Ever since the blue blur's debut in 1991, the Sonic the Hedgehog series has always brought breathtaking levels to race through. One of the most beloved level archetypes in the entire series is the sky zone, a type of stage that sees you sprint or fly through the air. This famous setting has persisted throughout Sonic's entire history, appearing in just about every title, whether that be a mainline platformer or 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:racing spin-off.
Like all aspects of Sonic's long and storied history, not all sky zones are created equally. Amazing highs give way to unfortunate lows, only to return to astounding quality the next time that a sky zone is included. To help you sift through the huge pile of entries into this Sonic level subgenre, here are the top ten sky zones across the entire Sonic the Hedgehog series.
10 Flying Battery Zone (So꧋nic & Knuckles) 🌱
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Flying Battery Zone is the low point in the otherwise brillia🔯nt Sonic & Knuckles. Gimmicks such as metal climbing rings and auto-moving platforms slow the level down to a crawl, removing the sense of flow that the best Sonic levels have.
Flying Battery's main redeeming quality is the setting, as the level sees you exploring and destroying a flying robot-production facility. It's a shame that such a great premise for a level wasn't done justice this time around.
9 🦩 Sky Chase Zone (Sonic 2)🌊
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Sky Chase Zone is probably the most iconic sky zone in Sonic history. The scale of Sky Chase Zone was huge back when it released, and the stakes it conveyed were unrivaled across Sonic's three mainline games up to that point.
Unfortunately, stakes and spectacle are all Sky Chase Zone really has going for it. The necessary evil of tying Sonic to the roof of the plane sucks the danger out of the stage, and takes the interactivity out of the gameplay. At least we have 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the all-time great sidekick, Tails to help us through the slog that S🧸ky Chase Zone become🎀s.
8 🦄 Launch Base Zone (Sonic 3) 🃏
Launch Base Zone is the final level in the original verღs💟ion of Sonic 3, and sees Sonic and Tails infiltrate the rocket launching facility that Eggman plans to use to launch his ultimate creation.
The layout of the Zone has you do just that, entering the base at ground level before climbing the launch tower. In the final sections of the second act, Sonic and Tails take to the air to chase Eggman, and face him in a final fight to prevent him launching his machine. This battle in the sky is the best final boss fight of any classic Sonic game, and wouldn't be topped until 2017.
7 Sk🅘y Sanctuary Zone Classic (Sonic Generations) ꧂
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Each of Sonic Generations' zones are split across two different eras of Sonic's history. The first act in each zone is a homage to the 2D Sonic games of old, while the second is a re-imagining of the zone as a modern "boost" formula Sonic level.
The first act in Generations' take on Sky Sanctuary Zone is a decent one, faithfully adapting the fan-favorite level from Sonic & Knuckles into an early-game package. Unfortunately, the change from end-game to early-game difficulty takes a lot of the urgency out of the platforming, taking away the grandness of the crumbling temple setting.
6 Winged Fortress Zone (Soni💖c 2) 𒆙
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Winged Fortress Zone follows on from Sky Chase Zone, and acts as the final platforming stage before Sonic 2's final boss. It fills this spot in the game perfectly, upping the spectacle through difficult platforming across a towering aircraft.
Constantly climbing through the𓄧 air base adds to the narrative elements of the game, too, as you can feel yourself ascend🎀ing ever closer to the final encounter with every jump upwards.
5 Doomsday Zone (Sonic & Knucklesꦗ)
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Doomsday Zone may technically not be in the sky, but you do spend the entire time flying. Equipped with all 7 Chaos Emeralds, Sonic ends his campaign in a secret zone that involves chasing Eggman through th𒐪e depths of space.
Doomsday Zone marked the birth of the long-standing tradition of secret bosses in Sonic games, as well as the birth of the typical Super Sonic boss format. Due to Super Sonic's constantly draining ring counter, this Zone becomes a race against the clock. You must collect rings and take Eggman down, before your ring count hits zero and you die. It's an excellent way to end an excellent game.
4 E🍃gg Reverie ꦺZone (Sonic Mania)
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Egg Reverie Zone is another secret final boss stage, this time taking place at the end of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Sonic Mania. The reason that Egg Reverie Zone appears above Doomsday Zone, despite the similar s🧸etup, is down to one important difference &ಌmdash; Egg Reverie Zone appears in the best 2D Sonic game.
Sonic Mania's boss design, art direction, controls, and overall flair elevates everything it does, and Egg Reverie Zone is no exception. Even the stakes of this level are a step up from Doomsday Zone, as Egg Reverie Zone tasks you with facing two of the hardest bosses in the game rather than just one. Although it's not 16🐻8澳洲幸运5开奖网:the hardest final stage ꧋in a Sonic game, Egg Reverie Zone brings just the righ🦩t amount of difficulty to challenge the player without being overwhelming.
3 Sky Sanctuar♑y Zone Modern (Sonic Gener🎃ations)
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Sky Sanctuary Zone's modern act is one of the highlights of the beloved Sonic Generations. It takes everything that fans loved about the original Sonic & Knuckles stage and adapts it beautifully into the 3D Sonic mold.
This rendition of Sky Sanctuary Zone is surprisingly energetic for an early-game level, keeping players on their toes with falling floors and crumbling walls that reference the original Sky Sanctuary. The awkward slow-downs that often come with Sonic's 3D levels are almost entirely absent here, leading to a seamlessly stylish level from front to back.
2 Sky Sanctuary Zone (Sonic & Knuckles) ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ
Sky Sanctuary Zone is a level with different degrees of quality, depending on which character's campaign you're playing. If you're playing as Sonic, your run through the level will see you blurring your way through a crumbling temple in the sky.
The Knuckles route is much more bare bones, however, only consisting of a single boss fight against Metal Sonic. While it is an amazing final boss fight for Knuckles' story, it can leave you a feeling a bit left out once you realize how awesome Sonic's version of Sky Sanctuary Zone is.
1 Flying Battery Zone (Sonic Mania) 🔜
One of Sonic Mania's greatest achievements is redeeming Flying Battery Zone. After many years of disliking the original Flying Battery Zone, fans were confused as to why Headcannon would decide to include it in a game designed to celebrate the very best of Sonic's history.
Luckily, Headcannon saw the potential in the maligned zone, overhauling it in its entirety for Sonic Mania. Every single section of the new and improved zone flows expertly, with each ill-conceived gimmick from the original version either being removed or re-tooled to work in the level's favor. Sonic Mania's Flying Battery Zone is the perfect marriage of sleek Sonic level design and gorgeous sky zone aesthetics.