Eggmanland (stage)


 * For the hub world on the same continent, see Eggmanland.

Eggmanland, or known as Crimson Carnival in Japan, is the ninth action stage in the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 versions of Sonic Unleashed and the eighth on the PlayStation 2/Nintendo Wii versions of Sonic Unleashed. During the events of the game, Sonic the Hedgehog and Chip come here to both restore the final Chaos Emerald inside the final Gaia Temple and to stop Dr. Eggman from preventing another Time of Awakening event.

Overview
Having being located at an amusement park, the setting for Eggmanland is based off of Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood. However, while it is consisting of amusement park themes, the action stage appears to be right above the center of Earth's core, as it can be told by both the lava beneath the stage and during the course of the Egg Dragoon boss battle. Neon lights are shown in this stage, as well, in which Eggman's face and "Eggmanland" appear on the lights. Interestingly, though, it is difficult to tell which time of the day is it at Eggmanland. Assuming that the PlayStation 2/Nintendo Wii version of Eggmanland is the same as any other stage in Sonic Unleashed, the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 version however tells wrong; in the said version Sonic the Hedgehog is switched back and forth into his regular form and into his Werehog form throughout the Eggmanland stage, assuming that it could possibly be nighttime in the area.

Gameplay
In both the daytime act and nighttime acts of this stage, the player travels straight down into the depths Eggmanland. At the beginning, the player moves through the city section of Eggmanland, before slowly descending into the lower levels of this massive complex, until the player eventually reaches the Gaia Temple at the bottom.

In the PS2/Wii version of Eggmanland, there is one main daytime act and five main nighttime acts. In the PS3/Xbox 360 version of Eggmanland, there are no different acts for daytime and nightime; instead, the stage contains only one act that is broken up between daytime and nighttime segments, which can be switched between by using the hourglasses found within the act. This act is known for being notoriously long, taking the average player about twenty minutes to finish it.

As the final stage in Sonic Unleashed, Eggmanland contain nearly all of the gimmicks and obstacles featured in game, such as bobsled segments from Cool Edge, spikes, and Quick Time Events, but with all of them coming in greater numbers and having a generally harder layout, thus testing the player in all the skills he/she has accumulated over the course of the game to the fullest. Bottomless pits are a prominent danger in this stage, there are overwhelmingly large numbers of enemies in quite inconvenient places, hazardous obstacles litters the environment, and there often times where the player has to execute a performance absolutely correctly, or risk losing a Life. Reckless actions leads to instant death.

Besides using previous gimmicks, Eggmanland also features some gimmicks unique to itself. In both versions of Sonic Unleashed, Eggmanland features large moving blocks that can either push the player off the platform and into a bottomless pit, or crush the player by coming down on Sonic. In the PS3/Xbox 360 version, Eggmanland also features levitating buzz saws that moves in a consistent pattern, and yellow energy platforms that will disappear a short while after they have been stepped on by the player.

In the nighttime segments in the PS3/Xbox 360 version of Sonic Unleashed, there are segments where the player can slide down large pipes. These pipes contain moving fans that will damage the player if touched.

Head for the Goal Ring
This act includes the majority of Eggmanland, with the stage being split up into different segments. At the beginning of the act, the player goes through the entrance to Eggmanland, and then proceeds through amusement park-like environment, crossing narrow pathways with obstacles and even climbing a ferris wheel. From there, the player enters a bobsled segment that will take the player into the depths below Eggmanland. After that, the player will then be chased by an Interceptor robot, where the player must run on walls and along the gorund to avoid both overflowing lava pools and the robot. Afterwards, the player will proceed through a storage area, which features much platforming and traversing over gabs. At the end of this area, the player rides a rocket into a series of corridors with sharp turns and topis-turvy platforms, before arriving at the final section of the act. From there, the player has to cross platforms with Ramps and springs, and run down straight paths featuring several Egg Fighters and tricky obstacles, before arriving at the Goal Ring.

Gather Rings at Top Speed!
This mission takes place in the first quarter of the "Head for the Goal Ring!" mission act. Here, the player has to collect 280 Rings within two minutes. Once that is done, the mission is completed, and the player is rewarded with a Moon Medal.

Time Attack! Race for the Goal!
This mission includes the entire same course as in the "Head for the Goal Ring!" mission act. Here, the player has to make it to the Goal Ring within two minutes. However, for each checkpoint the player comes across, he/she is given more time to complete the mission. Upon completing the mission, the player is rewarded with a Moon Medal.

Act I: Infiltration
This act mainly takes place at the entrance to Eggmanland and continues further into the complex. At the beginning of the act, the player goes through the entrance gate to Eggmanland and proceeds trough a long series of corridors, where the player has to destroy some steel gates blocking the paths. After the getting through the first pair of steel gates, the player will enter a room where he/she has to defeat a horde of Red Deep Nightmares and some Spikes before being able to proceed. After clearing out the enemies, the player must proceed through another corridor, before arriving at a large elevator platform. On this platform, the player has to defeat incoming waves of Dark Gaia's Minions as the elevator descends towards the end of the act. After the elevator has reached the bottom, the player proceeds through another corridor and into a room in the floor where he/she has to defeat two Big Mothers. From there, the player can then proceed to the Goal Ring.

Act II: Robot Factory
This act takes place inside a factory deep inside Eggmanland, with ínactive Egg Fighters standing idle in the background. At the beginning of the act, the player has to defeat a wave of enemies. From there, the player has to walk down a series of conveyor belts, with bottomless pits on both sides and spikes at the end of the conveyor belts. At the end of the conveyor belts, the player has to defeat three Thunder Bats on the moving surface while avoiding flamethrowers. After that, the player has to defeat some enemies on a new platform. From there, the player enters another area with conveyor belts. First, the player must complete a puzzle involving switching the direction of the conveyor belt so that the player can bring a water barrel to a fire blockade and use it to extinguish the flames, thus allowing the player to proceed. The player then has to complete another puzzle where the player has to switch the direction of the conveyor belts and ride them, while carrying a metal crate to defend against incoming flamethrowers. From there, the player will arrive on an area where he/she has to defeat several enemies, before being able to climb up to the Goal Ring above.

Act III: Beyond the Factory
This act takes place in an even deeper factory area that goes under and beyond Eggmanland's main frontward appearance, and features much pole climbing and swinging, wide bottomless pits and many moving blocks that can push Sonic into said bottomless pits.

At the begining of the act, the player moves down a catwalk, before having to climb and swing on poles across a bottomless gab to the other side. There, the player has to cross another catwalk, while avoiding moving blocks and facing enemies. After making it around the corner, the player enters another section with a wide gab, which the player has to cross using poles to climb and swing on, platforms to step on, and Dark Bats to ride on. Once on the other side and having gotten past another section with moving blocks, the player arrives in an area where he/she has to defeat some of Dark Gaia's Minions. From there, the player enters a corridor where he/she has to enter a room on the left and activate a switch there, which will unlock the door out of the corridor. Once passed through the door, the player enters an area with catwalks, where a metal block that can push the player into a bottomless pit, is chasing the player from the left. Here, the player has to reach the far right of the catwalks and exit the area though a door there before the block get him/her. From there, the player can then proceed to the Goal Ring.

Act IV: To Zero Point
This act takes place across some dark rooms and corridors that are located even deeper within Eggmanland. At the beginning of the act, the player has to ride down a steep path on an elevator. After activating the elevator with a switch, the player starts descending. While descending, the player can use a metal container to block incoming flamethrowers by placing it in the path of the flames so that they will hit the container instead of Sonic. Additionally, on the last flamethrower on the elevator path, which flows outwards, the player has to stand on top of the container to avoid the flames.

Now at the bottom, the player must ride a platform across a gab to a narrow path. After then having cleared out some of Dark Gaia's Minions and moved onward to a corridor, a Dark Energy Force Field will block the path further ahead. From there, the player has to ride moving platforms and cross gabs by climbing along ledges, swinging on poles and climbing poles, while collecting the three Dark Energy Keys needed to unlock the force field along the way. Once the player has arrived in a wide area where the Dark Energy Force Field is placed with all three Dark Energy Keys, the force field will be lowered, revealing a path into an elevator platform. The player then has to ride the elevator to the bottom while defeating incoming enemies and then a Big Mother, before arriving at a door that leads to the Goal Ring.

Act V: Dark Gaia Cauldron
This act takes place in the deepest part of Eggmanland, far into the Earth's crust. At the start of the act, the player begins by moving down a long dark corridor. After having destroyed a few steel gates, the player enters a room through a hole in the floor, where the player has to defeat some Fire Masters and Thunder Bats. From there, the player proceeds down another long corridor into a large lava-filled cauldron room. Here, the player has to climb a pole and cross a catwalk until the player gets to the top of a colossal Egg Fighter torso, where the player has to defeat a wave of enemies to proceed. After that, the player has to cross over to another colossal Egg Fighter torso bt riding on Dark Bats, where the player has to defeat a Red Titan. After defeating the Red Titan, the player can proceed down a catwalk and into a large room that is essentially one large bottomless pit. In this room, the player has to cross the bottomless pit by walking on narrow catwalks, often without railings, and climbing poles and ledges while avoiding spikes and flamethrowers. After getting to the end of the room, the player has to destroy a steel gate to reveal a pathway into the Gaia Temple. After entering the Gaia Temple, the player has to defeat a few waves of different enemies and then a Red Titan, before getting access to the Goal Ring.

Phase One
At the beginning of the act, the player travels through the entrance corridor, avoiding laser barriers and Egg Fighters. After exiting the corridor and arriving in the urban area, the player can either grind on rails above Eggmanland, or move through Eggmanland down on ground level. After getting through the initial part of Eggmanland, the player arrives at a slow segment where he/she must hit a Hourglass to transform into Sonic into Sonic the Werehog in order to proceed. From there, the player has to get across and climb some platforms, while encountering Egg Fighters, before having to grab onto moving pots of lava to proceed through the act. After riding the pots to another platform, the player must defeat another hoard of Egg Fighters, before getting to another hourglass which the player has to use to transform Sonic the Werehog into Sonic's normal form in order to proceed.

Phase Two
At the start of the second segment for Sonic the Hedgehog, the player runs through a section with several corridors in 2.5D, which feature Wall Jumping maneuvers and moving blocks that can push the player into bottomless pits. After escaping the 2.5D section, the player enters a bobsled course where he/she first rides on rails throughout the amusement park area of Eggmanland, before entering a half-pipe section where the player has to navigate through Egg Fighters and avoid obstacles, such as spikes and laser grids. After escaping the half-pipe section, the player arrives in front of a factor with another hourglass in front, which the player has to use to transform into Sonic into his Werehog form in order to proceed.

In the second Werehog segment, the player enters a deeper factory area where he/she has to walk down narrow pipes to nearby platforms. After getting to the other side of the area, the player enters a cauldron-like area with giant turrets and bigger pipes to move onward with. After crossing the pipes, the player has to get through a closed room swarming with enemies. Once through the room, the player encounters another hourglass which he/she has to use to transform Sonic the Werehog into Sonic's normal form in order to proceed.

Phase Three
The third segment for Sonic the Hedgehog takes place inside a cauldron. At the beginning of this phase, the player moves through a 2.5D sections with narrow corridors, while encountering obstacles, such as moving blocks that can both push Sonic into bottomless pits and crush him, spikes, and moving saw blades. After exiting this section, the player enters a large cylinder-shaped room where he/she has to complete some Quick Time Events or fall into the bottomless lava pit below. The player will afterwards arrive on a conveyor belt that he/she has to reach the end of, while avoiding laser barriers, bombs and spikes. From there, the player arrives in another large room with a bottomless lava pit below. Here, the player enters another 2.5D section, where the player has to get to the top of the room using moving platforms and blocks, springs, quick time event Cannons, and disappearing platforms. After escaping the room, the player will enter a deeper, larger room where he/she has to skydive to the bottom. Once at the bottom of the room, the player can either use a hourglass to transform into Sonic into his Werehog form and proceed from there, or take the path to the right through Wall Jumping, and take a shortcut into the Werehog section.

For the third Werehog segment, from the beginning of the first hourglass in the bottom of the skydiving section, the player must travel through a room by swinging on poles with moving spiked balls on them. After exiting the room through a door, the player enters a broken-down-elevator where he/she has to use a switch to deactivate the laser barrier blocking the path out. From there, the player slides through a pipe and enters a turbine room filled with Dark Bats and Thunder Bats and a large damag-inducing fan at the bottom. Defeating the enemies, will unlock a switch that the player need to activate to open the path out of the room. From there, the player slides through another pipe, before arriving in a large lava-filled cauldron that the player can to climb through using Dark Bats, Dark Bat Snipers, and poles. After crossing the cauldron, the player enters another pipe that will take the player to another broken elevator-platform. Here, the player has to find the switch unlocking the door away from the platform, while facing an endless wave of Egg Fighters. From there, the player enters a large room where he/she has to defeat a Titan before being able to proceed. After that, the player enters another room, where the player has to defeat two Titans and some Cure Masters and Power Masters to make the Goal Ring appear.