Sonic CD

This page is for the original 1995/1996 versions. For the 2012 Retro Engine version, see Sonic CD (2012).

Sonic CD

Developers
	Sega
Windows	H.I.C.
Windows	Sega PC
Publishers
	Sega
Re-release	Expert Software
Release dates
Windows	October 1995
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase
Modes	Singleplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Scrolling, Side view
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Platform
Art styles	Cartoon, Pixel art
Themes	Fantasy
Series	Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic CD is a singleplayer side view scrolling platform game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed and published by Sega.

Originally released for the Sega CD in 1993, Sonic CD was ported to Windows by H.I.C. and bundled with Intel Pentium-based PCs in October 1995. Another version of the port developed by Sega PC using DirectX was later released to retail on September 20, 1996. The PC version uses the North American soundtrack of the Sega CD version, even in the Japanese release.

The PC version of Sonic CD has some compatibility issues with newer versions of Windows and requires a fan-made patch to run properly. FMV playback does not work with newer versions of Windows and requires a workaround.

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		Use Korama's Sega PC Reloaded Installer to automatically turn off the disc check.

Version differences

The original 1995 release (officially known as the Pentium Processor Edition) was developed using the "Dino" libraries. The later 1996 release uses DirectX 3.

Demo

Available to download from PCGamingWiki Files.

Monetization

Type	Notes
One-time game purchase	The game requires an upfront purchase to access.

Essential improvements

Sega PC Reloaded

Simple and easy-to-use launcher with many options and tweaks.

Korama's Sega PC Reloaded is an fan-made installer, launcher, and patcher for some of Sega's older PC games. It fixes the need for Sonic CD to launch in 256 Color mode (not natively possible on later Windows OSs), creates the necessary .ini file to turn off the game's disc check necessity, and enables Vsync to maintain the game's original gameplay speed, among other features.

Not compatible with the 1995 release.

Installing the game with Sega PC Reloaded

Insert the Sonic CD disc into your CD drive, or copy the GAME folder from the disc into your computer and then copy the all of the *.DLL files from the RDX folder to <path-to-game>. Download Sega PC Reloaded from the GameBanana page here, run the launcher, select the Install Game option, and then select Sonic CD. (Optional) Download this pcm.cmp for higher quality sound effects here and place it into <path-to-game>. Select the Select source option from the menu to install from the disc or the folder containing the game's files, then you will be asked to find the drive letter where the disc is located (e.g. D:\) or the game folder, afterwards the launcher will then ask you to create a new folder to install the game with the patches. Alternatively, you can install the patches into <path-to-game> by selecting the Already installed option to patch the game. If the Sega PC Reloaded launcher has detected the game, adjust the settings as desired, then click Launch! to play the game. "Korama's patches active!" appearing on screen when launching the game.

Original FMVs dont play

Requires installing Codinstl codec.

Fixes the "Video not available, cannot find 'vids:IV41' decompressor." error on newer Windows systems.

How to install the Codinstl codec[citation needed]
Download the Codinstl codec from the archive.org link provided. Once the installer has been downloaded, run the codinstl.exe and go though the installer's instructions. After the Codinstl codec has been installed onto the system, launch the game and wait at the title screen for the game's opening FMV to play. The error should fixed and the FMVs should work properly.

High Quality FMV Project

Requires Sega PC Reloaded and the x264vfw Codec.

Improves the quality of the game's FMV with higher quality video from the Sonic CD DVD Project that are compatible with newer versions of Windows.

Installing High Quality FMV Project
Download the x264vfw Codec here and install it. Download the mod from GameBanana here. Extract each of the *.zip files that were downloaded from the link above and extract them too <path-to-game>\TITLE\AVI, replacing the original video files when prompted. Launch the game and wait at the game's title screen for the opening FMV to play. It should play the higher quality FMV instead.

High Quality Audio

Requires Sega PC Reloaded and bass.dll.

Restores music playback and improves the overall music quality by using the original music from the Sega CD version. The Japanese soundtrack can also be played in the 1996 PC version with this mod and Sega PC Reloaded.

Installing High Quality Audio

Download bass*.zip for Windows here from Un4seen Developments under the BASS section, then extract the bass.dll file from the archive and place it into <path-to-game>. Download the either the FLAC or WAV version of the US or Japanese soundtrack from GameBanana here. Create a new folder in <path-to-game> with a descriptive name for the music files (e.g. AUDIO). Extract the *.flac/*.wav music files into the newly created folder where the game's music will be stored in. Launch Sega PC Reloaded, click Configure Game, and select Sonic CD (1996), go to Music under the Common settings section and click the ... button to point Sega PC Reloaded to where the music folder is and adjust the music volume as needed. Launch Sonic CD with Sega PC Reloaded and the game should be playing music from the files instead of the CD.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\SonicCD\

If using Sega PC Reloaded, the game's settings will be stored in SONICCD.ini in <path-to-game> instead.

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\S_SCORE.DAT

Video

General settings.

Graphics feature	State	Notes
Widescreen resolution		Runs at 320x240 only, or 640x480 when using Sega PC Reloaded, and the game can be either upscaled with Nearest-neighbor scaling or half-tone stretching, but the latter can cause the game to slow down. The game can also be either be pillarboxed in 4:3 or stretched when using Sega PC Reloaded.
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed		Toggle with F4 or set through Sega PC Reloaded.
Borderless fullscreen windowed		Sega PC Reloaded runs in borderless fullscreen.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Anti-aliasing (AA)
High-fidelity upscaling		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)		Use Sega PC Reloaded; V-sync method can either be normal or reversed. It is recommended to use VSync on high display rate systems in order to preserve the game's proper gameplay speed.
60 FPS		The 1995 "DINO" version is normally capped at 30 FPS, requiring debug tools to acess full 60 FPS. The 1996 DirectX 3 version supports 60 FPS by enabling Smooth Sonic mode from the Options menu. The Special Stages are capped at 20 FPS in both versions similarly to the Sega CD version.
120+ FPS		Game speed is tied to frame rate, anything higher than 60 FPS will be unplayable.
High dynamic range display (HDR)
Color blind mode		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Input

Key remapping.

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping		Esc is always used as a Jump key. New movement and jump keys can be set via the F7 Change Controls menu.
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse acceleration		Mouse not used in-game.
Mouse input in menus
Keyboard and mouse prompts
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support		Exiting the game requires keyboard or mouse. Controller must also be enabled from the options settings.
Controller remapping		Uses a pre-defined controller set-up that cannot be reconfigured.
Controller sensitivity		Digital movement.
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger support

DirectInput-compatible controllers
Directinput button prompts

PlayStation controllers		Recognized as a generic DirectInput controller.
PlayStation button prompts
Motion sensors support
Light bar support
Adaptive trigger support
DualSense haptic feedback support
Connection modes

Nintendo controllers
Nintendo button prompts
Face button layout support
Motion sensors support
Connection modes

Other controller(s)
Peripheral devices support
Additional button prompts

Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Input prompt override
Haptic feedback
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Music volume controls are present in the Sega PC Reloaded Launcher settings. SFX can only be turned on or off.
Surround sound
Subtitles		Song lyrics and Sonic's voice samples are not subtitled.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost		Can be enabled in the Sega PC Reloaded launcher, the game will automatically pause when focus is lost.
Royalty free audio
Red Book CD audio		Use Sega PC Reloaded to play music from hard drive instead.

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English				Only for the stock vocal songs and a few Sonic voice samples. The 1996 PC version only comes with the North American soundtrack, even in Japanese and European versions.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
DirectDraw

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum		Recommended
Operating system (OS)	95
Processor (CPU)	Intel DX4 100 MHz		Intel Pentium 75 MHz
System memory (RAM)	8 MB
Storage drive (HDD/SSD)	2 MB
Video card (GPU)	SVGA
Sound (audio device)	Sound Blaster 16 compatible
Other	2x CD-ROM drive		4x CD-ROM drive