Skyscraper Scamper


 * For the Town Stage on the same continent, see Empire City.

Skyscraper Scamper (スカイスクレイパー・スキャンパー) the sixth or seventh Action Stage exclusively in the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 version of Sonic Unleashed (depending on the order of previous Action Stages). Located in the middle of the modern metropolis that is Empire City, Skyscraper Scamper takes place far above ground, amongst enormously tall skyscrapers and highways that wind between the buildings and structures.

During the events of the game, Sonic the Hedgehog and Chip arrive in this area to keep Eggman's robots and Dark Gaia's Minions from overrunning the city.

Overview
Skyscraper Scamper is primarily based off the real-life city of New York, while also borrowing features from other famous cities in the real-life United States. Being located in the heart of Empire City, Skyscraper Scamper's primary setting is that of high above ground in a modern high-rising metropolis. Countless mile-high modern skyscrapers tower high above the ground, breaching the cloud cover, and cover up the horizon like a densely packed forest. The buildings found in Skyscraper Scamper differ between each in appearance and shape, ranging from towering buildings with spires, to lower buildings with flat rooftops. Between the buildings high above ground are also elevated highways and roads that crisscross between each other, with some of the roads in the background featuring cars driving on them. Additionally, the are some tunnels, resembling the Lincoln Tunnel, for the cars to drive through.

Despite being set up high in a highly urbanized area, Skyscraper Scamper also features some flora in the form of tress, bushes and even patches of grass growing on flat sections of the rooftops.

Noticeable structures that stand out in Skyscraper Scamper are large suspension bridges (which the player can travel across) resembling the real-life George Washington Bridge, and Verrazano Bridge, and skyscrapers resembling Chrysler Building.

In the daytime acts, Skyscraper Scamper is lit up by the sun, though the sky is deeply overcast. In the nighttime acts, Skyscraper Scamper mostly lit up by the light from the streets and buildings, while the nightsky serve as secondary lightning to the stage.

Story
When Empire City was being overrun by Dark Gaia's Minions, Sonic the Werehog and Chip came to Skyscraper Scamper to fight the monstrous creatures. Eventually, Sonic managed to defeat enough of Dark Gaia Minions to make them leave Empire City.

Not long after, Dr. Eggman set his sights on Empire City and had his robot forces invade the city. However, Sonic and Chip returned to Skyscraper Scamper and took out enough of the robots residing there to make them retreat from the city.

Gameplay
In both the daytime acts and nighttime acts of Skyscraper Scamper, the player travels through the stage by moving between and across the top of buildings. During the gameplay the Skyscraper Scamper, the player has to use narrow and/or enclosed platforms which limits his/hers movements, while bottomless pits are being a near constant threat. Additionally, there are many moving platforms for the player to use to advance through the acts.

In the daytime acts, the player runs along highways, crosses gabs with either grind rails or Homing Attacks, and leaps from building to building with the help of Ramps and the Light Speed Dash.

In the nighttime act, the player focuses primarily on moving from rooftop to rooftop through the use of ledge and platforms. The nighttime Act features heavy use of the balance beam gimmick, with balancing beams lined with spikes on the sides so they cannot be grabbed, and which can sometimes even collapse over bottomless pits. There are also several electrical beams that the player has to bypass by destroying machines, flicking Switches or proceeding through them with caution.

Act 1
This act takes place across the majority of Skyscraper Scamper. In the beginning of the act, the player start out by running down a highway segment with curving roadways, using grind rails, Springs, Ramps and the Light Speed Dash to cross the present gabs in the road. At the end of this section, the player will enter a tunnel that will take him/her to the rooftops. There, the player has to get across bottomless pits using small and narrow platforms, with the choice of multiple paths. After crossing a few rooftops, the player will enter another road section that is played in 2.5D before arriving at the buildings once more. From there, the player lands on a large suspension bridge, where he/she will face the Interceptor and then following a group of Aero-Chasers. After leaving the bridge, the player will enter a grinding section on multiple grind rails above a bottomless pit, where the player can either move between the buildings or run across them. At the end of the act, the player then has to defeat a group of Egg Fighters to make the Goal Ring appear. It is in this act that Sonic and Chip are clearing out the invading Eggman's robots

Act 2
This act takes place amongst the rooftops of the vast skyscrapers. Here, the player has to run down a series of extremely narrow beams, located above bottomless pits, that connect different rooftops while fighting enemies, utilizing the Light Speed Dash and avoiding obstacles such as spikes and flying hammers. On the final bar section, the player has to get across bar that can suddenly shift to the ring and left, with the Quick Step being a recommended maneuver here.

Act 1
This act primarily takes place on the rooftops of the skyscrapers. Here, the player first has to advance to the next rooftop climbing ledges. Once arriving on the side of the first skyscraper, the player has to destroy a generator to allow usage of the swinging poles to the next ledge segment. After leaving the ledge section, the player has to encircle a series of beams and rooftop platforms to reach the switch that will deactivate a barrier blocking the player's path. Following that, the player has to reach another separate rooftop and defeat a Titan to get a Key Stone for a pedestal that will unlock another platform, which will take the player further down the act. Shortly after, the player will arrive in a maze-like section where he/she has to destroy another generator to lower a barrier blocking the path. From there, the player will arrive at a rooftop where he/she has to solve a puzzle involving shutting down electrical beams and then activating a series of switches to unlock the path to the end of the act. There, the player then has to defeat another Titan to unlock the entrance to the Goal Ring. It is in this act that Sonic and Chip are clearing out the invasion of Dark Gaia's Minions.

Empire City and Adabat Adventure Pack DLC
The downloadable content pack for the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 version of Sonic Unleashed, the "Empire City and Adabat Adventure Pack", introduced two additional daytime acts and nighttime acts for Skyscraper Scamper to the game. These acts are basically extensions of the original acts in the game, but are much more difficult to complete. The pack was released on Xbox Live for $4.13 and on the PlayStation Network for $3.00 on 11 June 2009.

Act 1-2
This act is basically the same as the daytime Act 1 in the game, expect the act has been modified, having been given a generally harder layout with more gimmicks, more enemies and more hazardous and abundant obstacles, such as spikes and bombs.

Act 3
This act mainly takes place on a very long highway amongst the skyscrapers. Here, the player races down the highway while having to avoid hazardous obstacles such as spikes and bombs. After getting to another highway through a series of Dash Rings, the player will be confronted by a group of Aero-Chasers and then the Interceptor. Curiously, during the Interceptor segment, the camera pans from a high location above Sonic. After facing the Interceptor, the player will arrive on a rooftop, where he/she has to defeat some enemies to make the Goal Ring appear.

Act 2
This act takes place on the nearby rooftops of the nighttime Act 1. Here, the player has to cross electrified spiked beams in a tightrope walking fashion and use Dark Bats, Dark Bat Snipers and Thunder Bats to cross over bottomless pits. At the beginning of the act, the player has to defeat a wave of enemies, before climbing to the other side of the building and defeat a Titan. From there, the player returns to the starting point and proceeds through a now-unlocked path, advancing across a series of rooftop platforms and electrical beams. Eventually, the player arrives in a section filled the Dark Bat variant of Dark Gaia's Minions, where the player has to use the enemies to reach and activate a switch to proceed, and then climb use the enemies to ascend higher. From there, the player will arrive at another rooftop, where he/she has to defeat series of enemies and then a Titan on the other side, to reach the Goal Ring.

Act 3
This act takes place in a large vertical platforming area across the faces of three rooftops, with heavy focus on the usage of Switches. In the beginning, the player starts out on a rooftop where he/she has to destroy three generators to unlock the path away. Form here, the player has to climb to the top of a taller building by using ledges, platforms and poles, while using switches and destroying generators to deactivate electrical currents halting the player's proceed and bringing forth ledge to climb. On top of the second building, the player to destroy another three generators to unlock the path, while being confronted by a Titan and more enemies. After that, the player has to climb to the top of a third building in a similar manner to the second, where he/she has to defeat two Titans to make the Goal Ring appear.

Collectibles
Nearly all the Acts in Skyscraper Scamper contain a number of collectibles the player can obtain when playing through them:


 * Videotapes:
 * {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

!No. !Location
 * 16
 * Day Act 1
 * 21
 * Day Act 2
 * 26
 * Day Act 1
 * }
 * Records
 * {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
 * }
 * Records
 * {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

!No. !Location
 * 11
 * Day Act 1
 * 28
 * Night Act 1
 * }
 * Art Books:
 * {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
 * Art Books:
 * {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

!No. !Location
 * 14
 * Day Act 1
 * 46
 * Day Act 2
 * 47
 * Day Act 1
 * 48
 * Night Act 1
 * }
 * 48
 * Night Act 1
 * }
 * }

Trivia

 * Many of the names on street signs and other types of signs are references to well-known locations or characters in the Sonic the Hedgehog series:
 * S. Shadow Avenue - Shadow the Hedgehog
 * Rouge Street - Rouge the Bat
 * E-123 Omega Road - E-123 Omega
 * Blaze Road - Blaze the Cat
 * Silver Beach - Silver the Hedgehog
 * Seaside Park - Seaside Hill
 * Chao Garden - Chao Garden
 * West Park - Westopolis/West Side Island
 * Chao Beans - Chao and/or Bean the Dynamite
 * Soleanna Hotel - Soleanna
 * Pachacamac Parking - Pachacamac
 * The part of Skyscraper Scamper Act 1 in which the Interceptor chases Sonic features a run on what looks like the Brooklyn Bridge. There is also a gray and gold building near the beginning of the stage (shown below in screenshots) that greatly resembles the Chrysler Building.
 * This is the first stage in Sonic Unleashed that contains a five-button sequence QTE event (on the first trick ramp).
 * In the level itself, the cover of Sonic the Hedgehog 06 can be seen on a newsletter in the news stand of Empire City's Town Stage.
 * In Sonic Generations, the re-imagined Speed Highway takes elements from this stage, such as signs named after various characters like Blaze Motors and several road sections.
 * In Sonic Lost World the third World, called Desert Ruins, has similar background music to the daytime version of Skyscraper Scamper.