Network Terminal

Network Terminal is the twenty-first stage in Sonic Forces, and the seventh Sonic stage in the game.. This stage is a re-imagining of Chemical Plant Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on the Sega Mega Drive.

One of Dr. Eggman's many chemical plants, the Network Terminal is an industrial high-tech maze in the frigid north of Sonic's world. It also host the computers that control the Death Egg's weapons systems. During the events of the game, Sonic infiltrated this facility in order to shut down the Death Egg's defenses.

Overview
Like its other incarnations, the Network Terminal is an industrial area with no natural environments. Unlike earlier versions of Chemical Plant however, it is presented in a maritime zone, as a kind of industrial platform.

The outsides of Network Terminal consists of giant metallic structures that rise up from the sea. These structures includes cylinders in orange and yellow, a truly massive plaform overshadowing the clouded sky, industrial cranes, and blocky high-tech factory-based chemical plants. More of the same structures (including spherical chemical tanks) can also be seen lining the horizon. There are also pipes on the larger structures, and there are interwoven yellow pipelines with blue chemicals flowing through them that Sonic uses as roads.

Due to being located in the northern region of Sonic's world, most of the outside of Network Terminal has frozen over. Surfaces of ice fill up the bases, the buildings are covered in a thin layer of frost, and the air is chilly with falling snow.

The interior of Network Terminal is a metallic nightmare of a facility that stretches as far as the eye can see into the background. Here, pipes in all sizes run all over the place. Spherical containers for chemicals also appear in various spots, and everything is lit up by orange-red lights. There are as well glass tubes that serve as passages between the different sections and Mega Mack that occasionally leak from above. In the foreground, the routes are plated with yellow-colored metal along the edges and move between the various structures. Finally, at the end of the interior is a well-lit and highly advanced computer room.

Story
After a successful diversionary action at Guardian Rock that has left Network Terminal unguarded, Sonic moves in to take the Chemical Plant on behalf of the Resistance. Knuckles himself leads him in the direction of the computer room, where he can turn off the defensive systems around the Death Egg. In typical Sonic-fashion, Sonic manages to enjoy his death-defying mission, and eventually finds the computer room in the depths of the Chemical Plant.

Gameplay
The outside section of the Network Terminal primarily features Grind Rails that the player must jump to and from to reach different paths. Additionally, a couple of crane-like Zip Lines appear in this section that the player can use in order to reach other areas.

Inside the Network Terminal, slews of Mega Mack will fall from the ceiling in certain spots at intervals that can immobilize Sonic or push him down. In some cases, the Mega Mack will push down rotating platforms, thereby allowing the player to ride said plaforms to different areas. The inside of the Network Terminal also has high-speed warp tubes that can take the player to different areas. Sometimes, to enter the high-speed warp tubes, the player will need to destroy a metal lid. These tubes' exits will also seal themselves up with a Spring after the player passes through them (to prevent backtracking).

Being a Sonic stage, Network Terminal has numerous Wisp Capsules filled exclusively with White Wisps along the way for the player to charge their Boost Gauge with.

Description
At the beginning of the stage, Sonic runs across three yellow pipelines with blue chemicals. After this section, there will be a gap that the player can cross by jumping or by using the Grind Rails on the sides of the path (the Grind Rail on the left will clamp the road). After reaching the end of the path on the other side of the gap, the player will be launched to another Grind Rail by a Spring. From there, the player will enter a network of Grind Rails and Zip Lines. It is worth noting that in the middle of this network are a set of three runnable pipes that the player has to cross in order to reenter the network.

At the end of the Grind Rail-Zip Line network, the player will arrive at a vertical tunnel into the plant. While passing through the vertical tunnel, the player must go through a skydiving segment with rotating laser blades that serve as obstacles. At the bottom of the vertical tunnel, the player enters a long 2.5D section inside the Chemical Plant. At the end of this section, the stage returns to the 3D perspective. The player subsequently enters the computer room. From there, the player can follow different straightforward routes to the goal that lies ahead.