Special Stage (Sonic Mania)


 * For Special Stages in general, see here.

Special Stages in Sonic Mania are a series of extra levels. To access a Special Stage, the player must jump into one of the Giant Rings in the Acts. Completing a Special Stage will award the player with a Chaos Emerald.

Overview
The Special Stages are ominous environments with winding roads that are kept suspended in midair. Each stage features different layout and visual setting; one Special Stage may have a night setting with Greek architecture and floating fish while another may have a sky setting with clods and strange planetoids. All of this is viewed from a parallax background.

Gameplay
Upon entering the Special Stage, the player stands on a square, pseudo-3D board. There, the player is tasked to chase down a UFO containing a Chaos Emerald that is traveling through this stage within a certain time limit. During the gameplay, an indicator will be displayed on the top of the screen's HUD that shows the player's speed and remaining time. Along the way, the player can also utilize different items.

Upon catching the UFO, the player will be rewarded with its Chaos Emerald.

Trivia

 * The Special Stages for Sonic Mania combine several elements from past Sonic games:
 * The Sphere concept from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles.
 * The open layout and UFOs of the Sonic the Hedgehog CD Special Stages.
 * The floating fish/bird from the Special Stages in the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
 * The 3D gameplay from the scrapped Sonic Saturn.
 * The use of Rings to increase the time limit from the Special Stages in Knuckles' Chaotix.