Super-rare 1990 Sonic The Hedgehog prototype is missing

Before I recount the conversation, take a look again at the pictures in question: Above: The screens are slightly blurry, but the game within is clearly different compared to the final version GR: We've seen some pictures on the internet, taken from old magazines, of pre-production versions of Sonic 1. Were these ever playable, or are they just mock-ups? Is this what the game looked like? YN: Actually