Scrap Brain Zone


 * For the court in Sega Superstars Tennis, see Scrap Brain Zone (Sega Superstars Tennis).

"Slippery metal floors, razor-sharp saws and grinding wheels — now you're one step away from Dr. Robotnik's hideout!"

- Description from the Instruction manual.

Scrap Brain Zone is the sixth Zone in the original Sonic the Hedgehog. It is Dr. Robotnik's first base and one of his most iconic fortresses.

The stage consists of acres of industrial superstructure. The ground is encased in soulless concrete and steel, and also has a thousand automated factories, belching jet-black pollution into the rancid air as robotic horrors crawl across the metal gangways.

Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)
Scrap Brain Zone from the original Sonic the Hedgehog is the sixth of seven zones. It is a trap-filled industrial stage containing many dangerous machines such as saws, flame vents and disappearing and rotating platforms. Act 1 takes place outside the factory, while Act 2 takes place inside it.

At the end of Act 2, Robotnik appears behind a force field and pushes a button which sends Sonic into Act 3 (the only level-ending sequence in the game). This is a level similar to Labyrinth Zone, except the floors and walls are grey and the water is purple. Unlike all the other Third Acts, there is no encounter with Dr. Robotnik at the end. Instead, Sonic springs directly to the Final Zone.

This difficult third act is essentially a harder rendition of the Labyrinth Zone, mainly because air bubbles are few and far between, forcing Sonic to cover long distances on one breath, racing to the next bubble before drowning. Most of this, however, can in fact be bypassed completely. When Sonic pushes the button at the beginning, causing the floor to move downwards, he can fall in front of it and down the slope. From then on, if he avoids falling down the pits, he will soon find himself at the end of the level. Taking this route, the act can be completed in about 35 seconds with minimum danger to Sonic's life.

Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit)
Scrap Brain Zone also appears in Sonic the Hedgehog for the Master System/Game Gear, as the fifth Zone. Unlike the other stages in the game, Scrap Brain lacks a boss. Scrap Brain Zone Acts 2 & 3 are very maze-like, and Sonic may find himself doubling back to re-activate switches or take a different route through a teleporter platform. The zone is significantly easier here than in the Genesis version.

In lieu of a boss fight, the end of Scrap Brain Zone Act 3 has the player guide Sonic through a maze. Some paths can help guide his way, or some would be blocked off, or require a switch. Afterwards, Sonic chases Robotnik onto a floating platform, which the Doctor uses to flee to his airship hidden within Scrap Brain Zone's industrial smog. After helplessly watching his nemesis escape, Sonic is no doubt relieved to discover the platform comes back down, allowing the hedgehog to continue on to the new and dangerous Sky Base Zone.



Sonic Drift
The 6 racetracks in Sonic Drift take place within the first 6 zones of Sonic the Hedgehog; accordingly, Scrap Brain Zone is one of the courses.

Sonic Drift 2
The future of Robotnik's massive bases after Sonic has defeated the Doctor (this time) is rarely discussed in the games; however, for Scrap Brain Zone, hints as to the South Island base's fate may lie within Sonic Drift 2. The background for the Iron Ruin racetrack bears striking resemblance to the immense industrial zone, though (as the name suggests) the giant manufactures lie corroded and destroyed.

Sega Superstars Tennis
Scrap Brain Zone is an unlockable court in Sega Superstars Tennis. It appears a bit gloomier than the 16-bit version. On the side of the court is the machine Robotnik used as the final boss from Final Zone, still moving up and down. Spectating from the sideline is Metal Sonic and the Egg Gunners from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). This is also the location of many of the missions in Superstar mode. In these missions, Egg Gunners fire at the player while the player is collecting rings and avoiding bombs that resemble Bomb from Knuckles' Chaotix. There are a number of unlockable tracks for this court from different Sonic games: Music from Final Fortress, Bullet Station, Egg Fleet and Scrap Brain Zone are available.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl
The Mega Drive version of the Scrap Brain Zone music is an unlockable prize in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It can only be used in Green Hill Zone or on Custom Stages.

Sonic X
In issue 11 of the Sonic X comic book, Sonic, Amy, Knuckles, Rouge, and Tails find their way to the Scrap Brain Zone while trapped in a virtual reality world resembling the original game. Its portrayal there is very identical to how it looked in the game. While there, the group manages to find and rescue Cream, Cheese and Vanilla.

Archie Comics
In part 2 of the "Genesis" story arc in issue 227, Sonic, Sally and Rotor make it to the Scrap Brain Zone and infiltrate Doctor Eggman's fortress.

Trivia

 * This is the only zone to have a different background per Act, as the other zones shares the same background in all the Acts.
 * The idea of a different background per Act was reused in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I and II.
 * Scrap Brain Zone is the only level in Sonic the Hedgehog that does not give the player an opportunity to warp to the Special Stage—even if they have enough rings—since Scrap Brain Zone is the final level, and the end of Act 2 features a 'cutscene'.
 * A prototype name for this zone was Clock Work Zone. It was also referred to by this name in Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic Volume 3, a manga published in 1991 to coincide with the release of Sonic 1. During early-development of the Sonic the Hedgehog, the in-game footage at the beginning of the level did not correctly render the letter 'W', making the level appear to be called the "Clock Ork Zone".
 * In part 2 of Archie's Sonic Genesis story arc, Sonic and his friends travel across Scrap Brain Zone and "defeat Robotnik"
 * A Scrap Brain Zone remix can be heard in the options menu for Sonic Advance.
 * Scrap Brain Zone Act 1 has a remake in Game Land (Sonic Colors) in 3-2.
 * Oddly enough, Final Zone appears to take place in Act 2 of Scrap Brain Zone, as Sonic falls down a shaft to Act 3 at the end of Act 2 and works his way back up.
 * Scrap Brain Zone Act 3 is practically a fourth act of Labyrinth Zone, complete with enemies from that zone and water.
 * This was the first base of Robotnik's to appear in the series.

Videos
Sonic 1 = Sonic 1 (8-bit)=