Iconic Sonic The Hedgehog Level Is Becoming A LEGO Set
Sonic the Hedgehog is joining forces with LEGO!
This article is more than 2 years old
Lego officially announced the Green Hill Zone Act 1 set from 1991’s mega-hit Sonic The Hedgehog after the information about the set was leaked one week prior. The set was conceived through the Lego Ideas platform by a 24-year-old UK-based fan of Lego and Sonic, Viv Grannell, and adopted by the Lego designer Samuel Johnson after the submission reached 10,000 votes. Apparently, Green Hill Zone brings back memories.
The Green Hill Zone Lego set, which is a brick-based recreation of one of the most iconic levels in gaming history, will be available for purchase on January 1, 2022, for around $70, as reported by IGN. It’s a 1,125-piece set, which includes five mini-figures, including Sonic, Crabmeat, Moto Bug, Dr. Eggman, and the Phantom Ruby. The set will also include the iconic TV monitor power-up, 10-rings boxes, Dr. Eggman’s Egg Mobile, a checkpoint post, and a Technic lever that propelled Sonic into the air in the original 1991 game and its numerous remakes. You can check out images of the upcoming set below.
A game-themed section of Lego’s universe only had one resident so far — Mario from Super Mario Bros (though Luigi also has a mini-figure). This is scheduled to change at the beginning of 2022, with the release of the Green Hill Zone set, as the two will be the only two video game-themed sets in Lego’s lineup.Both Sonic and Mario are among the best-known video game franchises, and at one point, more children knew of Sonic and Mario than of Santa Claus.
Unfortunately, this isn’t going to change any time soon; other game-related Lego Ideas for Legend of Zelda, Metroid, or other classics haven’t even come close to passing the 10,000-vote threshold. We believe a God of War set from either saga would be a blast and quite possibly a best-seller set. Still, Lego’s take on gamer’s nostalgia does illustrate the power of crowdsourcing and makes good news for 30-something-year-olds who grew up with a Sega Genesis (called a Mega-Drive for those outside of North America) in the living room. It’s always fun explaining to the recent generation of gamers how gaming used to look. It’s the same as trying to explain a 56k dial-up internet to a 15-year-old.
The Green Hill Zone is the first level of 1991’s Sonic the Hedgehog, released on Sega Genesis. This classic level contains a grassy and lush environment filled with palm trees, vertical loops, and cliffs and is home to numerous forest animals. Just like other levels in the game, it is comprised of three acts, with Sonic confronting the game’s antagonist Robotnik (portrayed by Jim Carrey in the 2020 adaptation of the game) in act three, before moving to Marble Zone — the game’s second level.
The level design of the Green Hill Zone was so iconic, in terms of aesthetics and music, that it was remade several times in over a dozen Sonic titles, including the mobile title Sonic Dash, and crossover adventures such as Lego Dimensions, and even the Super Mario Bros. game series. It also appeared as a small Montana town called Green Hills in the 2020 film adaptation, which is set to receive a sequel on April 8, 2022.
