SONIC & KNUCKLES FAQ FOR THE GENESIS by GavLuvsGA@aol.com. Write to this address if you have any comments about this FAQ, but PLEASE refer to the game in the title. Emails with subjects like "Hey" or (No Subject) may be ignored, unless I recognise (or think I recognise) your SN. I know it sounds mean, but for all I know you could be trying to send me a virus. Version 3: 17 - 08 - 00 Copyright notice: The contents of this FAQ are the property of the author. Copying of any part of this without including my name is basically not allowed. Revision History: Version 2 ( 03 - 08 - 00) Added debug mode section. Version 3 (17 - 08 - 00) Added bit about Hyper Tails. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONTENTS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1 Characters 2 Items 3 Baddies 4 Special Stages 5 Bonus Stages 6 Walkthrough (Sonic/Tails) 7 Walkthrough (Knuckles) 8 Lock into Sonic 2 9 Lock into Sonic 3 10 Lock into Sonic 1 (secret) 11 Level Select Cheat 12 *NEW!* Debug Mode (when locked into Sonic 3) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1 CHARACTERS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SONIC THE HEDGEHOG The all - familiar spiked blue hedgehog. Need I say more? TAILS THE FOX Tails only appears at the end, unless you lock in to Sonic 3 (I don't know why they don't make him a character in the game on its own, as it is VERY hard to get up to the Mushroom Hill Zone when playing the whole thing as Tails. Tails can fly if you press jump twice, and can carry Sonic if you are playing as both characters together. KNUCKLES THE ECHINDA Knuckles is the guardian of the chaos emeralds; he can glide if you press jump twice, and can also climb walls and bash down walls that the other characters cannot. If you're playing as Sonic and/or Tails, he will think you are after the emeralds and will try and stop you. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2 ITEMS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These can be found in the item boxes around the level. SUPER RING Gives you 10 rings (I'm assuming you all know what rings do...) SHOES Speeds you up temporarily INVINCIBILITY Makes you invincible, but you can still be crushed, drowned or fall off the bottom of the screen. WATER SHIELD Sadly redundant on Sonic and Knuckles on its own, this protects you from drowning. The only drawback is that there is no water on the levels found in this game. You can perform a bounce by pressing double jump (but only if you're Sonic). FIRE SHIELD This will protect you from fire. Sonic can preform a fireball attack by pressing jump twice. LIGHTNING SHIELD Allows you to perform a really high jump as Sonic, and also attracts rings (but watch you don't lose your shield, or all the rings will bounce away). Attack is warded off and you are safe from electricity. ROBOTNIK Don't touch; it has the same effect as being hit. 1 - UP Bears a picture of you character on. Speaks for itself. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3 BADDIES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BUTTERDROID (MUSHROOM HILL ZONE) This simply flies around annoyingly. BLASTER (FLYING BATTERY ZONE) Fires bullets at you from in front, but is unprotected otherwise. CHAINSPIKE (DEATH EGG ZONE) These are virtually impossible to attack because of their spikes. Be particularly wary of the bottom one as it can be lowered down to hit you. TOXOMISTER (LAVA REEF ZONE) Very nasty; if you get caught in the gas cloud this emits, you will begin to lose rings, until you die. To escape, press left/right very fast. Fortunately, it can be killed. TECHNOSQUEEK (FLYING BATTERY ZONE) Not a particularly nasty bad guy, this robot mouse runs fast along floors, walls and ceilings. CLUCKOID (MUSHROOM HILL ZONE) This weather cockerel packs a puff; it will blow when you come bnear and try to blow you away. MUSHMEANIE (MUSHROOM HILL ZONE) Takes two hits to kill, due to its protective casing. FIREWORM (LAVA REEF ZONE) Appears out of holes in the wall; fairly easy, but avoid its spikes. DRAGONFLY (MUSHROOM HILL ZONE) Again, aboid its spikes and you will be okay. SANDWORM (SANDOPOLIS ZONE) Leaps out of the quicksand found about the level. MADMOLE (MUSHROOM HILL ZONE) Appears out of holes and throws mushrooms at you. These won't hurt you, but will knock you back, possibly into danger. They will keep coming back after you kill them (unlike most baddies). EGGROBO This baddie appears on Sky Sanctuary Zone if you're playing as Sonic or Tails and fires lasers. If you're playing as Knuckles, one will take the place of Robotnik in nearly every battle. SKORP (SANDOPOLIS ZONE) The nastiest bad guyin the level, this has a sting that can stretch a long way. SPIKEBONKER (DEATH EGG ZONE) Leap over the spike ball this baddie throws and you will be okay. LIVING STONE (SANDOPOLIS ZONE) Probably the most useless baddie in the game. It looks like a stone, but gets up when you come close. Touching it won't kill you, its only attack is to shove you around and you can easily spin dash it to death. MECHA SONIC (SKY SANCTUARY ZONE) Comes to attack Sonic three times, but is not very original. ROBOTNIK Of course, this is the guy Sonic and Tails are after... !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 4 SPECIAL STAGES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These are found in giant rings hidden around the level. You don't need any rings to get in (unlike previous games). The aim is to navigate through the 3 - D world, collecting all the blue spheres. Be warned, though; when you collect them, they become red. Red spheres will warp you straight out if you touch them. Also, the white spheres will act as bumpers and the new yellow ones will catapult you forward about three squares (very useful). Also, you can get a number of rings found on the level and collecting them all gives you a "perfect" bonus score of 50, 000 (and an extra life). Some rings are hidden in blocks of nine or more blue spheres; to get these, run around the outside and they will all become rings. After collecting all the chaos emeralds, you can turn Super Sonic or Super Knuckles if you have 50 rings. To become super, press jump twice; for some reason, this will not work with Sonic if you have a shield, but will will work with Knuckles even with a shield. When you have all the emeralds, the big rings will give you 50 rings for collecting them. Note, however, that when you are super, your ring total will slowly count down to zero, so keep collecting. When it hits zero, you change back to normal. In the normal game, Tails cannot go super, but it is possible to get Super Tails (see Debug Mode chapter). **NEW INFO** However, according to The Pieomon@aol.com, if you lock into Sonic 3 (see chapter on Sonic 3, below) and collect all the super and hyper emeralds as Tails, you can become Hyper Tails, and he can fly better (I've not actually tried this, but I will when I have time). ***** !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 5 BONUS STAGES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! To access one, hit a star post. For some reason, the number of rings you need was reduced here from 50 to a pathetic 20! If you have enough, a star ring will appear and you can jump inside. There are two special stages: FRUIT MACHINE BONUS This is like a mixture of the fruit machines from the Casino Night Zone (Sonic 2) and the special stage from Sonic 1. You are in a roatating stadium, and you must manoevre yourself to the centre to collect rings and enter the fruit machine. Here are the scores you get for each picture: 1 Bar = 2 rings 2 Bars = 4 rings 3 Bars = 6 rings 3 Rings = 20 rings (not sure on this one actually) 3 Tails = 25 rings 3 Knuckles = 30 Rings 3 Sonics = 50 Rings 3 Jackpots = 100 Rings Combination of Jackpot and any other picture = Twice the value of that picture 3 Robotniks or combination of Robotniks and Jackpots = Lose 100 rings To leave the stage, hit one of the red "goal" spheres at the edge. Note that if the tiles on the wall are hit enough times, these will become red spheres too. SHAFT BONUS Use the spheres to propel yourself up the shaft, grabbing rings and hidden objects (extra lives, shields, rings) from the bubbles that appear. But watch out, as there is a forcefield chasing you up, and if you touch it, you leave the stage. You can also leave by going out of the top of the shaft. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 6 WALKTHROUGH (SONIC/TAILS) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LEVEL 1: MUSHROOM HILL ZONE Best shield: Flame This is an easy level; use the mushrooms as springs, as well as seesaws. The hardest element is probably the winches; to use these, grab hold of one of the hooks and keep pressing down to be raised up. Also, the spinning handles are best used if you run towards them, and you will spin round, and can jump off, performing a large leap.Watch out, however, for the vines that cling to you. If one grabs yo, spindash to get away. ACT 1 BOSS This guy will start to hack down one of the trees; killing it is really simple; keep hitting the boss, and most of the logs will miss you. You should be ablke to kill the boss before it finishes, but if not, it will attack you, then fly off to another tree. A flame shield is useful for hitting the underside. In act two, Knuckles will blow you up to a separate section of the level, although you sopon rejoin the main route. The scenery, however, will change from spring to Autumn. Thankfully it changes back later in the level. Not much else to say here. On to the... ACT 2 BOSS This is Robotnik's first appearance. First you will see a satellite dish, emitting radio waves, so smash it (its best to spindash). Chase Robotnik, avoiding the spike balls on the trees and hit Robotnik, but NOT when his jets are on (unless you possess a flame shield). Eventually, he'll start to blow up, before crashing into a tree. Open the prison egg on the other side. Now, watch as the Flying Battery (and Robotnik) flies overhead; Sonic will grab on (Tails flies up). LEVEL 2: FLYING BATTERY ZONE Best shield: Lightning This is where Robotnik makes his prison eggs! The level is full of them, and breaking some open reveals rings (others reveal baddies, or springs). There are many ways to get crushed on this level too, including when riding the corkscrew lifts, which spiral up and down through the levels, and the half - spike balls, that are pulled up and down by the magnetic ceilings. When the ceiling is turned off, make sure you are not under the ball, or it will crush you to death. Likewise, if the ceiling is low, don't be over it when it rises. In larger rooms, however, these can be used to reach higher platforms. The magnetic ceilings will also pull up small spike balls and robots (I'm surprised they don't attract Sonic's rings). ACT 1 BOSS Jump on the prison egg and it will come to life, and flail two arms around. Simply wait on top until it gets ready to thump you. et out of the way, and the boss will hit itself. Repeat five times. ACT 2 BOSS First you will be in a small room, with Robotnik activating a laser. You can hit the laser, but you cna't damage it. Simply get out of the way when it fires downwards. The only problem is the room gets smaller, until you have barely any room. Fortunately, the laser eventually explodes and Robotnik runs. Chase him, past a star post, and the floor will start to rise. Make your way through the ship before you are squashed flat against the ceiling and Robotnik will appear at the top in a ship. He will move along, under the platform, occasionally spwing flames. Wiat until his ship surfaces above the platform and hit him before he goes away. Also avoid his spiked arms (really easy). After opening the prison egg, Sonic will roll off the ship to... LEVEL 3: SANDOPOLIS ZONE Best shield: Lightning You start off in the desert; this is one of the best zones as thereare loads of routes you can take (especially if you have Tails). Sonic on his own is slightly inhibited. When you're right at the bottom of the screen, don't sink into the quicksand or you will die (although further up, it does lead to underground chambers). Also, you can push the stone blocks forward and use them to cross gaps. ACT 1 BOSS This is an unusual boss. Stand right of the statue and when its head appears, hit it, before it can leap towards you. It will be knocked back. Keep going until you knock it into the quicksand, and it explodes. Act two takes you inside the pyramid. You will be in the dark, so turn on the lights by pulling the cord. This level consists of opening several doors by pushing the black switches and then running through the doors before they close. A little way into the level, you will land on a prison egg, releasing hordes of ghosts. This is where the level gets exciting; a ghost will begin flying around, and - if left alone, will be joined by another (and the lights will dim); thse will be joined by a third, and it will be nearly pitch black (and the ghosts are massive). After a little while, they'll come in droves to attack you. To stop this, pull every switch you appear and every ghost will vanish. Ther toughest part is perhaps when you have to burst open the sand pipes, which will begin to fill thje level with sand, which will rise. Keep going so you are not crushed (it gets really hectic later, as you have to open gates quickly). ACT 2 BOSS Dr. Robotnik will appear in a large statue. When its left foot sticks forward (the right foot is in the background), jump up onto it, and hit the statue. The top will vanish temporarily, exposing Robotnik, so attack him while you can. Watch out for the lasers, though. Also, beware of getting crushed against the back wall (but you would have to be a badplayer for that to happen.) Run right to the prison egg. Weird fact: If you run forward quickly enough, you will see an image of the statue in the door, which collapses quickly. It's true! Sonic will now fall into: LEVEL 4: LAVA REEF ZONE Best shield: Flame This is slightly easier than Sandopolis. Watch out for the lava. At one point in the level, you will find yourself faced with some sort of pneumatic drill. Keep hitting it until it is destroyed, but watch out as the floor will collapse, and you must land on one of the platforms in the middle of the lava. Also, watch out for the rolling spike balls. At one point you will find one rolling round a pillar. Run past when it is behind the pillar, and then run, as it will begin to chase you down. Drop down to the level below and it will roll over the top. Continue along this path. Phew! ACT 1 BOSS A large hand will appear and follow you. It will try and clasp over you, so get out of the way and hit the hand. It will vanish and two spheres will appear, throwing energy balls at you. If you have a shield, no problem; otherwise, avoid like the plague. You can destroy them (each takes three hits), but it isn't necessary. The hand will reappear and it takes six hits to destroy. At this point, the entire level freezes over. The next stage is the same, except frozen, meaning there is less lava (but still fire cannons). There are a few new objects, such as the horizontal rotating tubes, with hndholds on, which you must grab, then press jump and up to get to higher points in the level. If you managed to beat act one, this shouldn't be too much of a problem. N.B. You must collct all the chaos emeralds before leaving this zone. ACT 2 BOSS As you get to the end of the act, you will ascend a flight of steps to where Knuckles is waiting (I bet you wondered where he'd got to), with a rock. He will push it down the stairs, knocking you off. You will land above a lava pit, with the Death Egg directly above you. After a flash, Robotnik hovers in in the background and fires missiles at you. Quickly, head rihgt, as the platforms will collapse behind you. Reach the starpost, then cross the chasm using the moving platforms. You cannot go down until you are right over (or you die). Grab a flame shield if you don't already have one, it makes the boss a walkover. Get down to the bottom and you will land in a platform in the lava. Robotnik will appear and you cannot attack him as his ship is protected by spikes. He will tip up the lava and shoot three spike balls in the air. Keep leaping from platform to platform (if you have a flame shield it won't matter if you touch the lava), and avoid the balls. They will all hit Robotnik. Repeat this until his craft is destroyed. The lava will freeze again and the prison egg will hover in. Now Sonic can cross the lava and enter LEVEL 5: HIDDEN PALACE ZONE This is the easiest (and shortest) zone ever made. Run along, and pass the starpost, and you will meet Knuckles. Fight him (he will try and punch you, spindash you and glide at you), until he is knocked out. You will hear a crash from the right. Follow Knuckles and you will see Robotnik stealing the Master Emerald (that's the big green one, by the way). Knuckles will attack Robotnik, who will electrocute him. You can attack him if you like, but it won't help. The floor will also collapse and the three of you will fall to a room below. Although it isn't clear, Knuckles now realises that Sonic is trying to stop Robotnik, and he will punch down a wall. Follow him and he will jump into a teleporter. Jump in after him, and go to: LEVEL 6: SKY SANCTUARY ZONE When you arrive, watch the Death Egg rise up, jettisoning bad guys. Knuckles will flick a switch for you to continue (before collapsing, exhausted). Simply get up through the level, using the teleporters to warp between floors. You will meet Mecha Sonic here, and will fight him three times. 1 This is a repeat of the Green Hill Zone boss from the original; jump onto one of the floating platforms and attack Mecha Sonic a few times, before retreating into the corner. He will produce what looks like a giant bauble, which he swings back and forth. When it swings away from you, jump up and hit him. Eight hits will see him packing. 2 This time (like in the Metropolis Zone from Sonic 2), he will fly around with eight spheres orbiting his ship. Jump over him, and wait for the spheres to spin all over the place, before hovering in around him in a level circle. Hit him and a sphere will fly off (it looks just like Mecha Sonic in his ship). Spin into it to destroy it. Repeat until they are all gone, then avoid his lasers and hit him once more to destroy him. 3 Now, its hand - to - hand combat, as Mechas Sonic will leap at you, slide at you, and many other things. Don't hit him when he's curled up, and go for him when he's in a corner of the screen. Eventually he'll short circuit, and yo've finished it. This level, like the last, has only one act. Now, Sonic and/or Tails will leap off onto a spiral platform that appears (just before the entire level collapses), and will run up, in one of the best sequences yet. At the top they will see the Death Egg, which they leap aboard. LEVEL 7: DEATH EGG ZONE Best shield: Lightning The best zone in the game by far, this has some great methods of transporaation, including platforms that cross large electric systems. These will change direction when a character lands on the (e.g. if you jump). If you have Tails wilth you, this can be a problem, as he will land on the platform after you, causing it to change direction and go the wrong way. Jumping won't work, as Tails will copy you, so instead, take the player 2 control and make Tails jump. Another new idea is the machine that carries you all over the place in some sort of soundwave, breaching a lot of the level, and getting you to otherwise unreachable places. At one point in the level, you will enter an anti - gravity chamber with a large metal thing with switches, which you must press (fly into them) before progressing. ACT 1 BOSS A really great (and difficult) boss, this consists of an eye in the middle of a pillar, with balls orbiting it. It's best to have a lightning shield (otherwise, hope you have enough rings to go supersonic), and jump and hit it about two times when the balls are circling the base. Be careful, as each hit causes a ball to explode into shrapnel. After all have been destroyed, the eye will leave the pillar and float back and forth, with two spike platforms around it. Hit it, and run away quick before it goes beserk and chases you, with a laser coming out of its abopve and under it. Keep going until the boss is destroyed. You will now be sucked into a tube which takes you to the top of the Death Egg. In act two, you will be faced with reverse gravity. This takes place via a number of ways, including going down the anti - gravity pipes, stepping on a switch that reverses gravity, and going up and down narrow tubes. When gravity is reversed, you will be walking on the ceiling (very fun, once you get the hang of it). ACT 2 BOSS First attack Robotnik will control a large robot, which you cannot hit, as it protects itself with a shield (there are two if you play as Sonic and Tails together). It will begin throwing ball - bombs at you. Enter the anti - gravity pipe and the bombs will fall to the ceiling. They are now upside down. Here, you can spin dash them and they will fly up and hit the boss. Also, if it is caught by them as you reverse gravity, they will also score a hit, but watch out for the shrapnel they emit. Eventually it will be destroyed, so chase Robotnik off screen. Note: You will now restart from here if you die, and you will not be able to collect rings. Second Attack Robotnik will jump into a giant robot. It will try and clasp you with its fingers, which you must destroy individually (each takes two hits). Third Attack This is the hardest; the boss will move towards you, breaking up the platform (which, fortunatley, goes on for ever ;) Jump over the fire he spews, then jump at his belly, exposing Robotnik and the Master Emerald. He will begin to fire up a laser. Wait until the last moment before leaping at Robotnik, and the laser will miss you. Bounce back onto the main platform and keep going until the robot is destroyed. Fourth Attack It's not over yet. Robotnik will fly off with the emerald. Run after him, and don't stop as the platform is collapsing. Keep hitting him, but make sure you don't fall to your death when you deflect off him. Eventually he'll drop the emerald. Jump onto it and Sonic will go supersonic. If you are playing as Tails, you will have now completed the game. LEVEL 8: THE DOOMSDAY ZONE You are supersonic, and you are flying through an asteroid field. Keep collecting rings because if your ring total hits zero, you will fall to your death. The asteroids will slow you down. You will catch up with Robotnik in a blue ship (well, you don't see him, but I assume he's in there). He will fire missiles in threes, which will chase you. Circle round him and fly past the robot's head, and the missiles will hit Robotnik. Eight hits and it will blow up. But it's not over. Afte rit leaves the screen, another robot, similar to the one on the last level, will appear, and it has the Master Emerald. Keep chasing it, avoiding its bullets and the asteroids (you are now in a continuous loop, but therings will - thankfully - regenerate themselves). Keep ramming Robotnik (who I assume is inside), and eventually this robot will blow up, leaving Sonic free to grab the Master Emerald. Tails will conveniently fly in with his bi - plane to catch you. It's over ... or is it? After the credits, you will get an extra scene at the end, which features an Eggrobo appearing from the wreckage of the Death Egg. The story isn't over yet; this is where the Knuckles version comes in. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 7 WALKTHROUGH (KNUCKLES) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Note: For more detailed descriptions of levels, see the previous section. I am simply covering which bits are different for Knuckles. This version has a small intro, in which the Eggrobo I mentioned earlier appears and throws a bomb at Knuckles, who then chases after the robot. You will have to fight him instead of Robotnik. LEVEL 1: MUSHROOM HILL ZONE This is generally the same as for Sonic, except you take some different routes. Also, the act 1 boss is slightly harder as he throws his logs at an angle instead of straight ahead (more dangerous). LEVEL 2: FLYING BATTERY ZONE This is exactly the same as for Sonic. The act 2 boss (Robotnik here, BTW) is slightly harder, as he throws more flames. LEVEL 3: SANDOPOLIS ZONE Act 1 is the same, except with more choices of route (due to Knuckles' abilities). In act 2, the ghosts will alreay have been released and will begin to attack you as soon as you arrive, until you switch on the lights. Knuckles has two choices of route at the start; he can also climb up the wall at the start, and take a slightly different route. Near the end, Sonic and Knuckles' routes split and Knuckles has a puzzle facing him. You will be faced with a switch which you can open, but retracts too fast, before yoyu can enter the door. Go to the top of the room and break the sand tube, fillinmg the lowever half of the room with sand. This fills up the hole left of the switch and allows you to push the rock across and wedge it open. In the next room, open the swtich, climb up the wall on the left and carefully glide over the spikes (this may take some practice). Gedt through the door before it closes. N.B. This zone is Knuckles' last chance to collect all the chaos emeralds. LEVEL 4: LAVA REEF ZONE Knuckles takes a completely different (and harder) route than Sonic and Tails here, joining the main route only to fight the mid - boss. In act two, go straight ahead and bash through an ice wall, entering a tube. This bit is very tough, especially the section where you must climb a shaft, avoiding the fire cannons (but hopefully you will have enough rings to go super). There is no boss at the end of this act. LEVEL 5: HIDDEN PALACE ZONE This is just a way to put in some contimuity really, as you cannot possibly fail this zone. All you do is run and and warp out using a teleporter. It takes all of 12 seconds to do. LEVEL 6: SKY SANCTUARY ZONE This is Knuckles' last level. Eggrobo will come to grab you; don't try and stop him, you can't. He will hold you above Mecha Sonic, who will try to kill you. Forunately, Knuckles will escape just in time and Mecha Sonic will destroy Eggrobo. Collect the three rings and figt Mecha Sonic (he's the same as with Sonic), until he short circuits. It's not over, though. At this point, get ready to jump out of the way when he slides across the screen to the Master Emerald, which will turn him Super. He will fly around the screen, attacking you now and again. Wait until his powers wear out and hit him. Aftewr six hits he will become weaker and shoot enegry balls at you. Wait until he temporarily loses his power, and hit him twice more to destroy him. Sonic will now rescue Knuckles, and the emerald, just before the floor collapses. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 8 LOCK INTO SONIC 2 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Locking onto Sonic 2 means you can play the entire game s Knuckles. You can also access new areas that Sonic and Tails cannot reach. On Chemical Plant Zone act 1, for example, there are a few bonuses that you must climb up to get (explore). One good bonus comes at the end of the last tube on act 1; climb up the tower on your right and you will find a 1 up. Glide to your left and you will reach another tower with a 1 up. Further left is yet another one. Basically, this is just Sonic 2 with Sonic replaced by Knuckles (1 player as Knuckles is your only option, and you can't have Tails following you.) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 9 LOCK INTO SONIC 3 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Locking into Sonic 3 gives you a fourteen level game comrising of both Sonic 3 and this game (called "Sonic 3 and Knuckles"). Knuckles will take different routes on most levels. The differences are listed below. LEVEL 1 ANGEL ISLAND ZONE To reach the first boss, you must bash through some rocks at the end of act 1. It also fires bombs at you, making it tougher to hit. After this you will enter a new route (already programmed into Sonic 3, but inaccessible in the game alone). It is pretty dull actually, just a passageway, and Sega didn't bother to include any bonus rings. Eggrobo will fire twice as many fireballs as Robotnik would in the act 2 showdown (also, Robotnik's flying ship does not appear to drop bombs on Knuckles). LEVEL 2: HYDROCITY ZONE This is mostly the same, until you reach the bit where Knuckles usually drops you through the floor. You can now enter the section where Knuckles was, and go through a new section (this involves a lot of gliding over spikes). The boss is slightly harder as he doesn't come down, so you must use the bombs to catapult yourself up. LEVEL 3: MARBLE GARDEN ZONE The end is different as the usual route is blocked off and Knuckles must climb up to a wall that only he can knock down. From here, hit the stone face three times to open the ceiling; climb up and get past the earthquake (where the floor rises and tries to crush you). The boss is totally different; instead of a spectacular flying battle, you enter a small room. A spiked line will shoot through the room twice; avoid it. The boss will now follow the line and it is at this point you can damage him. It is very easy! LEVEL 4:CARNIVAL NIGHT ZONE Very straightforward (and easy), this takes an entirely different route. You will briefly cross Sonic and Tails' route at the start of act 2, but then you must punch through a wall and proceed along a new route (and the water is gone). There is no boss at the end of act 2, just a prison egg and a teleporter to... LEVEL 5: ICE CAP ZONE Knuckles takes a few different routes (including one where you must glide across a room, avoiding spiked balls; very fun). You must take a lower route to the act 1 boss and act 2 takes place in the tunnels. The act 2 boss is slightly harder as he keeps retracting the platform you should be using to hit him (which makes avoiding the ice blasts a lot harder). LEVEL 6: LAUNCH BASE ZONE This is the same up until the tower Knuckles blew up on Sonic 3. Here you must climb up and open a door, which leads to the boss. Instead of one, two robots with spiked rotating arms will appear. This is a lot harder and you will probably get hit a few times. After three hits they lose one arm, and take another three to kill. Act 2 takes a different (and straightforward) route. At the end, you must burst through a pipe that raises the water, so get out quick. Then punch through some blocks and go to Robotnik. Whichever character you have, you will have to fight Robotnik in his three tiered, flame shooting craft, but if you have Sonic and/or Tails, you must fight the base's first boss first (Robotnik rolling balls at you, with a platform to hit him from). If you are Knuckles, you must also fight Sonic 3's final boss, which flies across trhe screen using a claw hand (don't touch as you'll lose your shield/rings, four times, before hovering around the top, falling and then hovering at the bottom before flying off. Whatever you do, don't become Super Knuckles, as the claw can still make you lose all your rings. Even if you collect them, your counter will soon go down to zero, and you will be unprotected. At the end of this level, you will go to the Mushroom Hill Zone. If you have all the chaos emeralds here, you are in for a surprise. If you're Sonic and/or Tails, you will see Knuckles appear out of a passage, which he closes with a switch. Open the passage (you don't need to, but its fun) and go in. There is a giant ring, only its multicoloured (as Knuckles, you'll just see one ahead of you.) Get in it and you will be warped to Hidden Palace Zone, where you will be amongst the Super Emeralds which you will have probably have seen alongside the master emerald when you played before. They are all dull and grey, but if you jump on one you will be warped to a special stage where you can play to win that emerald (it will then become coloured). The special stages you play will be the Sonic & Knuckles ones. When you have collected them all, you can become Hyper Sonic/Hyper Knuckles (very cool indeed). Also, when you play as Sonic or Tails, there is an extra bit on the end credits, where you see Knuckles in the Angel Island Zone, with the Master Emerald. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 10 LOCK INTO SONIC 1 (SECRET) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you lock into any other game, you will receive a picture of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Robotnik and the message "No Way". However, if you go into Sonic 1, and press A,B and C simultaneously, the message "get blue spheres" comes up. There are hundreds of levels of special stages, all of varying difficulty. Getting all the rings on any stage will advance you through 10 levels! You can play as Sonic or Knuckles (press A, B or C on the main screen to alternate). !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 11 LEVEL SELECT CHEAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WITHOUT SONIC 3 Go into Sonic and Knuckles on its own and play as Sonic. In Mushroom Hill, go to the first pulley and hang on. Press down three times, left three times, right three times and up three times and a bell will ring. You can now access the level select screen by pressing A and start on the title screen. WITH SONIC 3 Go to Angel Island Zone and grab hold of any vine, then press the same combination as above, to get the level select screen. To access it, press down twice on the title screen and a sound test option will become available; go into it. You can also change yor character by pressing C; who you are depends on the number shown near the top of the screen; 0 = Sonic & Tails 1 = Sonic 2 = Tails 3 = Knuckles You can also access some pretty wierd stuff: TAKE KNUCKLES TO THE LAVA REEF ZONE BOSS With Knuckles selected, go to the world labelled "Lava Reef Act 3" (act 4, BTW is Hidden Palace Zone), and you will find yourself at the start of the Lava Reef Zone boss. You can play it as normal (and you will be fighting Robotnik, not Eggrobo), but when you finish the level, the game will default to the Knuckles versio of the Hidden Palace Zone, and you cannot enter the room where you fight Knuckles (therefore you cannot have Knuckles fight his doppelganger (Sega probably realised this and programmed a different, otherwise useless version of the zone). TAKE KNUCKLES TO THE DEATH EGG You can also take Knuckles to the Death Egg Zone, in a similar manner. Interestingly, Sega programmed it so you do see Eggrobo after defeating the final robot. However, the moment you touch the Super Emerald, the game will restart itself. TAKE TAILS AND KNUCKLES TO THE DOOMSDAY ZONE If you click on the Doomsday Zonbe with Tails or Knuckles selected, you can play the level, but your character will turn into a blur. Even wierder, if you selected Tails, the ring counter does not appear to go down! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 12 DEBUG MODE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The only way I have found to access Debug mode is to lock in Sonic 3 and do the level select cheat. Now do the level select cheat for Sonic & Knuckles and you can do debug mode with ANY character(s) by pressing B, and A to change objects (press C to place them). Unlike other Sonic games, the Score will not screw up until you press B. If you press A while playing as normal, gravity will be reversed, and you will float up to the ceiling (the won't affect other objects though). However, if there is no ceiling, you will be killed. However, while in debug mode, you can stop yourself dying by becoming an object as your character's corpse bounces off the screen. Take yourself to somewhere safe and press B again, and you will be resurrected! You can also have Super Tails by doing this, as if you select the TV set option, and have your character break it open, they will become super! Super Tails has a gang of yellow birds following him around, although I have no idea why! Oh, and try to look for a very secret room in Death Egg Zone act 1. It contains some item boxes, but for some reason you cannot enter it the normal way (strange but true). End of FAQ. If you have any comments, complaints or hints, please email GavLuvsGA@aol.com (so long as its nothing patronising like pointing out a speeling mistace!)