Level Tips

ROUTE 99

This is easily the fastest zone in the game, and I wouldn’t try to use any team that isn’t a Speed team. All three acts share similar structures, being relatively streamlined and with paths that loop on themselves (and can be cut short if you know what you’re doing): to be precise, Act 1 seems to be the most linear as long as you don’t fall to the bottom route, Act 2 has more routes and offers more vertical shortcuts, and Act 3 is in the middle, being linear like Act 1 and complex like Act 2.

As this level was meant to be played with only the Unbreakable Bond, there’s no real need to diverge from this set: with S/T you can take advantage of Tails’ Tag Action to take alternative routes, with T/S you can Boost to your heart’s content and skip sections by flying.

If you still want some variety when replaying, the Lovely Couple is an excellent replacement, trading flight and Trick Actions for the ability to use the Hammer on springs, and a nifty Jump Dash for A/S – just keep an eye out for the enemies with S/A, they’re especially annoying here. You can also opt for K/S and its powerful Mid-Air Dash Glide, or S/C with its quick Jump Dash and Cream’s momentum-amplifying Boost that can replace Tails’ Tag Action.

What you need in short: speed (essential), height (useful, especially in Act 2), Trick Actions (convenient).

SUNSET HILL

Act 1: this act is structurally very complex, with many routes that cross each other and are connected by plenty of springs and platforms. The bottom route is slower due to the many switches and a couple of sneaky bottomless pits, while the top route is open enough that it can be skipped by flying and gliding until it drops down; however, to get a good time, it seems like staying in the lower-middle route or upper-middle route is the best solution. Any team would have an easy time here, although fast teams and/or teams with any enhanced jump have a slight advantage as they can easily skip the platforming sections and change route when necessary.

What you need in short: nothing in particular.

Act 2: this is the fast act of the zone, with little to no verticality, and any team with Sonic as the partner is perfect for these long straight paths. The bottom routes are much slower and even dangerous thanks to sneaky bottomless pits, but keeping yourself to the quicker top routes is very easy, and it’s why I recommend Speed teams. There is an unavoidable bottomless pit at the very end that is made a non-issue by flying, which combined with what said above suggests T/S as the best choice for first time players (his tails can even destroy the Buzzer put there to be an annoyance), but it’s not absolutely necessary. S/C is pretty good too, mostly for the Jump Dash. (tip: you can take the top route at the beginning not only by Boosting, but also by gaining enough speed with Sonic or flying/climbing)

What you need in short: speed (essential).

Act 3: this act is the opposite of the previous one, being extremely vertically oriented and with plenty of routes to choose from, and it can be broken by any team that can fly or be launched in the air: therefore, any team with Tails, Amy or Cream as the partner works well, mostly the former two. My favorites are S/T (pretty much the team this act was designed for, as you need it to unlock Knuckles), T/C (one of the rare occasions where ascending quickly helps), C/T (never underestimate the umbrella and Cheese), C/A (very similar to C/T but you can also fly and use the Hammer) and most of all T/A and K/A, with which you can take a huge shortcut that lets you skip the entire level and takes you to Gemerl in record time.

What you need in short: height (essential). Dash Climb and Hammer Propeller Flight highly encouraged. Sonic as the partner (S/T) imperative if you need to unlock Knuckles.

OCEAN BASE

Act 1: between its extreme verticality, easy shortcuts, and abundance of upwards slopes with boosters, this act seems to have been thought for Speed teams, teams with Tails as the partner, and Knuckles: consequently, S/T and K/T are the perfect choices for turning this hellish act into a sub-minute affair. C/T seems to fare well too, thanks to Tails’ Tag Actions, Cheese and being able to adjust jumps with the umbrella. Flight alone won’t allow you to take major shortcuts, but will allow you to save time on horizontal bouts of platforming; same thing for gliding.

While Amy’s Tag Actions help as much as Tails’, the abundance of sneaky enemies doesn’t mix well with the standard Jump she provides. Still, every team with her as the partner has some kind of advantage: S/A is fast, T/A’s Hammer Propeller Flight is always excellent, K/A can scale long walls with the amazing Dash Climb, and C/A can fly, use Cheese and do Trick Actions.

On the other hand, Cream’s air boost is too short to take certain shortcuts, including one at the end that takes you straight to the Goal Medal without having to deal with other crushers, so while S/C is fast, and T/C and K/C can ascend in some way (and of the three, the latter is easily the best, due to the level being almost designed around being able to glide and climb), they can’t compete against the previously mentioned combinations. The same applies for the three teams that can fly but have no other aerial advantage: T/S, C/S and C/K.

And most importantly, avoid like the plague teams without strong aerial moves (S/K, T/K, K/S, A/S, A/K), if you don’t want to be forced into the slowest, most deadly crusher-filled route. I also don’t recommend using Amy as the leader at all, unless you want a challenge. Of course, if you learn to abuse Sonic’s Tag Action, the story is a little different.

What you need in short: height (essential) (Tails > Amy > Cream), wall climbing (recommended), speed (convenient).

Act 2: while still very vertical and filled with Boosters, this act is longer, more tortuous, but also with shortcuts that are easier to take: this time Cream’s Tag Actions help more, the three teams that can “just” fly do really well here, and I wouldn’t ignore the ability to glide to skip some platforming sections. There are also a couple of pools of water that might encourage you to use Knuckles or Tails, but you can avoid them both easily. On the other hand, I haven’t found a way to easily break it with Sonic’s Tag Action. Long shorty short, just avoid any team without verticality unless you want to experience the long route, and I do mean long.

Knuckles (when not paired with Sonic) is once again the MVP of this act, as he has plenty of walls to climb; Tails is your to-go partner thanks to his OP Tag Actions (these factors combined makes, of course, K/T the best team you can tackle this monster with). C/S and T/A are also good alternatives: both teams have a fast flight and are reasonably protected, making them good choices for this act. T/C, while not ideal, fits here better than in Act 1. All of these teams can easily take a neat shortcut two thirds in the level (look out for a booster that sends you up on a rail, with a platform above and an opening near it: by flying or climbing, you can squeeze through with good positioning and timing). For another shortcut, K/A, another excellent team, can take a very convenient one at the beginning of the act, literally turning back and Dash Climbing the tall walls behind him and skipping the first quarter of the level, or at the very least making it much easier to traverse.

What you need in short: height (essential), wall climbing (recommended), speed (convenient in certain places). Dash Climb highly encouraged.

Act 3: unlike the previous ones, this is a very short act that goes down and not up, and has pretty much one single route (weird detours like this one aside), thus use the same Speed teams that you would use for Sunset Hill Act 2. In particular, S/C and C/S seem to be the better choices, because not only they’re fast but they can gain height very quickly, just enough to get past some obstacles. While obviously slower, T/K isn’t too bad to use here, as you can avoid some obstacles with his glide and even exploit its physics to bounce on items.

What you need in short: speed (convenient).

TOY KINGDOM

Act 1 and 2: not counting its many gimmicks, this zone has a varied, balanced design: it has long roads and plenty of ramps, helping Speed teams (as long as you learn the pattern of the many crushing blocks), and at the same time the sheer amount of alternative paths and openness make it perfect for any team with at least one way to jump higher… which means that almost every combination will have a good time here.

In short, you can take advantage of Tails’, Cream’s and Amy’s Tag Actions; flying in general; the Hammer; Trick Actions; Knuckles’ gliding and climbing; S/K’s Fire Sliding (excellent to overcome steep slopes and go past the numerous pairs of crushers) and Upper Spin (there are plenty of jumps just barely above reach, including some of the sections with the jack-in-the-box springs); K/A’s Dash Climbing; C/T’s umbrella (its small air boost makes the corridors with the crushers a little more bearable); A/T’s Mid-Air Hammer Jump; and A/K’s Hammer Jump.

What you need in short: height (recommended), Hammer (recommended), speed (convenient), short bursts of height (convenient), Trick Actions (convenient, especially in Act 2).

Act 3: this act is tighter and has less alternate routes (in fact, many of them are purely a waste of time), giving an even bigger advantage to teams with Sonic as the partner. Power teams can go through a convenient shortcut at the beginning of the level, which means K/S in particular is allowed to shine, but truth to be told any team with Tails, Amy or Cream as the partner can also take it. Speaking of Amy, there are enough springs for her to use, but if you still need to unlock her (and I suggest doing so before tackling Act 1 and 2), both S/T and S/K are excellent choices: you can either fly and do Trick Actions with the former, or go through the Power shortcut and use the Fire Sliding and Upper Spin with the latter.

What you need in short: speed (recommended), Hammer (convenient), Power team (convenient). Sonic as the partner imperative if you need to unlock Amy.

TWINKLE SNOW

General tips:

instead of riding the carts, run on the rails, even better if you have Sonic as the partner; Tails and Amy can help with the vertical sections, even more so underwater.
Tails, Amy and Cream as the partner help a lot with those chargeable platforms, although some of them are too high to be cheesed this way (this problem doesn’t exist if you have Knuckles as the leader).
as you’re supposed to have recently unlocked her by this point, use as much Amy as possible. The abundance of speed, horizontal jumps, vertical jumps and springs allows every team with her to shine.

Act 1: this act’s structure is reminiscent of Aquatic Ruin’s: very fast at the top, a wet slog at the bottom. I strongly recommend to avoid getting anywhere near water, as the water section in this act is a tad too long and annoying: thankfully, pretty much every team can avoid the bottom route at the beginning, either with speed, flight, air-oriented Tag Actions or the Hammer (or in T/K’s case, with a Spin Dash off a slope or a well-timed jump and glide just before the beginning of the water section). In any case, Speed teams fit this act better due to how straightforward the paths are: T/S and A/S, in particular, make quick work of this place if you manage to keep yourself in the top routes. Even the Upper Spin gets some neat uses here.

What you need in short: nothing in particular, but speed is convenient and height might be useful.

Act 2: being slightly more complex and with more opportunities to find vertical shortcuts, this time teams that can fly or ascend are better suited, especially teams with Tails or Amy as the partners; speed helps but doesn’t matter quite as much as in the previous act. When replaying the level, you can enjoy S/C at its full potential and have a much easier time in the underwater sections, as the last one is nearly mandatory – if you don’t have Cream yet, though, Tails and Amy once again prove themselves to be useful due to the vertical nature of those water sections. Don’t overlook Knuckles here, especially K/A: there are plenty of walls to climb/Dash Climb.

What you need in short: height (recommended; Tails and Amy > Cream), wall climbing (convenient). Infinite Air and Hammer Propeller Flight highly encouraged.

Act 3: a fast, simple, open act that sits at a comfortable midway point between the speed of Act 1 and the multiple vertical paths of Act 2, so choose any team that would go well with the previous acts. T/A in particular absolutely wrecks the level design with its fast flight, and C/A is no slouch either, with how it combines flight, Hammer and Trick Actions. This act is so simple that even teams like A/K and A/C can take advantage of their unique abilities.

What you need in short: speed (recommended), height (convenient).

CYBER TRACK

Act 1: much like Sunset Hill Act 1, the structure of the act is a maze and a good time is more determined by picking the right route rather than the right team, but it has long roads similarly to Route 99 and Sunset Hill Act 2, therefore it’s better suited for faster teams. If you can manage to stay in the high routes, you won’t come across many bottomless pits if at all, allowing you to focus on Boosting. Depending on the route, or if you’re looking for Chao, there’s a Power barrier hiding a shortcut and one of the little critters.

What you need in short: speed (essential). Power team might be necessary.

Act 2 and 3: while still fast acts, the huge amount of precarious platforming over bottomless pits and crossing paths might require the ability to fly: T/S and C/S are good teams as they can benefit from Sonic’s Tag Action, the latter even more so as Cream’s flight is better and Cheese can quickly dispatch enemies. Alternatively, climbing and gliding with Knuckles also helps. Tails’ and Amy’s Tag Actions can help with taking shortcuts, and in fact I recommend S/T or S/A for Act 3 if you need to unlock Cream – you can get to an upper route at the beginning with the Boost, and with a little skill you can skip the infamous final platforming section by being strategically launched in the air.

What you need in short: speed (recommended), flight (recommended), height (recommended in Act 3) gliding and wall climbing (convenient). Tails as a partner encouraged in Act 3, even more if you know how to glitch in the directional launchers. Sonic as the partner imperative in Act 3 if you need to unlock Cream.

CHAOS ANGEL

Act 1 and 2: without question, bring Cream for this hellish, enemy-filled, floating-over-a-giant-bottomless-pit level. With C/S, you can boost and attack with the Chao Ball Attack, which, while it doesn’t auto-aim, has a longer range than regular Cheese; with C/T, Tails’ Tag Actions help you with taking shortcuts and the umbrella is a huge help for the precarious platforming; with C/K, Cream is well protected against enemies and can take a Power shortcut in Act 1; and with C/A, the combination of flying, the Hammer, Cheese and Trick Actions is a life-safer. Cream’s Tag Actions are also incredibly useful for making big jumps or to use on springs (and having Cheese doesn’t hurt), and as such, S/C is another great choice, thanks to the many boosters in these acts.

Speaking of boosters and springs: if you don’t want to cheese these acts too much, the Lovely Couple is your next best bet. Choose S/A if you’re more vertically oriented and would rather skip huge sections of the levels with Amy’s Tag Action, or A/S if you’re more horizontally oriented and would rather Boost in the air. Both teams wreck these acts thanks to how many springs there are here – Amy is almost as much of a godsend as Cream is.

Other useful options are T/A, whose broken flight can make a joke out of the dangerous platforming sections (and again, they can use the Hammer on springs); S/T, for the combo of Boost, Tails’ Tag Actions and Trick Actions; and if you’re looking for an apt challenge, try A/T and A/C, which have the Hammer and enough height to help. Teams without any vertical advantage will probably have a bad time here.

What you need in short: flight (nearly essential), height (recommended), Hammer (recommended), speed (convenient). Cheese highly encouraged.

Act 3:If you want to greatly reduce the challenge, T/K (Tails’ gliding doesn’t outrun the platform and he can’t accidentally cling on walls), A/T or A/C (floating helps a lot with the spikes, even more than flying). If you want to nullify the challenge, C/T or C/K. If you want to skip the challenge, T/A, but it takes extremely high skill and amounts of practice.

What you need in short: flight/floating (recommended). Cheese highly encouraged. Tails’ glide surprisingly convenient.

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