Special Stage (Sonic Blast)

Special Stages in Sonic Blast are a series of special levels. Here, the player is seen running forward on huge checkerboard arena with the mountain background seen further away. In order to enter the Special Stage, the player has to find hidden Giant Ring around the first two Acts of each Zone. It should be noted that the player can enter Special Stages with Chaos Emerald as a reward in Act 2, while Act 1 Special Stages grant 1ups after completing one.

Gameplay
When the player enters the Special Stage, his/her goal is to collect 50 Rings each time in order to receive Chaos Emerald/1up as reward. The player is controlling Sonic the Hedgehog/Knuckles the Echidna, who are constantly moving forward. The player can move the playable character sideways by pressing left or right on and able to Spin Jump by pressing  or  button. There are lines of Rings found when the player moves forward, some of which the player has to reach by jumping multiple times. There are blue Dash Panels that provide extra amount of speed for few seconds. Bumpers can bounce backwards a short distance if the player moves towards it. Red Springs can provide medium leap towards the mid-air for reaching Rings above like the Spin Jump.

Special Stages found in Act 1 feature green checkerboard terrain with the reward being 1up, while Special Stages found in Act 2 have red colored checkerboard terrain with Chaos Emeralds. Both types of Special Stages have five different layouts. If the player fails to collect 50 Rings, Dr. Robotnik can be seen flying past the screen, while stealing the 1up/Chaos Emerald in front of the player's eyes. The player will be then sent back to the latest Marker found in the Act. Collecting 50 Rings will reward the player with single Chaos Emerald and collecting all five of them will give the access to hidden final boss in Silver Castle Zone Act 3.