This article contains information about or related to a canceled video game. As a result, the content of the article may have been canceled or replaced by another subject.

Dubious Depths,^[1] also known as R2 or Ridicule Root^[2] is a scrapped round that was set to be the second round in Sonic the Hedgehog CD. Its existence can be proved by examining the game files on a PC.

Description

When examining the level files, the Rounds skip from R1 (Round 1, Palmtree Panic) to R3 (Round 3, Collision Chaos). There is no R2 to be found. Its existence is also proven by using the Stage Select menu. When switching between levels, it skips from Round 1 to Round 3, again leaving out Round 2. Additionally, one scene during the credits slideshow features Sonic running around and dodging an Antlion in what looks somewhat like a ruinous setting, implying that the level was supposed to be underground (an implication that was confirmed in the game's concept art featured in Origins).

Christian Whitehead uploaded some of the scrapped sprites for Sonic CD revealing that, in addition to the Antlion, the zone would have featured Burrobots and worm or snake like Badniks, as well as a boss fight that would've had Dr. Eggman using his Eggmobile to try and run Sonic over. Additional sprites off to the side revealed that orange Antlions would have appeared in Metallic Madness as well.

This level has three possible explanations for why it was cut during the game's development: according to Naoto Ohshima, the level could have been a dungeon but it was likely removed due to not matching Sonic's speed.^[1] In an interview with Jim Tretheway, a programmer for the Windows 95 version of the game, he stated that he had the impression from original planner Junetsu Kakuta that the level was cut because it did not meet quality standards.^[3] Masato Nishimura said that the level was planned to be a "technical" Round that focused on exploration, like Tidal Tempest,^[4] but was cut due to the limited music space. Which of the three explanations remains the definitive reason for the Round's removal remains unknown.

Nishimura would later clarify that development of Dubious Depths stopped during the process of creating an image visual for it, and as such, very few graphics for the round were ever created.^[5]

Trivia

• In the Time Attack Level Select in the Sonic the Hedgehog CD v0.02 prototype, "Round 2" can be seen, meaning Dubious Depths was removed between December 1992 and May 1993. However, only the first two Zones of "Salad Plain" are on the disk, so the other levels are not selectable.
• "Little Planet", the theme of D.A. Garden in the Japanese soundtrack of Sonic the Hedgehog CD, was originally planned to be Dubious Depths' present theme.^[4]
• According to Masato Nishimura, the original name for Dubious Depths was "Ridicule Root".^[2]
• In the same post confirming this, a typo was made, referring to the stage as “Riddical Root.”

Gallery

Concept artwork

Gallery
Scrapped Dubious Depths Badniks and Boss, as shared by Christian Whitehead. Concept artwork of Little Planet featuring a section for Dubious Depths (labeled as "2R"). Taken from Sonic Origins. Concept artwork of Dubious Depths' Boss (left) next to the EGG-HVC-001 (right).

Screenshots

Gallery
The scrapped Antlion enemy from Dubious Depths in the ending animation. The Level Select in Sonic the Hedgehog CD's prototype 510 showing all rounds. Levels from Dubious Depths (R2 levels) are shown being notionally missing.

References