X-Zone

Not As Simple As It Sounds Eggman makes his last stand here, and as such this zone is incredibly short. However, you'll be battling a total of 3 different bosses here. First up in Eggman's arsenal is a blast from the past: an exact replica of Sonic 1's Green Hill Zone boss (with SA-design flavor)! Dig that classic boss tune. Just avoid the large metal ball and strike Eggman 4 times to disable him (must of been in a hurry to put this one back together!). Travel along the path afterwards and meet Eggman's next classic revival: Sonic 2's Emerald Hill Zone boss. Still as easy as the first time it reared its metallic drill. Jump to get out of the way and crash down hard. 4 hits and it's scrap. Follow Eggman to his next challenge. This time Eggman gets serious and employs a NEW machine...and a tough one at that. His new pod utilizes a rotating shield that protects it from your attacks. The only time you can hit him is when the shield drops. That's also the time Eggman decides to attack. He'll use 3 different ways to strike at you: 1. A laser beam that travels across the screen, jump to avoid it. 2. Balls of energy that bounce past you, shot at high or low angles. Keep low to avoid them. 3. Use of a mechanical arm that will seek you out anywhere on screen. If it grabs you, it'll shake and slam you into the ground. By the time you recover, all of your rings will have vanished. Avoid at all costs. All three of his attacks come by very quickly, and leave very little room for error. Also, every once in awhile Eggman, rather than attack directly, will float over to the other side of the screen. Make sure to jump out of his way. It'll take a good 8 hits to knock this boss out of commission. Afterwards, Eggman escapes, and the space platform begins to self-destruct! SPECIAL NOTE: If you have collected all of the Chaos Emeralds, and if you have completed each character's game beforehand, AND this is your SECOND time beating X-Zone with Sonic, get ready to travel as Super Sonic to...

The Moon Zone

Eggman's Great Escape...Take 2 Whoah...Doomsday Zone (Sonic 3 & Knuckles) flashback! Eggman's making a quick getaway, with Super Sonic right on his steel tail. Instead of flying out in an asteroid field, you'll be skimming along the surface of the Moon, otherwise it's just the same as before, with Eggman and Super Sonic eternally dashing to the right of the screen. Since you're invincible, the only way you'll lose a life is if you run out of your initial allotment of 50 rings. Of course, Eggman will do everything in his power to ensure that happens. He attacks in a variety of ways: with a laser that will scorch the ground, by kicking up moon rocks, and by shooting out a trap pod that will close around Super Sonic to encase him. However, if you use Super Sonic's dash forward move just before entering the trap, you'll break through it, releasing a load of rings to replenish your supply. Eggman's mech can only be damaged by striking at the head, so use the dash move accordingly. Eggman will use the mech's arms to play defense, so you'll need to bide your time. After absorbing 8 hits, the mech will explode and you'll receive the game's good ending.

Special Stages

Special Zone - Get The Rings (Again)! There are a total of 7 entrances to the Special Stages hidden in Sonic Advance. They look like overly-large star springs. Hit a spring to be bounced into orbit. You're now in a special stage. Each stage is made up of two sections, both requiring you to collect a set number of rings to advance. After passing the 2nd section successfully, you'll collect a Chaos Emerald. Fail to collect the required amount to rings, and you'll be tossed out of the stage on your rump. The stages themselves are free-falling type, with a 3rd-person over the furry-shoulder perspective. You'll find that overall this type of stage is VERY similar to that of Sonic 2's Special Stage, except that you won't have to worry about gravity. The B button will make you perform a trick, and the A button speeds up your descent as well as centering you. While in the stage, keep a sharp eye out for mines that will rob you of your rings, and fields that will bounce you in a set direction once. Also there to find are special yellow fields that yield rings if you pass through them while performing a trick, and chaos (how did those little guys get caught up in there anyway?) that will reward you with a continue if collected. Know that ANY character can collect ANY emerald, and they all count together as a full set. If Tails gets two emeralds during a game and you complete the game, if you choose a different character like Amy, you'll see after successfully getting another emerald that you still have possession of the emeralds Tails collected. The cartridge's save battery will keep track of the emeralds for you. Also know that emeralds and special stages are specialized to each zone (you'll never find the first special stage and red Chaos Emerald by entering via Casino Paradise's special spring...ONLY Neo Green Hill's will lead you to it). You can re-enter a completed special stage if you've already collected its emerald (for, say, more continues).