Savannah Citadel

Savannah Citadel (クレイ・キャｯスル) is the second Action Stage in the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360 version of Sonic Unleashed. During the events of the game, Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower and Chip travels through this area in their search for Professor Pickle, and later when pursuing Doctor Eggman. It is located in the outskirts of Mazuri village.

Savannah Citadel takes place at open savannah, with an immensely large sandy building in the likeness of a citadel dominating the stage, and some occasional large trees adorning the environment.

Overview
Savannah Citadel is based on various specific places and aspects from Africa. The primary setting for this stage is that of a flat yellow savannah, resembling those found in Africa. As a rather dry environment, roads of reddish-brown soil winds through the savannah area, with patches of scrubgrass growing at both sides of the road. In a few places, there is also wooden stances with multicolored screens hanging over the road, attached near the wooden fences of the road, sometimes even forming short tent-like tunnels.

In the open areas of the savannah, outside of the roads, there grows a few, respectably large, trees, similar to the real-life baobab trees from Madagascar, while also having several exotic wild animals, such as giraffes, standing by at the edge of the road. In these open areas, there can also be found a few Mazurian settlements that are made of sand and mud, such as normal Mazurian residents, which resembles real-life mud houses from Timbuktu and Mali, and larger and more complex beige buildings, which resembles mosques. In the in the forest dominated areas of the savannah, however, there grows much larger versions of the savannah trees, which are dense enough in numbers to cover up much of the areas outside of the roads. One tree in particular is as tall and wide as a skyscraper.

The Savannah Citadel is mostly dominated by a single, immensely large citadel-like building of sand and mud, which is presumably based off the real-life Djinguereber Mosque and/or the Great Mosque of Djenné. This impressive conplex is large enough to almost be a town of its own, and features stone-laid streets and alleys. Besides some wild-growing threes and bushes and a few carpets, this citadel contains very little else.

In the daytime acts, Savannah Citadel is brightly lit up by the strong sun and has clear sky blue skies. In these acts, the player travels across the vastness of the savannah, through the citadel complex, and across the three tops through platforms, poles, Springs, and Rails. When moving through the subgrass at the side of the roads in the daytime acts, it will cause the player to slow down significantly.

In the nighttime acts, Savannah Citadel is only lit up by flaming torches, while having a clear black nightsky, dotted with countless stars. In these acts, the player has to solve several puzzles using blocks and handles to raise wooden platforms and open stone doors, and often walk across thin bars in a tightrope fashion.

Act 1
This act takes place in outskirts of Mazuri, and includes the majority of the Savannah Citadel environment. Here, the player first travels across the open savannah, and then has to make it through the mud citadel, before arriving in the surrounding forest where he/she has to climb a enormous three at the end of the act, with the Goal Ring on top of it. It is in this act where Sonic and Chip are following Dr. Eggman, as they try to get to the Gaia Temple first.

Act 2
This act takes place above the ground in Savannah Citadel, on a race course made of wooden plates on the top of the treetops. Here, the player has to complete a total of three laps on this course within one minute and fifteen seconds, or end up losing a life and having to start over. The area outside the course is a bottomless pit, meaning falling off the wooden race course will cost the player a life. Additionally, the wooden roadway does not have any fences, meaning the player can easily walk over the edge and into the bottomless pit, either by accident or on purpose. The entire act is designed around the Sonic Drift maneuver, which is essential for the player to use if he/she wishes to complete the act in good time.

Act 3
This act takes place entirely on the enormous three at the end of the daytime act 1. Like near the end of the daytime act 1, the player has to lap around the tree in order to make to the Goal Ring. For this act, however, the course has been altered, having been given new and longer paths, such as additional rails and Springs, more enemies, and more dangerous and hazardous obstacles, such as spikes. The entire gameplay takes place 2.5D.

Act 1
This act, for the most part, takes place inside the Savannah Citadel's colossal citadel. There, the player has to enter the citadel and makes his/hers way through it to the other side. While progressing through the citadel, the player can to complete a number of puzzles with pushing stone blocks, pulling handles and raising platforms in order to proceed. At the end of the act, the player then has to defeat several waves of Egg Fighters in order to make the Goal Ring appear. It is in this act that Sonic the Werehog and his allies processes through in order to rescue Professor Pickle from his captivity in Eggman's base.

Act 2
This act takes place in the treetops, far above ground. Here, the player has to make it through a network of balancing beam to different platforms, by walking across them in a tightrope walking fashion, without any means of grabbing onto the beams' edges. Falling off the beams means instant death. At the end of act, the player then has to defeat a Big Mother to make the Goal Ring appear.

Trivia

 * Many levels (including DLC levels) take place or partly take place on a massive tree. If the fight against the Egg Beetle takes place atop this tree as well, then that means that this tree is the location of Mazuri's Temple of Gaia.
 * The baseline from the day Mazuri act, at the very beginning (It is played with a guitar), has the same accompaniment in Back 2 Back (From the act Water Palace) from Sonic Rush.