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Kingdom Valley

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Kingdom Valley
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Kingdom Valley
Eighth/Second/Seventh level, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006 game)
Level theme: ancient ruins
Tropical Jungle | Aquatic Base

Kingdom Valley is a stage in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. As with other levels in the game, it features in all three of Sonic, Shadow, and Silver's stories, although the characters fight their way through the area at different times and for different reasons.

Overview

Dominated by the unreasonably massive ex-palace of the Soleannean royal family, Kingdom Valley is accessed from the grasslands outside the modern coastal city. After the Solaris Project disaster, what was once a sprawling regal castle has decayed into flooded ruins, inhabited only by giant eagles. Imposing medieval-style stoneworks nonetheless still cling to the sheer canyon walls, and much of the vast fortress remains intact (if a tad fragile). Mysterious green orbs along the battlements can summon air zephyrs substantial enough for Sonic or Shadow to grind on, and grabbing onto an eagle's talons allows characters to access different areas.

Belying its Middle-Ages exterior, Kingdom Valley conceals an abandoned research laboratory in the form of Aquatic Base, the giant hangar to which is accessed via a Moses-like parting of the waters, seen in Sonic's Super-Speed Stage section.

Missions

Sonic's story

Sonic the Hedgehog
Level number: 8
Areas: 4
Other characters: Silver
Boss: None
Rank S 50,000 pts
Mission: Follow the Egg Carrier!

Having (again) re-captured Princess Elise through the simple expedient of threatening to torch her city, Dr. Eggman now sets out in the Egg Carrier to gather together the Chaos Emeralds and complete his nefarious plan. As he did in Wave Ocean, Sonic pursues the flying battleship; now with Silver's assistance instead of antagonism.

Kingdom Valley for Sonic is divided into four sections. The blue blur starts in the upper reaches of the canyon, before Silver takes over for a section just above the waterline, where crumbling platforms have to be knocked into the water via psychokinetic missiles in order to progress. Sonic has a second platforming section along the sloping roofs and towers, before his mach speed section aquaplaning through the watery gorge outside Aquatic Base.

Shadow's story

Shadow the Hedgehog
Level number: 2
Areas: 3
Other characters: Rouge
Boss: None
Rank S 50,000 pts
Mission: Head to the Recovery Point!

Having successfully extracted Rouge and the Scepter of Darkness from White Acropolis, Shadow now agrees to escort the bat to the G.U.N. extraction point in Kingdom Valley.

Shadow's mission begins with a hang-gliding section, blasting down Egg Gunners hovering between the canyon walls. A subsequent segment as Rouge recalls the bat's original style of gameplay from Sonic Adventure 2: searching the level for three keys, to open a sealed door and allow Shadow to progress further. A final platforming segment as the Ultimate Lifeform leads to the Goal Ring.

During the level Shadow repeatedly muses that Kingdom Valley is a rather unwise place for an extraction point; and his suspicions are proved accurate in the post-level cutscene. Eggman ambushes the duo, determined to retrieve the Scepter; however, during the confusion it smashes on the ground, releasing Mephiles the Dark. The demigod wastes little time in obliterating Eggman's robots, before sending Shadow and Rouge on a thoroughly unpleasant trip to the future.

Silver's story

Silver the Hedgehog
Level number: 7
Areas: 2
Other characters: Sonic
Boss: None
Rank S 50,000 pts
Mission: Follow the Egg Carrier!

Occuring concurrently with Sonic's story, Silver's playthrough includes the blue blur as a vice-versa secondary character. With Shadow and the Solaris Project having served to convince Silver that Mephiles is decieving him, Silver concludes (incorrectly, as it happens) that Eggman is most likely the true Iblis Trigger, and so he sets out to help Sonic save Elise rather than trying to kill him the whole time.

Gameplay unique to Silver in Kingdom Valley includes using giant, swinging pendulums to knock over towers and clear a route for progress. There are also winding exterior staircases that have to be psychokineticly reconstructed, and iron bars to part with the hedgehog's mental powers.

Prototype information

In early stages of development, Kingdom Valley was shown with a much clearer, blue sky. In an E3 feature showcase video, it was also displayed shifting from day to night, which led some fans to believe that Sonic '06 would have some real-time elements.

References


Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
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