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Wing Fortress Zone

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Revision as of 16:54, 20 February 2019 by Black Squirrel (talk | contribs) (Development)
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Wing Fortress Zone
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Wing Fortress Zone
Tenth level, Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Number of Acts: 1
Level theme: flying fortress
Boss: Barrier Eggman
Maximum rings: 196 + 100
Non-English names:
Sky Chase Zone | Death Egg Zone
Tails gives a ride to Sonic on the repaired Tornado (which now features a booster) to help Sonic reach Death Egg Zone.

Wing Fortress Zone is the tenth zone found in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, set aboard Dr. Robotnik's airship.

This level features two of the three cutscenes in the game (the third being the end sequence), with the Tornado first being shot down by Dr. Robotnik's laser as Sonic/Tails hops on to the flying ship, and then at the end of the level, when Sonic runs to catch Robotnik's spaceship as he flees to the Death Egg and when Tails re-appears in the Tornado, fully repaired after the damage it withstood in Sky Chase Zone and sporting a new rocket booster. The booster reappears in the opening sequence of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but not in the ending of Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

Development

Wing Fortress Zone was known as Sky Fortress Zone for much of its development. It was one of the last zones in the game to be added and likely the last to be finished, alongside Sky Chase Zone.

Questions have, in fact, been raised as to whether Wing Fortress was finished. During the second half of the stage, Sonic encounters a suspended cable with seemingly no purpose, passes a diagonal conveyor belt which despite being animated, has no affect on gameplay, and is introduced to an area filled with hooks and dead ends which serve no other purpose than to slow the player down. The use of boosters to propel Sonic past some of these elements suggests the development team perhaps did not want to draw much attention to these areas.

In addition, the boss also lacks a sound effect for its laser, leading the zone to appear noticeably less polished than others in the game. The 2013 remake addresses this issue.

Quotes

You've found Robotnik's secret stronghold - a flying battleship. Could this be Sonic's final fight?

Sonic 2 US Manual, p. 16

This stage is the same as what appears in Sky Chase, so you can see that the entire thing is in the shape of an aircraft. Making the stage into the shape of an aircraft was particularly difficult. When playing as Super Sonic, making delicate movements becomes a bit difficult, but it still seems too bad that you can't fight the last boss with him.

Naoto Ohshima, Sonic Jam Strategy Guide

Enemies

  • Clucker - Chicken enemy, sits on a podium and fires eggs at you.

Early layout

A small piece of the Wing Fortress Zone appears in Sky Chase Zone, but you will not be able to see it completely.

This piece of the Wing Fortress has several differences from the final version. It is possible to notice that some windows have been removed and others added, as well as rivets, a long metal frame in the left and a small platform near the propellers of the lower left corner.

References


Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)
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