Angel Island Zone

Is The Master Emerald In Danger? Eggman's unmistakable trail has led Sonic and cohorts back to Angel Island, the humongous floating isle kept aloft in the sky by the power of the Master Emerald, and previously the setting of Sonic 3. This zone looks like a combination of Marble Garden Zone (Sonic 3) and Sky Sanctuary Zone (Sonic & Knuckles). Here you'll find massive pits and cloud platforms to bounce across said pits. The spinning bowl platforms returns, along with the grinding rails. You'll also find a new transportation device that travels along a groove in the wall as you run on it. Watch out for platforms that fall as soon as they're stepped on, and boulders that come tumbling out of crevices as you pass them. Reaching the end of Act 2, you'll find Knuckles blocking your path. Wasn't he one of the good guys? No one is more surprised than Knuckles himself! Take on the faux Knux, who attacks in a very similar fashion to S&K's Knuckles battle: he'll use his patented glide attack and punches, with some spin dashes thrown in for good measure. You'll notice that this fight is ALOT tougher than in Sonic & Knuckles, and it's gonna get alot tougher! After he receives 4 hits, the fake casts off its skin and shows its true form: that of a mechanical doppelganger not unlike Mecha/Silver Sonic! In this form its speed increases, and utilizes a new attack in the form of heat-seeking missiles shot straight outta his mouth! You'll need to attack it 4 more times to trash it for good. Eggman is NOT pleased with his new robot's failure, and vamooses out of there. Special Spring Location In Act 2, be on the lookout for the round brown platforms that turn and move as you run on them. You'll know their nearby when you see a stone background rather than clouds and sky. Try to head to the top of the screen, and if you encounter grey blocks that slowly fall when stepped on, you're on the right track. Keep going 'till you hit the spring.

Egg Rocket Zone

The Only Way To Fly Eggman's Egg Rocket is preparing for takeoff...and you don't want to miss the flight! It's headed for his newest base of operations, a mobile space platform. Once past the first set of obstacles, you'll find yourself inside the missile as it takes off. As you travel up the rocket to the exit, the rocket will cast off a total of 3 sections before finally breaching the upper atmosphere and docking at Eggman's base (the 3 break-off sections double as checkpoints...there are NO starposts here). Along the way you must contend with pits of spikes, boom-tubes and spring cushions that gradually bounce you higher. Note that this zone is only 1 Act long, and leads into the next zone which is Act 2. Also note that this zone ends with no boss battle, after all it IS just the first act...just end the stage by jumping up into the overhead airlock.

Cosmic Angel Zone

Not Your Everyday Summer Retreat Welcome to Cosmic Angel, the new home of that lovable despot, Dr. Eggman! Guess what? He's been expecting you... If this zone reminds you of S&K's Death Egg Zone, you're not alone. Reverse gravity sections abound, and strange cannons fire you into a bouncing frenzy as you fly about the space station at high speeds. The badniks here are incredibly annoying, positioning themselves in areas that make it extremely difficult to get by without taking a hit. Eggman himself is also a pain, employing a suspension bridge to travel along. Normally he can't be hit: his vulnerable side is under the bridge while a hull full of spikes takes residence on the top side. By jumping high and landing hard, you'll rock the bridge, which causes Eggman's pod to do a 180. Now's your chance! You only get one hit before you have to repeat the procedure another 7 times. Eggman will speed up after being struck a few times, and to add fuel to the fire, he'll toss out some energy projectiles to hit you as you bounce around. Special Spring Location Stay as high as possible to reach the area that leads to the spring (if you have to traverse tall walls and spikes, with the silver badniks at close range, you're on the right track). The following ramp and spring will jettison you near a floating platform. Be careful, if you miss, you may be thrown off course by a speed up device. Afterwards, you'll be bounced along the path and thrown up to a high platform, after the conveyor belts you'll find the special spring.