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Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Angel Island Zone
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Angel Island Zone
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A green Zone like a tropical paradise.


— Description, Sonic the Hedgehog 3[1]

Angel Island Zone (エンジェルアイランド[1] Enjeru Airando?, lit. "Angel Island") is the first Zone of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and the lock-on game Sonic 3 & Knuckles. It is a tropical jungle located near the coast of the Floating Island. As with other Zones in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Angel Island Zone is divided into two Acts, with a boss battle at the end of them.

Description[]

Angel Island Zone is a large jungle system located near the coast of the Floating Island. Having been compared to a tropical paradise, the area is full of greenery,[1] with exotic plants and palm trees decorating it. There are also many waterfalls and water pools. Unstable wooden bridges and large trees are present as well.

After being set on fire by Dr. Eggman's Fire Breaths, most of Angel Island Zone started to burn down. The background in this section is full of fire, and most plants are burning down.

Story[]

With Miles "Tails" Prower having detected strange energy readings coming from the Floating Island with his Jewel Radar, Sonic the Hedgehog traveled to the island with Tails, with Angel Island Zone being their first designated destination.[2] Upon approaching the island, Sonic used the Chaos Emeralds he had collected earlier to turn into Super Sonic and storm the island, only to get knocked out of his Super State by a cheap shot from Knuckles the Echidna, the guardian of the Floating Island, who subsequently stole the Emeralds and ran off.

Making their way through the Zone, Sonic and Tails witnessed Dr. Eggman's Fire Breaths settling Angel Island Zone on fire with a barrage of fire bombs. After destroying one of the Fire Breaths that returned to finish them off, they found Eggman's Flying Battery blimp trying (in vain) to stop them, and shortly afterward, they had a showdown with the doctor himself in his own Egg Scorcher Mk. III. After defeating him, the heroes found Knuckles again, who triggered a trap via a Switch that sent them plummeting into Hydrocity Zone.

Much later, Knuckles was resting in Angel Island Zone when he was attacked by an Eggrobo, who dropped a bomb on him. Thanks to his toughness or sheer luck though, Knuckles survived this. Infuriated, he made his way through the Zone to pursue his assassin, where he witnessed Dr. Eggman's Fire Breaths settling the area on fire once again. After destroying a Fire Breath, he continued through the tunnels under the surface of the area. Afterward, he found the EggRobo that attacked him earlier in its own version of the Egg Scorcher Mk. III. After defeating the robot, Knuckles went to Hydrocity Zone, jumping off the bridge to get down there.

Gameplay[]

Angel Island Zone is a slow-paced Zone, often giving the player some basic platforming to introduce them to the game. Despite this, some basic gimmicks, such as loops and vines, are present.

Act 1 is less linear than the first half, having many alternate paths that feature more secrets than others. There is also a giant tree trunk, which the player can only pass through if they build up enough speed. After the Fire Breaths set Angel Island Zone on fire, the Act will become more straightforward. Act 2 features more platforming and makes use of simple puzzles involving switches. It is also common to find tunnels in this Act.

Overview[]

Act 1[]

Angel Island Zone Act 1 is the first Act in the game, and as such the easiest. Most alternative routes at the start of it are located in the top part of the Act, and are as such needed to be reached through basic platforming, sometimes rewarding the player with monitors. The bottom sections, on the other hand, are more straightforward and shorter. They also feature more enemies and less secrets.

Later through the Act, the player will run through the inside of a giant tree trunk to find many Fire Breaths settling the Zone on fire via a rain of fire bombs. From this point on, the Act will be more straightforward, though with a few secrets. Eventually, the road will split into two, allowing travel through an upper and lower route, the lower route featuring underwater segments. Near the end of the Act, a bridge on the upper route will allow a player to swing across into a loop leading to the final section, where the route to the Fire Breath is waiting. The lower route contains a small underwater section. However, one must be very careful, as Knuckles can easily become trapped down here (as he is unable to jump high enough to reach the platform with the Spring). Furthermore, there are no air bubbles here. To avoid drowning, Knuckles must climb the furthest left wall in this pool and climb out and take the upper route.

After this section, there will be a tunnel section sealed by rocks, above which is a series of platforms leading to a ramp. The upper route is reserved for Sonic and Tails' version of the fight, as Knuckles is unable to reach the upper platforms with his shorter jumps. Instead, Knuckles will have to take the sealed path exclusively for him, which leads him to his version of the Fire Breath fight.

Act 2[]

Sonic and Tails' version of Angel Island Zone Act 2 is similar to Act 1. Water pools are more prominent here than in the previous Act. Sometimes, the player also has to use switches to open paths. The start of the act features a long wind tunnel into the new area which gives Sonic and Tails a Giant Ring automatically.

Continuing to the right is an upper and lower path, separated by a waterfall. Using the platforms to reach the top of the waterfall will reveal a Bloominator hiding an Extra Life monitor. Watch out for the Catakiller, Jr. in the bottom of the pool. A spring is hidden underneath the central rock pile in the pool. The upper route contains a RhinoBot and a moving swing; however, it is burned and will drop the player directly into the lower route halfway through. The lower route is bricked off by walls which grants a Water Shield with another Rhinobot on the other side. Past this are several water pools, the first of which hides another Extra Life monitor. The rest of the pools contain rotating spikes which must be avoided and a tall ramp leading to the next section.

The next section contains an upper and lower route: the lower route, bricked off by rocks, leads into a one-way wind tunnel underwater with a spring. Though the path is initially walled off, to the right is a hidden switch inside a tunnel, which (upon pressing) will simultaneously drain the water and remove the wall, allowing passage. Another Caterkiller, Jr. is located at the far right as well as a Star Post. From here the path will fork off, depending on whether one falls through the rotating block bridges. After falling through the first one, another Caterkiller Jr. is sighted as well as an Electric Shield, which Sonic can use to double jump back up to the higher bridge. If not, there is another rotating block bridge to the right which will lead the player into a breakaway piece of ground which connects back to the main route. If one falls through the second rotating bridge, they will be forced to take an underwater path, dealing with a swing and a very large spike field. There is an Extra Life monitor hidden in the one open area in the underwater spike section.

The upper route can be accessed by jumping up onto the floating platform, which will reveal a similarly placed wall and switch (which are above water). An Electric Shield is hidden behind some rocks on the left island. Both of the switches serve the same purpose and drain the water and open both platforms, so it does not matter which is pressed. The upper walled off path contains walls surrounded by spikes which only Tails can fly up through. Above this is a Bloominator and some more crumbling platforms which lead into three loops featured in the lower route. If one reaches the top platform just before the first loop, there will be another Bloominator and an Extra Life monitor.

The two paths eventually converge again, requiring the player to make use of the loops and dodge disappearing platforms. To the last water pool on the right is another hidden Giant Ring, while the second-to-top platform hides two Ring Monitors and a Bubble Shield. Watch out for the Rhinobot on the top platform and the bridge (which will break away). After some spikes, the player will find a palm tree with a Monkey Dude, a Fire Shield hidden on top of the tree. After spin dashing up the ramp, one will access another Star post and a long wind tunnel leading to the final section.

The end of the act features a long wind tunnel which will lead Sonic and Tails to an open field, where the Flying Battery blimp tries to bomb them, launching missiles at them. Afterward, they will spot Dr. Eggman in his Egg Scorcher Mk. III beyond a forest of trees in the background. After he escapes, the forest section ends and leads to a platform with a bridge, which is where the boss is fought.

As Knuckles, Angel Island Zone Act 2 is an entirely different level taking place mostly in underground tunnels. Interestingly, Knuckles can proceed throughout the entire level without needing to glide or climb at all. At the very start is a Fire Shield to the left of some spikes. Some of the level is comprised of loops, with many sections featuring spikes, crumbling ground, and springs. Unlike Sonic and Tails, Knuckles does not encounter the Flying Battery blimp along the path leading to the fight against the Egg Scorcher Mk. III. The end of Knuckles' version of the Act consists of several walls which must be knocked down. These lead directly into the forest described into the section above at the end of the Act, while Knuckles bypasses the long field itself. The rest of the Zone is the same for him.

Knuckles' version of this Zone contains two Star Posts and is considerably shorter and more straightforward than Sonic and Tails' version. Knuckles' version also only has a single route as opposed to the multiple usually available. Taking Knuckles' version also misses out on two Giant Rings, as none are present in his version of Act 2.

Bosses[]

Act 1[]

Main article: Fire Breath

The sub-boss of Angel Island Zone is Fire Breath, a hovering robot that is equipped with a flamethrower and rocket launchers. It needs to be hit six times to be destroyed.

Knuckles fights this boss in a lower location with a greater difficulty than Sonic and Tails' version.

Act 2[]

Main article: Egg Scorcher Mark III

The boss of Angel Island Zone is the Egg Scorcher Mark III, a modified Egg Mobile equipped with two cannon-like weapons that shoot fireballs across the arena. The player needs to hit the Egg Scorcher Mark III eight times to destroy it.

Giant Ring locations[]

Act 1[]

  • Instead of going to the right at the first set of vines, the player should go down and to the left. The player must Spin Dash into the wall there to find the Giant Ring. Watch out for the Monkey Dude in the tree before breaking through the rock to the Giant Ring.
  • After the Fire Breaths bombard the island, the player must go down into the gap by the springs and then spin dash into the left wall. They must then take the red Spring, break the top and fall back down, and a Giant Ring will pop up.

Act 2[]

  • At the start of the Sonic/Tails path, the player should slide into the Ring's room.
  • After the switch that lowers the water in the Sonic/Tails path, the player must go down both flipping platform sets. They should continue until the characters hit the two disappearing platforms. The player must then go into the water and Spin Dash up the right wall while holding right to find the Ring.

Other game appearances[]

Sonic Jam (Game.com)[]

In Sonic Jam, Angel Island Zone is where the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 portion of the game takes place.

Trivia[]

  • A persistent rumor is that it is possible to defeat the Fire Breath in its initial encounter if a player acts quickly enough with Sonic or Tails. This is simply untrue, however: as the encounter is a scripted event, the Fire Breath is coded to take a staggering 255 hits instead of 6 in that specific encounter, and it flees immediately after launching its firebombs, making it impossible to defeat it at that point by any known means.
  • There is a glitch in Act 1 which causes its music to change to the Act 2 music after the completion of a Special Stage or a Bonus Stage, but this only happens after the area is set ablaze. This was partially fixed in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, where the Act 2 music would only play after the completion of a Bonus Stage. In the Sonic Origins remaster, this glitch is fully fixed.
SO Eggrobo Egg Scorcher MkIII

The unused Eggrobo sprite

  • Knuckles' version makes it considerably more difficult to get Giant Rings; of the four Sonic and Tails can access, two are only accessible by Knuckles as he takes a different route.
    • However, it is still possible for Knuckles to reach Sonic's route in Sonic Origins by grabbing the bit of the ledge directly above the spike blocking the pathway. By doing so, Knuckles will fight the Fire Breath on Sonic's arena and progress through the rest of Sonic's route as normal, allowing Knuckles to get the two Giant Rings exclusive to Sonic's route.
      • If this is done in original versions of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, no boss will appear but the Fire Breath can be seen firing missiles and the missiles landing and exploding. As there is no boss for Knuckles to damage, he cannot progress and must lose a life from the missiles. This is because the original game expect Knuckles to be in the location where he would normally fight the Fire Breath, and the Fire Breath's coordinates are not adjusted when Knuckles reaches the location intended for Sonic. Due to the different game engine used in the Origins remaster, this error is corrected and Knuckles can progress properly in that version.
      • As the player is not intended to reach Sonic's route as Knuckles, after the bomber airship is passed, Dr. Eggman will still appear in the Egg Scorcher Mark III flying in the forest in the background, although Knuckles will actually fight Eggrobo. Unlike most of the updated Eggrobo replacement sprites designated for Sonic Origins, this sprite was not replaced in the aforementioned remake and still remains with Dr. Eggman piloting the vehicle through the forest, regardless of the character. An unused sprite with Eggrobo designated for replacing Eggman exists in the game files.
  • When playing as Sonic and Tails in Debug Mode in original releases, the player is not allowed to access Knuckles' version of the Fire Breath. Attempting to do so will after a certain point will simply push the screen up into Sonic and Tails' section, where they fight the Fire Breath. Sonic can be placed just behind the boulders, though he will automatically die before the second platform. Sonic/Tails can enter Knuckles's arena properly when using Debug Mode in the Sonic Origins remaster.
  • A remixed version of the music in this Zone was composed by Jun Senoue for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and was also used in the True Blue: The Best of Sonic the Hedgehog album, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The remixed version in Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the only remixed Sonic song in the Super Smash Bros. series.
  • When moving on to Act 2, the player still has access to a large portion of Act 1 after accessing a Star Post or a Bonus/Special Stage.
  • After defeating the Act 2 boss, when Knuckles destroys the bridge, Sonic or Tails can jump off just as it falls apart and roam around on the ledge where the boss battle was fought. Additionally, Tails can fly on the platform where Knuckles is standing. In co-op mode, it is possible for him to carry Sonic up to this area as well. Knuckles' theme music repeatedly plays, and Knuckles just stands there laughing. The Zone does not end until Sonic or Tails falls down either of the two gaps where the bridges were and into Hydrocity Zone.
First4Figures Diorama SonicandTailsCombo

The Tropical Jungle and exclusive editions of the statue, by First 4 Figures.

  • High-end figure company, First 4 Figures, produced a diorama statue based on the Zone. It features Tails flying and lifting Sonic, with Spikes and a RhinoBot in the scenery. It comes in three editions; regular, exclusive and Tropical Jungle. The regular and exclusive versions depict the Zone on fire.
  • An alternate version of the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 intro featured Sonic surfing onto the island, which was replaced in favor of Knuckles knocking the Chaos Emeralds from Super Sonic. The Sonic surfing sprites can be viewed in Debug Mode.
  • When playing as Knuckles, one can see the sky in some parts of the background in Act 1, where when playing as Sonic and/or Tails the player could see the ocean. This suggests that Knuckles' story takes place after Sonic and/or Tails' version.
  • This Zone provides many opportunities to collect extra lives through surplus of Rings as well as Extra Life Monitors.

Changes in Sonic Origins[]

  • Sonic now has jumping and transforming sound effects in his intro cutscene, and he kicks up sand plumes when flying over the beach.
    • During this same cutscene, Knuckles now gets into a fighting stance before grabbing the Emeralds from Sonic instead of standing still.
    • In addition, Tails now appears by walking into the scene from the left-hand side of the screen instead of flying in from above.
    • If the player has collected all the Super Emeralds, Sonic transforms into Hyper Sonic during the cutscene instead of Super Sonic.
  • Tails has a new introduction cutscene where he lands the Tornado on the beach and proceeds into the jungle on foot.
    • In Sonic Origins Plus, this cutscene is modified if playing as Amy. Much like Sonic, she rides on the Tornado, with Tails landing it on the beach and Amy heading into the jungle on foot.
  • Knuckles' intro cutscene from Sonic & Knuckles is reimplemented. It strangely takes place in Mushroom Hill despite Knuckles starting at Angel Island.
  • The grabbable swings now have a smoother animation.
  • Characters now use smooth sprite rotation when swinging around the long vine Zip Lines.
  • The large spiral tree prior to the first encounter with Fire Breath no longer caps the player's speed. As a result of this, the player may actually speed up while inside it.
  • Activating a door switch in Act 2 causes the camera to shake.
  • Underwater flames in Act 2 have been removed.
  • The Flying Battery airship in Act 2 has been lowered to reveal more sections of the airship previously unseen in the original game.
  • Tails no longer gets hit by the bombs if he is following the player. Instead of catching up and skidding back, he instead keeps his pace with the player.

Music[]

Name Artist(s) Version Length Music track
"Angel Island Zone Act 1" Sega Sonic 3 & Knuckles 2:21
Sonic & Knuckles Collection "FM Synthesizer" 2:10
"General MIDI" 1:06
"Angel Island Zone Act 2" Sega Sonic 3 & Knuckles 2:17
Sonic & Knuckles Collection "FM Synthesizer" 2:08
"General MIDI" 1:03

Video[]


References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 40.
  2. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction booklet, pgs. 4-6.

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