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Retro_Engine

The Retro Engine (RSDK) is a proprietary multi-platform game engine originally developed by Christian Whitehead (known as "The Taxman") in the late 2000s, specializing in retro-styled 2D graphics with support for 32-bit console emulation features such as raster effects, palette manipulation, and Mode 7-style rotations. It has evolved into a hybrid 2D/3D engine, incorporating a modern 3D pipeline for non-photorealistic rendering while maintaining roots in pixel art and software-based rasterization for authentic 16/32-bit aesthetics. Ownership transferred to Evening Star in 2019, where it reached its seventh iteration in March 2025 by merging earlier 2D-focused versions with advanced 3D capabilities from version 6, though it remains unavailable to the public and is licensed selectively to commercial partners. The engine's history traces back to Whitehead's early 2000s project Retro Sonic, initially prototyped in Visual Basic before being rewritten in C++ for better performance and portability. Key milestones include version 3 in 2011 for the Sonic CD mobile remake, version 4 in 2013 for Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 remasters, version 5 in 2017 for the acclaimed Sonic Mania, and an enhanced "v5 Ultimate" in 2022 for Sonic Origins. The engine was rebranded as the Star Engine in 2019 for its 3D development. In March 2025, Evening Star unified the 2D and 3D technologies under Retro Engine version 7, retroactively designating the prior 3D branch as version 6 to honor its legacy. Its scripting system progressed from simple TaxReceipt in early versions to RetroScript (compiling to C code) in later ones, enabling efficient development of platform-specific behaviors. Core features emphasize fidelity to classic Sega hardware, including collision detection, sprite sheet management, custom save systems, widescreen support, and online leaderboards, with data archived in encrypted .rsdk files for security and modularity. The engine supports a wide range of platforms, from mobile devices to modern consoles and PC, and has been instrumental in revitalizing the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise through remakes and original content like Penny's Big Breakaway (2024). While decompilation projects exist in the fan community for educational purposes, the official engine's proprietary nature underscores its role in professional Sega collaborations.

History

Origins in fan projects

The Retro Engine originated in the early 2000s as a fan-driven initiative by Australian developer Christian Whitehead, known online as "The Taxman," to create a more capable platform for recreating Sega Genesis-era Sonic the Hedgehog gameplay. In 2002, Whitehead released a demo for Retro Sonic, an unofficial remake of the 1991 Sonic the Hedgehog, programmed in Visual Basic with DirectX integration; this early version included playable zones such as Egg Garden Zone, Dust Hill Zone (past and present), and Warehouse Zone, along with a special stage, aiming to surpass the limitations of direct hardware emulation. By 2007, following a development hiatus, Whitehead had fully rewritten the project in C++, debuting Retro Engine version 1 (v1) with the TaxReceipt scripting language, which enabled more dynamic object behaviors and level scripting compared to the original Visual Basic prototype. This iteration powered the Retro Sonic demo presented at the 2007 Sonic Amateur Games Expo (SAGE), featuring refined zones like a rebuilt Emerald Hill Zone and demonstrating potential for ports, including a 2006 Dreamcast proof-of-concept. In 2008, Whitehead collaborated with the Nexus Team—comprising developers Slingerland (Brad Flick) and Hunter Bridges—on Sonic Nexus, a fan game that adopted Retro Engine version 2 (RSDKv2) and its evolved RetroScript system for enhanced modularity in asset handling and gameplay mechanics. The project sought to integrate elements from Retro Sonic, Sonic XG, and earlier Sonic Nexus prototypes into a unified experience with adapted zones and time-travel features reminiscent of Sonic CD. However, these efforts were shelved indefinitely in 2011 amid Whitehead's emerging professional commitments. Emerging from the vibrant Sonic fan community on platforms like the Sonic Retro forums, the Retro Engine addressed key constraints of Genesis hardware emulation, such as limited sprite scaling and collision detection, by providing a customizable 2D framework that fostered creative experimentation among hobbyist developers.

Adoption by Sega and official remakes

In 2009, Christian Whitehead began collaborating with Sega after presenting a proof-of-concept port of Sonic the Hedgehog CD for iOS, leveraging his independently developed Retro Engine to demonstrate its potential for official remakes. This partnership marked the engine's transition from fan projects to professional use, with Whitehead working as an independent contractor to adapt his technology for Sega's platforms. The first official application came with the 2011 port of Sonic the Hedgehog CD to iOS and Android, utilizing Retro Engine version 3 (RSDKv3), which faithfully recreated the original Sega CD game's mechanics, visuals, and audio while adding touch controls and widescreen support. This release, developed from scratch rather than emulated, was later expanded to PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 in 2012, establishing the engine's reliability for cross-platform Sonic revivals. Building on this success, Whitehead co-developed mobile remakes of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in 2013 with Headcannon, both powered by RSDKv4, which introduced enhanced widescreen modes, online leaderboards, and improved scripting for modern devices. These ports preserved the original Mega Drive titles' physics and level designs while optimizing performance for iOS and Android, contributing to Sega's strategy of updating classic entries for contemporary audiences. The engine reached a significant milestone with its integration into Sonic Mania in 2017, employing RSDKv5, which featured C-based scripting for greater flexibility and .rsdk archive files for efficient asset management. Optimized for modern consoles like PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, v5 enabled seamless drop-in levels and expanded modding potential, allowing Sonic Mania to blend remastered classics with new content while maintaining retro aesthetics. This version solidified the Retro Engine's role in Sega's 2D Sonic ecosystem, powering a critically acclaimed title that celebrated the franchise's 25th anniversary.

Expansion under Evening Star

Following the success of Sonic Mania in 2017, Christian Whitehead co-founded the independent studio Evening Star in late 2018, taking ownership of the Retro Engine and shifting focus toward broader applications beyond Sega-licensed projects. The studio, headquartered in Los Angeles with teams in London and Melbourne, aimed to leverage the engine's core architecture for original titles while maintaining its retro-style strengths. In 2019, as Evening Star began developing its first original game—a 3D platformer—the engine's technology was rebranded as Star Engine to emphasize expanded 3D capabilities, while the 2D-focused Retro Engine name was preserved for legacy compatibility. This dual approach allowed parallel development, with the Retro Engine powering 2D remakes and the Star Engine enabling new 3D experiences. In 2024, following the registration of the Retro Engine trademark, the studio reverted to the Retro Engine branding, retroactively designating the engine used in Penny's Big Breakaway as version 6 (v6). Key expansions included Retro Engine v5 Ultimate in 2022, specifically tailored for Sonic Origins, which introduced backwards compatibility with prior versions v3 and v4 to support seamless integration of older assets and scripts. The engine saw further use in Evening Star's debut title, Penny's Big Breakaway, released in 2024, where the Star Engine variant (retroactively designated v6 in 2025) handled 3D rendering and physics for the game's kinetic platforming mechanics across platforms including PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. In March 2025, Evening Star announced Retro Engine v7, marking a major unification by merging the 3D rendering pipeline from the former Star Engine into the core framework, effectively retiring the separate Star Engine branding to streamline future development under a single, versatile toolkit. This iteration builds on v6's foundations, enhancing cross-dimensional workflows for hybrid 2D/3D projects. Recent milestones include optimized multiplatform ports, such as the 2023 addition of Sonic 3 & Knuckles to Sonic Origins Plus, which utilized an improved Retro Engine build for enhanced performance on modern hardware like PS5, alongside emerging support for next-generation consoles including the Nintendo Switch 2. These updates have solidified the engine's role in delivering high-fidelity retro experiences on contemporary systems, with v7 poised to expand its influence in independent game development.

Technical features

2D rendering and retro effects

The Retro Engine's core 2D rendering pipeline is optimized for recreating the pixel art aesthetics of 16-bit and 32-bit consoles like the Sega Genesis and Saturn, utilizing sprite sheets for efficient loading and animation of character and object graphics, alongside tilemaps for constructing layered backgrounds and environments. Palette manipulation allows developers to dynamically adjust color indices to match original hardware limitations, such as the Genesis's 64-color display, ensuring authentic visual fidelity while enabling modern enhancements like fade transitions and color cycling effects. This approach supports seamless integration of 2D assets into multiplatform builds, prioritizing low-overhead rasterization to maintain high frame rates on resource-constrained devices. To emulate classic retro effects, the engine incorporates Mode 7-style rotation and scaling for background layers, enabling pseudo-3D perspectives in overhead or driving sequences without relying on full 3D geometry, as seen in remakes of Sonic the Hedgehog titles. Raster-based effects further enhance immersion, including simulations of water ripples through per-scanline distortions and wave propagation algorithms that mimic hardware sprite priority and transparency blending from the Genesis era. Starting with version 5 (introduced in 2017 for Sonic Mania), the engine added support for 3D floors and skies, allowing elevated platforms and parallax horizons to be rendered as layered 2D elements with depth cues, which expanded creative possibilities for level design while preserving the 2D core. Widescreen adaptations are handled natively up to 16:9 aspect ratios, stretching tilemaps and sprites proportionally to avoid distortion and maintain original proportions through automated viewport adjustments. In 2025, Retro Engine version 7 introduced a hybrid 2D/3D pipeline, merging the pixel art renderer from v5 with the modern 3D capabilities developed in v6, to support pseudo-3D elements overlaid on traditional 2D scenes. This allows low-poly models to integrate with sprite-based foregrounds, as exemplified by the yo-yo physics in Penny's Big Breakaway, where 3D trajectory calculations and collision detection enhance interactive objects without disrupting the retro visual style. The unified workflow streamlines development for stylistic games blending eras, using a single API for both raster and vector-based rendering to optimize performance across platforms.

Scripting and development tools

The Retro Engine's scripting capabilities have evolved significantly across its versions to support efficient game development. Version 1 employed TaxReceipt, a basic scripting language consisting of simple commands for defining object behaviors. Subsequent iterations, from versions 2 to 4, introduced RetroScript, an object-oriented scripting language developed by the community to handle more complex logic. RetroScript organizes code into classes and events—such as Create for initialization, Update for ongoing logic, Draw for rendering, and Destroy for cleanup—enabling developers to script entity behaviors like movement and interactions. In version 5 and beyond, RetroScript supports transpilation to native C code, which compiles into a dynamically linked library, providing seamless integration with low-level APIs for entity management, collision handling, and save data persistence. The Retro Software Development Kit (RSDK) includes a suite of tools designed to streamline asset preparation, level design, and debugging. RetroED serves as a versatile editor supporting versions 1 through 5, with capabilities for level construction via tile placement and layer management, animation sequencing, configuration file editing, and asset importing from formats like sprite sheets and audio files. For more specialized level editing, SonLVL-RSDK offers tools tailored to RSDK v3 and v4 games, facilitating object placement, layer modifications, and collision boundary definitions to recreate or extend zones accurately. Debugging is facilitated by the built-in Dev Menu in RSDKv4 decompilations, which provides runtime controls such as scene reloading (F5), hitbox visualization (F9), palette inspection (F10), and step-over execution (F12) for precise troubleshooting. Asset organization is handled through .rsdk archive files introduced in version 3, which bundle encrypted resources including graphics metadata, scripts, and sound data into a single, efficient package for streamlined loading and distribution. Post-decompilation efforts for RSDKv3, v4, v5, and v5U have incorporated a native modding API, eliminating the need for external loaders while supporting custom entities, save redirection, and XML-based asset overrides to foster community extensions. Development workflows emphasize an entity-based architecture, where core game elements—such as player characters with physics simulations or AI-driven enemies—are instantiated as entities governed by RetroScript events to manage state updates and interactions. Collision systems integrate directly with this design, offering robust detection for entity-to-terrain and entity-to-entity contacts, including sensor-based precision for slopes, solids, and dynamic objects in 2D environments. This approach ensures responsive gameplay mechanics, such as accurate platforming and obstacle avoidance, while maintaining compatibility with retro-style asset pipelines.

Multiplatform support and optimizations

The Retro Engine was initially developed for mobile platforms, debuting in 2011 with the Sonic the Hedgehog CD port for iOS and Android devices. This foundation enabled early cross-platform deployment, leveraging a C++-based architecture for efficient performance on resource-constrained hardware like smartphones. By 2013, with versions 4 and later, support expanded to include online leaderboards, allowing players to compare times globally on supported titles such as the Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 remasters.) Subsequent iterations broadened compatibility to consoles and PCs, with the engine powering releases on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 for the 2011 Sonic CD port, followed by Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows for Sonic Mania in 2017. In 2022, Sonic Origins utilized an updated Retro Engine build across Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, demonstrating ongoing adaptation to current-generation hardware. These expansions highlight the engine's multiplatform nature, supporting widescreen modes and online features without requiring hardware-specific overhauls. Performance optimizations emphasize low-overhead rendering to achieve consistent 60 frames per second (FPS) across diverse systems, eliminating slowdowns common in original 16-bit hardware while maintaining retro aesthetics. Features like custom binary file saving provide flexible state management, akin to save states in modern ports, enabling quick resumption on mobile and console variants. The engine's modular design further aids porting, as evidenced by community-driven adaptations using decompilations (e.g., RSDKv3–v5) for unofficial releases on PlayStation Vita and Wii U, which can be implemented rapidly by integrating official game data. This approach has facilitated broader accessibility, including PC builds derived from mobile originals.

Games and applications

Sonic the Hedgehog series titles

The Retro Engine has been instrumental in revitalizing several classic titles from the Sonic the Hedgehog series through official remasters and new entries, enabling high-fidelity recreations with modern enhancements while preserving the original 2D gameplay essence. Developed initially by Christian Whitehead, the engine powered Sega-commissioned projects starting with mobile ports, evolving to full console releases that introduced features like consistent 60 FPS performance, widescreen support, and additional modes. These adaptations focus on faithful replication of the source material, with targeted innovations to improve accessibility and replayability across platforms. The first major application was the 2011 remaster of Sonic the Hedgehog CD for iOS devices, utilizing Retro Engine version 3. Released on December 15, 2011, this version runs at a locked 60 FPS and includes widescreen display options for contemporary screens, alongside a new Time Attack mode for competitive stage completions and online leaderboards for global rankings. It also incorporates extras such as unlockable soundtracks from both Western and Japanese releases, allowing players to experience the game's branching levels with enhanced stability and no input lag compared to the 1993 Sega CD original. In 2013, the engine advanced to version 4 for mobile remasters of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, developed by Whitehead and Simon Thomley's Headcannon studio for iOS and Android. Sonic the Hedgehog (2013) added the Spindash move absent from the 1991 Mega Drive original, smoothed animations, removed the speed cap, and supported widescreen viewing at 60 FPS. Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2013) similarly enhanced performance and visuals, introducing a Boss Rush mode within Time Attack for sequential encounters with all major bosses, plus optional chiptune remixes of the soundtrack for a retro audio experience. These ports emphasized precise collision detection and level geometry faithful to the originals, with later updates extending availability to additional platforms. Sonic Mania, released in 2017 for multiple platforms including PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, marked the engine's debut in an original title using version 5, co-developed by Whitehead, Headcannon, and PagodaWest Games under Sega's oversight. This side-scrolling platformer blends remixed classic zones like Green Hill and Chemical Plant with entirely new ones such as Studiopolis and Press Garden, featuring enhanced physics that refine momentum-based movement for tighter controls and more responsive jumping. It includes Competition mode for local multiplayer races and received the Sonic Mania Plus expansion in 2018 (branded as Encore DLC), adding Mighty and Ray as playable characters, a four-player split-screen mode, and recreations of cut content like an extended Hidden Palace Zone segment integrated into Titanic Monarch. The Plus edition also introduced official mod support via a built-in loader, enabling community extensions while maintaining core stability. Sonic Origins, launched in June 2022 for modern consoles and PC, compiles remastered versions of the first four mainline Sonic titles using Retro Engine version 5U, with Headcannon handling the new Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles adaptation. This collection updates the prior mobile remasters of Sonic 1, 2, and CD with refined visuals, save states, rewind functionality, and extras like a museum gallery and sound test; the 3 & Knuckles version recreates all 14 zones with improved boss fights, including the restored Hidden Palace Zone in full, alongside widescreen and 60 FPS support. Additional modes such as Anniversary Edition provide remixed music tracks and leaderboards, while Chip mode unlocks chiptune variants of the scores for nostalgic playback. The Sonic Origins Plus expansion in 2023 integrated these Retro Engine titles with emulated Game Gear games but retained the core enhancements for the classics.

Non-Sonic games and ports

The Retro Engine has been utilized beyond the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, most notably in the development of original titles by Evening Star. Penny's Big Breakaway, released in 2024, represents the engine's first major application in a non-Sonic project. This 3D platformer features kinetic gameplay centered on yo-yo mechanics, allowing players to control protagonist Penny and her yo-yo companion to traverse vibrant, modular worlds while chaining tricks and combos. Built using Retro Engine v6, the game incorporates retro-inspired visuals with a modern 3D pipeline, enabling stylistic rendering that blends pixel art aesthetics with fluid 3D movement and environmental interactions. In the community space, the Retro Engine has supported experimental ports and demonstrations for non-Sega properties through decompilation projects. A notable example is a proof-of-concept tech demo for Freedom Planet, created by engine originator Christian Whitehead using RSDKv4. This demo showcased console porting capabilities, including optimized rendering and input handling for platforms like PlayStation Vita and Wii U, though full porting plans were ultimately abandoned in favor of alternative methods. The demo highlighted the engine's potential for adapting 2D platformers with fast-paced combat and exploration mechanics to modern hardware. As of 2025, Evening Star announced Retro Engine v7 in March, which merges the 2D pixel art tools from v5 with v6's 3D features into a hybrid engine. This iteration unifies 2D and 3D capabilities for retro-style game creation, though the engine remains proprietary and unavailable to the public, licensed selectively to commercial partners.

Community and legacy

Decompilations and modding

The Retro Engine has been the subject of several community-driven decompilation efforts, which have reverse-engineered its various versions to recreate the original source code in C++. These projects began with earlier iterations of the engine and culminated in comprehensive recreations of later versions, enabling deeper analysis and extension of the engine's capabilities. In January 2021, developer Rubberduckycooly released a full decompilation of Retro Engine version 3 (RSDKv3), used in the 2011 PC port of Sonic CD, hosted on GitHub under the RSDKModding organization. This project accurately recreates the engine's code, allowing compilation on modern systems while requiring official game assets for functionality. Shortly thereafter, a decompilation of RSDKv4 followed, targeting the 2013 mobile remakes of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2, providing a complete recreation of the engine and associated menus. These early decompilations laid the groundwork for community preservation of Sega's mobile-era titles on PC hardware. Advancing to the engine's more advanced iterations, Rubberduckycooly released the RSDKv5 and RSDKv5U decompilations in August 2022, which include support for C++ modding extensions and cover the version powering Sonic Mania. This release also encompassed a full decompilation of Sonic Mania itself, integrating the game's codebase with the engine for recompilation and modification. The v5U variant specifically addresses enhancements from the Sonic Mania Plus expansion, facilitating compatibility with updated assets and features. These decompilations have been instrumental in enabling scripted mods written in C++ alongside the engine's original RetroScript-based scripting (which compiles to C code). The availability of these decompilations has significantly boosted modding activity within the Retro Engine community, particularly for Sonic Mania, by exposing a built-in API that supports custom levels, object behaviors, and game expansions. Modders leverage this API to create content such as the Sonic Mania Addendum expansion, which introduces new acts, bosses, and gameplay mechanics without altering core files. Community tools derived from the decompilations further enable asset swapping—replacing sprites, animations, and sound effects—and the addition of new playable characters, often through DLL-based plugins that integrate seamlessly during runtime. For instance, mods like character swaps and texture packs utilize the exposed engine structures to maintain performance while expanding creative possibilities. These reverse-engineering projects have also facilitated unofficial ports of Retro Engine games to legacy hardware, broadening access to titles like Sonic Mania on platforms originally unsupported. Developers have compiled the decompiled source for systems such as the Sega Dreamcast, achieving playable framerates on real hardware through optimizations like hardware-accelerated rendering. Similar efforts have targeted other retro consoles, including the Nintendo Wii and Wii U, demonstrating the decompilations' portability across architectures while preserving the engine's retro aesthetic.

Influence on retro game development

The Retro Engine has established a benchmark for creating faithful remasters of 16-bit and 32-bit era games, particularly in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, by replicating original hardware behaviors such as palette manipulation and raster effects while incorporating modern enhancements like widescreen support and improved performance. This methodology, evident in high-profile releases including the Sonic CD mobile port (2011), Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2 remasters (2013), Sonic Mania (2017), and the Sonic Origins collection (2022), has shaped industry practices for retro revivals by prioritizing technical accuracy and nostalgic fidelity over stylistic reinterpretations. Developers and publishers have since adopted similar engine-driven approaches to ensure remasters resonate with original fans, as seen in the broader trend of console re-releases during the 2020s. In March 2025, Evening Star unveiled Retro Engine Version 7, which integrates the engine's established 2D pixel art tools with 3D rendering capabilities previously housed in the short-lived Star Engine, thereby facilitating more accessible creation of 2D/3D hybrid experiences tailored to retro aesthetics. This unification enhances the engine's versatility for indie and mid-sized studios seeking to blend classic 2D platforming with subtle 3D elements, such as dynamic environments, without requiring separate toolsets, and positions it as a forward-looking option for evolving retro development needs. Culturally, the Retro Engine's application in Sonic Mania significantly revived enthusiasm for classic Sonic gameplay mechanics, influencing Sega's approach to future titles by incorporating 2D elements. This resurgence has contributed to Sega's development of anthologies like Sonic Origins that aggregate remastered classics for new audiences. As of November 2025, the engine maintains strong ongoing relevance through community-maintained decompilations of its versions (RSDKv3 through v5U), which have expanded compatibility to niche platforms including PlayStation Vita, Wii U, and Nintendo 3DS, enabling broader experimentation in retro ports. Active forums like Sonic Retro and the RSDK Modding Wiki serve as hubs for developers, offering detailed tutorials on scripting, asset creation, and optimization that democratize access to the engine's features for aspiring retro game creators.

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    The RSDK Modding Wiki is a one-stop shop for documentation, resources, and guides for Retro Engine modding, including different versions and games.