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Launch Base Zone
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Launch Base Zone
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A huge fortress Zone created for the reconstruction of the Death Egg.


— Description, Sonic the Hedgehog 3[1]

Launch Base Zone (ランチベース[1] Ranchi Bēsu?, lit. "Launch Base") is the sixth Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and the lock-on game Sonic 3 & Knuckles. In the standalone game, it is also the final Zone of the former, though not the latter. It serves as Dr. Eggman's operations base on the Floating Island, having been created specifically for repairing the damaged Death Egg. Filled with deadly contraptions and hordes of Badniks, the fortress would be left abandoned later on, but still active.

Description[]

Launch Base Zone, being the launch site of the Death Egg, features many defenses designed to keep out intruders. The surface of the Zone is primarily yellow bricks. There are also many pipes that seem to be used for transporting water, as some parts involve the player using the water flow to speed through the pipes; the Zone is, in fact, in a lake. In fact, the facility seems to heavily depend upon the water tubes to provide energy.

Act 1 is located in a forest near a lilac lake with the Death Egg and some kind of cranes, far away orange mountains with a forest below them, and a clear blue sky as the background. Act 2 on the other hand is located in the lake near the Death Egg; the orange mountains and forest are now far closer in the background, clouds now populate the sky, and the Death Egg and cranes are now gone from the background (as they are now part of the Act itself).

It is worth noting that, despite being a large facility dedicated to the reconstruction of the Death Egg, the fortress has no traces of pollution or nature endangerment at all.

Story[]

After spinning through a tunnel out of the IceCap Zone, Sonic and Tails jumps out of the snow and proceed to stop the relaunch of the Death Egg. Upon reaching the launch site, Dr. Eggman uses three different weapons in an attempt to stop Sonic and Tails from reaching the Death Egg before it can launch: first, he uses a static projectile launcher at the foot of the Death Egg. When that fails, Eggman flees to the Death Egg and Sonic and Tails chase after him in the Egg Mobile he left behind by accidental convenience. However, Knuckles the Echidna will appear to attempt to block Sonic's and Tails' path to the Death Egg by punching them back, still believing them to be trying to steal the Chaos Emeralds. However, the launch sequence for the Death Egg commences, resulting in Knuckles falling into the water along with the beam that he was on, allowing Sonic and Tails to continue with Knuckles no longer interfering in their path to reach Eggman and the Death Egg. Afterward, the duo makes it to a platform on the underside of the Death Egg's hull where Dr. Eggman appears to defeat the heroes with the Egg Rocket. Eventually, it comes down to a showdown between the heroes and Eggman's Big Arms mech.

If playing Sonic the Hedgehog 3 after defeating Eggman in the Big Arms, the Death Egg will explode and fall down once more. If playing its locked-on form, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the hero(es) will then simply fall into Mushroom Hill Zone after defeating the Egg Rocket, while Eggman flees to the Death Egg which has landed on Lava Reef Zone.

In Knuckles' storyline in the lock-on game, he pursues the EggRobo in an abandoned Launch Base Zone. Eventually, Knuckles reaches the foot of the base, where EggRobo engages against the echidna with a rebuilt Egg Rocket and Big Arms. However, the robot was defeated, and resorted to destroying the base with a bomb, causing Knuckles to run off the edge of a pipe and fall into Mushroom Hill Zone.

Gameplay[]

Like many of Eggman's fortresses, Launch Base Zone is protected with an array of hazards, traps, and machinery, such as an alarm system that will spawn a persistent (though easy to defeat) number of Flybot767s, rotating tubes that will make the player move as they spin which later have spikes on the undersides. Other hazards include crushing spikes and flamethrowers, among other obstacles.

In Act 2, new hazards include water (adding a risk of drowning if the player spends too much time underwater without an Aqua Shield) and the infamous Eggman Mark monitor which damages the player if broken. For the player to progress, they must make use of the technology available throughout the Act. Some passageways can only be opened or closed by destroying a nearby monitor, and some of the rotating teacup transports can actually end up reaching the top or bottom of their poles, spin around several times to build up momentum, and then be released, flying into the wall to knock the playable character out of them, but without damaging them. Other gimmicks and items include rotating (and sometimes unstable) platforms, laser gates, Dash Panels, circular tubes and even the water system itself.

This Zone is rendered slightly less dangerous when played in Sonic 3 & Knuckles as opposed to just Sonic 3, with several enemies, mainly the Orbinaut Badniks, and several sets of spikes above doorways removed from Act 1, and Eggman Monitors and some of the boss fights dropped from Act 2. Additionally, once the Zone is cleared, the game will continue on into Mushroom Hill Zone, with Tails flying Sonic into the next Zone after taking down the Death Egg, and the pipe where Knuckles would face his bosses being blown up, sending the echidna falling to the next Zone.

Overview[]

Act 1[]

The Act opens with Sonic and/or Tails jumping out of a trail of snow after arriving in the Zone from IceCap Zone. The player must then make their way across the various buildings, ledges, and passageways. There are multiple paths to take, but most join up again further into the Act. The beginning of this Act leads to an unavoidable elevator Sonic and/or Tails must ride to reach other areas of the Act. The player will be transported downward then upward to other buildings adjacent. Sonic must navigate inside these buildings to proceed further. If playing as Tails alone however, then Tails is instead led straight upward to a higher floor above most of the buildings. Tails uses the roofs to navigate his way towards further areas of the base. Eventually all paths will regroup at one final checkpoint leading towards three swirling pipes towards one large building.

Upon entering a tall building, Eggman can be found carrying the Twin Hammer under his Egg Mobile, but will quickly flee once the playable character reaches the ledge he is on. As Sonic (and/or Tails) gives chase upward by riding the twisting lifts, Knuckles is encountered at the building's top exit. He tosses a bomb, causing the building to become unstable and then he exits it leaving Sonic and/or Tails behind. They escape and drop down to the ledge outside, with the unstable building ultimately collapsing. They then proceed right into the boss arena as Eggman drops off the mini-boss and departs in his Egg Mobile. Hitting him here does nothing, except cause him to display his usual reaction before he escapes off-screen.

If you're playing as Knuckles, he will come to a dead-end at the demolished building, the entrance will no longer be accessible. Knuckles instead climbs on the building's wall as he enters in an alternate way, with this entryway leading him further downward to a basement floor area, where the leftover two containers containing the Twin Hammers are stored. Upon his landing below, the containers soon open simultaneously, and Knuckles is forced to fight the two remaining Twin Hammers. Upon his victory, the tunnel he is standing on explodes, causing him to fall into the drained basement below as the Act soon ends.

Act 2[]

The Act starts in the very room that the Twin Hammer was defeated in. From here, the player must depart to the right and begin making their way across the piping and lake to the Death Egg. Once again, the path breaks off into multiple detours, but will eventually regroup at a few points before even more detours appear or the end is reached. Sonic will eventually come across a large pool of water where he must use a lift to enter in, and then traverse out of it in time. A locked floor nearby prevents him from exploring the lower basement floor. Past this area, Sonic uses a lift to reach a higher piping leading towards the end.

After passing the final Star Post, the player will fight the Egg Cannon. After it is defeated, the playable character will automatically use the Egg Mobile that Eggman left behind to head to the Death Egg. Knuckles appears on a column of scaffolding to stop them but falls off his pillar when the screen shakes. Afterward, the player is taken to the Death Egg's underside, where they will fight the Egg Rocket.

If the original release of Sonic 3 & Knuckles is being played, after the Egg Rocket is destroyed, the platform will break off and Sonic and Tails watch the Death Egg descend back onto the Floating Island as they fall into Mushroom Hill Zone. If only Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is played or the player is playing the version of Sonic 3 & Knuckles from Sonic Origins, the player will fight the Big Arms after defeating the Egg Rocket.

Knuckles' Segment[]

Knuckles starts the Act immediately as the first one concludes. He must explore the basement floor of the construction site in order to eventually make his way back up to ground level. Because the Death Egg is no longer present, much of the water level remains at a low point here, allowing Knuckles to safely explore the depths of the Launch Base without much fear of drowning. He will ride atop many pipelines, steel beams and on hooks until he eventually finds his way out. He must also enter inside two pipelines in order to escape the spiraling maze. This Act overall is very straightforward, any small detours will most likely only yield minor rewards (like a Bubble Shield for example).

Towards the end of the pipeline maze, Knuckles will come across a third breakable and unpassable pipeline with a Snail Blaster positioned on its right side. Once he breaks open this pipe, he must immediately speed out of the remaining path to ground level, for this pipe contains most of the water that was kept stored. The pipe will immediately flood the entire Act back to its usual water levels and unless Knuckles has a Aqua Shield, it won't be long before he drowns due to a lack of air bubbles available. Once Knuckles opens up a locked floor/ceiling near a Red Spring, he will be launched up into Sonic's previously explored area, and much of the path remains the same for a bit.

As Knuckles is unable to reach the lift that Sonic took to reach the edge of this Act, Knuckles is forced to break his way into a lower area of the Act by smashing the blocked wall located underneath the lift (which Sonic and Tails are unable to break). He eventually comes across another transport pipeline, which will send him high above the Launch Base. Traversing above the remaining small pipeline will finally have him reach the end of the act, with the Egg Rocket soon launching itself into battle.

Bosses[]

Twin Hammer[]

Main article: Twin Hammer

The boss of Act 1, this circular robot with two spiked arms homes in on the player while swinging its spikey arms. It is best to hit it when the arms are retracted, although it will retreat once it gets hit to prevent being hit in consecutive amounts. Nonetheless, it degrades after three hits, losing one of its arms, making it easier to defeat it. It is destroyed after six hits. When playing as Knuckles, two Twin Hammers will be fought at once, which both still needs six hits separately from each other.

Egg Cannon[]

Main article: Egg Cannon (boss)

Fought only by Sonic and/or Tails, the first boss of Act 2 consists of Eggman sitting in a normally unreachable pod that he is seen running up and jumping into, where he controls a mechanism that shoots giant bowling-ball like projectiles, one from a hatch next to the floor of the arena, the other from directly above it. There is a small chain-like platform that opens and closes at a 90° angle. When the lower projectile is shot out, the platform will rise open, giving the player a chance to attack without the risk of being hit by the upper projectile launcher. After eight hits, Eggman goes down, and Sonic or Tails will hop into Eggman's Egg Mobile before riding it to a rising platform of his launching Death Egg.

Egg Rocket[]

Main article: Egg Rocket (boss)

Eggman will rise and lower from the right and left sides of the platform inside his rocket, which consists of three segments: the first segment holds Eggman with a small, spiky ball orbiting around him for defense. The second and third ones rotate and shoot beams at the player. Once each segment is hit a few times, it will break off. Finally, the player must avoid the small rotating spiked ball and can deliver the finishing blow.

This is the last boss of Launch Base Zone in the original version of Sonic 3 & Knuckles for Sonic and/or Tails. Otherwise, the player will proceed to fight the Big Arms.

Big Arms[]

Main article: Big Arms

Sonic and Tails will fight this boss after defeating the Egg Rocket in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 or in the 2022 remaster of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, while only Knuckles will fight it in the original version of Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Eggman (or EggRobo) will appear in his Big Arms machine, which is covered with spikes. The only place vulnerable to attack is at the glass of the cockpit, which is partially guarded by two robotic hands. If the player is caught in these hands, the boss will rise up and thrust down to the platform, causing the player to take damage. After eight hits, the Big Arms is destroyed and Sonic or Tails will be treated to watching the Death Egg either vanish in a giant flash (Sonic 3) or fall to a different location, landing on the volcano of Lava Reef Zone (Sonic 3 & Knuckles).

Giant Ring locations[]

Act 1[]

  • The first hidden Giant Ring is found very early on in the act. The player must first drop through the first large rotating tube. After continuing to the left, a tunnel can be found that brings to the hidden ring.
  • The second hidden Giant Ring can only be accessed by Tails in the original versions of Sonic 3 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles; after riding the spinning elevator (which sends Tails upwards), go all the way to the left to ride an ascending teacup. Then jump to the left to move through a chute that leads to a dead-end room with this giant ring. In Sonic Origins, this route is no longer possible due to the elevator moving downwards for Tails as with the other characters. The player will be required to backtrack from the area where the two post-elevator routes meet up at to reach this Giant Ring which still requires Tails as the sole playable character or as a partner character.
  • The third hidden Giant Ring is located in the lower part of the level. Right before the second tube of the path, the player has to jump off the main path to use a red spring on top of a fire-breathing trap to get on a higher platform, then head left past a couple of fire-breathing traps to reach a chute that leads to a dead-end room containing the Giant Ring.

Act 2[]

  • The first hidden Giant Ring is in the first pool of water, all the way to the left.
  • The second hidden Giant Ring is found right after the first checkpoint. On the platform elevator, instead of jumping to the right, the player has to jump to the left
  • The third hidden Giant Ring is between the two rotating pipes on the top path of the level, all the way to the right.
  • The fourth hidden Giant Ring is located under the are of the third one, inside a tunnel on the right.
  • The last hidden Giant Ring is in Knuckles' segment of the level. It is found to the right of the tube that brings to the first checkpoint, in a dead end.

Other game appearances[]

Sonic Generations[]

Main article: Big Arm (Classic)

Launch Base reappears in the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations as the boss level for the Classic Era. The original Big Arm boss is fought in this stage, before advancing into the Dreamcast Era.

In other media[]

Books and comics[]

Sonic the Comic[]

In the Sonic the Comic series published by Fleetway Editions, the Launch Base Zone was a Zone on the Floating Island created by Dr. Robotnik for the purpose of rebuilding his damaged Death Egg II. Once the Death Egg was rebuilt, the Launch Base Zone was destroyed upon the Death Egg's relaunch.

Archie Comics[]

Launch Base Zone

The Launch Base Zone, from Sonic Universe #63.

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, the Launch Base Zone was originally known only as the Launch Base. Like in the games, the Launch Base is an industrial region on Angel Island, but of unspecified origin. During the comic's run, the location was scarcely visited.

After the continuity was rebooted due to the Super Genesis Wave, the Launch Base Zone became virtually identical to its game counterpart, with the addition of ancient technologies found around it.

Trivia[]

  • In Launch Base Zone Act 1, the orange mountains from the background are rounded, but in Launch Base Zone Act 2 they are more conical in shape.
  • The Death Egg missing from Launch Base Zone Act 1's background during Knuckles' playthrough implies it had already been launched (and destroyed). Also, the water level in Launch Base Zone Act 2 is much shallower, implying it has been dried out by the Death Egg's launch.
  • The sky is light blue in Launch Base Zone Act 1, but in Launch Base Zone Act 2 it is sky blue and has a large number of clouds.
  • This is the only Zone in the entire series to have three bosses in total in its second Act, and four bosses in general.
  • By the use of glitches or Debug Mode, it is possible for Sonic/Tails to enter Knuckles' version of the Act 1 boss area, Knuckles to enter Sonic's boss route in Act 2 and vice-versa, causing several gameplay glitches.
    • If Sonic and/or Tails enters Knuckls' boss route in Act 1 and thus having to battle two Twin Hammers instead of one, the game considers the Act to be completed when one of them is destroyed, immediately dropping the Goal Plate while the remaining Twin Hammer continues to attack the player. In most circumstances, the player will die, with Sonic respawning at their correct location in Act 2. Otherwise, Sonic and/or Tails can continue playing through Knuckles' version of Act 2 while the remaining Twin Hammer continues to follow the player throughout the Act.
    • If Knuckles enters Sonic's boss route in Act 2, he won't be able to get past the Egg Cannon without Debug Mode or exploiting a glitch due to his jump height not being high enough to hit Eggman/Eggrobo. Additionally, in the original version of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, when Knuckles rides the Egg Mobile to reach the Egg Cannon/Big Arms he will be knocked back by an "invisible force". The boss fights will still proceed as normal although the Egg Rocket's sprite will also appear garbled. Upon defeating the Big Arms, the same cutscene occurs as if Knuckles defeated the bosses at his original location, but the screen will simply continuously scroll downwards, distorting the graphics throughout the "cutscene" although the player can still continue on to Mushroom Hill Zone.
    • If Sonic or Tails enters Knuckles' boss route in Act 2, it will function similarly to Knuckles' encounter, but with Eggman over Eggrobo. If playing the original Sonic 3, no boss will spawn when the arena is reached, although Sonic/Tails can continue past the end of the pipe and into a bottomless pit with garbled backgrounds. In the original Sonic 3 & Knuckles, after destroying the Egg Rocket, the transition cutscene of either Sonic or Tails to Mushroom Hill Zone still plays out though with the sprites completely garbled. The game won't actually transition unless the player enables Debug Mode to move themselves downwards so that Mushroom Hill Zone is loaded.

Changes in Sonic Origins[]

  • In the original versions of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the breakable pipe parts in Act 2 can only be destroyed by a Spin Dash or a fast enough Spin Attack even if the player is using Super/Hyper Sonic or Knuckles. In the Sonic Origins remaster of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, they are now destroyed automatically like any other breakable barrier in the game when the player comes into contact with them as the aforementioned characters.
  • In Sonic Origins, the spinning elevators are now much faster and use the Super Peel Out sound effects instead of the normal spinning sound.
  • There is an unavoidable spinning elevator near the beginning of the Act where in the original Genesis games, Sonic and Knuckles will be sent downwards, while Tails will be sent upwards. In Origins, Tails is sent downwards, preventing him from accessing his exclusive Act 1 path.
  • When riding the teacups that move upwards, the playable characters now look upwards in Sonic Origins. The teacups also now play a sound effect when they detach from their poles.
  • Knuckles' bomb in Act 1 flashes the screen when it explodes. Also during said scene, Knuckles' bomb throwing animation transitions to his laughter earlier than it did in the original games.
  • In Act 2, while the player rides on the Egg Mobile to reach the last section of the act where the Egg Rocket and Big Arms are fought at, the timer continues counting in the original Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and in Sonic Origins. In the original version of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the timer stops until the player reaches said section.
  • Tails properly joins Sonic in the Eggmobile instead of falling into the water and dying.
  • The Eggmobile "takes damage" when Knuckles punches it, flashing and playing the damage sound effect.
  • During the Egg Rocket and Big Arms battles on the platform, two updrafts have been added to the side to prevent the player from falling off.
  • Big Arms has a new defeat animation where its arms don't fall off until Eggman starts to fall, with the rest of it falling to pieces as soon as Eggman hits the ground at the center of the screen, after which he falls to the bottom of the screen. This immediately cues the cutscene where the Death Egg's launch is thwarted.
  • The new defeat animation applies to Eggrobo as well, although in the transition to Mushroom Hill, he still emerges from the top of the screen despite falling to the bottom.
  • Prior to the 2.0.0 update, the cutscene where the Death Egg falls apart after defeating Big Arms has no music, instead of continuing to play the final boss theme. Since the 2.0.0 update though, the level theme plays during the cutscene and the next cutscene.
  • A score tally appears after defeating Big Arms, and it uses the previously-unused Sonic & Knuckles All Clear jingle instead of the standard Act Clear theme.
  • A previously unused Eggman animation for the cutscene at the end of Act 2 was added to the game. He is incorrectly layered on top of the platform's bars, making him look tiny. The 2.0.0 update fixes the animation.
  • The Sonic & Knuckles title screen sequence has been repurposed as a cutscene after Act 2.
  • In Knuckles' version of Act 2, the Floating Egg Capsule now moves off-screen after the Flickies and Cuckys leave it rather than immediately upon being opened.
  • Knuckles no longer alternates between his hurt and falling sprites in the cutscene after his version of Act 2.
  • Tails correctly has two tails throughout the cutscene at the end of his Act 2, rather than having four of them when he looks into the distance as in the original game.
  • All glitches regarding the transitions of Launch Base Zone Act 1-Act 2 and Act 2-Mushroom Hill Zone due to Sonic and/or Tails entering Knuckles' routes and vice-versa have been fixed. The transition cutscenes being used are now dependent on the location (ie. the route being selected) rather than the player's character(s) being used.
    • If Sonic and/or Tails enters Knuckles' boss room in Act 1, the game now properly registers the Act being completed once both Twin Hammers are destroyed, then Sonic and Tails can explore Act 2 without dying.
    • If Knuckles' enters Sonic's route in Act 2, Eggrobo take Eggman's place during the events. Unlike in the original game, Knuckles does not face backwards when jumping into the Eggmobile, nor will he get knocked back by an "invisble force". Instead, the thrusters that are attached to the Death Egg will take off automatically.
    • If Sonic and/or Tails' enters Knuckles' route in Act 2, these issues were fixed in Sonic Origins, with Knuckles' version of the transition cutscene now being played (and Sonic and/or Tails are required to fight the Big Arms after the Egg Rocket).

Gallery[]

Concept artwork[]

Screenshots[]

Act 1[]

Gallery

Act 2[]

Gallery

Maps[]

Music[]

Name Artist(s) Version Length Music track
"Launch Base Zone Act 1" Michael Jackson's team - unknown Sonic 3 & Knuckles 2:17
Sega Sonic & Knuckles Collection "FM Synthesizer" 2:15
"General MIDI" 1:08
Jun Senoue Sonic Origins 2:28
"Launch Base Zone Act 2" Michael Jackson's team - unknown Sonic 3 & Knuckles 2:12
Sega Sonic & Knuckles Collection "FM Synthesizer" 2:17
"General MIDI" 1:07
Jun Senoue Sonic Origins 2:28

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 45.

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