Sonic Chaos

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Sonic the Hedgehog Chaos

Developer(s)	Aspect
Publisher(s)	SEGA
Designer(s)	M. Shima (lead designer)
Release date(s)	October 25, 1993 (Master System) November 19, 1993 November 23, 1993 November 1993
Genre(s)	Platform game
Mode(s)	Single player
Platform(s)	Sega Master System, Game Gear
Media	Cartridge
Input	Game controller

Sonic Chaos (known as Sonic & Tails in Japan and Sonic the Hedgehog Chaos in Europe) is a video game for the Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear, developed by Aspect and published by Sega in 1993.

It was re-released in 2004 as an included game in Sonic Mega Collection Plus on the PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC, and is also included as an extra on Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut for the Nintendo GameCube and PC. To unlock the game, the player has to collect 60 emblems as all of the playable characters.

Sonic Chaos is notable for the fact that it is the first 8-bit Sonic title to feature Tails as a playable character, and also the first in the series to allow the player to manually control his flight.

1 Storyline
2 Gameplay
3 Zones
4 Music in the game
5 Sequels
6 External links

[edit] Storyline

Could this be the end of South Island? That evil maniac Dr. Robotnik has another twisted idea to take over the world! This time he wants to steal the mystical Chaos Emeralds. The emeralds are the source of vitality for all living things. But in the hands of rotten Dr. Robotnik, they could be turned into nuclear bombs and laser weapons!

The evil doctor has already snatched the Red Chaos Emerald, causing the other emeralds to lose balance and fly into a parallel universe. Now South Island is sinking into the ocean. Sonic and "Tails" will have to use all their super speed and super stunts to stop Dr. Robotnik and restore harmony to the universe!

"OK, Dr. Robotnik," says Sonic, "You're charged with contempt of hedgehog. There's no time to lose. Gotta slide, Clyde!"

[edit] Gameplay

Overall, the gameplay is similar to previous 8-bit Sonic games. However, as stated above, players can control Tails as well as Sonic this time. Sonic now comes equipped with the Spin Dash attack, performed by holding the directional pad down to crouch and pressing action to gain stationary speed. When the down button is released he shoots forward curled in a ball, hurting any badniks that he comes in contact with while in this state (spikes and other obstacles do, however, still hurt).

By holding up instead of down, and then pressing action, Sonic will start running in place. By releasing up he will then zip forward in a running fashion, moving faster than the Spin Dash allows him to. This is called the Strike Dash, which is also in Sonic CD (known as the Super Peel Out in that game, and therefore this move is usually referred to under that title). However, Sonic will quickly stop unless the directional pad is held whichever way he was going. One of the main disadvantages of the Strike Dash is that Sonic is vulnerable to enemy attacks while performing this move. Also, Sonic has more inertia while rolling, so he does not slow down as quickly, but rolling uphill is more difficult than running uphill. This means the faster way to go downhill is the Spin Dash, but the faster way to go uphill is the Strike Dash.

Sonic also has the job of finding the six Chaos Emeralds. Unlike other 8-bit Sonic games, the Chaos Emeralds are located in special stages. In order to enter a special stage, Sonic needs to collect 100 Rings in one act (you'll still be awarded the extra life for collecting 100 Rings). Sonic Chaos is also unique amongst all the Sonic games in that each of the special stages takes a completely different form to the others. Challenges include flying towards an Emerald on rocket boots, hopping up various platforms on a spring, and navigating through a maze of pipes. Successfully complete the Special Stage to get a Chaos Emerald, but lose the Special Stage and Sonic goes straight to the next stage in the game as normal, without the emerald. Robotnik himself holds the sixth Chaos Emerald, and you need to beat him in order to win it back.

Playing as Tails is slightly different but generally easier. Not only can Tails fly (performed in the same way as Sonic's Strike Dash), but he starts the game with more lives and continues. Additionally, the player can not collect the Chaos Emeralds when playing as Tails; when he has 100 rings, he simply earns an extra life and the level continues. Tails can perform the Spin Dash in the same way Sonic can, and when he finds an item box that would normally contain rocket shoes, he gains a speed boost instead.

[edit] Zones

Mecha Green Hill Zone (Game Gear version)

In total there are six zones to complete, each one consisting of three acts of which the final act is a boss battle.

Turquoise Hill Zone: As usual, the game begins on the shores of a tropical island. This island is full of corkscrews and loops. The boss is the Lady Bug Boss, a giant version of the Boing-o-Bot enemies, which attacks by roaming around the arena.
Gigalopolis Zone: A city full of gleaming lights. Platforms in Gigapolis are connected by tilted bridges. If Sonic doesn't hit them with enough speed, he won't make it across. The boss is the Bead Worm Boss, and it shoots its parts to attack. Only its head is vulnerable to attacks. (Note that in the Game Gear version, Gigalopolis Zone was shortened to Gigapolis Zone, but the Japanese version retained the name.) The Game Gear version of the game has a completely different BGM than the Master System version.
Sleeping Egg Zone: This crumbled ruin was once one of Robotnik's bases. The stage is filled with breakable blocks and optical illusions, but the bottom of the screen turns out to pose the biggest threat. The boss here is the Bouncy Boss Robot, a Robotnik-faced robot armed with a pair of machine guns that has a giant spring in place of legs.
Mecha Green Hill Zone: Robotnik has turned a section of Green Hill Zone into a robotic wasteland. The player must avoid sinking into heavily polluted oil and dodge falling coconut bombs from metallic palmtrees. The stage also includes the tilted bridges of Gigalopolis and vertical corkscrew ramps. The boss is the Tree Crawler Boss, a snail-like robot that is attached to one of the trees, and fires various types of bullets. In the Game Gear version, the sky was changed from green to orange, and the coloring was altered slightly.
Aqua Planet Zone: This underwater labyrinth is another addition to the timeless gallery of water themed Sonic levels. When Sonic is stuck in a submerged room, he can push on the door until it opens and be swept out with the current. As usual, oxygen is essential for survival, found in bursts of bubbles across the ocean floor. However, it is often easier to jump straight up and break surface, because the water level is so low. The bosses are six jumping bird Badniks and the Sphere-o-Bot Boss, a bouncing robot filled with homing missiles that are shot once the robot's head is destroyed.
Electric Egg Zone: Robotnik stops at nothing to keep Sonic away from the base of his operations and has Electric Egg filled with traps to the brim. Lasers on the ceiling will chase the heroes down, while conveyor belts and minerails plunge them to their doom. Buttons in the floor will usually trigger a laser blast from above. The whole stage is laced with vacuum pipes as seen in Sonic 2's Scrambled Egg Zone. The boss is Robotnik himself, in the Laster Walker mech that seems, oddly, to be based on a chicken (however this may not be as strange as it seems, since Robotnik is shaped like an egg). After destroying the machine, Robotnik's Eggmobile flies back and forth in a last ditch attempt to stop Sonic. One hit defeats Robotnik, but if he hits you, you're dead (even with Rings).

[edit] Music in the game

The background music for Mecha Green Hill Zone is a remix of the Green Hills Zone music in the previous 8-bit Sonic game, Sonic 2, which turned out to be the main theme of Sonic CD's original soundtrack (Sonic - You Can Do Anything).

When accessing the Sound Test Feature in the game, "BGM#09BH" was a song that was never played through the entire game. Interestingly, it was later used in Sonic Triple Trouble as the Sunset Park Act 3 Song.

[edit] Sequels

As a follow-up to Sonic the Hedgehog Chaos, Sega released Sonic Triple Trouble in 1994. The game was exclusive to the Game Gear console and entitled Sonic & Tails 2 in Japan.