Greetings Arcaders!
After a bit of a hiatus, I’m back with another level! The level that I would like to cover is the Sky Sanctuary Zone from the Sonic 3 & Knuckles. The perspective that I would like to cover specifically is Sonic’s version of the popular stage.
Before we begin, here are some tunes to set you up for the mood of the area. The original music to the stage is beautiful and fits perfectly with the holy and serene locale. There have been multiple flavors in the later Sonic installments, but they all embrace the classic tune in their own way and stay rightfully true to the original. Go ahead and play each one individually or select your favorite version, either way, you won’t be disappointed!
Sonic & Knuckles
Sonic Generations (Classic)
Sonic Generations (Modern)
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Sky Sanctuary is a set of ruins floating high above the skys of the Angel Island. It’s been said that the holy precinct is forbidden to anyone except Knuckles, until Dr. Eggman’s plans of resurrecting the Death Egg came to fruition.
Hot on the trail of the evil doctor, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles teleport into the holy ruins. Upon landing, the Death Star, I mean, Death Egg is seen emerging out of the sea of clouds, slowly gaining altitude and with multiple Egg Robos flying out of the ship, invading the level.
Knuckles, while still heavily exhausted from his shock treatment back in the Hidden Palace Zone, mustered all of his remaining strength and extended a bridge for Sonic. From there, it is all up to the blue blur as he goes on a desperate chase to reach the floating pod before it exits the Earth’s atmosphere and into the dark reaches of space. Along the way, Sonic is stopped three times by another robotic clone of Sonic, known as Mecha Sonic. While not as great as Metal Sonic, Mecha Sonic is still cool in his own merits.
The first encounter has Mecha piloting Eggman’s Mobile, with a familiar ball and chain, from Sonic 1. The same strategy still applies.
Once defeated, Mecha retreats for now, leaving Sonic to continue on with the chase.
The second encounter this time has Mecha surrounded by swirling orbs, much like in the Metropolis Zone from Sonic 2, only made easier, thanks to Sonic’s ability to create a shield which makes him invincible and extends his hitbox for a mere split second. 
In the final encounter, it’s a one on one no holds barred battle on foot.
The battle takes place in a wide arena, with a tall tower looming in the background. While the robotic clone proved to be a worthy opponent, he is no match for the original. Sonic’s victory is cut short, as the arena begins to crumble. Without wasting any time, Sonic jumps up to the tower and the greatest level transition commences. The video below speaks for itself.
As a child, that transition blew my mind out of proportions. It was awesome to see Sonic run for dear life, as the tower crumbled beneath him.
While not as critically acclaimed as Sonic 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles is my favorite Sonic game of all time. To this day, I still go back to playing it from time to time, to remind myself that my childhood was great because of a blue hedgehog.
This is sirluna, SIGNING OUT!
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