Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball, frequently shortened to Sonic Spinball, is a 1993 Sonic-inspired pinball game developed and published by Sega. Since Sonic is capable of curling into a super speedy ball and launching himself across every map in his other games, turning him into a ball for pinball makes perfect sense. Sonic Spinball was a last-minute decision. At the time, Sega’s Japanese staff worked on Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles. Sonic 3 was due out for a Christmas release in 1993 but wasn’t ready in time. Sega decided to commission another Sonic game to cover up Sonic 3’s delay.
Sonic Spinball only took two months to build and was released for the Sega Genesis in November 1993, just in time for the holiday rush. In 1994, the game also received ports for the Game Gear and the Master System. Since then, Sonic Spinball has been released on more consoles, including Windows, macOS, the Game Boy Advance, PlayStation, Xbox, and Linux. The most current platform to adapt Sonic Spinball is the Nintendo Switch. Sonic Spinball is one of many Sega Genesis games included in the SEGA Genesis™ collection. The collection is free to play for all Switch gamers who have a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership.
The game initially received great reviews. Sonic Spinball received high praise for its graphics and the way that it adapted a beloved franchise into an arcade-style game. The most common complaint about the game was that the mechanics weren’t very smooth and it was difficult to play. Even now, modern gamers talk about how hard the game is. That said, 91% of Google users who weighed in on the game claim to like it.
Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball Premise
Since Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball is a themed pinball game, the plot is relatively basic. The game focuses more on the gameplay itself than an actual story. That said, since the game stars one of the most recognizable video game characters of all time, it doesn’t go without any plot. Doctor Robotnik, Sonic’s nemesis, creates a massive fortress on top of a volcano. The magma allows the fortress to be self-sustaining, as it powers both the fortress and Robotnik’s pinball-like defenses. Robotnik wants to turn all of the animals living on Mobius, the planet where he currently resides, into robot slaves. The Chaos Emeralds keep the volcano stable, making it an impenetrable fortress.
Sonic and his best friend, Tails, know they need to put an end to Robotnik’s schemes if they want to save Mobius. They decide to attack the fortress from the sky, but Sonic falls into the water during the attack. Sonic manages to infiltrate the fortress from the underwater caves below. He then has to make his way through Robotnik’s security system, which translates to each pinball level of the game.
Robotnik’s security system is known as the “Pinball Defense System” and it’s where most of the game takes place. Each level of pinball forces Sonic to use himself as the pinball. The game has four levels or four giant pinball machines Sonic must navigate. At the end of each level, Sonic can collect one of the Chaos Emeralds. The goal of the game is to collect them all so Sonic can put an end to Robotnik’s evil plan once and for all.
Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball Main Characters
©Long ‘n Play / Sega – License
Since Sonic Spinball is a pinball spin-off of Sonic the Hedgehog, fans can be expected to see Sonic and his iconic villain, Doctor Robotnik. Unfortunately, since the game has a very specific formula, there aren’t too many characters that make up the main cast. The game mostly focuses on Sonic making his way through Robotnik’s Pinball Defense System.
- Sonic the Hedgehog: Sonic the Hedgehog is the title character, main protagonist, and main playable character of the Sonic franchise. Sonic Spinball is no exception, but it does utilize one of Sonic’s most powerful skills in a whole new way. Along with super speed, Sonic can transform himself into a spinning ball that can bash through enemies and move even faster than when he’s on foot. Sonic Spinball takes this into account by turning Sonic into a life-sized pinball. Sonic, along with his friend, Tails, launches an aerial assault on Doctor Robotnik’s volcano fortress. This attack fails and Sonic falls into the ocean around the volcano. Fortunately, this allows him to sneak into the fortress from below and if the player is successful, Sonic will gather all the Chaos Emeralds, free the animals, and destroy Robotnik’s fortress.
- Tails: Miles Prower, more commonly known as Tails, is a two-tailed fox who can fly by spinning his tails. Tails is a pilot and a mechanical genius, which aids him in and out of a plane. At the beginning of Sonic Spinball, Tails and Sonic launch an aerial attack on Doctor Robotnik’s fortress. Thanks to Tails’ many years of flying expertise, this feels like the best way to approach the villainous layer. Unfortunately, Tails is forced to retreat and regroup after Sonic falls out of the plane and lands in the ocean below. Tails comes back at the end of the game to rescue Sonic after he defeats Robotnik and leaves his fortress to explode and fall into the ocean.
- Doctor Robotnik: Doctor Ivo “Eggman” Robotnik is the main antagonist of the Sonic franchise and Sonic Spinball. Traditionally, Robotnik is a mad scientist who wants to take over the world and rebuild it in his image. Robotnik specializes in creating robots of all shapes and sizes. As an expert in machines, Robotnik often prefers the company and help of robots than he does of actual people. In Sonic Spinball, he’s created a fortress atop a volcano controlled by the Chaos Emeralds. Robotnik wants to turn all of the lifeforms on Mobius into robot slaves.
Sonic the Hedgehog Titles in the Series
Sonic the Hedgehog is one of the most recognizable characters in gaming history. This classic blue hero is so popular that Sonic games are still being made today. Sonic has also received multiple television shows based on the games and a highly successful film series starring Jim Carrey as Doctor Robotnik. Sonic has branched into many types of games as well, including arcade games, racing games, and crossovers with other iconic franchises, like Super Mario Bros.
2D Platformers (Main Games)
- Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)
- Sonic the Hedgehog CD (1993)
- Sonic Chaos (1993)
- Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994)
- Sonic & Knuckles (1994)
- Sonic Triple Trouble (1994)
- Knuckles’ Chaotix (1995)
- Sonic Blast (1996)
- Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure (1999)
- Sonic Advance (2001)
- Sonic Advance 2 (2002)
- Sonic Advance 3 (2004)
- Sonic Rush (2005)
- Sonic Rush Adventure (2007)
- Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I (2010)
- Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II (2012)
- Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (2014)
- Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice (2016)
- Sonic Mania (2017)
- Sonic Superstars (2023)
3D Platformers (Main Games)
- Sonic 3D Blast (1996)
- Sonic Adventure (1998)
- Sonic Adventure 2 (2001)
- Sonic Heroes (2003)
- Shadow the Hedgehog (2005)
- Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
- Sonic and the Secret Rings (2007)
- Sonic Unleashed (2008)
- Sonic and the Black Knight (2009)
- Sonic Colors (2010)
- Sonic Generations (2011)
- Sonic Lost World (2013)
- Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (2014)
- Sonic Forces (2017)
- Sonic Frontiers (2022)
- Sonic Dream Team (2023)
Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball Spin-offs
- Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball (1993)
- Sonic Spinball Party (2003)
As a fun side note, the Sonic Spinball games inspired a rollercoaster at the Alton Towers theme park. The Sonic Spinball spinning rollercoaster opened in 2010.
Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball Cheats & Cheat Codes
©Long ‘n Play / Sega – License
Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball is notoriously difficult. When Googling “Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball” a few of the top results pertain to how difficult the game is. Fortunately, there are several cheat codes that work with the original Sega Genesis version of the game. Theoretically, since modern portals are the original game re-released, players might still be able to take advantage of these cheats.
Sound FX Cheat Codes
Select the “Sound FX” option and use the following codes to play them. Each sound sequence has a different effect on the game.
- 00, 05, 01, 03, 07, 00 – 25% speed
- 00, 04, 02, 09, 06, 04 – 50% speed
- 00, 04, 02, 05, 05, 07 – Sped up Music
- 00, 09, 00, 01, 06, 08 – Free movement (Pause the game and press 1+2)
- 00, 02, 01, 01, 06, 06 – Huge Sprites
- 00, 01, 01, 07, 07, 03 – Reset Mode (Pause the game and press 1+2)
- 00, 05, 02, 08, 07, 00 – Reset to title screen
- 00, 02, 02, 00, 06, 09 – Invert colors
- 00, 09, 01, 02, 05, 04 – Invert colors, sped up music
- 01, 01, 01, 01, 04, 09 – Scene: 1st Bonus Stage
- 01, 01, 01, 01, 04, 03 – Scene: And there comes Sonic and Tails…
- 01, 01, 01, 01, 04, 08 – Scene: Bonus Screen
- 01, 01, 01, 01, 04, 04 – Scene: Sonic, go ahead!!
- 01, 01, 01, 01, 04, 01 – Scene: Title Screen
- 01, 01, 01, 01, 04, 07 – Scene: Toxic Tools Boss
- 01, 01, 01, 01, 04, 05 – Scene: Toxic Tools Screen
- 01, 01, 01, 01, 04, 06 – Scene: Toxic Tools Stage
- 01, 01, 01, 01, 04, 02 – Scene: Veg-O-Fortress rising
- 00, 05, 00, 03, 06, 00 – Show year and version
- 00, 02, 01, 05, 06, 06 – Stage Skip (Press DOWN to skip stages on the pause screen)
- 00, 03, 01, 01, 05, 05 – Start with 9 lives
- 00, 03, 01, 09, 06, 08 – Strong gravity
- 00, 08, 00, 07, 07, 01 – Strong inverted gravity
- 01, 01, 01, 02, 05, 00 – Weak gravity
- 00, 08, 02, 07, 06, 06 – Weakest gravity
Other Cheats
There are more cheats that players can take advantage of. These cheats utilize the button layouts of the original Sega Genesis. That said, as long as players know how to translate the A, B, and C buttons on the Sega controllers to their modern controllers, they can use these cheats too.
PlayStation Conversion:
- A = Square
- B = Cross
- C = Circle
Xbox Conversion:
- A = X
- B = A
- C = B
Nintendo Switch Conversion:
- A = Y
- B = B
- C = A
With these translations in mind, let’s take a look at some of the other cheats and options that can be utilized in Sonic Spinball.
- Jump straight to the credits from the Options Menu: C, UP, B, UP, A, UP, C, B, DOWN, C, A, DOWN, B, A, DOWN
- Level Select: Open the Options Menu and enter: A, Down, B, Down, C, Down, A, B, Up, A, C, Up, B, C, Up. Once this code has been put in, players can jump to Level 2, 3, or 4 with another command.
- Jump to Level 2: A + Start
- Jump to Level 3: B + Start
- Jump to Level 4: C + Start
Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball Cheats FAQ
Most of the FAQ results when Googling “Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball” and “Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball cheats” are asking about other Sonic the Hedgehog games. Since many of these results aren’t relevant, this guide will cover the few questions that are about the Sonic Spinball game.
How do you get level select in Sonic Spinball?
- Open the Options Menu
- Enter: A, Down, B, Down, C, Down, A, B, Up, A, C, Up, B, C, Up
- Input the command for the desired level
- Jump to Level 2: A + Start
- Jump to Level 3: B + Start
- Jump to Level 4: C + Start
For players who are playing Sonic Spinball on more modern consoles like the PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch, please take a look at the previous section to figure out which keys replace the A, B, and C keys of the Sega Genesis controller.
How many levels are in Sonic Spinball?
Sonic Spinball has four pinball levels to play through.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Long 'n Play / Sega.