Hydrocity Zone

Hydrocity Zone
Second Zone, Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Number of Acts: 2
Sub-boss: Big Shaker
Boss: Screw Mobile
Maximum rings, Act 1: 440 + 120
Maximum rings, Act 2: 259 + 90
Underwater areas: Yes

Hydrocity Zone is the second zone in Sonic 3. This zone is completely underground. The player's character will fall from the top at the start of act 1, and be launched up on a water spurt to Marble Garden Zone at the end of act 2.

Instruction Manual Description

Keep Sonic's lungs filled with air as you explore the under-water regions of the island.

Sonic Team Commentary (from Sonic Jam Strategy Guide)

“	Thinking we would make a high-speed stage similar the previous games, we based this stage on Chemical Plant. The map size was already at the limit of the Mega Drive's RAM with Sonic 2, but thanks to the efforts of our programmers we were able to make them even bigger. There are also routes made specifically for each character.	„
— Takashi Iizuka

Glitches

• As Hyper Sonic, you can travel over the top of the level and into Knuckles' area. Once you have done this, however, you are stuck unless you have debug mode activated. You can get there also as regular Sonic if you have a lightning shield, but it requires very good timing when you jump.

Badniks

• Turbo Spiker — A red-wheeled vehicle with a spike attached to it.
• Buggernaut — A blue mosquito that usually comes at you in groups of three.
• Jawz — A blue, flying shark robot.
• Blastoid — Your standard cannon... Sonic style.
• Mega Chopper — Red piranha that bites you. Similar to that of previous games.
• Pointdexter — A spiked pufferfish.