Somari

Infobox VG
title=Somari


caption=Title screen
developer=Somari Team
publisher=
designer=
engine=
released=1994(?)
genre=Platformer
modes=Single player
ratings=
platforms=Famicom
media=Famicom Cartridge
requirements=
input=Famicom Controller

"Somari" is a pirated hack of Sega's flagship video game "Sonic the Hedgehog", produced for the Nintendo Famicom and sold primarily around Hong Kong. The game features a character named "Somari" - Nintendo mascot Mario wearing shoes similar (but not identical) to those of Sonic the Hedgehog."Somari"'s levels are based on the Mega Drive/Genesis version of the first Sonic game, with the exception of the Scrap Brain Zone, which is inaccessible unless save state hacking is used, while the bonus levels are based on the 8-bit Sonic games that appear on the Master System and Game Gear. The game even features Sonic's Spin Dash, which was added in "Sonic the Hedgehog 2". The music of the game is very similar to the original, but with much lower quality.

It is unknown precisely how, when, or where the game was created. The game bears the copyright notice "1994 Somari Team", but "Somari" is not necessarily the game's original form, and it's possible that "Somari" was a more recent creation with an older copyright date to make it look like a "classic". What few other hints that exist of the game's origin can only be traced through the game itself: Though its basic structure is an imperfect transfer of the original "Sonic the Hedgehog" game, the movement of Somari is based on the mechanics and physics of the Sonic character from "Sonic the Hedgehog 2", possessing abilities exclusive to that game, dating "Somari" to 1992 or later. The actual sprite for Somari is based on sprites from "Super Mario Bros. 3".

As with many independently pirated games, the coding is flawed. "Somari"'s physics are imperfect in comparison to the original game's, and certain areas have numerous glitches. There is only a short ending sequence - after the final boss has been defeated, the screen shows Dr. Eggman juggling Chaos Emeralds along with the text "The End" and "I will be back." The game has been known to lock up after the final boss battle when played on certain emulators.

Sonic and Mario fans alike have shown interest in this game, but mostly for novelty purposes, as it is generally considered to be far too glitchy to be an enjoyable gaming experience.

Being a pirate game, it was probably released in fairly limited numbers. It has appeared in cartridges in South America, Asia and South Africa, where it was once even bundled with clones of Famicom machines (often called Golden China). The game has become more well known recently through the phenomenon of console emulation.

Numerous alternate pirated versions also exist, with minor modifications such as replacing the Mario sprite with a Sonic sprite, changing the title screen, and omitting certain levels (possibly unintentionally). These have names such as "Sonic 3D Blast 5" and "Sonic & Knuckles 5" (not to be confused with the genuine games "Sonic 3D Blast" and "Sonic & Knuckles").

The game bears the copyright "1994 Somari team" on some cartridges, though the copyright may be non-binding as "Somari" is an illegal derivative work. On another cartridge sticker, it simply shows Sonic and Tails much in the style of "Sonic The Hedgehog 2". There are a few others, too, one even going so far as to re-draw Mario in Sonic's trademark pose.

External links

* [http://sost.emulationzone.org/somari/index.htm Somari the Adventurer at Secrets of Sonic Team]
*moby game|id=/somari-the-adventurer
* [http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=GameMuseum.Detail&id=298 ClassicGaming.com's Game of the Week: Somari]
* [http://sonicology.fateback.com/pirates/somari/index.html Sonicology on Somari]
* [http://www.atarihq.com/tsr/odd/pirate/somari.html tsr's NES archive: Somari]