Special Stage (Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble)

Sonic Triple Trouble's Special Stages were accessed by hitting an item monitor displaying a Chaos Emerald whilst carrying 50 or more rings. The game's five Special Stages came in two varieties: the first, third, and fifth were similar to those of Sonic Chaos, in which the player had to navigate a maze-like level in order to reach the Emerald - all within 90 seconds. Though the Emeralds were hidden less obscurely than in Sonic Chaos, the mazes were much harder to navigate, as there were springs and invisible ledges that could only be crossed through a process of trial and error. The second and fourth stages featured Sonic/Tails in the series' trademark biplane, the Tornado, collecting 80 rings in a short flying course. These stages were considered much easier than the 2D mazes.

What sets this game's Special Stages apart from all others is the fact that at the end of all but the first, the player had to fight a mini-boss in the form of Nack the Weasel. The greedy treasure hunter attacks on the Marvelous Queen, his hoverbike from Sonic Drift 2, each time modified with a different weapon attachment. Amusingly, Nack rarely seemed to understand quite how to operate the weapons at his disposal. Unlike Sonic Chaos, both Sonic and Tails had access to these Special Stages.