Sonic & Knuckles

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Description

Sonic and Knuckles continues the story directly from where Sonic the Hedgehog 3 left off. The explosion from the Death Egg sends Sonic flying deep into Floating Island's Mushroom Hills. Sonic knows of the Master Emerald hidden somewhere on Floating Island, and is sure that Dr. Robotnik wants it to give his Death Egg limitless power. Knuckles probably knows where it is - but can Sonic stop Robotnik's plans and find the Master Emerald all while fighting off Knuckles? Meanwhile, Knuckles is guarding Floating Island when he's attacked by one of Robotnik's robots! He quickly begins a chase for revenge.

Sonic & Knuckles is the fourth game in the Sonic series. It retains the same basic features as in the previous Sonic games (speed, rings for protection, Special Stages with Chaos Emeralds) as well as the three different shield types introduced in Sonic 3 (Fire, Water and Electric). Players can select either of the two title characters for play - either Sonic, or the all-new Knuckles the Echidna. Knuckles cannot jump as high as Sonic, but he can glide by holding the jump button while in the air. If you glide into a wall, Knuckles will also be able to climb it. He can also break through walls that Sonic can't. With these abilities, Knuckles can access different areas from Sonic, making for each level an entirely new experience.

Unlike Sonic 3, Sonic & Knuckles features three bonus stages - two are available by jumping into the lamppost checkpoint stars (as in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. These stages give you the chance to earn bonus rings, lives and power-ups. The first is a Casino-themed level where you can jump into a slot machine and earn (or lose!) rings. The second is a more skill-based level where you must time your jumps off orbs to launch higher and collect bonuses. If you hit the barrier at the bottom of the stage, it ends. The other type of bonus stage is the "Special Stage" seen in Sonic 3, which, as previously, can be accessed by jumping into giant rings hidden within the levels themselves. If the player collects all the blue spheres in these stages (while avoiding all the red ones) they will earn a Chaos Emerald.

A unique feature of the Sonic & Knuckles cart is the ability to "Lock-On" previous Sonic games into a cartridge slot at the top. Adding Sonic 3 will combine both Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles into one long game, as well as adding the ability to save, and use Tails in the Sonic & Knuckles levels. Plugging in Sonic 2 lets players use Knuckles in Sonic 2, as well allowing the use of his glide and wall climb abilities. Finally, plugging in the original Sonic the Hedgehog cart lets the player access unlimited level variations of the Blue Sphere bonus stage. Subsequent re-releases of Sonic & Knuckles have also included most of these bonus features.

Screenshots

Promo Images

Alternate Titles

• "ソニック＆ナックルズ" -- Japanese spelling

Part of the Following Groups

• Animals: Hedgehogs
• Console Generation Exclusive: Sega Genesis
• Gameplay feature: New Game+
• SEGA Vintage Collection series
• Sonic the Hedgehog universe

User Reviews

The Best Sonic Game!	Genesis	Classic Nigel (150)
The end of an era...	Genesis	MegaMegaMan (2285)
Quite possibly the best Sonic game ever!	Genesis	Neocube (147)

Critic Reviews

GamePro (US)	Genesis	Nov, 1994	5 out of 5	100
Game Players	Genesis	Nov, 1994	95 out of 100	95
Entertainment Weekly	Genesis	Nov 11, 1994	A-	91
SEGA-Mag (Objectif-SEGA)	Genesis	Sep 22, 2009	9 out of 10	90
Video Games & Computer Entertainment	Genesis	Nov, 1994	9 out of 10	90
Mega Fun	Genesis	Nov, 1994	85 out of 100	85
Nintendo Life	Wii	Feb 16, 2010		80
NZGamer	Xbox 360	Nov 11, 2009	8 out of 10	80
All Game Guide	Genesis	1998		70
Teletext	Xbox 360	2009	3 out of 5	60

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Trivia

Milestone

This was the first game that was designed to be hooked up to other games. You could hook it up to Sonic the Hedgehog 3 to expand the gameplay and add new characters to play with. You could also hook it up to Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Packaging

One of the few PAL games to be distributed in a cardbox. This was most likely done to speed up the rather large distribution of the game and to cut on costs, as the cartridge does not fit with other cases

Tails

Tails does not appear in this game, however his picture is on the spinning sign at the end of Act 1 of each level (if you pause the game at certain points).

Awards

• Electronic Gaming Monthly
  • December 1994 (Issue 65) - Game of the Month

Information also contributed by Dark Lord and Luis Silva

Related Web Sites

• OC ReMix Game Profile (Fan remixes of music from Sonic & Knuckles, including the album "Project Chaos".)
• X360A achievement guide (X360A's achievement guide for Sonic & Knuckles.)