Special Stage (Sonic the Hedgehog 8-bit)

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Special Stage
show;hide Master System Game Gear
Special Zone, Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit)
Number of Acts: 8

The Special StagesMedia:Sonic1 SMS EU manual.pdf^[1]Media:Sonic1 GG US manual.pdf^[2] (スペシャルステージ)Media:Sonic 1 GG JP Manual.pdf^[3] in the 8-bit versions of Sonic the Hedgehog are stages which can be entered by collecting 50 or more Rings (but less than 100, as the Ring counter resets to zero after collecting 100 Rings) at the end of the first two Acts of the first four Zones.

When Sonic reaches the end of the Act, the Bonus Panel will display an exclamation mark (!), indicating that he has collected enough Rings to go to the Special Stage before progressing to the next Act.

Gameplay

Since Chaos Emeralds are found within regular stages the Special Stages exist merely as a place to gain lives, points, and Continues within a time limit of one minute (or two minutes in the Game Gear version). If the player fails to complete the Special Stage within the time limit, then any collected Rings or Continues will be lost. A Bonus Panel marks the end of these stages, but the chances for a bonus are significantly lower and obtaining 50 or more Rings will not take the player to another Special Stage.

The level layouts differ between the Master System and Game Gear versions of the game. In the Master System version, there are four unique Special Stages, and since there are eight Acts from which they can be accessed, two runs of each Special Stage can be achieved if (at least) 50 Rings are collected in all eight of these Acts. However, when the first Special Stage is re-entered (making it the fifth Special Stage), moving bumper platforms will have been added, thus making the stage slightly more complex. The same applies for Sonic's second trip to Special Stages 2, 3 and 4 (making them Special Stages 6, 7 and 8).

The Game Gear version also contains four unique Special Stages. In the first run, the time limit is two minutes, but in the second run (Special Stages 5-8) the time limit is reduced to one minute. As with the Master System version, the second run also contains additional bumper platforms, and occasionally different item placement.