Special Stage (Sonic Chaos)


 * For Special Stages in general, see here.

Unlike many incarnations, Special Stages in Sonic Chaos are seen as normal levels. Uniquely, the game has five different looking Special Stages for each Chaos Emeralds (the sixth one is at hands of Doctor Robotnik, who dropped it after the final boss).

To enter the Special Stage, Sonic must be playable (Tails is unable to do so) and collect 100 rings from the regular zone without losing them. After doing this, the screen flashes and the game progress to Special Stage.

Overview
Each of five Special Stages are different in terms of level design. Players have to simply navigate through the levels in order to reach the Chaos Emerald within the time limit. Special Stages in Sonic Chaos are notorious for their difficulty and strict time limit with the exception for the first one. There are numerous rings, even giant rings on certain ones, the player is able to find the game's new features such as Rocket Shoes from monitors or Pogo Springs from metallic boxes to progress on Special Stages. The player can also find monitors, that feature Time Stop, which can to freeze the countdown of timer for while. The player is able to earn Continue after completing Special Stage.

First Special Stage
The player finds himself standing on floating monitor, that has rocket shoes in it, while there aren't any terrain seen around, only the sky background. The player must fly through forward before the time runs out with Rocket Shoes, that in this Special Stage have unlimited time to use unlike in regular zones. While flying forward, the player can collect rings on strings and giant rings on large formations. The Chaos Emerald is located in the middle of round shaped formation of giant rings. When the player collects it, the first Special Stage is complete.

Second Special Stage
The second Chaos Emerald is located above numerous platforms, while the player starts from the ground. The player can choose two pathways to climb up: the one with smaller platforms with amount of rings (giant rings at upper sections) on them or slightly bigger platforms, which are only able to reach by using Pogo Springs to balance the right time, and jump off the Pogo Spring to get new one on the platform.

When the player has reached far enough, if the player is on left side with smaller platforms, he/she has to choose side to right, because if the player keeps on the left side, he/she will come across the wall between the player and Chaos Emerald. Once the player has choose the right side and used Pogo Springs to reach the top of Special Stage, the Chaos Emerald can be collected.

Third Special Stage
The player starts on the small room, which only has ventilation pipe on right, which the player has to enter. The player is able to control Sonic on the pipe, when there are crosses and separating pipes, use the D-pad to change the direction. The player keeps entering four rooms, that have another ventilation pipe to enter by. After four rooms, there comes the crossing on pipe system when the player has to press up on D-pad in order to go right path.

If the player keeps going on the same pipe, he/she eventually come to large room with numerous springs that keep bouncing Sonic to right. The player then enters back to one of two ventilation pipes to repeat the moving pattern as loop if the player doesn't use D-pad to switching paths. If the player has choose right upper bath before, it leads to room with Chaos Emerald to collect.

Fourth Special Stage
The fourth Special Stage is long, traditional platforming level, where the player has to reach at the end of the stage to collect Chaos Emerald fast as possible. There are two sections in the stage, where are bottomless pits located. If the player falls down on them, the Special Stage ends normally without getting Chaos Emerald. The player can use Rocket Shoes at monitors to fly over them. There are numerous springs set on the stage, which the player has to use to reach to the end, while also avoid the back aiming ones to not waste time. Small island between bottomless pits has ten Super Ring monitors to collect. The Chaos Emerald at the end of stage is on large hill, which is unable to reach by jumping. In this case, the player has to break monitor with Rocket Shoes in to fly over bottomless pit and reach at the top of the hill to collect Chaos Emerald.

Fifth Special Stage
The last of five Special Stages is another ventilation pipe maze, similar to third one. However this one is far larger than the third one, and the player has to get used to D-pad controlling for choosing the right paths. The player starts from the large room and enters quickly to the pipe maze. There are four extra rooms to visit: the small one right after entering the maze with Time Stop monitor, the second larger room with Time Stop monitor above the entering room, the third room with full of rings and which is located above the second room. In the final room, the Chaos Emerald is located. If the player chooses the wrong patterns, he/she eventually come to one of rooms or come back to starting point from the upper ventilation pipe.

The fastest route to clear the Special Stage follows: enter the pipe maze, go up at first crossing, keep going up until the pipe turns to right and the pipe ends to crossing with up and down routes. Choose the lower route, keep going on to right without turning nowhere while the pipe goes right and then up. Then at the first crossing on upward direction, choose the left and you will eventually to room with Chaos Emerald. However the player has to jump at right time entering to avoid touching backwardly oriented spring, which will otherwise turn the player back to pipe maze. The player can then collect Chaos Emerald and clear the stage.

Trivia

 * During the first Special Stage, numerous giant rings are seen formating names M.Shima, Ray and 5OOZO, which are amortization names for designers of the game and are also listed on the end credits.
 * Even through Tails is unable to enter these Special Stages, he can get automatically the good ending after completing the game normally with him as playable character.