Wild Canyon

Wild Canyon is the second stage in the Hero storyline of Sonic Adventure 2 and the first stage playable with Knuckles. It represents attempt to find Master Emerald pieces that were scattered after he smashed it.

Plot

The Master Emerald has been stolen again from Angel Island, this time by Rouge. Knuckles follows her and the two fight for it in a desert area near Eggman's base. Just as the two are mindlessly talking and throwing taunts to one another, Eggman shows up on his way to his base after his confrontation with Shadow, mistaking the Master Emerald’s sign for a Chaos Emerald. Even though Eggman recognizes it as not being the emerald he’s looking for, he still tries to take it away with him, figuring that he could use it for something. Knuckles jumps and smashes the Master Emerald to pieces, before Eggman manages to escape and the doctor flees the scene befuddled. After a small squabble with Rouge, Knuckles then sets off to find the Master Emerald shards so he can restore it later, as seen in Sonic Adventure.

Level Layout

Appearance

Wild Canyon is a desert and wind themed level, with sand ground, Egyptian references, wind currents and windmills.

The major gimmick of this level is the "Altar of Wind," a giant air tunnel with a strong wind to blow Knuckles upwards.

Other level-specific objects are ribbons that fly with the wind, stone apartments that hold various items, giant statues holding boxes that can be dug into, rocks that are floating in the upwards currents that can be destroyed, stone blocks that can pushed along tracks and old purple treasure chests that can be smashed.

Level sections

Wild Canyon is divided into two major sections.

The first section is called "Chamber of Wind" and it’s where Knuckles first starts. It’s located inside some ancient ruins and is composed of two major level heights, with small ledges along the walls between them. The bottom floor is where the Altar of Wind is located, surrounded by high pillars and statues holding boxes. The upper floor is a ledge all around the room, very close to the ceiling. In the southeast part of the upper level there’s a painting that leads to a room where the ancient ruin is, which activated will open the ancient ruin door to another room where another ruin is, that warps yet another room, where the Chao in mission 3 is. Riding the wind current at the Altar of Wind will allow Knuckles to reach the section above, which is unreachable otherwise.

The second section is a dry and reddish canyon setting and is composed of three sub-section.

• The first is called "Stone Dance Hall" and it’s where Knuckles ends up after being blown upwards from the room below. There are four statues holding boxes and two raised platforms, along with some ledges. Behind where Knuckles is facing after being blown upwards, there’s a painting below the raised platform, which will lead to a room with nine paintings (and the one Knuckles came through). They will all lead to the giant wall painting with an eye in the south wall of the Chamber of Wind, except the middle right one, which will lead to another room, where one of the Master Emerald shards is in Hard Mode. Also in the Stone Dance Hall, there are holes in the ground level that will drop Knuckles back to the Chamber of Wind. There are two passageways that branch from here, opposite to each, the second and third area.
• The second is called "Lonely Statue" area and it’s to the left where Knuckles is facing after being blown upwards. There are stone apartments filled with wooden containers, a raised X shaped platform and at the end, a giant statue holding a box. High above this statue there’s a painting, which leads to a room where Knuckles’ Mystic Melody upgrade is. There's an ancient ruin here as well, that warps to the giant wall painting with an eye in the south wall of the Chamber of Wind.
• The third is called "Sphinx Head" area and it’s to the right where Knuckles is facing after being blown upwards. There are broken pillars stuck on the ground and the walls, and at the end there’re some ledges and a statue’s head buried in the sand.

Other versions

Wild Canyon mirrors Rouge’s Dry Lagoon in many ways: both are Egyptian themed to a certain degree, both have two major sections that are only reachable by the level’s major gimmick and both are located at the beginning of the section where both begin, the first section of the level is divided into a ground level and an upper level, with ledges along the walls and the second section is a huge circular section that branches into two opposite hallways.

Wild Canyon also shares some of it’s Egyptian themes with Sonic's Pyramid Cave, Eggman’s Sand Ocean and Tails’ Hidden Base.

Enemies

• Beetle Series: Gold Beetle
• Rhino Series: Rhino Jet (Normal Mode), Rhino Spike (Hard Mode)
• Hawk Series: Gun Hawk

Locations

Ancient ruins

• Chamber of Wind: In the room past the painting in the upper level: opens the ancient door.
• Chamber of Wind: Beyond the ancient ruin door: warps to a room where the Chao is in mission 3.
• Lonely Statue area: In the room past the painting above the statue of Lonely Statue area: warps to the giant wall painting with an eye in the south wall of the Chamber of Wind

Animals

Animal	Number	Location
<iimg>Cheetah!</iimg>	1	Chamber of Wind: By the foot of the statue, northwest.
<iimg>Condor!</iimg>	2	Lonely Statue area: Above the middle pillar stuck on the wall. Lonely Statue hallway: In the southeast beam of the X platform.
<iimg>Dragon!</iimg>	1	Lonely Statue area: In the southwest wall of a room reachable by digging through the painting located above the head of the Lonely Statue.
<iimg>Peacock!</iimg>	1	Sphinx Head area: Behind the statue's head.
<iimg>Ram!</iimg>	2	Chamber of Wind: Behind the stone block at the right corner, on the platform where Knuckles first starts. Chamber of Wind: Inside a treasure chest located in the eastern wall ledge.
Random	3	Chamber of Wind: In a pipe located in the south wall ledge. Stone Dance Hall: In a pipe on the foot of statue, southwest from how Knuckles is first blown upwards. Lonely Statue area: In a pipe by the last pillar before the pit with the two Rhino Jet.
Total	10

The level specific animal (third Chao container) is a Dragon.

Big the Cat

At the beginning, ride the wind up to the top, then turn around 180° and glide to the wall. When Knuckles hits the wall, climb up and right next to the windmill, where Big can be seen sitting and facing away from Knuckles.

Chao containers

• Chamber of Wind: On the northwest highest pillar.
• Sphinx Head area: To the left of the statue's head.
• Lonely Statue area: By the statue's foot.

Gold Beetle

The Gold Beetle can be found behind the head of the statue, in Sphinx Head area.

Lost Chao

• Upgrades: Shovel Claw, Mystic Melody

From where Knuckles first starts, climb the south wall and in the southeast corner, there will be some steal containers that broken will reveal a painting. Dig through it, activate the two Mystic Melodies and jump into the warp hole.

Master Emerald shards - Hard Mode

Emerald shard	Requirements	Hints
#1		"X" marks the spot. Behind something. Right below the suspended ceiling in front of a lonely statue.
#2	Shovel Claw Sunglasses*	A secret room. The other side of a wall painting. If you dig into a wall painting, there is a new path to...
#3	Sunglasses	A very windy area. You can't use your technique to get it! Try wearing your sunglasses on a pillar somewhere.

* This Emerald Shard can be obtained without the Sunglasses upgrade, but having it will make it easier.

• Lonely Statue area: Under the X shaped raised platform. Jumping and gliding from the closest stone apartment will make it easier to grab.
• Stone Dance Hall: Behind from where Knuckles is blown by the wind from Chamber of Wind, there's a painting under the platform. Dig through it and use the Sunglasses to see the trail of rings that leads to the correct painting (or go through the middle painting on the right), which will in turn lead to a new room.
• Chamber of Wind: Inside the bottomless pit of the Altar of Wind. Use the Sunglasses while standing on the lowest pillar to the right and hit the closest spring that becomes visible.

Upgrade

Knuckles' Mystic Melody upgrade can be found here, though it requires the Shovel Claw to access. It's in a room accessed by digging through the painting above the head of the statue in Lonely Statue area.