In the Sega Genesis there was only the launch of spin-offs in 1993. Due to the good reception of Sonic games also in the world of 8 bits, it was necessary to launch a game that would bring Tails as a playable character, because in Sonic 2 Master System and Game Gear, it is just a plot element. It was so that in 1993, Sega released Sonic Chaos, which also became known as Sonic & Tails in Japan, being the first game in the 8-bit saga to have Tails as a playable character.
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Sonic Chaos differentiated itself from the model of Sonic 1 and Sonic 2. Virtually everything had to be remodeled. The more colorful graphics with bigger details, besides the characters are noticed immediately at once, clearly showing a slight change of concept. Now you can choose between two characters: Sonic and Tails. The two now have distinct abilities that will help you and much in the stages.
Speaking of the stages, they are now more complex than the previous games. They have more paths, more accessibility and keep more monitors throughout your journey. All this without losing the speed that is even bigger here! They are divided into 3 acts, where the third will always be the boss, just as in his predecessors. The advantage is that now in the act of the bosses, some Rings will be in the middle of the way, to help you. In Sonic 1 and 2 of 8Bits, the boss was faced with no Ring.
The Special Stage is hilarious! Again, there are only 6 emeralds, where five are collected by the Special Stage. To be accessed, you need to collect 100 Rings per stage. Upon arriving at a Special Stage, you will have a set time to collect the emerald from the chaos that is hidden somewhere in the stage. The most interesting is that each emerald reveals a stage totally different from the other!
The monitors are back too. Monitors are a big help in Sonic games. Mainly in Sonic Chaos, where now there are two new monitors. One called Rocket Shoes, shoe that allows Sonic to fly for a few seconds and the Clock Monitor, which has a special function in Special Stages. In all, the monitors are:
Super Rings: gives 10 extra rings;
1-Up (Extra Life): gives an extra life.
Invincibility: Sonic turns invincible, just touch the enemies and they will be destroyed automatically. You will only die if you fall from on a pit or if you're crushed.
Power Sneakers: Leaves the character even faster temporarily;
Rocket Shoes (only with Sonic!): Sonic can temporarily fly using this new item;
Stop Time: Special item seen in special stages, for special stage watch time for a few seconds;
Finally, some elements are always present: the rings (and every 100 is a life), the loopings along the stages, the springs, the spines, the already mentioned monitors and the special stages. The game screen is simple, bringing only new sources and positioning elements: TIME (up to 10:00), Lives and Rings.
Plot
Again, South Island is in big trouble. After several defeats in a row Robotnik, he goes directly to the source of energy: the Chaos Emeralds, where he ends up taking the red one. The imbalance of forces causes the South Island to begin sinking into the ocean. Sonic and Tails must collect the remaining emeralds to reclaim the Emerald that is with Robotnik, before the South Island sinks with all its inhabitants.
Technical analysis
Sonic Chaos has changed his style a lot, compared to Sonic 2. And it has changed for the better! Starting with the graphics, which are larger and in greater detail. Even so, we can find some elements of the scenery that do not seem to have been well finished also having a more faded color. Even so, everything is much more colorful, being perceived in the first stage.
The sound does not seem to have progressed much. The songs are very agitated following the rhythm of the stage well. But the quality seems to have fallen, and the noise in the songs and sound effects are inevitable. We still have differences in the version of Game Gear and Master System, where some effects and also music were changed.
The gameplay is the strong point. He managed to improve even more and without doubt is one of the factors that makes Sonic Chaos a magnificent game. The speed has improved completely by becoming more dynamic. Commands respond correctly. In addition, each character has two special abilities, which will help you a lot at any stage.
The stages are again divided into 3 acts with one of the Robotnik robots waiting for you. The difference is that it is now possible to collect some rings that are scattered throughout the third act, which was not possible before. Aside from the bosses, the stages were well "assembled", giving you the option of a higher or lower path, for example. Many more Rings are strategically distributed by deeds and now the monitors are much more useful. The roulette at the end of each act also changed a bit. Now, upon reaching it, the roulette shows its average speed around the whole stage and can give you some awards, from lives to a continue.
The Special Stage is the difference of Sonic Chaos. This time, the emeralds are collected on a Special Stage as in Sega Genesis, not scattered throughout the stages. To access them, you need to collect 100 Rings in some act. After that, you will be sent to a Special Stage, where you will have to find the Chaos Emerald in a time limit. Interestingly, each stage is totally different from the other. All this without losing the fun, of course.
Now Sonic has the help of Tails. This is the first game we can finally make the fox fly! Tails is advisable for beginners, as their ability to fly helps a lot to cut difficult stretches of stages. And it also starts with a greater number of lives than Sonic, in addition to continues. This undoubtedly influences much the Replay factor, since we can play with very different characters.
Characters and abilities You
can play with Sonic or Tails. Both can jump by pressing the 1 or 2 button, use and enjoy the Supersonic Spin Attack when high speed by pressing down or abuse Spin Dash, pressing down and holding the 1 or 2 button. In addition to these classic skills, both heroes have an extra skill. The skills are:
Sonic The Hedgehog : The main character of the adventure. Sonic The Hedgehog is faster than ever on the 8-Bits platform and has cool skills. They are:
Jump : When you press control button 1 or 2, Sonic becomes a ball, attacking your enemies.
Spin : Holding down while running, Sonic may roll into ball shape and destroy everything in his path.
Spin Dash : Holding down and the 1 or 2 button while stopped, Sonic begins to spin without leaving the place. Releasing the buttons, it rolls at an incredible speed.
Strike Dash : Holding up and button 1 or 2 while stopped, Sonic spins his feet, acquiring a speed greater than the Spin Dash, but without hitting the enemies.
Miles "Tails" Prower : Sonic's best friend is finally playable on Sonic Chaos. It is a character recommended for those who still want to learn better about the game. Your skills are:
Leap : By pressing button 1 or 2 of the controller, Tails turns into a ball, attacking your enemies.
Spin : Holding down while running, Tails can roll in ball shape and destroy everything in its path.
Spin Dash : Holding down and button 1 or 2 while stopped, Tails begins to spin without leaving the place. Releasing the buttons, it rolls at an incredible speed.
Flying : To make Tails fly, hold up and the 1 or 2 button while stopped. Tails will fly and you can get around. After a while, it will fall to the ground.
Stages
The game has 6 stages. Each is divided into 3 acts, where the third will always be the boss. Stay tuned and always try to win lives and locate monitors, which can bring you Rings, lives or other benefits. The stages are:
Turquoise Hill Zone - Classic tropical stage of the hedgehog games, beautiful scenery and many loopings.
Boss : A mechanical ladybug. Use and enjoy the spin-dash for the same. If you get trapped by it, use the spring that is attached to the ladybug.
Gigalopolis Zone- A typical big city at night, full of hidden monitors. Run at full speed to do away with all your enemies and just be careful of a very steep bridge, which makes you fall on time if your speed is low.
Boss : A type of centipede-mechanic, which curiously appears on the cover of the game. It is believed that this snake would have a more important role in the game and that it would be one of the greatest inventions of Robotnik, but the idea would have been ruled out. To defeat her, simply dodge the balls she will shoot at you at the right time to hit her head.
Sleeping Egg Zone - A very confusing stage, with some secret passages and false floors, so be careful where you step! Quite amusing though somewhat stopping. Oh, do not forget to use the springs that make Sonic bounce through the entire stage to cut path.
Boss : A robot that resembles Robotnik enough! Do not neglect this boss at all or you can easily be defeated! Do not let him hit you with your right shots, and as soon as it is timely, hit him on the head and try to keep yourself at his best by striking him.
Mecha Green Hill Zone - Our beloved and well-known Green Hill Zone, but metallized! Palm trees that drop bombs, small platforms that fall and give in passages, etc ... By far the most radical and interesting stage of the game.
Boss : Caution! The boss is a robot that hangs in the palm trees of the Mecha Green Hill Zone. Just hop on top of the robot and hit your head. Just be careful with your triple shots and not to die crushed, when trying to hit him.
Aqua Planet Zone - A very interesting water stage, but it can be very tedious. Just walk and defeat the mechanical penguins. When you are in rooms below the surface (submerged), do not forget to catch air bubbles, if it is not death right!
Boss : Defeat the penguin chicks with 2 beats each. This initially, shortly after a round robot appears. Do not face it in any way because behind it will be very easy. Hit him from behind, after that he started to fly and shoot penguins! When half of it appears on the screen, hit it to defeat the boss.
Eletric Egg Zone - Last stage of the game. Enough electronics, full of tubes and outlets. Be careful with some exits as they can lead you straight into an abyss.
Boss : Finally, Robotnik! He is on a mobile with legs, and will shoot you in many ways. Try to find a way to hold it on the wall, so you can rest on it without stopping. Just stop attacking him as soon as he shoots a lightning bolt that bounces against the floor and walls. After several hits, Robotnik will be destroyed but will not give up yet. So that's the boss's challenge! He comes at high speed to attack you from any direction. No matter how many Rings you are, a blow from the chubby and you die! Be quick and jump on him to defeat him once and for all and get the sixth Emerald of Chaos.
Special Stage
Sonic The Hedgehog 8-Bits brings special creative stages. Unfortunately the sequel of this game did not bring any special stage. But now, they've come back in Sonic Chaos, and they're of the utmost importance. To access them, it is necessary to collect precisely 100 Rings scattered by any act, during the game. When collecting them, you will immediately be sent to a Special Stage. You will have exactly 100 seconds to overcome the challenge of the special stages, each special stage is different.
In it, the objective is to find the Emerald of Chaos, which is strategically hidden by the course. Also, there is a 1 minute count to find it. Upon finding it, the Special Stage ends, and you collect the Emerald and also finish the stage. Otherwise, only the stage has been completed. Enjoy to collect Rings that will be all the way and to find some monitor with the clock inside. When you break this monitor, it freezes the time for a few seconds. The most interesting thing is that there are five different stages. One for each emerald. And every emerald catches, the challenge increases!
Note that Special Stages are only accessed with Sonic. They are:
Blue Emerald : The first Special Stage is one of the easiest. Sonic will be in heaven going at full speed with his Rocket Shoes. Go forward and collect the rings along the way. The giant rings are worth ten. The emerald is located at the end of the course, right in the center of the screen. Be careful not to go straight through it. You will have to return and you will lose time.
Orange Emerald : The emerald is located at the top of the stage. To get there, you need to climb several platforms. Ignore the first platform, run and find another one ahead, with a spring that makes Sonic quiche. As soon as Sonic reaches the maximum of his thrust, jump to the next platform, and do the same procedure, being very careful not to fall. After climbing a series of platforms, one last spring will be waiting for you. Use it and climb easily up to the top, where the orange emerald awaits you. Remember to take the right path as many times, because if you take the wrong path, you will have to return some platforms and you will lose a lot of time.
Green Emerald : The Special Stage easier. At first, it is quite complicated. But there are no mysteries. Jump onto the invincibility monitor and then enter the pipe. Sonic will spin through the tubes and then out into another room, with another invincibility monitor and another pipe. The stage will always be like this. When you reach the fifth string, as you enter the pipe, hold the directional up to climb another path of the pipe and reach quietly to the green emerald. If you do not do this, you will fall into another room and return to the same sequence, wasting a lot of time
Gray Emerald: It has a very complicated stage. When starting, run a Strike Dash very quickly, to climb the small ramp. Before you fall, use a Spin Dash and jump forward pretty quickly. You should drop on top, or near a higher platform. Jump on it and try to reach another platform later with a small descent. Arriving on this other platform, do not go down the ramp, carry the Spin Dash and jump quickly forward again. You should take a very high course with a Rocket Shoes monitor on the way. Grab it and go forward as fast as you can. You should drop into a location with another Rocket Shoes monitor ahead. Take it and go forward. When falling, you will be close to several narrow platforms, with several horizontal springs, which can make you go back. Try to jump over them, without leaning on the spring ahead. It is a difficult task. By doing this, continue the path and bypass all springs. At the very end, there is a large platform, and a spring glued well below. Do not touch Spring, jump down and find the latest Rocket Shoes ahead. Go forward without stopping and take the Emerald. Without it, it is not possible to collect the Chaos Emerald.
Purple Emerald: The last and most difficult Special Stage. It has a scheme similar to that of the Emerald Green, but the tubing is more confusing. Abuse the monitors clock, to stop your time. Take the Clock Monitor behind you and take the following path on the pipe in front of you, holding the directional: Up, Right, Up, Right, and Down. Do this at the right time, so Sonic takes the exact path. Once you get to the right platform, be careful, because a spring is well ahead. You can end up hitting it and going all the way, wasting your time. Jump over and take the last Emerald. Another possibility is to follow the last tunnel through the vertical and follow the normal path until you find a tube. Hold it down, it goes straight to the platform with the spring.
There are 6 emeralds of chaos in the game, 5 of them can be collected in special stages that are beyond creative that are accessible only with Sonic, and the sixth will achieve after defeating Robotnik in Eletric Egg.
Differences between Consoles
Sonic Chaos has many differences in the version of Game Gear and Master System. Although sometimes the Console takes better than the laptop, nothing is no good and fun. The differences are in the following questions:
Graphics : The graphics of the two versions is a bit different. There is no change to the characters. But in some stages, part of the scenario is a bit different. In addition, the stage input screen is also different in both versions, in addition to the character selection screen and Stage Clear.
Music : Some songs were changed in the version of Master System. They are: Gigalopolis Zone, Aqua Planet Zone and Special Stage Zone. Gigalopolis is very different in the version of Master, Aqua Lake is very similar, but it has a different rhythm at the beginning of the song and Master's Special Stage has only one song, instead of two. Not to mention that the version of Game Gear has songs strident, which irritates enough when the sound is loud.
Difficulty : Difficulty is slightly easier in the Game Gear version. Bosses are defeated more easily. In the version of Master System, the bosses are defeated with a greater number of blows.
Curiosities
Sonic Chaos or Sonic & Tails ?imple, Sonic & Tails is how the game is known in the West, even in case it later came to occur with Sonic Blast, also known as G-Sonic in the West.
Re-releases: Sonic Chaos was re-released in the Sonic Mega Collection Plus collection for Playstation 2, Xbox 360 and PC; and was also re-released on Sonic Adventure DX; in 2009 it was the turn of the Wii Virtual Console.