A prototype version of Sonic 3, containing features that would never make it into the final build, has been discovered. Video game preservation communities Hidden Place and The Cutting Room Floor have been able to unearth a prototype of Sonic 3 that contains a variety of elements that were reported in a 1993 magazine preview, but never seen in the retail release. These include the Flying Battery zone and bosses (which were moved across to Sonic & Knuckles), and Lava Reef. Also found in the ROM are three unfinished bonus stages, and object, badniks, and boss data for cut zones.