[FANFICTION/GAME] Sonic & Tails: Mechanical Pride

[Dr. Crusher]

Eh up.

 

So for a long while, I've had these little story ideas or two in my head. But I kept being a little bit of a wuss about it and backed out due to me being me. Well, this has went on for far too long, and I think it's time I finally gathered the courage to show you my own excuse of a fanfic/game. Because hey, what's the worst that could happen? At least it gives folk something to laugh at.

 

Synopsis: After being one-upped by Robotnik, Sonic finds himself in the middle of the vaguely named Silver Island, a giant landmass created by the mad scientist himself. He'll have to brave his way through the many twists and turns on the island, whilst discovering the exact purpose of it. With the help of Tails, is Sonic a bad enough dude to... uh, get out of there? Oh, and obviously to find out what the doctor's up to, that too. What? What do you mean this is a rip-off of the SEGA Sonic Arcade story?

 

Gameplay: So the game works in a very simple manner and like your typical Sonic game. You have your Zones, and you have your Acts and Boss Acts. You have a map to choose between all these acts. Go through the zones, beat bosses, all that good Sonic-y kind of stuff. Easy. (Note: Most zones will consist of three acts and a boss act, but there will be exceptions.)

 

The controls of Sonic and Tails are for the most part identical to their Sonic Adventure 1 incarnations. Not that I have anything against other types of gameplay, I simply reckoned that this is probably the most comfortable and well-balanced style for a lot of folk. There are a few differences however:

• Sonic is a bit faster than Tails, even though the latter is still legitimately fast.
• Sonic keeps his ability to Parkour from Sonic Lost World, in addition to his ability to wall jump from various 3D games (which takes a page from - brace yourself - Super Mario 64, in that the wall jump is only activated when you actually jump against a wall, as opposed to just randomly locking on after a homing attack).
• Like in the 2D games, Tails is able to "swim" in water, but his swimming speed is a little faster in this game, more reminiscent of the underwater charging in Spyros 2 and 3. But Tails still needs air bubbles like Sonic, so keep that in mind if you're too deep to swim to the surface.
• I'm not sure on whether Sonic should keep the Light Speed Dash or not. On one hand, it's a cool move, but on the other hand, aside from collecting rings, are there any other uses for it (that I've forgotten about)?
• Due to there being no upgrades of any kind, Tails' Tail Spin attack reaches a sort of middle ground here, in that he can spin infinitely for a select period of time before stopping. But don't worry, the "tired" period doesn't last for a long time, so there won't be any annoying situations like enemies hitting you four times with you unable to react.

• Super Sonic's speed is slightly reminiscent of the Boost, only a little more "controllable" if you will. As for Super Tails, he's exactly the same as he was in S3&K, so feel free to enjoy the sight of your Super Flickies destroying everything. Of course, both of them are a tad more slippery when Super, so it's not all easy. (By the way, if you're wondering why Tails is able to go Super despite there being no Super Emeralds involved, let's just handwave it by saying he's now old enough to go Super with the regular Chaos Emeralds... despite still being a kid. Bah, quiet you.) And yes, you do get them via the Special Stages, but I'll talk about

  those when the time comes.

One other thing: There are no "Character Stories" or anything like in the Pre-Unleashed 3D games. Like with Sonic and Blaze in Sonic Rush Adventure, you can choose between Sonic and Tails for any act or boss as much as you please.

 

Items: Of course, there be Items in this game, in the form of Sonic 3 & Knuckles-style monitors (they've always been my favourite item design). They're pretty much as you remember them, but let's go over

them for a quick recap:

 

Super Ring - Represented by - what else - a golden ring. This gives you ten rings.

 

Speed Shoes - Represented by Sonic's red and white shoes. This grants you an extra burst of speed for a limited time.

 

Invincibility - Represented by twinkling stars. This gives you a temporary case of... wait for it... invincibility.

 

Shield - Represented by a green bubble. Such a bubble is placed around Sonic or Tails, and allows you to have one extra hit from any pesky enemies or obstacles, without losing any of your well-earned rings.

 

Fire Shield - Represented by a pounding fireball. You are encased in a spherical fireball, and you are granted the following privileges:
-One extra hit point by default.
-Resistent to fire-based attacks and/or obstacles.
-Walk on lava.
-Sonic can also use the Fireball Dash, an attack that lets you launch yourself horizontally in the air, and through all (okay, some) opposition who get in your way. Essentially, he becomes a flying cannonball. Note that Tails doesn't get to use this additional attack.

 

Water Shield - Represented by a raindrop. You are encased in a watery bubble, and you are granted the following privileges:
-One extra hit point by default.
-Resistent to water attacks and/or obstacles.
-Allowed to dilly-dally in aquatic locales without having to worry about drowning.
-Able to reflect some small enemy projectiles.
-Sonic can also use the Bubble Bounce, letting him bounce on the ground repeatedly like a basketball should the player wish to, and break through weak ground. Like the Fireball Dash, Tails isn't able to use the bounce.

 

Lightning Shield - Represented by a cartoony lightning bolt. You are encased in a sphere of static electricity, and you are granted the following privileges:
-One extra hit point by default.
-Resistent to electric attacks and/or obstacles.
-Makes you magnetic, attracting all rings towards the player... however this cannot be entirely abused, for in very rare occasions, certain Badniks will be attracted towards you as well.
-Sonic can also use the Double Jump, useful for the odd high cliff. Again, Tails does not have this ability. He's too cool for it.

 

Extra Life - Represented by Sonic or Tails' face, depending on who you're playing as. One life is added to your list, so let's hope you don't mess up and lose it immediately afterwards. That would be embarrassing.

 

Pogo Spring - Represented by a springy coil. Returning from Sonic Chaos (otherwise known as the game that's actually called "Sonic & Tails"), the player can ride a spring that comically bounces on the ground like a floaty and helium-filled pogo-stick, letting you get to especially tall heights. Don't get your hopes up however, because they only show up in a few zones.

 

Robotnik - Represented by the familiar grey Robotnik logo against a black background. Should you actually fall for this classic trap, you'll lose all your rings, or lose a life if you haven't got any rings.

 

Menu: The title screen is almost exactly like Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2, with Sonic confidently and Tails timidly posing inside a grey, mechanical, upside down emblem, shaped like Robotnik's face. The background is a red stormy sky ala the Big Swell Zone from Sonic Rush Adventure, with what appears to be a mix between an island and a docking site far away on the ocean, draped in darkness. The music would be the traditional Sonic 1+2 theme, only more "action-y", as if to accept this new and imposing challenge.

 

The main menu would look reminiscent of the one from Mario Kart 64, with dark green and black colours and rather quiet droning music. This one however looks more Tron-esque, making it resemble the Colosseum from Sonic Battle. You have a few choices at your disposal, and more choices will be added once more progression has been made.

 

Story - When clicked for the first time, the game automatically starts. But with any time after that, it goes to the game's map screen.

 

Options: Difficulty - You can change between Easy, Normal and Hard. For the purposes of keeping things simple, the "game" will be described as going by the Normal difficulty. (Note: You can't choose Hard Mode until you have completed Normal Mode once.)

 

Options: Sound Test - Of course! This allows you to hear the various ditties throughout the game. More of them are added as you go through the game.

 

Options: Sonic Movies - You can come here to replay any cutscenes you wish to see again. Don't bother though, they're tish. Watch Manos instead.

 

Well, I think that's the basics covered. So... let's begin. *gulp*

 

------

 

Hello there, friend.

 

I hear you came for a story. Perhaps the one I will read today will suit your interests.

 

Do you know the hero of our world, Sonic the Hedgehog? Surely you do. He has done so much for us... Yes. Him and his fox friend are the stars of this very tale.

 

If you're familiar with the hedgehog's adventures, then you'll know that he has faced many kinds of adversary, from the most alien to the most supernatural. But one of them stands out from all the rest, despite being an ordinary human being.

 

This round scientist had concocted many, many schemes over the years, some simplistic, some creative, all utterly horrid. But no matter the plan in question, nor the lengths he would go to execute it, the hedgehog would always triumph, usually with the assistance of the fox. No trouble was too big for them.

 

The "Blue Blur", as he is commonly known, would even occasionally treat the dangers lightly, often mocking the doctor. Unfortunately, this playful nature was definitely one-sided, for the other end of this relationship was artificial. The doctor held nothing but utter contempt for the hedgehog, always thinking of new ways to make his demise a reality.

 

Until one day... one awful day... he had just the idea...

 

------

 

The world was continuing to roll by peacefully. The clouds still dotted themselves across the bright blue sky, the leaves still rustled in the breeze, and the birds were still chirping through the Frog Forest. It looked like today was going to be another lazy one, with the wildlife living in paradise.

 

So in other words, something bad was almost certainly about to happen.

 

And lo behold, with a frantic splash with his feet against the small puddles, streaking through the forest was none other than Sonic the Hedgehog himself, jumping on the lillipads, wall-hopping against the stone, and generally keeping on the supersonic move. Why, pray tell, was he in such a hurry?

 

Well, it's probably something to do with the large and heavily armed tank hot on his trail.

 

This tank was actually fought before within the Hot Craters, but clearly it's been largely improved since then. And like that last time, this tank was piloted by the one who wanted Sonic's blood the most... Dr. Ivo Robotnik.

 

"What's the matter egghead? What did the poor forest do to make you so mad?"

 

This type of banter was far from uncommon. Sonic would usually heckle the doctor while blasting his machines to smithereens, and likewise Robotnik wouldn't hesitate to make his frustration known. This time however, Robotnik wasn't overly talkative, as if he was more focused on the job. And Sonic noticed his silent treatment too.

 

"Not in a chatty mood today, huh..." he said while somersaulting through the air. No reply. The Egg Bomber Tank simply continued to plough through the forest, treating the place as if it were a monster truck arena. Hopefully no Flickies were harmed.

 

Deciding to not bother humoring the doctor for now, Sonic focused on outrunning him. To his shock and dismay upon turning his head back round, a bunch of gun-toting Egg Pawns were waiting in front of him. Alas, they were too slow to prepare themselves for the expected spin attack reaction, and were cut to pieces in seconds, freeing the helpless animals from within. Giving a very quick thumbs up to the grateful critters before getting his mind back into the ensuing demolition derby, he carefully dodged the shots that came from the Bomber Tank's cannon.

 

Suddenly, Sonic stopped. In front of him was a rather large lake of water, with only the odd lillipad to grace it. Looking behind him to make sure he had enough time, he took three steps back, curled into a ball, and began to spindash towards the lake. Only at the last second did he use the speed to jump, sending him flying high above it.

 

But that wouldn't be enough.

 

Stopping his wheels to a halt before the lake, Robotnik fired his cannon towards the lake itself, creating a huge splash. This caught Sonic off guard since he was expecting the target to be, well, him. The splash proved to be a big distraction, sending water and lillipads flying right at him. No problem. He hopped along the lillipads with surprising elegance, even with all the water getting in the way.

 

That is, until...

 

*BLAM*

 

"Ho ho ho..."

 

The water must have been too distracting, because the doctor managed to exploit the distraction and fire at Sonic, smacking him against the head and making him catapult uncontrollably down into the lake with blunt force. Sonic tried to adjust his eyes in the deep, but it was no use. He was already falling unconscious, and the pressure of the force wasn't helping. All he could do was think of that blasted scientist.

 

"Egg...man..."

 

------

 

"...S...n...c..."

 

"Ugh..."

 

"So...nic..."

 

"Argh..."

 

"Sonic. Hey. Sonic!"

 

Finally, with a slow rise, the hedgehog's eyes opened. His vision was still blurred, but it cleared up soon enough, revealing the whereabouts of where he woke up in.

 

A hallway.

 

A long, mechanical hallway. One that Sonic didn't recognise. It was filled with dark shades of red and grey, a typical tell-tale sign of the Eggmanian sort of construction. The hallway was very thin, as if it belonged in a mine shaft. Aside from the occasional lights, there was nothing of real interest within this hallway...

 

"You okay?"

 

"Ah!"

 

So distracted by his own dazed thoughts Sonic was, that he reacted in shock to the familiar soft voice right behind him. Turning instantly, he had to take a moment to calm himself down upon realising that the voice belonged to none other than his dear foxboy friend, Miles Prower, who was looking concerned.

 

"Oh... Tails. Heh heh. Surprised me there..." Reassuring his friend that he was alright, Tails breathed a sigh of relief.

 

"Thank goodness for that. I thought for a moment that your injuries were more fatal. Good thing I got you out of that capsule."

 

"Capsule?"

 

"Oh, you know, the usual ones Eggman uses. I found you in one of those."

 

"So that means Eggman pulled a fast one over me. Grrr... Whatever that creep's up to this time, I'm sure we'll stop h-" Just then, Sonic suddenly remembered something he should have asked beforehand. "Actually Tails, what are you doing here? Did Eggman capture you too?"

 

"Not in the conventional sense. I got to the scene with you and Eggman, but you had already been knocked out by that point, and a lot of robots showed up by then. I didn't believe I would be able to take on all of the robots on my own... there were simply too many of them in the one spot. So I decided to play-dead in the hopes that I could sneak in and get you out of whatever he was planning for you. I know it was a risky and stupid thing to do, but... it worked out, so that was good. I managed to quickly overwhelm the two robots that were taking us to our cell. So now, here we are. In this... wherever it is."

 

"You don't know where we are?" Sonic asked, rubbing his still sore head.

 

"Well," Tails began. "I'm trying to recall... I couldn't see all that clearly in the ship that was taking us to our destination, but it looked like a completely seperate island. And not the most friendly looking one either. Or the most natural looking one."

 

"Darn," Sonic smacked his fist. "Far away from civilisation. Looks like we'll have to do this ourselves. You think you can help me on this one buddy?" Without hesitation, Tails simply nodded.

 

"Sonic, please. You know I've got your back... Although I, er... might have to get used to this whole routine again. It's been a while since I've been in the battlefield..."

 

"Don't worry, it'll be a piece of ca-"

 

"PRISONER RELEASED. PRISONER RELEASED. PRISONER RELEASED."

 

With a blaring robotic drone, all lights flashed red, gates were in lock-down, and Sonic and Tails were up and away, running at an increasing pace across the hallway. Despite being a situation in which anyone else would have been terrified in, Sonic wasn't scared enough to refrain from casually asking Tails another question.

 

"You know there might have been an easier way to get here than being sneaky, right?" After a moment with nothing but the sound of shoes against metal, Tails looked sheepishly at himself before eventually answering.

 

"...Yeah, there probably was. But I wanted to make sure you were okay..."

 

"Ah, don't sweat it. Let's just get out of this place... wherever it is." And so, faster than you could say "speed", the two friends were gone. It was like no one was ever there in the first place.

 

------

 

ROBOT ORIENTATION ZONE

 

Enemies:

Egg Fighter - These guys merely swipe at you.
Egg Pawn - These guys also swipe at you if you're close enough, but they prefer to use their laser blaster guns.

 

Welcome to the Silver Island, friend.

 

Your journey takes you to the latest mechanical stronghold of Dr. Robotnik. But this isn't just an Eggman base, this is an M&S Eggman base an entire island filled with various locations that are sure to trap, destroy, and generally work against you in any way they can. What is this island for, exactly? Let's try to get to the bottom of things and find out.

 

The game's introductory level takes place, conveniently enough, a training facility. In terms of appearance, it is very reminiscent of the Final Egg from Sonic Adventure 1, right down to having Sonic and Tails doll targets, shooting galleries, and even a slower yet funkier remix of Mechanical Resonance as the theme music, perhaps something like this. However there are also hints of Hot Shelter here and there, ranging from rooms full of metal boxes to hallways filled with nothing but self-satisfying Robotnik memorabilia. Of course, being a tutorial zone, this is much easier.

 

The zone is fairly simple, and despite being within an Eggman fortress, it's perfect for getting used to Sonic or Tails' moves. It's a rather linear level with no real secrets (or even items), but that's merely to keep things simple for training. But there's still plenty of space to mess around in regardless of whether you're a parkouring hedgehog or a flying fox. There are many closed walls and curved bits of metal for Sonic, and there are plenty of little surprises up high for Tails. The idea is for you to be able to get used to the game without it outright patronising you.

 

Occasionally, there will be the odd pool of water, but despite the lack of air bubbles, these are nothing to worry about. They don't last long at all and are merely there to let the player get used to the underwater controls (or swimming, in Tails' case).

 

The stage isn't that long, just lengthy enough for what is necessary for a tutorial. And while you obviously have Egg Pawns and Egg Fighters blasting and punching away at you and the odd trap or two to avoid, there aren't that many gimmicks either... Until you reach the end, that is.

 

Just before the finish line, you happen to walk right into the middle of one of the Egg Pawn shooting galleries, who were previously shooting at Sonic and Tails-themed targets. After a brief and creepy mechanical chuckle from the Pawns, the camera turns to their point of view, and they wait for about three seconds before preparing to shoot and kill, one by one. While you can escape their firing range by simply running and jumping, it's best to just spin dash along the ground. If done successfully, you should narrowly make it through the shooting gallery hallway with their gunfire staying just behind you.

 

And with passing that hallway in one piece, the end-of-stage capsule is right there in front of you. With a simple jump, the animals within are freed, and Sonic/Tails make a little pose, Sonic spinning around and giving the thumbs up to himself, and Tails doing some little and rather meek fist pumps. As you listen to the familiar Sonic 3 & Knuckles-introduced victory theme, you'll notice that behind said capsule is an open doorway, leading to whatever lies outside of this facility...

 

------

 

"They got away, boss! They got away!" Such were the cries of an arm-flailing Cubot as he and his redder spiritual sibling, Orbot, flew into a familiar kind of room. White metal, many shadows, blue lighting... yes, this was exactly the kind of room that Dr. Robotnik often dwelled within. The fat man simply sat in his egg-shaped armchair, staring somewhat blankly at a large screen displaying what Cubot was referring to: Sonic and Tails making their way through the training facility.

 

"I can see that, Cubot." Robotnik didn't seem to be particularly bothered about this. Usually he would be making erratic hand gestures about this sort of thing, but not today.

 

"Uh, right, yes! Ha ha ha!" The yellow cuboid laughed his previous obvious statement off, with Orbot shaking his head, before the former began to ask a question. "So... you're not gonna do anything about them?"

 

"Oh, I'm going to do something, but this escape of his is of no relevance." The scientist continued to calmly relax on his chair, tapping his fingers slowly. "All I need to do is to keep the hedgehog occupied. All that matters is that Sonic stays on the island for as long as possible. Only then can my plan succeed, and only then can I laugh in his stupid little face before putting him out of his misery."

 

"Ah yes! Wonderful, boss!" Cubot clapped his hands in loyal glee. "But... uh... what about the fox?"

 

"Well... I suppose Tails isn't necessary to the plan. He wasn't initially meant to be involved, after all. He can be killed whenever."

 

"Uh, sir, if I may interject," Orbot began, suddenly appearing to be somewhat distressed despite his limited facial expressions. "Do you really think that getting rid of a young kid like Tails is... well... really all that necessary?"

 

Without turning his head, Robotnik suddenly stopped tapping his fingers.

 

"...You're questioning me, aren't you?"

 

"NO! No! No. I was just, you know, t-t-thinking, that's all. Nevermind! Heh heh!" The red droid stammered before slowly backing away against the wall, clearly intimidated.

 

"Good..." the doctor said to himself, before he continued focusing completely on the screen in front of him. "Now the two of you must set the machines up. And make sure you do it properly this time. Don't leave behind any mistakes, or I'll turn both of you into pencil sharpeners."

 

"But what about you, sir?"

 

"I have my own things to work on... Big things. Now go."

 

"Yes sir, right away sir." Orbot complied, flying away and dragging the unfocused Cubot away with him out of the room. Now all alone, Robotnik lowered his body and raised his arms in order to clasp his hands together near his face, looking at the screen still. Something was happening inside the man's head, and he was keeping it to himself.

 

"Many a time I have tried to harness many a power... yet the greatest source of power was in front of me all along."

 

------

 

NEXT TIME: The actual first zone shows up. And it's not your regular Sonic greenery. What a palava!

Edited November 19, 2013 by Dr. Crusher

[Tara]

I love the style of the writing.  The semi-sarcastic tone really fits a Sonic story a lot more than a more vivid and sophisticated tone that most fanfic writers go for.  I'm not sure I like that the paragraphs are a little too spaced out, and some of the dialogue is a wee bit too long.  ("Show, don't tell" being the moral here)  But otherwise, it's really well done and very well-detailed.  Keep it up! ^^

[Dr. Crusher]

Don't worry, I figured as much. The dialogue deliberately grows less long as it progresses, so hopefully there should be no worries.

 

As for the spacing, that's just me worrying about Wall of Text Syndrome. I'll try to fix things a bit with later parts.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Dr. Crusher

[gala]

This is brilliant, it sounds like a great story and would really fit in well as a game

[Dr. Mechano]

I enjoyed this quite a bit, Crusher. "Game idea" is a seldom-used category on this board, and that's a shame, because yours in particular is really interesting!

 

While games taking place entirely in Eggman's base have certainly been done before (SegaSonic, Chaotix, Colors), yours actually does feel like a fresh, unique take on that concept. The writing is engaging, and I loved the banter of Eggman, Orbot, and Cubot especially.

 

This is definitely a game I'd play if it existed. Looking forward to more!

[Dr. Crusher]

Thanks very much.  I suppose you could joke that this game is the spiritual successor of the SEGA Sonic Arcade in terms of plot, much like how some folk joke about Colours being Knuckles Chaotix's spiritual successor in that regard.

 

And I agree with you, I always love a good game idea (partly for the zones), so I too am a little saddened by the apparent lack of them around here.

[C4k3]

 

But this isn't just an Eggman base, this is an M&S Eggman base

 

And that's the point where I couldn't stop laughing. Loving the writing and the ideas here. along with the 3&K influences. Would definitely enjoy a game like that.

 

Eggman seems a lot more intimidating and less jolly than the games. Not that I mind at all, it fits quite well with him here. Especially the "...You're questioning me, aren't you?" line, which was particularly chilling. I do love how even Orbot was taken by his notion of simply killing Tails like he was nothing.

 

Can't wait to read the next part!

Edited November 19, 2013 by TheCakeMiester

[Dr. Crusher]

I was actually wondering when someone was going to address Robotnik's slight change in character. Don't worry, he's still the same robot-building manchild we're familiar with, but he is a tad more... shall we say, "colder" than usual. This was partly because I liked the idea of contrasting a more calm and relaxed personality with his batshit insane plans and machines. As ridiculous as Young Ivo Cosplaying Gerald from Sonic '06 was, I did like what they were trying to do with his personality, and I wanted to try and give that concept some respect... hopefully.

 

But he still makes funny hand gestures and says "Ho ho ho..." a lot, so no worries.

Edited November 19, 2013 by Dr. Crusher

[Dr. Crusher]

"Heh. That was easy enough." Sonic walked away from the capsule, sounding pleased with himself as he stretched his arms out wide.
 
"Careful not to get too cocky, Sonic," warned Tails. "Because I reckon this is only going to be the beginning." With an understanding nod from Sonic, Tails walked out of the training facility's doorway, peeking to see what presented itself on the other side.
 
It was a tall, tall forest, green as far as the eye could see. The trees grew large, looming over the little creatures below them, blocking out most of the sky with their giant leaves. And yet, despite looking surprisingly clean and nourished for Robotnik standards... there were hints of metal everywhere. Many electric, pulsating poles were planted along the ground, their purpose unknown. There were metal statues shamelessly displaying the form of the madman, dotted all over the place. Even some of the otherwise natural trees had various bits of metal randomly wedged between them. The whole scene looked like some bizarre arts and crafts project. Tails was certainly interested.
 
"...Huh. Well, this wasn't what I was expecting. Hmm..." As Tails began thinking to himself, Sonic... appeared to have his mind elsewhere.
 
"Sonic the Hedgehog is like the wind: unpredictable, always at some other place, never congregating in one location for too long..."
 
"Okay Sonic," Tails began. "We want to get off of this island as soon as possible, that's certainly true, but this is Eggman we're talking about. It's likely this was more than just a simple hedgehog kidnapping. It's never that simple with him."
 
"With an attitude just as fickle as his urge for adventure, as well as an ego as big as South Island, Sonic is sassy, and quick witted, with a passion for just enjoying life..."
 
"He clearly has a plan in store." Tails continued to unknowingly talk to himself, stroking his chin deep in thought. "Even his smalltime acts end up being big ones..."
 
"He's smooth, cool, and popular..."
 
"So, if it's all the same with you Sonic, we should put our original goal to the side for a bit and try to find out what Eggman's up to. You know that I care about everyone's safety just as much as you d-... ...What are you doing?"
 
Finally realising that Sonic wasn't paying attention, Tails raised an eyebrow as he walked closer to him so that he could see what the hedgehog was so preoccupied with. Turns out, Sonic was fiddling away with a Miles Electric, reading pages to himself while quietly speaking in a dramatic movie trailer announcer voice. Tails simply stared at Sonic in an unimpressed manner as the latter continued to completely forget about his surroundings.
 
"Sonic lives - and dies - by his own rules, rather than the standards of those around him, or even for the sake of herois-"
 
*SWIPE*
 
"Hey! Come on! I was having fun with that!" Sonic begged.
 
"There's plenty of time for that kind of gratification later," Tails reassured him, playfully wagging his finger as he put the Miles Electric in his pocket. "But for now, I think we should keep our focus on Eggman."
 
"Yeah yeah, you're right," Sonic said as he gently ruffled the fur on Tails' head, to which the fox lightly chuckled. "I get what you're saying. Find out what that egghead's up to. No problem. Got this in the bag."
 
And so, with a nod from both, the two friends wasted no time in running off into the deep woods, ready to stop that scientist once again.

 

------

 

METAL WOODLAND ZONE

 

Enemies:
Motobug - Moves around aimlessly, doing bugger all.
Buzz Bomber - Fires bullets at you in the air.
Coconuts - Throws coconut bombs while hanging on trees.
Mosqui - Flies down to try and shank you.
Rhinotank - Charges at you whenever you're spotted. (Why does it say "Rhinotank" when I'm using the design of Rhinobot? Simple: I like the Rhinotank name more, but I prefer the Rhinobot design. And they're both similar enough already, so...)
Mushmeanie - Hops all around. Hit it once to remove it's mushroom cap, hit it again to destroy the robot.
NEW: Gofaho - A gopher robot. It pops up from small holes, like a land-based version of Chopper.
NEW: Forest Pawn - A dark green Egg Pawn dressed in the style of Smokey the Bear. It tries to whack you with a shovel.

 

Metal Woodland Act 1: Welcome to the real beginning of the game. Your first destination is a place that may remind you of the Mushroom Hills/Valley from Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and it's not just the appearance that gives that impression, for there are indeed some red mushrooms to bounce on, as well as swings to send you to great heights, perfect for catching tall cliffs and platforms if you're Sonic. But it's not the exact same display and gameplay, which is reasonable given that this is a completely different setting that has nothing to do with Angel Island. (That's not a joke. There's no "Silver Island is a time warped Angel Island from the future" plot twist or something ridiculous like that.) No, this forest, first zone aside, is slightly less welcoming for anthropomorphic critters, as you can clearly tell by the grey Robotnik statues and rusty bits of metal on the trees, on the grass, and on... well, everywhere. Among other differences, giant silver leaves provide themselves as platforms, and the metal poles along the ground light the place up just a tad.

 

As early as this, you already have a wide arrange of Badniks to deal with. Most of them are ones you've seen before and as such you should have no problems with them. Hit an unsuspecting Motobug, smack a Butterdroid, homing attack a Buzz Bomber, it's all good. But there are two new faces here: the Forest Pawns are easy enough to deal with since their shovel swing doesn't reach very far, but the Gofahos' hiding antics may cause a bit of fist shaking. Not enough to make them full-on hard or anything, just something a little more on your-toes compared to the other Badniks here. (Hint: If you're playing as Tails, you can destroy Forest Pawns a little faster by using your Tail Spin when they swing their shovel. This will bounce the shovel back towards them, destroying them instantly and hilariously. It's not a major advantage over Sonic, but it's a little touch nevertheless.)

 

As you should expect for the first zone (let alone the first act), there are monitors scattered everywhere. With the exception of the Robotnik monitor, they all show up in the forest. Ring monitors, shield monitors, life monitors, even the Pogo Spring shows up for you to giddily abuse (and don't worry, it's easy to control). So really, even for a first zone, it's being very generous, especially so since Sonic can use mushrooms, swings, and Pogo Springs to reach the higher parts that Tails can already get to with ease. For extra points to your score, with the right moves, you can destroy the pulsating orb top parts of the metal poles, and this will release more cuddly critters. You don't have to destroy all of them or even any of them to complete the level... but it would be nice if you did. Be a good man. Or, you know, a good woman, we don't discriminate.

 

Really though, this act isn't hard at all, even if it isn't the most friendly forest around. The Badniks are simple, there aren't that many traps, and the monitors should keep you in tip-top shape (in fact, see how much you can speedrun this act when you get a Speed Shoe powerup). Roll down the hills to gain speed and leap across the stage. Find and jump on the capsule to complete the act. If you actually died at any point in that stage, then I'll... I'll... nah, I won't laugh at you. I don't like to be mean. It's okay, everyone makes mistakes.

 

Metal Woodland Act 2: So you're happy. You're chilled. You're doing good. Well, this act... is also easy. So yeah. No worries.

 

The forest looks the same, but now there are even more trees, to the point that you might be reminded of the Forest of Illusion from Super Mario World. There seems to be a bright yellow light blessing this part of the woodlands. Is it sunlight? Who knows... In any case, the increase in trees make this level perfect for Sonic's parkour and wall jumping if you haven't gotten used to those abilities already. Just watch out for Buzz Bombers and Mosqui robots.

 

There's actually a few secret passages in this act. They don't hold anything special - just rings and monitors - but they're great for getting through the level a little faster. Pay attention to any holes made by Gofahos that have a ring hiding in them: it's a sign that they're a secret passage. But aside from that, there isn't much else to say. It's not a particularly complicated Act 2, just make sure to continue bashing the metal poles to free some animals and get points.

 

Metal Woodland Act 3: Now things look a little different. The forest is still the same, but now there's a rainy period going on. Like the sunlight in Act 2, whether this is a genuine weather change or not is currently unknown. Either way, this makes some metal parts of the stage a little more slippery than in the previous two acts, but it's not to the point of ice physics, so no need to worry.

 

This doesn't happen with all of them, but every now and then, some of the metal poles will malfunction due to the rain, and should you come close to them, they'll charge for five seconds before firing a laser. It's easy to avoid and there's plenty of time to avoid it, but it is a rather sneaky touch for something this early on in the game. Also, don't try to jump on them when they're charging, because you'll just get electrocuted like a silly billy. But aside from that, there isn't much to note for this act either, apart from the very end, in which you must jump on the platforms of a veeeery tall tree, while dodging a Mosqui group. Thankfully, this is still the first zone, so it's much easier than it sounds.

 

Metal Woodland Act 4: You fight a boss in every fourth act, and said act consists of a short level prelude before the boss fight itself, not unlike Sonic CD. This act begins in a similar manner to Act 1, with no light or rain. But this part of the forest is more dense, with virtually no hills or cliffs in sight. There is the odd Badnik or two around here, so be on the lookout for them. In one of the trees is a regular Shield power-up, so you're free to use that if you're unconfident about beating the first boss for some reason. But not long after, you'll come upon a rectangular looking patch of grass, with the forest's trees far off into the background. Orbot and Cubot are there, just about to set up one of the metal poles you've seen throughout the zone, when they happen to spot Sonic/Tails. They freak out and fly away to who-knows-where... and then suddenly - as if to respond - falling from the heavens is a giant mechanical bear, letting out an ear-piercing roar, eager to turn you into a John West product.

 

METAL WOODLAND BOSS: GRIZZLY

 

Is this how we're starting, game? Big grizzly bear robot? Nothing simple like a tiny Zeti or a tiny liquid lifeform? No? Giant bear robot? Fine, whatever works with you. Don't go out guns blazing or anything.

 

Don't let Grizzly's intimidating appearance fool you. He's the first boss, so it's to be expected that he'll be pretty easy, although Sonic does have an advantage over Tails in this battle. While Grizzly is stomping around, some rings will occasionally fall out of the few trees that are within the arena, so make sure to grab some of those if you're actually losing to this guy. The bear's primary attack is a simple charge that's easy to avoid. He'll do five quick charges before stopping to fire three honey pot-shaped bombs from it's back. Those bombs are the key to damaging him.

 

If you're Sonic, you can just homing attack one of them right off the bat. But if you're Tails, you'll have to wait until one of the three bombs act dormant as opposed to exploding immediately (so yes, this is following the rule for all video game bosses with bombs), and then tail whack that one into Grizzly's face. Don't worry about accuracy, the bear's head is too big to miss. With either strategy, the bear falls on it's back like a fool, exposing a very weakpoint-looking chest area. Jump on the chest to land a hit, and the bear will roar violently before getting back up. Lather, rinse, repeat.

 

Of course, even if it is the first boss, it will pull out a new trick or two. Grizzly's charging will increase in speed with every two hits, and starting from the halfway point, some of the honey pot bombs will release little bits of honey, said bombs being yellow instead of brown. Touching them will unsurprisingly get you stuck, so get out of that sticky mess as soon as you can before Grizzly charges at you. But aside from that, it's as simple as a first boss can be. Give it eight hits, and the bear will give out one last defeated roar before collapsing on the ground and exploding to bits. Congratulations, you've won the first boss battle! And that's not meant to sound patronising!

 

------

 

The remains of the grizzly machine were scattered on the ground as Sonic and Tails dusted themselves off. Sonic in particular was feeling rather good after that fight. "Still got it, Tails! Still got it!" Sonic exclaimed as he pointed to himself. Tails simply nodded with a smile, before beginning to examine their surroundings.

 

"Still, if that's our first major blockade, I dread what will come after..."

 

"Aw, come on," Sonic said while smirking. "You weren't scared by that robot, were you?" This question caused Tails to react almost immediately with a hint of nervousness.

 

"N-No. No. Of course I wasn't-...okay fine maybe a little bit, but that's only because I'm having to get used to the whole adventuring thing again. I've never been as brave or as fearless as you, you know that as much as I do." Sonic could only give a sympathetic smile as Tails started to change subjects. "But anyways, I don't think there's anything else here that we should take note of, so I reckon we should move on."

 

Sonic nodded in approval. "I think we got all of those weird pole things... I had to get them, they were blinding me." He laughed himself off as he and Tails ran off into the rest of the woods, unsure of what they would come across next. At least, they were unsure. Who was sure of what they would come across next was Robotnik, who happened to be observing their forest journey. He remained calm.

 

"That will only be your first mistake tonight, hedgehog."

 

------

 

NEXT TIME: Sonic and Tails will be going Upstream and Up the Creek. Because I'm not very good at references.

 

Also, a little credit to a certain site, since I may or may not have used sentences from there for what Sonic was reading.

Edited November 22, 2013 by Dr. Crusher

[Amomynous]

I too, really like the style of narration you have here.

 

Also Sonic searching for himself on the net was kind of a nice touch.

Edited November 22, 2013 by Amomynous

[Dr. Crusher]

I too, really like the style of narration you have here.

 

Also Sonic searching for himself on the net was kind of a nice touch.

 

Thanks very much. I'm happy to hear that my style of narration isn't completely terrible.

[Dr. Crusher]

"And that's how I became a knight," finished Sonic, having gone through telling a story to Tails during their trek. Tails just nodded and smiled to himself in response, to which Sonic grew suspicious. "What, you don't think I'm lying, do you?"

 

"I'm not saying that you're lying," Tails explained. "But you probably exaggerated it a bit."

 

"I did not exaggerate it!" exclaimed the hedgehog in a fit of surprise. "I'm serious! I did fight a dragon!"

 

"And according to your narration skills, you also backflipped over it six times in a row before piledriving it mid-flight," said Tails in a very flat tone of voice. "Sorry Sonic, but I think some of it sounds a little dubious."

 

Sonic simply smirked, finally confessing the truth. "Okay, fine, maybe I made little parts of it up."

 

Tails could only grin, looking straight ahead. "Yes. Maybe."

 

Sonic's tale must have been lengthy, because they immediately noticed that they were in a different location already. There were still signs of grass and trees, but now there was a large river in front of them - surprisingly clean, too - and resting on the river were a bunch of metal walkways, all following the river's path. It didn't take long for Sonic to predict their next course of action.

 

"Guess we have to follow that river!"

 

"That was fast," Tails replied with mild surprise. "But what about you? Do you think you'll be okay with the water?"

 

"Aww, don't sweat it Tails," the hedgehog said. "I'm sure I'll be fine. It tends to be a little exaggerated anyway." With one spin dash, Sonic leaped into action to begin the river navigation, his two-tailed compadre not that far behind.

 

------

 

SILVER PIER ZONE

 

Enemies:
Motobug
Buzz Bomber
Chopper - Leaps out of water to chomp you. Can leap up in a straight line, or across from the side.
Crabmeat - Metaphorically tap dances three times before shooting little energy blasts from it's pincers.
Game-Game - If it sees you, it'll turn it's shell into a deadly frisbee.
Blastoid - Stays still and shoots bullets from an angle. (Some of them even sit on little floaties.)
NEW: Bitesize - A beaver robot. It simply bites you with it's massive gnashers.
NEW: Surfer Pawn - An orange Egg Pawn that wears khaki shorts and a flower necklace, riding surfboards to try and run you over... or surf you over, whatever. (Note: This enemy only shows up in Act 3.)

 

Silver Pier Act 1: Do you remember the Bridge Zone from the Master System/Game Gear version of Sonic the Hedgehog 1? Because there's a little touch of that in this zone, but the appearance is vastly different. You're still following a river, but you're walking on metal instead of wood, and you're surrounded by thick vegetation instead of checkered hills. If that latter part sounds familiar, then it should come as no surprise that there's a little bit of inspiration from Crash Bandicoot for this zone. More specifically, the river levels from Crash 1 and 2. I always thought a zone like those levels would be pretty interesting to see in a Sonic game, so I don't see the harm in blatantly plagiarizing taking a few notes from them.

 

In fact, let's go the whole way. Here's some appropriate Crash music for you to listen to for this zone.

 

Of course, it's not completely the same. There are log-shaped metal platforms for you to hop across, tiny barges that you'll have to hop along, and water wheels with animal-trapping glass containers. As with the metal poles from the Metal Woodland, you don't have to run along these water wheels to free them, but you're a horrible person if you don't, so please do so (you'll even get a free and random item monitor with each working water wheel). On the other hand, this zone has a few more traps than last time, namely in the form of the occasional little guns on the walkway side that shoot tiny lasers. They don't appear everywhere though, so they shouldn't be too annoying. And the water? You can take a dip in it, and it won't kill you, but the current is way too strong, so you should try your best to climb out as quickly as possible. While the previous zone was a general warming up of Sonic/Tails' abilities, this zone is more about brushing up your platforming skills... Because you're going to need them for some later zones. (Foreshadowing, innit.)

 

As with the last zone, you'll be familiar with most of the Badniks here, although the Crabmeats are somewhat more bothersome than they usually are due to the nature of how this zone is set up. But the real pests are the new Bitesizes, who will slowly get in your personal space and slam their metallic teeth into your character. (Hint: Game-Games can be a pain, but when they're spinning towards you, a whack from Tails' namesake will send them flying uncontrollably to the side and hitting trees George of the Jungle-style, before finally exploding and freeing the critter inside it.)

 

On the whole, Act 1 should be no problem. I'm not saying I'll upload your failure on YouTube if you lose... but I might pay someone else to do it.

 

Silver Pier Act 2: The scenery doesn't look all that different, but the level design does. In Act 1, you were just hopping along the walkways and barges, going on your merry way. Act 2, on the other hand, despite still having those kind of sections every now and then, mostly takes place near waterfalls. Yeah. It's a more vertical level. Like Jungle Zone Act 2.

 

Before you start to panic and proceed to send hate mail to *superinjunction*, you don't die when you fall down below to previous sections. Like the aforementioned zone act, as well as Windy Hill from Sonic Lost World, you'll have to carefully jump your way across the metal logs as they go with the waterfalls' flow. This might sound tricky for a second zone, but they're very slow, so you should get across them in about ten seconds flat. In addition to the logs, you'll also have to spin dash across some conveniently placed and conveniently bendy vines to help you make it to the top... if you're Sonic, that is. Tails has a easier time here since he can just fly, tiring out period aside.

 

So there's a little step up in difficulty for Act 2, but nothing too big. Be warned however, for when you go through the non-waterfall sections, there's an drastic increase in Choppers.

 

Silver Pier Act 3: So you're starting the level, running along, hitting Blastoids and Buzz Bombers, all well and good. But after a minute or so... a red jetski mobile shows up at the end of the remaining ground, with only the river's strong current up ahead. The jetski looks... familiar... as if it belonged to somebody. But who? And no, I'm not talking about the bandicoot.

 

But before we can ponder about it, something makes a giant splash from behind, and the camera turns to see what it is. It's the Mega Chopper from Sonic Generations, and it's back for blood. There's only one thing to do.

 

Let's. Get. Moving.

 

The camera goes back to you as you jump on the jetski mobile to begin your escape. There are only a few controls here, so you should be able to master them in due time. The mobile will always be dashing away on it's own, so all you have to do is go left and right so that you don't hit anything, and you can fire little lasers at enemies and certain obstacles. That's it. See? Nothing too complicated.

 

There is a meter on the lower right of the screen that displays two icons, one of Sonic/Tails' face, and one of the Mega Chopper. The Mega Chopper's icon is always at the bottom of the meter, but your character's icon can move. It will start off at the top, and you'll want to try and keep it at the top, because with every hit from a Surfer Pawn or something else, your icon will go down a little, getting closer and closer to the Mega Chopper's icon. Too many hits, and the giant robo-fish will be close enough to chomp down on you. Shoot the Surfer Pawns for wearing tacky clothing and Buzz Bombers if they're about to get in your way, and shoot any oncoming steel blockades two times in order to create a hole for you to zoom through.

 

The level isn't horrendously long despite what the setup would indicate, and it's not that hard since there aren't that many obstacles to keep track of. Also, you'll be happy to know that there are a number of checkpoints spread across the river (shaped like little buoys no less), so this isn't a Sonic Heroes level or anything. But eventually, you'll jump off the jetski and return to solid ground, hitting the capsule as the Mega Chopper retreats underwater.

 

Silver Pier Act 4: You start off at a waterfall like the ones in Act 2. Climb up it... or don't, because if you stay on one of the metal logs on the right and let it descend into the water, instead of having to fight the current, you'll dash through a little underwater tube that lets you open a secret Extra Life monitor before shooting you back up to the logs. After you've finished climbing, continue along the walkways, dodging or attacking the occasional Badnik. As you make it to the end, you'll interrupt Orbot and Cubot again, as they were in the middle of placing a critter in one of the water wheels from Acts 1 and 2, with Orbot even muttering "Not again..." Like last time, they quickly fly off, and you're free to... free the animal from the water wheel. But shortly after, who is there to challenge you this time? Why, it's Mega Chopper! It really doesn't want to give up, it's going to eat you one way or another. With no means to escape this time, you're left with no option but to fight.

 

SILVER PIER BOSS: MEGA CHOPPER

 

If you need me to describe what Mega Chopper looks like, I might need to slap you across the face.

 

The metal walkway that forms the arena is shaped like a ring, not unlike the Egg Golem from Sonic Adventure 2 and the first fight with Zor in Sonic Lost World. Falling in the water here will send you out of the arena completely, and we don't want that. The Mega Chopper is, predictably, in the middle. It's main attack strategy is to leap across the arena and back a few times, which is actually a little tricky to avoid given the fish's big size. After three leaps to and fro, it will spit out a slew of regular Choppers, and they will rain down on you from the sky one by one, like hailstones, only slightly worse. Unfortunately for them, they'll fall on the ground and pathetically flop about should they miss, since they obviously can't move on land. Hitting them all will enrage the Mega one, prompting it to lose focus and allow you to jump on each of it's eyes (this is a little easier to do with Sonic since he has the homing attack). With the fish now distracted, it's mouth will be left wide open, and you're free to attack it's interior with a homing attack/tail whack without the threat of it eating you. You'll be spat out as it flops around in pain.

 

It may sound easy... and, well, yeah, it is, but like Grizzly, that's not to say there isn't a trick or two up the Mega Chopper's... fin. There's the expected increase in speed and count with the leaps, but with every two hits, it'll fire it's mouth cannon at one part of the arena, taking out 1/8th of the walkway, so by the time it's on it's last non-existent legs, the walkway will by then be made up of four platforms for you to jump across. In addition to that, for the last two hits, when it fires it's Chopper babies, there will be one sneaky Game-Game hidden alongside them... which can backfire on the Mega Chopper if you're playing as Tails, since whacking the Game-Game when it's spinning here will send it flying into one of it's eyes, giving you a head start. Eight hits (it's always eight, isn't it?), and the giant fish will flop some more on it's side before the obligatory explosion. Remember, not all bosses will be this easy.

 

------

 

"They've destroyed my pet fish..." Robotnik muttered to himself, still watching over the antics of Sonic and Tails in his white room. "No matter. I can always make a new and better one."

 

*BEEP BEEP*

 

A buzzing sound emerged from the left of his armchair. Putting his sandwich down to his right side, the doctor casually removed a device resting within the left arm, the device looking like some kind of high-tech walkie talkie. With a simple click, he was able to begin speaking to whoever else was on the other side. The other person started the conversation.

 

"Hi, boss!" began a familiar high-pitched voice. "Just wanted to let you know that we're keeping things in tip-top shape! We would never wish to completely and utterly mess things up, so there's no need for you to get mad about anythi-"

 

"I saw what happened, Cubot," Robotnik replied, cutting the little droid off. "I'm watching, remember?"

 

A short silence ensued before the robot embarrassingly said "Oh yeah... I keep forgetting about that... I should have let Orby speak instead..."

 

"But there's no need for you to waste more time. Things aren't going as bad as you think. Just continue to do your bit, that is all that matters." Robotnik's voice remained suspiciously firm and distant, to the point that it seemed like he was hiding something...

 

"Uh, sure thing, boss! Anything for a promotion!" Cubot beamed, before ending the transmission, leaving Robotnik on the other end.

 

"Yeah... promotion... sure." The doctor was about to put the device back in it's place, but then he quickly changed his mind and pressed a few buttons, deciding to start a new conversation with someone else.

 

"Is everything going well?" Robotnik asked.

 

"Very well," replied the voice on the other side. The voice belonging to the mystery individual was mechanical in nature, yet had a natural touch of arrogance about it. "We've got everything ready down below. We've looked over the designs as you've ordered."

 

"Good, because I will be inspecting them later," the scientist explained in a matter-of-fact tone. "Also, you'll be happy to know that Sonic's skills on the water are on par with your own."

 

"Excellent!" the voice exclaimed in sadistic glee, even chuckling a little. "All the better for me to smash him. I was made a fool before, but I won't let that happen again. I'm all too happy to wreck the hedgehog in your honour, master."

 

"I would like to say that I would be thrilled to see that," Robotnik started. "But as long as Sonic is dead, I'm happy regardless. But of course, we'll have to hold that time off for now. We need him to stick around a little longer. But rest assured, once that's out of the way, you're free to tear him apart as you please."

 

"Yessss... Understood sir." And with that, the transmission ended, and Robotnik put the device back in it's slot before returning his gaze towards the screen. He picked up his sandwich again, and slowly munched away at it, not bothered at all by Sonic and Tails' progress.

 

------

 

NEXT TIME: Sonic and Tails don't always suddenly go from rivers to barren deserts, but when they do, it's always the work of shoddy fanfiction.

[Dr. Crusher]

Triple post? Egads!

 

I should have mentioned this before, but there's one little thing I want to clear up since I know some people might be wondering. The bosses aren't just random minion robots. There are one or two fights with Robotnik himself prior to the final one, so there's no need to worry about a lack of proper Eggman bosses.