however.
* The in-game versions of some tracks differ from their OST versions in that they are missing samples.
	+ "Breakfast Time," the second Horizon Heights boss theme, samples a Nickelodeon bumper called Breakfast Time.
	+ Funk Fiction has stated that "Wolf Rayet," the theme for the Technology Tree Zone boss, samples the song Everybody's Going to the Moon by Jamiroquai.
	+ The theme for the first unused boss of Sugar Splash Zone was reused from the ROM Hack *The S Factor: Silver and Sonia*, specifically White Blaster Zone Act 2.
* EGGATS-2013's name, although not revealed until *Sonic Chrono Adventure*, is a reference to *Sonic After the Sequel* (ATS) being released in 2013.
* In Cyan City Zone's special act, the shopkeeper bird from *Sonic Chrono Adventure* can be found down a hidden pathway, alongside a simplistic map of the game's regions.
* In Storm Station Act 3's weather monitors, there is some very small text hinting at the future release of *Sonic Chrono Adventure.*

### References

1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5NB7Dwl8Jc
2. ↑ https://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?threads/sonic-ats-and-bts-source-files.36084/
3. ↑ atoptics.co.uk - Frequent Halos
4. ↑ https://youtu.be/YTZkmD6bZi0?si=ZgLe1iGOa7fsiOeo&t=1374
5. ↑ There are plans to ask Lakefeperd about Sonic After the Sequel's Geographical Location, the time just hasn't presented itself.
6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxUVgZING5Xo0Fo4Iwe16bimg6ieKlr3RQ

# Unused Content

Sonic After the Sequel has a plethora of unused content that went unused in the final game, some if it can be found in the gallery of Sonic Before the Sequel Aftermath while others are found in the game's source code, below you'll find said content.

2. **Sugar Splash Zone**
3. **Cyan City Zone**
4. **Foliage Furnace Zone**
5. **Technology Tree Zone**
6. **Moon Mansion Zone**
7. **Dream Dance/Special Zone**
8. **Unused Loading Screen**
9. **Unused Credits Animation**

#### Horizon Heights Zone

Horizon Heights Zone used to have a different background and go by a different name. In the SAGE Demo it was called "Sky Sight Zone" and used a much earlier version of the final iteration's background where the Storm Station was blue with no windows, as opposed to the final game where it is black with red windows. Parhelion Peak also looked different, as it was grey with towers near the summit. In the final game, the mountain is purple with no towers to be seen. Sugar Splash, Cyan City, and Technology Tree can be seen in the final game, but in the SAGE Demo they were all omitted from the island graphic, with only trees in their place.

The SAGE Demo also has unused sprites for the Zone's Pillars and Trees that were replaced in the final game. These look more simplistic than the final game's version of those graphics, likely either to match with the sprites used for Sonic (in the demo he used his sprites from *Sonic 3 & Knuckles*). It's also likely these were early graphics for the objects, or they may have been placeholders.

#### Sugar Splash Zone

Many players noticed that Sugar Splash Zone ended without a boss fight. Turns out, it was originally supposed to have one, complete with cutscenes. There were 2 bosses planned for Sugar Splash Zone that can still be played in-game via Debug Mode with the exception of *Sonic After the Sequel DX*, unless you have a 100% save file. In the SAGE Demo for the game, the Sugar Splash Zone cutscene files exist and are different to the final, as they include the unused boss firing at Sonic in the intro and its remains falling in the background in the cutscene between Sugar Splash and Cyan City Zone.

The boss would receive a second life in ***Sonic After the Sequel Omega*** where it was re-implemented into the main game campaign. LakeFeperd stated that the first boss was scrapped due to not fitting with the rest of the game, and that the second was scrapped as he was running low on time and had already attempted to make it 2 times, thus leaving the Zone without a boss fight. Given that the boss is present in the cutscenes for the SAGE Demo, it seems likely it was still in the main campaign at that point in development, but Sugar Splash Zone is inaccessible in the demo unless the game's memory is edited to force it to load the Zone.

The first boss is broken in-game but it appear as though it would've dropped springs with 2 Spring Orbs at either side of the arena. The player would have to avoid the springs dropped by Dr. Eggman as he would fire lasers down at the player and use the Spring Orbs to damage the boss. The second boss is more finished, thus likely to have gotten further in development than the first. In this version of the boss Dr. Eggman would be in a machine with bumpers on the bottom, left, and right of it, held up by 2 links that will electrify over time. The machine would shoot out rocks and missiles. The player would need to avoid the missiles while reflecting the rocks back at the bumpers on the left and right of the machine to destroy both links to defeat the boss.

There are also a few graphics in Sonic Before the Sequel Aftermath's gallery that go unused in the final game, such as a sugar containment pillar, 2 unused badniks, and 3 signs, one reading "SUGAR TECH CORP" and the other obviously intending to teach the player how to use the Sugarfalls. As for the badniks, it appears one closely resembles an Orbinaut, so it may have worked similarly to that badnik, and the other may have floated around and shot at the player.

The Zone also has a few unused music tracks as the SAGE Demo would use a track that would later be known as Sugar Splash 16-bit. But Mr.Lange has released earlier versions of Act 1 and 2 on his soundcloud that can be heard below:

In the gallery for Sonic Before the Sequel Aftermath are also a few pieces of concept art for the Zone's Badniks that can be seen below.SugarheaterSpinflySugarbeetleFire Tamandua
#### Cyan City Zone

In the gallery for Sonic Before the Sequel Aftermath, there are a few sprites for Sonic After the Sequel that were unused, such as a couple of unused badniks, one resembling a Caterkiller with a projectile, the other being a variant of the Turtloid with a parachute, an unused early design of the Egg Fleet, and a blimp. It's unknown if the blimp is an earlier design of the Egg Fleet or simply a regular hovercraft like the cars in the level.

    The level also has an unused platform that looks like the Red Car in the level and an unused room in act 1 with a Super Star Power Up inside, this room is inaccessible to the player as though there is a ramp near it's to far inwards, even if it wasn't it's unlikely the player will gain enough speed for the ramp to launch them into the room. The only way to obtain the star is by hacking the game and adding platforms that lead up to the room.

Besides this there's an unused animation of flying cars driving by it's unknown what they would've been used for - possibly a section on the highway in which they may have been used as background objects. This will make the room can be accessible revealing it is still fully functional collision and all video of the room and car platforms can be seen below.

#### Foliage Furnace Zone

The Zone has unused graphics in Sonic Before the Sequel Aftermath's Gallery showing unused tiles for the grass, as well as an unused Orbinaut Badnik that has a squished version. It's unknown what the Badnik would've done, though it seems likely it would've dashed at the player. The Unused Grass Tiles seem to be wavy in nature, so it seems likely that these tiles were meant to be used in Act 2 and 3 of Foliage Furnace, with the waviness being part of a heatwave effect.

Besides this, the zone also has unused tracks for all 3 acts the first was used in the SAGE Demo and would go on to become Foliage Furnace 16-Bit but Act 2 and 3 that can be heard below, both of which seem to use different instrumentation than in the final game.

#### Technology Tree Zone

Technology Tree Zone, like Sugar Splash Zone, had an unused boss fight. This fight would have consisted of 2 phases. Phase 1 would be very akin to Rocky Ride Zone from Sonic Before the Sequel, with Dr. Eggman firing projectiles at the player that would increase in frequency with each hit. The player would have to dodge these and hit the boss to defeat it. In Phase 2, Dr. Eggman would appear in the background piloting the UFO the player has been dodging throughout the level. The player would then need to aim it at the streetlight to send the beams back at him to break the new guards he put up and damage it.

The boss fight also had an early draft of Wolf Rayet created for it that went unused in the final game. This version is very different to the final as the drop of the song has a note repeat. Halfway through, a portion of Welcome to Die! can be heard.

#### **Moon Mansion Zone**

The zone used to go by a different name as in the SAGE Demo it was called "Castle Zone?" and has graphics that hint at an unused mechanic in ***Sonic Before the Sequel Aftermath,*** as it shows a window, a flashlight and a light-map to go with it. It seems likely that at one point in development the level was going to have a mechanic where Sonic & Tails would hold a flashlight while traversing the level and need to light it up, and that it would need to be recharged with the unknown object beside it. There's also an unused chunk for the level in the games files.The Unused SpritesThe Unused Chunk**Redhot Ride Zone**
This level has a few unused chunks not seen in the final game's level layout they're still fully functional in that they have collision programmed for them.

#### **Parhelion Peak Zone**

The zone has unused chunks that can be seen in the gallery of ***Sonic Before the Sequel Aftermath***. Why they went unused is stated to be because they didn't fit with the other tiles in the zone.

**Special/Dream Dance Zone**

There were 2 unused Special Stages created for the game, with one of the 2 playable in the game via debug mode. However it can be a bit finicky, as sometimes when loaded the player will be locked at a certain part of the stage, and other times will load normally. The first one is reminiscent of the Halfpipe Special Stages from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and likely would've worked similarly, with the player collecting rings to obtain the Chaos Emerald.

The second one, which is playable, is reminiscent of the Magnetic Orbs from Sonic 3, as the player must use Spring Orbs to bounce higher and higher up the stage with a laser following them. If touched, the game would boot the player out of the special stage; however, if the player successfully maneuvers their way to the top of the special stage they will be awarded a Chaos Emerald. Dream Dance Zone also has some concept art in ***Sonic Before the Sequel Aftermath*** all of which can be seen below.The First Unused Special Stage.The Secnd Unused Special StageDream Dance Zone Concept Art
In Act 3 there's a pathway in the level layout that contains 2 shields and an extra life, in the final game this pathway is blocked off by a solid wall making it inaccessible, and below this section of the level is geometry that makes up a slope that looks like it would align with the Tunnel suggesting this section of the level may have been very different during development.

#### Unused Loading Screen

In the game's files there's various rooms labeled "Black Load" that exist between every Zone these rooms are never used in the game but have an unused meter that says "Time Points" - a mechanic returning from Sonic Before the Sequel the meters have an animation of fading in. LakeFeperd has stated that Sonic After the Sequel was intended to have five endings, it's clear that the Time Points may have contributed to the ending the player got. Given this it seems likely that after each Zone the player would receive a time points score before moving onto the next zone. Attempting to load the room will cause the game to crash, but a mock-up of what the screen may have looked like can be seen to the right.

#### Unused Credits Animation

The game has an unused Credits animation that isn't present in the games files, but was uploaded to LakeFeperd's YouTube channel. He has stated that before the Credits Zone was implemented, the game's credits were supposed to be similar to how they were in ***Sonic Before the Sequel***, going so far as to make an animation for it that never made it into the final release, which can be seen below.

1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK1Uc16gjR8
2. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxEVxSrSeDg

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