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Level Select

The Level Select menu, from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The menu design is later reused in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles.

Level Select, also referred to as Stage Select, Zone Select or Act Select, is a menu in the video games of the Sonic the Hedgehog series. When accessing the Level Select screen, it features every Zone and its Acts, Special Stage, Bonus Stage or multiplayer exclusive levels in the game, which the player can commence gameplay from rather than the first level. In most games, the Level Select menu is the place where the Sound Test feature can be found and the player can also activate other hidden features such as Debug Mode.

Level Select was a hidden feature in the earlier installments and spin-off titles of Sonic the Hedgehog series, usually accessed by a cheat code. Over time, however, Level Select has become a regular menu feature in later games. In such cases, the Level Select only shows a map or a list of Zones/stages that the player has already cleared.

Game appearances[]

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)[]

The Level Select made its debut as a hidden feature in the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog (1991). Here, it is presented as a black screen with the game's title card as a grayscale image in the center of the screen while the Zones (including the Special Stage) and the Sound Test (called the Sound Select) are featured in a list. Oddly, the Level Select refers an "Act" as a "Stage".

To access it, the player must press the following: Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Right, then a Ring chime can be heard. Hold down Sega Genesis A Button and press the start button to enter Level Select menu. In the Japanese version of the game though, the player must press Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Right instead.

In the 2013 remaster of the game, the Level Select menu design exactly resembles the format used in the following main series sequels (Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, etc.). There is also a touchable Controlpadds and a "GO" button to navigate around the menu and confirm selections respectively. In addition, the player can also adjust various options such as enabling seven Chaos Emeralds or determining which character(s) to play as.

To access it, the player has to start the game in "No Save Mode". On the Sega screen, the player has to tap the letters S-E-G-A in that order (a Ring sound plays if the player is successful). The player then has to have two fingers on the screen and wait until the title screen appears, which will redirected to the Level Select menu.

In the Sonic Origins release, the same method from the Genesis version is used to access the Level Select, although it still resembles that of the 2013 remaster.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit)[]

In the Game Gear version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (8-bit), while the game is booting up, the player has to hold Controlpadds southwest + Game Gear I Button + Game Gear II Button at the same time. From there, the player has to continue holding down the buttons and Controlpadds as the title screen appears. When Tails blinks twice for the time on the title screen, the player must press the Start button while still holding the other three buttons down. The player will then enter the Level Select.

In the Master System version of the game, while the game is booting up, the player has to hold Controlpadds left along with Game Gear I Button + Game Gear II Button on the second controller at the same time. From there, the player has to continue holding down the buttons and Controlpadds until the screen turns blue and intro animation starts. With main controller one, the player starts the game to display the Level Select.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2[]

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is the first game to feature a new Level Select menu design which was used in subsequent Mega Drive titles where all Zone names (without the word "Zone") are listed along with their Act numbers. The background is colored blue with multiple texts of "Sonic" and "Miles" which alternate. While a Zone is highlighted, the emblem at the bottom right displays an artwork of the said Zone and while the Sound Test is highlighted, the emblem displays an artwork of Sonic with headphones on.

To access the Level Select, the player has to go to the Sound Test in the Options menu and play the following tunes: 19, 65, 09 and 17. The player will then hear Ring chime and must then return to the title screen by pressing start. Here, the player must press Start while holding Sega Genesis A Button to enter the Level Select menu.

The Level Select also appears in the '"Simon Wai" prototype of the game where its design resembles that of the original Sonic the Hedgehog. To access it, the player has to simply press Start while holding Sega Genesis A Button at the title screen to enter the Level Select menu.

In the 2013 remaster of the game, the menu is styled just like the 2013 remaster of the original Sonic the Hedgehog and the Zone list remains the same apart from the addition of Hidden Palace Zone. In addition, the player can access any Special Stage (including a newly added eighth Special Stage) and an early version of Hidden Palace Zone (though unlisted) by playing a unique combination of tunes from the Sound Test. The Level Select accessed in the same way as in the 2013 remaster of the original Sonic the Hedgehog.

In Sonic Origins, the Options menu is removed, therefore making access to both the Level Select and the Sound Test different than before, now based on the Level Select code seen in Knuckles in Sonic 2. To access it, one must press Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Right Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Right. A Ring chime will sound if successful. Then, they should press X button/Square/Switch y to enter the Level Select menu.

Sonic the Hedgehog CD[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog CD, the Level Select is renamed as the Stage Select. Its menu display is simply a white screen with light blue outlines resembling clouds. The Stage Select now only shows one stage at a time but there are three digits which determine the stage; the first digit determines the Round number, the second determines the Zone number and the third determines the timeline of that Zone. (A is the present, B is the past, C is the good future and D is the bad future.) For example, "1-1-A" corresponds to Palmtree Panic Zone 1 in the present timeline.

To access it, while at the title screen, the player has to press Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Right and hold Sega Genesis B Button to enter the Stage Select. In the Windows 95 version, it is accessed with the same directional inputs but with [SPACE] instead of Sega Genesis B Button.

In the 2011 remaster, the Stage Select is accessible from the Extras Menu after clearing Special Stage's Time Attack with a combined time under five minutes. If the player enters Stage Select after selecting a saved game file then finishing the game or quitting to return the main menu, they will enter gameplay with the chosen character, life count, score and the number of Time Stones carried over from that previous session. The "game data transfer" is also applicable when quitting out of gameplay that was commenced from using Stage Select to return to the main menu, then using Stage Select to commence gameplay again. This feature was removed in Sonic Origins, presumably because of the different save file system implemented across all games.

Sonic Spinball[]

While the Level Select menu does not technically exist in Sonic Spinball, the player can skip to one of three later levels through a similar code. To do this, the player has to go to the options menu and press Sega Genesis A Button Directional-Pad-Down Sega Genesis B Button Directional-Pad-Down Sega Genesis C Button Directional-Pad-Down Sega Genesis A Button Sega Genesis B Button Directional-Pad-Up Sega Genesis A Button Sega Genesis C Button Directional-Pad-Up Sega Genesis B Button Sega Genesis C Button Directional-Pad-Up in that order. A small chime can then be heard and the player must return to the title screen. At the title screen, holding Sega Genesis A Button will take the player to Lava Powerhouse, holding Sega Genesis B Button will take the player to The Machine, and holding Sega Genesis C Button will take the player to the Showdown.

Sonic Chaos[]

In theGame Gear version of Sonic Chaos, when the player enters the title screen with the text "Press Start Button" appearing, press Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Right Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Right Directional-Pad-Right Directional-Pad-Left Game Gear I Button Game Gear II Button Start in that order to enter the Level Select screen.

In the Master System version of the game, similarly to the Game Gear version, when the player enters the title screen with the text "Press Start Button", press Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Right Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Right Directional-Pad-Right Directional-Pad-Left Game Gear I Button Game Gear II Button in that order to enter the Level Select screen.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles[]

The Level Select is featured in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic 3 & Knuckles, which reuses the same menu design from the Level Select in the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Below Angel Island Zone, there is a number that represents the character or characters that the player is currently using; 00 means Sonic and Tails, 01 means Sonic alone, 02 means Tails alone and 03 means Knuckles. In the Level Select of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 though, it lists three zones not present in the game: Flying Battery Zone, Mushroom Valley Zone (Mushroom Hill Zone's name from the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 November 1993 Prototype) and Sandopolis Zone and the artwork of the Zones appears to have been reused from Zones in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. To access it, when the Sega screen starts turning black in the beginning of the game, the player has to quickly press Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up before Sonic smashes the Sega logo on the title screen. After completing the code correctly, the player hears a Ring chime and the "Sound Test" option will appear on the title screen. Selecting it will take the player to the Level Select menu.

In Sonic & Knuckles, the Level Select contains all Zones from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 in addition to its own Zones; selecting any of the Sonic 3 Zones will start the game from the beginning (at Mushroom Hill Zone). To access it, the player has to find one of the manual elevators in Mushroom Hill Zone. After Sonic or Knuckles hangs onto the handle of a manual elevator, the player has to press Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Right Directional-Pad-Right Directional-Pad-Right Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up, and the Ring chime can be heard. From this point on, the player can now press Start + Sega Genesis A Button to return to the title screen. There, the player must hold Sega Genesis A Button + Start after choosing a playable character.

In Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the player has to find one of the swinging ropes with handles in Angel Island Zone. After making the playable character hang onto it, the player has to press Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Right Directional-Pad-Right Directional-Pad-Right Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up and the Ring chime can be heard. From this point on, the player can now press Start + Sega Genesis A Button to return to the title screen. The player can return to the title screen this way where the "Sound Test" option will appear as the third choice on the title screen. Selecting it will take the player back to the Level Select menu.

The Level Select menu is vastly updated in the Sonic Origins release. It is accessed in the same way as with the original Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but the player can input the sequence at any point the "Press Button" prompt appears. This version of the Level Select menu includes proper name for the zones, better organization of the acts, preview icons for the Sonic & Knuckles zones (alongside proper artwork for the Sonic 3 zones instead of reusing the ones from Sonic 2), and modifying how the player character is selected. All multiplayer zones, both of the Blue Sphere modes, and the Gumball Machine Bonus Stage has also been added. It also prohibits the player from accessing certain zones not designated for the selected character without Debug Mode, such as entering Death Egg Zone as Knuckles.

Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble, while the game is powering up on the Sega Game Gear, the player has to hold the Directional-Pad-Up until Knuckles gets the third Chaos Emerald in the intro cinematic. At this point, the player has to press the Start button which give off the Ring chime. At the title screen, the player must then select a character, which then makes the game transition to the Zone Select menu.

Knuckles' Chaotix[]

In Knuckles' Chaotix, the player must enter the Color Test menu and adjust the six numbers in the top left column. There, the player must set the first row in the MARS column to 06, 0B and 11, and the second row to 04, 00 and 04. The player must then press Start to return to the title screen, where the option "Stage Select" will have appeared on the bottom of the screen. From there, the player can enter the Stage Select.

When playing in a Stage chosen from the Stage Select, if the player pauses the game during gameplay, it is possible to move the playable characters anywhere with Controlpadds. Also, holding Sega Genesis A Button/Sega Genesis B Button/Sega Genesis C Button will make them and their Combi partners move faster.

Tails Skypatrol[]

In Tails Skypatrol, at the title screen, the player has to press Directional-Pad-Up + Game Gear II Button at the same time, and then press Start. This lets the player access the "Secret Options" menu, which contains Level Select, Background Music and Sound Effect tests.

Sonic Labyrinth[]

In Sonic Labyrinth, after the game logo has appeared on the title screen, the player has to press Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Right Directional-Pad-Right Directional-Pad-Right Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Left in that order. The word "Select" then appears and on the option menu, "Sound Test" will have been replaced with "Level Select", which the player can access the Level Select menu through.

Sonic 3D Blast[]

In the Mega Drive version of Sonic 3D Blast, at the title screen, the player has to press Sega Genesis B Button Sega Genesis A Button Directional-Pad-Down Sega Genesis A Button Sega Genesis C Button Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Down Sega Genesis A Button, which will take the player to the menu. When starting the game from there, the Level Select menu appears. After choosing the level from the menu, the player can skip to the next Act by pressing Start + Sega Genesis A Button.

It has been discovered and explained by the game's developer, Jon Burton, that it is also possible to access a "secret" Stage Select by crashing the game, via glitches, improperly used cheats, or physically tilting the game's cartridge itself.[1] This is due to the game's crash handler redirecting to this screen instead of freezing the game.

In the Saturn version of the game, at the title screen, the player has to press Controlpadds northwest + Sega Saturn A Button + Sega Saturn C Button all at the same time. This will activate the "Master Code", which will cause the text "Press Start" on the title screen to stop blinking. While this version of Sonic 3D Blast does not feature a Level Select, the player can when starting a game normally after activating the Master Code and then pausing the game skip to the next Act by pressing Sega Saturn A Button or skip to the Zone by pressing Sega Saturn B Button. When not pressing Sega Saturn A Button/Sega Saturn B Button during a pause, pressing Sega Saturn C Button makes the player skip to the boss of Panic Puppet Zone, pressing X gives a free extra life, pressing Y gives a free Sonic Medal and pressing Z grants automatically the player all seven Chaos Emeralds.

In the Japanese Saturn version of the game, at the title screen, the player should press Directional-Pad-Down three times, then press one of any of the six buttons. The Ring sound effect should also be heard. They should then press Start and enter the menu. Before starting a game, hold down one of the six buttons that corresponds with the Zone the player wishes to enter while pressing Start. Press Sega Saturn A Button to go to Rusty Ruin Zone Act 1, Sega Saturn B Button to go to Spring Stadium Zone Act 1, Sega Saturn C Button to go to Diamond Dust Zone Act 1, X to go to Volcano Valley Zone Act 1, Y to go to Gene Gadget Zone Act 1, or Z to go to Panic Puppet Zone Act 1.

Sonic Blast[]

Sonic Blast Round Select

The Round Select, from Sonic Blast.

In Sonic Blast, the Level Select, named Round Select, can be accessed by pressing the following sequence of buttons at the title screen: Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Game Gear I Button Game Gear II Button Game Gear I Button Game Gear II Button START. The player can then choose an Act of the six available Rounds and then choose to play it as either Sonic or Knuckles.

Sonic Heroes[]

During the development of Sonic Heroes, the level selection was used to help developers test levels. On this level selection feature, the developers could also enable or disable events, demos and movie modes.

In the final version of Sonic Heroes, the access to the level selection was removed.

Sonic Mania[]

In Sonic Mania and its expansion Sonic Mania Plus, the Level Select reuses the same menu design for its Level Select from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, except the word "Miles" is replaced with "Mania". While a Zone is highlighted, the emblem at the bottom right displays an artwork of the said Zone and while the Sound Test is highlighted, the emblem displays artwork of Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Mighty, or Ray with headphones on depending on which character the player is playing as.

To access Level Select in Sonic Mania, the player has to enter Mania Mode, go to the "Game Options" menu and turn Debug Mode on. Then the player must highlight "No Save" on the save select menu and execute the following commands to enter Level Select:

PS4 Xbox One Switch PC
Hold Square + OPTIONS Hold X button + Menu Hold Switch y + + Hold [Q] + [A]

In Level Select, the player must use Controlpadds/Analog stick/Arrow Keys to select a Zone and Act. Press Square/X button/Switch y/[Q] to select a character, press PSTriangleButton/Y button/Switch x/[W] when Sonic is chosen as the playable character to have Tails follow him, and press Circle/B button/Switch a/[A] to play the selected Zone/Sound Test entry.

Originally, there was another method for accessing Level Select, but it was removed as of Version 1.03 (for consoles) of the game. This method involved going to the title screen where the player had to then press and hold the following button combinations before the "Press Any Button" subtitle appeared:

PS4 Xbox One Switch PC
Cross + Square A button + X button Switch b + Switch y + [Q]

Once "Press Any Button" appeared on-screen, the player then had to keep the above buttons held down and then press any other button.

Sonic Superstars[]

In Sonic Superstars, the Stage Select can be accessed via the Debug Menu.

Other game appearances[]

Sonic Origins[]

In Sonic Origins, the Level Select menu can be accessed for Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit) and Sonic 3 & Knuckles. The methods for accessing the Level Select in the respective games and their controls are as follows:

  • Sonic the Hedgehog: At the title screen, press Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Right. A Ring will then sound to confirm the code. After that, press Square/X button to display the Level Select menu.
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2: At the title screen, press Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Right Directional-Pad-Left Directional-Pad-Right. A Ring chime will then sound to confirm the code. After that, press Square/X button to display the Level Select menu.
  • Sonic 3 & Knuckles: At the title screen, press Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Up Directional-Pad-Down Directional-Pad-Down. A Ring will then sound to confirm the code. After that, press any button to display the Level Select menu. Additionally, by pressing Directional-Pad-Up once, or Directional-Pad-Down twice, a Sound Test option will appear on the title screen. The following commands for this game's Level Select are as follows:
    • Select level: Use Controlpadds/arrow keys.
    • Select character: Press Square/X button/Switch y.
    • To have Tails follow Sonic/Amy if the latter is selected: Press PSTriangleButton/Y button/Switch x.
    • Play chosen Zone/Sound Test track: Press Circle/B button/Switch a.

Trivia[]

Gallery[]

Screenshots[]

Gallery

References[]

  1. Kuchera, Ben (3 October 2017). Why physically hitting Sonic 3D Blast unlocks a secret menu. Polygon. Retrieved on 23 November 2017.
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