Babylon Garden
From Sonic Retro
Babylon Garden is an ancient floating city (and a racetrack of the same name) which features prominently in the Riders series games Sonic Riders and Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. The city was once the home of the Babylon Rogues' progenitors, a mysterious and advanced people known as the Babylonians. According to legend, the Babylonians incurred the wrath of the Gods because of their crimes, and Babylon Garden was "cast into the depths of the earth".
In Sonic Riders
Jet the Hawk, Wave the Swallow, and Storm the Albatross identify themselves as the Babylon Rogues throughout Sonic Riders, claiming descent from the ancient people of the Babylon Garden. Jet inherited a mysterious, cubic heirloom from his father on taking over leadership of the Rogues, which he (correctly) believes to be the key to finding the lost Babylon Garden.
Dr. Robotnik, interested in the treasure of Babylon for his own nefarious reasons, pays a surprise visit to the Rogues' airship. The fat man tells Jet that in order to find the Garden, he should gather the seven Chaos Emeralds (and put a stop to Sonic the Hedgehog while he's as it). This sets the Rogues on course for Future City, to steal the gem and lead to the Night Chase level. Meanwhile, to facilitate the acquisition of the rest of the Emeralds, Eggman sets up the EX World Grand Prix, intending to have Team Sonic unwittingly do his work for him and bring the gems together at the final race.
The Doctor's plan is successful, as after the Grand Prix's final, the Chaos Emeralds do indeed activate Jet's cubic artefact. Babylon Garden rises up out of desert to hover over Sand Ruins. Eggman steals Jet's device and flies off to the Garden to steal its treasure, with Team Sonic and the Rogues in hot pursuit.
Racecourse
| Babylon Garden |
|---|
| Sixth Heroes track, Sonic Riders |
| Played as: Sonic |
| Opponent: Jet |
Sharing a name with its setting, Babylon Garden is the sixth Hero-story racecourse in Sonic Riders, and, predictably, takes place on the ancient floating city (as does the Babylon Rogues' Sky Road level). Pursuing Robotnik's Egg-O-Matic on the Tornado and their airship respectively, Team Sonic and the Rogues fly straight into the storm system brewing around the newly-ascended Garden. Tails throws Sonic a new Extreme Gear, the Blue Star II (Blue Star I having been blown up by Wave), and the hedgehog skydives off the biplanes' wings onto the ancient roadways of the floating city. Jet does likewise, and the two race each other (along with a small army of Eggman's E-10000G robots) in an effort to catch up with the obese scientist first.
The stage itself actively works against Sonic and Jet here; Babylon Garden's (still very functional) defences have been activated now the city is unearthed, and sleek, silvery Babylonian fighter craft blast overhead, raining explosive death down on the track. Fortunatly, their turbulent wakes can support Extreme Gear when they blow the course out, and one section of the level sees racers hitch a ride on the interceptors themselves to fly through storm clouds.
Finally, Sonic and Jet catch up with the Doctor, arriving just as he's about to unlock the central porte of the Garden. The fat man is holding Amy hostage, and advises Sonic to let him continue his work opening the temple. Instead, Sonic displays a complete disregard for Amy's safety and uses his Extreme Gear to generate a vortex, blowing Eggman away. Tails, Knuckles, Storm, and Wave arrive, and the swallow snatches up the Garden's control cube to open the temple on behalf of the Rogues.
Other Areas
In addition to the "Babylon Garden" racecourse, Sky Road, Babylon Guardian, and (presumably) Digital Dimension are also located on the floating city. In Sky Road, Wave, Storm, Tails, and Knuckles flee E-10000R across the Garden's airborne plazas, arriving just after Sonic disposes of Eggman. While Team Sonic deal with an incensed Amy, the Rogues enter the temple to find at its center an impossible black void of apparently infinite dimensions. They are confronted by the final defence of the ancient Babylonians; Angelus the Gatekeeper, who manifests within the darkness. Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy speed in to help out as the door slams shut, to start the Babylon Guardian track. Angelus manipulates the holodeck-like interior of the Garden into a twisted hellscape (or a cherubic heaven, in Digital Dimension), and the final boss of Sonic Riders is on.
When Sonic defeats Angelus, the illusory genie disappears in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a rather clichéd treasure chest. Just as Sonic and Jet open it, Eggman reappears, dual-wield blasters in hand, and demands that they hand over the prize. The hedgehog obliges, and hurls a rolled-up carpet at him; at which Eggman curses that he organised an entire racing tournament just for a scrap of cloth, and gives up. Tails, however, notices that the carpet is made from the same materials used to make modern-day Extreme Gear... and sure enough, unfurled, the item floats just like a magic carpet.