Welcome to the 32 Dangerous Cheat Codes, a brand new series that will run daily between November 24 and December 25. Join us as we discuss the hazardous ramifications of some of your favorite cheat codes. Today we're taking a trip back to the Sega Genesis to debug Sonic the Hedgehog. Found in all of Sonic's 16-bit adventures, the debug mode is one of the greatest cheats of all time. Find out why when you check out today's episode of the 32 Dangerous Cheat Codes.


When it comes to the age-old fight between Sonic and Mario, I have to give the edge to the Italian plumber. While Sonic can run real fast and has a snarky attitude, Mario has been quietly starring in some of the best platformers of all time. And even when the industry shifted from side-scrolling 2D action to fully realized 3D worlds, Super Mario didn't miss a beat. He's been able to parlay his success into dozens of racing, sports, puzzle and party games, with very few stinkers in the bunch.

But when it comes to cheat codes, there's no question who the real winner is. Mario may have the minus world and warp whistles, but the original Sonic the Hedgehog has one of the greatest cheat modes of all time -- the debug mode!

If you quickly press up, C, down, C, left, C, right, C during the title screen, you'll hear a chime that will let you know that you can hold the A button down and press start. This will send you into the debug terminal, which is a mode that will let you reconfigure levels like a game programmer. You'll be able to cycle through all of the items, enemies and platforms at any time and place them wherever you want, giving you complete control over the levels. Think Mario Maker with Sonic characters and you're on the right track.

What's really cool about this mode is that there are different characters and objects to play around with depending on what level you're on. It also lets you fly around the screen as a coin and lay down a whole row of checkpoints. Unfortunately, you can't alter the main layout of each stage, but you can do pretty much everything else. And best of all, you can't die; which pretty much makes that row of checkpoints you laid down totally useless.

For a while, this this mode became a staple the Sonicverse, as there were debug codes in Sonic 2, Sonic CD, Sonic & Knuckles and even Sonic 3. But like so many things from that era, Sega was unable to truly capitalize on this incredible code. Instead of chasing a 32-bit sequel that would never come, Sega should have turned the debug mode into its own game. Just imagine Sonic Maker, where you construct your own levels and show the pros how it's supposed to be done. But Sega didn't go that direction. Instead they opted to add guns and bestiality.