Wacky Workbench
From Sonic Retro
Sonic the Hedgehog CD |
Levels |
Wacky Workbench |
Wacky Workbench |
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Fifth round, Sonic the Hedgehog CD |
Number of Acts: 3 |
Location: Little Planet |
Level themes: industrial, mountain/canyon |
Boss: Egg Razer |
Maximum rings, Act 1: 176 + 70 (Present), 176 + 60 (Past), 176 + 90 (Future) |
Maximum rings, Act 2: 190 + 60 (Present), 187 + 70 (Past), 187 + 60 (Future) |
Maximum rings, Act 3: 59 + 50 |
Non-English names: |
← Quartz Quadrant | Stardust Speedway → |
Wacky Workbench is the fifth Round of Sonic the Hedgehog CD. Like with every other Round in the game, Wacky Workbench consists of two standard Zones that span all time zones, followed by a shorter third Zone set in the future which contains the boss. Geographically, Wacky Workbench is located on the Little Planet.
Early in development, this level was known as "Crazy Toy Box" (per a tweet by Masato Nishimura[4]; this working title is referenced in the final game's Japanese soundtrack, where at 5 seconds into the stage's present theme, a vocoded sample says "crazy toy box".
Contents
Overview
A canyon warehouse of maximum proportions, Wacky Workbench is a Round that's ruled by electricity, with many contraptions that Sonic must overcome. Most of the floors in wide-open spaces will flash with electricity periodically, and jumping on them while they're flashing will bounce the player high into the air. These aren't the only electrically-powered hazards, as the Round is also littered with electrical conduits that surge with harmful electricity at eight-second intervals, and freezing vents that will freeze Sonic solid. Some of the floating platforms in the Round have actively rotating turntables on them, which will make Sonic spin when he stands on them.
The more narrower corridors of the Round are elaborately designed and are also hazardous. Horizontal poles hang from the ceilings above electrical fields, and the player must grab these poles in order to shimmy across to the other side of the fields. Speed launchers will rocket forward and catapult the player forward when jumped on.
Some of the corridors feature what appear to be grey crushers, but they are not actually crushers at all. Standing on one when it thrusts upward will simply cause the player to fall through into a hidden passageway. The player is required to do this if they are looking for the robot transporter in Zone 1.
Zone 2 features some of its own obstacles, such as tall poles that Sonic will rotate up and down on. When any of the jump buttons are pressed on these poles, the player will be launched off the poles, but timing their jump is difficult as they will be spinning fast. Corridors also feature huge contraptions that carry the player around in a figure-8 pattern, which are also useful for time travel. With all of the aforementioned hazards combined, Wacky Workbench is a dangerous Round that is hard to navigate.
Quotes
“ | The flashing floor will cause Sonic to jump high into the air. Proceed with caution so as to not be hit by electric shocks, jump to the platforms in the air. | „ |
— Sonic the Hedgehog CD JP manual[1] (translation by Vertekins)[5] |
“ | Electricity rules the Wacky Workbench, and the ground isn't always grounded! If you land on it when it's flashing, the current will bounce you high into the air. Turbines and bobbins send you spinning. Press Button , or to sling yourself clear. Whirl yourself dizzy on turntable platforms, and don't get iced by the exhaust vents! When the electrical conduits around you begin to flicker, get out of the way or you'll be in for a shock! | „ |
— Sonic the Hedgehog CD US manual[6] |
Differences between Time Zones
Present |
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The present Wacky Workbench is a large warehouse filled with crazy gadgets, like flashing floors that bounce the player up and electric webs. |
Past |
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A very lively place in the Past, Wacky Workbench was still under construction, showing that the factory was built in a rocky canyon. Many things don't work yet, or aren't quite the same. Remember, get that robot transporter here, or else... |
Bad Future |
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...the entire factory will be left to rot. The Bad Future has rusted bars and feels like it will collapse any minute. The round also has dimmer light, considering most of the headlights have been smashed. |
Good Future |
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However, without Eggman's influence, the round becomes bright and vibrant, and just as crazy as ever, now more resembling a circus-like fun factory. All of the electrical conduits have been deactivated, making the Round less dangerous to bounce through. |
Enemies
Bata-pyon — Grasshopper bots that spring around gleefully. | |
Minomusi — A bagworm Badnik that hangs from the ceiling. | |
Poh-Bee — Chunky bee bots that fly through the air and fire flashing projectiles similar to a Buzz Bomber. | |
Semi — A cicada Badnik. |
Animals
Pecky | |
bird |
Secret statue room
Zone 1 of this Round has a secret room. To find it, the player must check the curved incline under a "Past" Time Warp Plate found the beginning of the Zone. It can only be visited in the Past and Bad Future.
When visited in the Past, the room will have the appearance of an ancient stone-brick shrine which heavily contrasts with the industrial nature of the Round, and resting in the shrine is a mysterious statue resembling a goddess/angel-type figure holding her arms out. Approaching this statue will produce a fountain of Rings from the statue's hands that the player can collect. The statue will stop dispensing Rings after about 10 seconds, but the player can leave the shrine and come back for more Rings as many times as they like. Finding this statue in the 2011 re-release will award the "Statue Saviour" achievement/trophy, and the Rings it dispenses can make the "King of the Rings" achievement/trophy significantly easy to unlock.
When visited in the Bad Future, however, the player will find that Eggman has discovered this hidden shrine and replaced the angel statue with a bronze statue of himself. The player can destroy this statue by jumping into it, but doing so will activate a trap: exploding bombs that will rain down from the ceiling in three or four waves at increasing speeds.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 File:SonicCD MCD JP manual.pdf, page 28
- ↑ File:SonicCD MCD EU manual.pdf, page 46
- ↑ File:SonicCD MCD EU manual.pdf, page 47
- ↑ @Mazin__ on Twitter (Wayback Machine: 2021-02-19 14:59)
- ↑ https://greenyvertekins.tumblr.com/post/650087200378290176/translations-of-the-zone-descriptions-in-sonic (archive.today)
- ↑ File:SonicCD MCD US manual.pdf, page 16
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