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This location exists primarily or exclusively within the Sonic Boom continuity.
Information in this article may not be canonical to the storyline of the games or any other Sonic continuity.
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Abandoned Research Facility
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The Abandoned Research Facility (古代族の研究施設 Kodai-zoku no kenkyū shisetsu?, lit. "Research Facility of the Ancient Tribe") is the second area of Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric.[1] It is the hidden ruin of a research facility belonging to the Ancients which has been deserted for a long time. It can be entered after obtaining the Shock Crystal and unlocking the level's Crystal Lock in Cliff's Excavation Site.

Long after its abandonment, Team Sonic came to the Abandoned Research Facility to find the Sun Crystal. In addition to the Crystal, the team also found MAIA, who would lead them to a map for the other Crystals' locations, and Shadow.

Description[]

The Abandoned Research Facility is located within a tropical region. The landscape surrounding the facility is a distant, mountainous archipelago, where large palm trees and lush grass grow in abundance on top of rocky cliffs. Ancient rocky structures resembling watchtowers can also be seen on each island.

The Abandoned Research Facility resembles an industrial factory crossed with a temple ruin. It is made from pale rocks with metallic runes and markings covering the walls, and holds scaffolds with artistic frameworks. Over time, weed, moss, vines and colossal roots have grown through the walls and into the factory. While the place appears inactive, it contains several advanced machines and power sources that are still operational, like siding doors, control panels, force fields, batteries, elevators, conduits and fuse boards. The interior of the facility is lit up by faint blue lights on the walls.

The Abandoned Research Facility is split into the upper and lower levels. The upper levels, despite the flora, some collapsed scaffolds and cracks in the walls, remain in surprisingly good condition, and consist of large and bright rooms. The lower levels are more dark and resembles sewers flooded with water. These levels consist of tunnels and large metallic maintenance rooms connecting said tunnels. Down there, there is also a colossal flooded room for housing a massive thing and an abandoned laboratory with a time machine.

Story[]

A thousand years ago, the Ancients hid the Sun Crystal in the Abandoned Research Facility so that Lyric could not find it.

In the present day, Team Sonic came to the Abandoned Research Facility to find the Sun Crystal, but got split up when Sonic and Tails got trapped in the lower levels via a trap door. As Knuckles and Amy continued onward to meet up with their friends, they met an old robot named MAIA who had to find Sonic as only he could stop Lyric. Due to a slip of the tongue, Knuckles told MAIA where he was.

Sonic and Tails soon met MAIA, who explained she helped imprison her creator Lyric a thousand years ago and that there once was a map leading to the Crystals Sonic seeks. She thus unveiled a time machine which could take them back in time to when the map still existed. With Knuckles and Amy's aid, they restored power to the facility for the time machine, while Knuckles and Amy got the Sun Crystal.

Before MAIA had a time portal ready, Sonic and Tails met Shadow who intended to prove Sonic's weakness with a fight. Their battle took them through time portals to different eras, until Sonic kicked Shadow into a portal leading to the near future. Sonic and Tails then resumed their trip to the intended time.

Lyric soon after came to the Abandoned Research Facility, only to find the Sun Crystal gone. There, Lyric met Dr. Eggman who tried to make him surrender the secrets to his technology using the Destruction Troops. However, Lyric retook control of his robots, so Eggman made an uneasy partnership with him instead. Learning they had a common enemy in Sonic, Eggman agreed to help Lyric recover the Crystal map which Sonic now had. When Eggman returned to report that he had lost the map, but also claimed that he had killed Team Sonic, Lyric had anticipated his failure and sent his Driller Worms to find the Crystals.

Gameplay[]

In the Abandoned Research Facility, the player passes through several rooms inside the complex. Like other areas in the game, the Abandoned Research Facility includes a speed level section, where the player runs down a long path with speed-enhancing gimmicks while avoiding hazardous obstacles, and as well slower-paced areas for exploration and combat. It also features the standard puzzles that the player must solve with the Enerbeam mechanic and Buttons. This level also introduces tiles puzzles where the player must find and step on a white tile and then press a series of blue tiles in the right sequence to proceed.

Despite all four characters being available, the Abandoned Research Facility contains only gimmicks for Sonic, Knuckles and Amy's character actions. This include Spin Balls for Sonic, Climbable Walls and Ceilings for Knuckles, and Beam Swing and Balance Beams for Amy. There are also Hydro Gates which allows the player to run across water sections with the Hydro Dash, where the player has to dodge obstacles and jump off ramps. Environment hazards in this area include only bottomless pit and mines in the Hydro Dash sections. Additionally, there lie Commando Husks all around which the Parasite Snakes can possess, thus creating stronger and tougher enemies.

Overview[]

Abandoned Research Facility 012

An Ener-Rail section in the Abandoned Research Facility.

In the Abandoned Research Facility, the main objective is to collect the Sun Crystal. The level begins in the cave, where the player has control of all of Team Sonic. Here, they have to enter speed section that is marked with a Boost Ring. Shorting after entering the speed section, there will be a fork in the road where the player can use an Ener-Rail to take a shortcut and clear the speed section after. Upon getting out of the cave, the player has to ride an Ener-Rail through the air to another speed section. On the way along this new speed section, the player must watch out for obstacles and not fall off the road. At the end of the speed section, the player will be taken to the front entrance of the research facility, with all of Team Sonic under their control. Enter the building from there, and the playable characters will arrive in front of an area with blue floor tiles. These tiles will light up when the characters step on them. Here, the player has to step on tiles that light up until all the appropriate tiles has been lit up. Once done, a staircase will be revealed. Go up these stairs and enter the next platform, where there will be another tile puzzle to solve. While solwing this puzzle, the player will be attacked by Parasite Snakes. Once the tile puzzle is solved, Zip Targets will dop down from the ceiling. Use these gimmicks with the Enerbeam to reach the next room above. In the next room, the player has to use either Amy or Knuckles to climb the ledges in front of them. After scaling them, go to the right and follow the path with either characters to reach the path on the far wall. Once on this path, go to the left until the characters reach glowing grabbling hooks. Pull these with the Enerbeam to move a scaffold into place and activate a Bounce Pad. Use then this Bounce Pad to reach the plaform above. Up there, pull the switches with both Knuckles and Amy's Enerbeams together to open a door on the floor.

After Sonic and Tails have been split from Knuckles and Amy, the player assumes control over the latter two. The player must then enter the opened door. In the next room, the player has to climb a high wall with either Knuckles or Amy. At the top of the wall, use the Zip Targets to cross a gap, and follow the path through a door to a round patform in a large room. In the middle of this platform, the player will be attacked by a Gunslinger Trooper. After destroying it, a Button will be revealed. Press it and the bridge to the plaform will retract and start to turn towards the next door. While this happens, the player will be attacked by a finite wave of Destruction Troops. Once the bridge connects to the next door and the enemies have been defeated, the player can move on. In the next room, Amy and Knuckles must both use their Enerbeam on latches to lower two pillars with Bounce Pads on them. Use these Bounce Pads to reach a Button above and press it to move the force-field blocking the path. Use then a Zip Target to reach a hidden Button on the left and press it to move the force-field again. The player then has to go down to floor where they have to solve a new tile puzzle while being attacked by Parasite Snakes than can reboot nearby Swordsman Trooper Commando Husks. Once the force-field is down, ride the Bounce Pads behind it up to the door above. Once in the next room, after passing a Checkpoint, press a nearby Button to extend a bridge over to a round patform. Press then the Button on the plaform to make the plaform go up. Alon the way however, the player will be attacked by three waves of enemies. After each wave is cleared, press the local Button again to make the platform ascend. Once at the top, after passing another Checkpoint, use the Enerbeam to pull another latch and open a door into a room with two batteries. Each battery is at the end of a different path. Knuckles has to take the wall with Climbable Walls and Ceilings while Amy must take the path with Balance Beams. At the end of each path, the player must then pull an Enerbeam latch to lower the force-field in the previous room. The characters are then transported to the force-field's entrance where they must pass through a tunnel with conveyor belts, tree roots blocking the path, and gaps that must be crossed with the Enerbeam. Once out of the tunnel and in the next room, the player has to rise a platform by pressing the appropriate Buttons. For each Button pressed, the platform will rise higher and reveal another Button to press on different sides of the platform's revealed layers. Once the plaform is high enough, use the Enerbeam to lower two Tubes. Ride one of these Tubes up to the upper floor where another set of latches must be pulled with the Enerbeam. This will in turn move more Tubes into place. Rides then the Tubes on the floor again to reach a circular plaform. There, the player must clear out more Destruction Troops to activate a Button. Press the button to make the bridge leading to the exit position itself appropriately. While waiting for this to happen, the player has to defeat more Destruction Troops. Once the path is open, follow it into a corridor to the outside of the facility. There, a cutscene will play.

Abandoned Research Facility 144

A Hydro Dash section in the Abandoned Research Facility.

After the cutscene, the player is taken to Sonic and Tails's location, whom the player assumes control of. The player starts out in a chamber. Here, follow the path with a Boost Pad on it into a larger room with a Checkpoint and a Hydro Gate at the end. Pass through the Hydro Gate and Hydro Dash through the corridor behind the Hydro Gate. Along this path, the player has to watch out for obstacles such walls, low-set bumps, and large Mines. At the end of this path, the player arrives in a large maintenance room with a Checkpoint and different Destruction Troops. Follow the path on the left up to the top and utilize the Spin Ball to open up the next gate and set up the Hydro Gate in front of it. Go then back to the beginning of this room and pass through the Hydro Gate for another Hydro Dash section. Here, the path the player follows will be much like the first Hydro Dash section, except with the addition or more surfaces to run into and ramps. At the end of this section, the player enters another large maintenance room with a Checkpoint and more enemies. Follow the path on the right side of the room and use the Spin Ball at the end to activate a Bounce Pad on the other side of the room. Go then over there and use the Bounce Pad to reach another Spin Ball and use it to open up another gate and position its Hydro Gate in front of it. Pass then through this Hydro Gate for another Hydro Dash section. This Hydro Dash section features no new obstacles, but instead more of the old ones. Eventually, the player will arrive in a huge room with a Checkpoint at the beginning. Follow the scaffolds to the end and then use the Enerbeam to travel across a bottomless pit with a series of Zip Targets. At the end, the player will reach the Time Machine room, and a cutscene will play.

After the cutscene has played, the player takes control of Knuckles and Amy again, but in another section. Follow first the tunnel with the Checkpoint into another room, where the generator is located high above. Utilize either the Climbable Walls and Ceilings for Knuckles and/or the Balance Beams for Amy to get to the top. Once up there, the player has to go to each of the four power stations up there and pull their latches with the Enerbeam to cut off the main power. During this, the player may come under attack by Destruction Troops. Once all the power stations have been deactivated, the Sun Crystal will be unlocked. The player then assumes control over Sonic and Tails again, who must fight Shadow. After defeating him, the player moves directly onto Lyric's Weapon Facility.

Boss[]

SBRoL 5-10

Shadow the Hedgehog

The boss of the Abandoned Research Facility is Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic's arch-rival. He can be fought directly after reaching the end of the Abandoned Research Facility. For this boss battle, the player controls Sonic and Tails.

During this battle, Shadow will attack with an energy charge, Chaos Spears and the Chaos Blast. To defeat Shadow, watch his movements and strike when he is vulnerable. Go three rounds with him to complete this boss.

Collectibles[]

This level has the following total of collectable items:

Gallery[]

Concept artwork[]

Gallery

Artwork[]

Music[]

Name Artist(s) Length Music track
N/A (Amy & Knuckles) Richard Jacques 2:35
N/A (Sonic & Tails) Richard Jacques 2:23
N/A (Generator) Richard Jacques 3:29

Video[]

References[]

  1. Sonic Toon. ワールド紹介 (16 October 2014). Retrieved on 17 October 2014.

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