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However, if you explore the level a bit and pay attention to your surroundings, you’ll find that there is a little more to it.

Here, the standard way to move through the stage is to take a path through an underground area at the midway point, before emerging back on the surface, where you need to hit a green switch to activate some platforms to progress to the end. The first level, Pipes of Green, is expansive and explorative, and while it’s certainly possible to just run from the beginning to the end, you’ll be missing a lot if you do. This build of Pantufa has three levels, and they each show off fairly different kinds of level design. The level design can also feel pretty different from a classic Sonic game, particularly the opening level. These power ups can still be found in item monitors, but they can also be found in breakable Super Mario Bros-esque bricks and item blocks in the first stage, because why not? I’ve played plenty of Sonic hacks that introduce new characters and moves, but I don’t think I’ve ever played one that practically built a new game. The game does have a few other power-ups that work as expected, including speed shoes and invincibility. Instead of rings, Pantufa has three hit points, and while the game does still have shields, these shields are now stackable. These differences extend to how health and power-ups work, too. The physics feel like they come out of a Sonic game, but the way the character interacts with them changes things enough that it often feels like a very different game. Pantufa also has a slight double jump, which is effective for getting a little bit of additional height or maneuverability, without feeling overpowering or negating some of the more difficult platforming design. Said enemies don’t provide the kind of bounce you’d expect from a Sonic game when you jump on them. He is a bit heavier, a bit slower, and when he jumps, there’s a moment before the character curls into a ball that leaves him vulnerable to enemies. How original? Well, for starters, Pantufa simply feels different from a classic Sonic character. A homage, or a Freedom Planet-esque Sonic-like? Sure! But a ROM hack? Heck no! That should speak to the kind of experience Pantufa has in store for you: certainly something with lots of Sonic elements, but a surprisingly original experience in its own right.

If I wasn’t playing Pantufa during something called “Sonic Hacking Contest,” it being a hack would have never crossed my mind.