- For the Town Stage/Village on the same continent, see Spagonia. For its remake in Sonic Generations, see Rooftop Run (Sonic Generations).
Rooftop Run (オレンジルーフス Orenjirūfusu?, lit. "Orange Roofs") is the third or fourth Action Stage on the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of Sonic Unleashed, and the second or third Stage on the Wii/PlayStation 2 version of Sonic Unleashed (depending on the order of previous stages). It is located in the city of Spagonia, the art capital on earth, where the cultural structures defining the city can be found everywhere.
During the events of the game, Sonic the Hedgehog and Chip came here to search for the keys to unlock the local Gaia Temple.
Description
Rooftop Run's setting is based on various locations in Western Europe. The stage takes place inside and around Spagonia, a large urban area encircled by a green mountain region, with the urbanized areas stretching up the mountainsides and to the city limits which are marked by large walls. Overall, the stage reflects Spagonia's status as an art capital.
Structures in Rooftop Run include various buildings like apartments, shops and cathedrals, all of which have orange-tiled roofs. These structures are likely based off the real-life buildings in Italy, Spain, France, and the city of Siena. The buildings here are built closely together, making the stage tightly packed with structures.
The paths in Rooftop Run are cobblestone-laid streets and alleys that run between the buildings, forming a network of paths. Various shops and restaurants appear at the foot of the regular buildings, while bushes and trees are planted along the streets. There are as well hanging plants growing on the buildings. On the Wii/PlayStation 2 version of Sonic Unleashed, Rooftop Run also include some water canals and park areas. Noticeable structures in Rooftop Run include a large clock tower, which is presumably based on Big Ben, and aqueducts that tower over the town.
In the daytime acts, Rooftop Run is brightly lit up by the sun and has a partially clouded sky. In the nighttime acts, Rooftop Top run is overcast by a starry night sky and is lit by the building lights and streetlights.
Story
Having learned that one of the Gaia Temples is located in Spagonia from Professor Pickle, Sonic and Chip came to Rooftop Run to find the key fragments to unlock the gate to the Gaia Temple. Starting out at night, Sonic and Chip found the first key fragment. Some time later, the duo returned during daytime and found the second key fragment.
Returning from Chun-nan, Sonic and Chip used the key fragments to access the perimeters of the Gaia Temple. On the way to the Temple, Sonic was ambushed by the Egg Devil Ray, send to secure the Gaia Temple, but Sonic destroyed it. At the Temple, Chip activated it and Sonic placed the powerless blue Chaos Emerald into the Temple's pedestal, restoring the Emerald's power and bringing Spagonia's continent back to its proper place.
Gameplay
On the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of Sonic Unleashed, the daytime acts introduces the Balloons and fountain, which the player can pop to propel Sonic upward. The main nighttime act on this version also features rolling barrels that the player can release with switches to unlock new paths. Otherwise, Rooftop Run does not have any new gimmicks or features exclusive to itself.
In the nighttime acts on both versions of Sonic Unleashed, the player will inevitably travel through high elevations with Horizontal Poles and other climbing gimmicks. One slip-up however, and Sonic will fall into a bottomless pit.
Overview (Wii/PlayStation 2)
Daytime
Head for the Goal!
This act includes the majority of Rooftop Run. From the beginning, through the majority of the stage, the player runs through the alleys and streets of Spagonia, occasionally having to use the Sonic Drift to get through tight and sharp turns on the path. At the beginning, the player starts out by running through the main urbanized streets and alleys of the town. The player then starts to arrive in more open and varied sections of the town, passing down roads with trees on the sides, crossing over parks and running alongside canals, with each section separated by urbanized areas. After the water canals, the player reenters the closely packed part of town, before getting to the rooftops where the player has to scale two clock towers. Afterwards, the player arrives and runs across the top of an aqueduct while being confronted by an Aero-Chaser, before arriving at the Goal Ring at the end of the aqueduct.
| Time | Ranking | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| 2'50"000 | 
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| 3'20"000 | 
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| 4'20"000 | 
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Gather Rings at Top Speed!
This mission takes place in the beginning of the "Head for the Goal" missions, around the initial town section of the stage. Here, the player has to collect 200 Rings within one minute and thirty seconds. Once that is done, the mission is completed, and the player is rewarded with a Moon Medal.
Optional Missions
| Mission | Description |
|---|---|
| Use Wall Jump to Get Through! | Use two Wall Jumps within the time limit. |
| Reach the goal unscathed! | Reach the Goal Ring within fifty second without taking damage once. |
| Time attack! Race for the Goal! | Reach the Goal Ring within fifty-eight seconds. |
| Gather Rings at top speed! | Collect 100 Rings within one minute and thirty seconds. |
Nighttime
Act I: Alleys of Spagonia
This Act takes place in the residential and public areas of Spagonia. For the first half of the Act, the player proceeds through various public alleys, while fighting off waves of Dark Gaia's Minions and unlocking doors. Around the middle of the act, the player will arrive at a cathedral, where he/she has to defeat a few waves of enemies. Once the player gets to the cathedral, however, the following path will be blocked by a Dark Energy Force Field. To unlock the force field, the player must collect three Dark Energy Keys around the cathedral. After unlocking the force field, the player will reenter the alleys for a while, before getting to the rooftops. The player then has to travel across a series of rooftops in order to get to the Goal Ring at the top of the final roof. Falling down from the roofs at this point will bring the player back to street level, meaning the player has to start over crossing the roofs.
| Ranking | Reward |
|---|---|
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| Target time for mission: 8'00"000 Rings required: 176 Force required: 1344 | |
Act II: Jet Black Back Streets
This Act takes place deeper within Spagonia, in the close back streets of town. Throughout the Act, the player moves through the narrow spaces of the alleys and has to fight off incoming waves of Dark Gaia's Minions in tight spaces in order to proceed, while avoiding protruding spikes and moving buzz saws on the ground. At the end of the Act, the player then has to complete a puzzle to unlock the door to the Goal Ring. In this puzzle, the player has to activate a Switch, then backtrack a little through the path to a now up-moving Platform, and then climb across the alley to reach a Switch that will open the door to the Goal Ring.
| Ranking | Reward |
|---|---|
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| Target time for mission: 6'00"000 Rings required: 112 Force required: 1088 | |
Act III: The Great Aqueduct
The majority of this act takes place on top of a large aqueduct in Spagonia. Here, the player first start out by climbing up to the aqueduct. Once the player gets there, a Dark Energy Force Field will appear and block the path further down. To unlock the force field, the player must collect three Dark Energy Keys that are scattered across the aqueduct, which the majority of the act is spent on. After unlocking the Dark Energy Force Field, the player arrives at the stretch to the Goal Ring, where he/she must defeat a Fright Master and some Dark Frights to access the Goal Ring.
| Ranking | Reward |
|---|---|
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| Target time for mission: 9'00"000 Rings required: 96 Force required: 544 | |
Optional Missions
| Mission | Description |
|---|---|
| Special Mission! Find the treasure! | Find five hidden treasure items within three minutes. |
| Break nothing en route to the goal! | Get to the Goal Ring within thirty-two seconds without breaking any obstacles. |
Overview (Xbox 360/PlayStation 3)
Daytime
Act 1
This act is set within the Spagonia and takes place across the town. Here, the player starts out by racing through the city, alternating between running through the narrow streets and crossing the rooftops. After the player has crossed over the first aqueduct, he/she will enter a tower, where he/she has to skydive while avoiding iron balls. After exiting the tower, the player will enter a racing section where he/she will face a group of Aero-Chasers, before reentering the alleys and rooftops. There, the player will face a section with vine barrels rolling the player, some of them equipped with spikes that can harm the player. Afterwards, the player has to scale a large clock tower, before making it across the rooftops to the top of another aqueduct. There, the player will face another incoming trio of self-replacing Aero Chasers until the end of the aqueduct where the Goal is. It is in this act that Sonic and Chip are looking for one of the halves of Spagonia's Gaia Key.
Act 2
This Act takes place far above the town of Spagonia, on a race course of platforms encircling a large tower in the middle of the act. Here, the player has to circle around the tower through various platforms and attacking enemies, with Sonic's various moves such as the Wall Jump, the Homing Attack and the Light Speed Dash being essential to the completion. The objective of this Act is to complete three laps before arriving at the Goal Ring. For each completed circuit, the course changes and becomes more difficult, receiving a harder layout, more frequently occurring obstacles such as iron balls, and additional gimmicks such as quick time event cannons and Rainbow Rings. The entire gameplay is played in 2.5D.
Act 3
This Act takes place in the lower parts of town, going up from the streets to the rooftops. Here, the player's objective is to find and collect all the ten Chao that are scattered all over the stage within five minutes. Being a searching mission, this Act focuses heavily on platforming. This Act's entire gameplay is played in 2.5D
Nighttime
Act 1
This act takes takes place within the majority of Spagonia's alleys. Here, the player travels through the different alleys and streets of Spagonia, while fighting off waves of enemies at certain points. Towards the end of the Act, the player arrives at a large clock tower that he/she has to access, by defeating the Big Mother guarding it. Once inside the clock tower, the player has to climb it on the inside through platforming, eventually arriving on the top of the clock tower on the outside. From there, the player has to adjust the hands on the clock tower's dial, so that he/she can walk across the hands and get around the clock tower. The player then has to use some Dark Bats to get to a nearby building, where the Goal will appear once the enemies on the building are defeated. It is in this Act that Sonic and Chip are looking for one of the halves of Spagonia's Gaia Key.
This Act features many hidden rooms on the streets with collectables and Medals inside, which can be accessed by smashing the wooden doors leading into the buildings. It also features levers that, once pushed, will release giant rolling vine barrels that will break open new paths and allow the player to proceed.
Spagonia Adventure Pack DLC
The downloadable content pack for the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of Sonic Unleashed, the "Spagonia Adventure Pack DLC", introduced four additional daytime Acts and two additional nighttime Acts for Rooftop Run to the game. These Acts are basically extensions of the original Acts in the game, but are much more difficult to complete. The pack was released on for 250 MS Points on 19 March 2009 and on the PlayStation Network for $3.00 on 16 April 2009.
Daytime
Act 1-2
This Act is basically the same as the daytime Act 1 in the game, expect the Act has been modified, having been given more enemies and more hazardous and abundant obstacles, such as spikes and bombs.
Act 2-2
This Act is basically the same as the daytime Act 2 in the game, expect the course has been modified to encompass a large area, including the aqueducts at the perimeter of the Act. The act has also been given a generally harder layout, with entirely new platforms, many more tougher enemies, and more hazardous obstacles complicating the path, especially at critical points. Like in the daytime Act 2 in the game, the player has to make three laps around the tower in the middle of the Act before arriving at the Goal Ring, and for each completed circuit, the course changes entirely and becomes more difficult.
Act 4
This act mostly includes the aqueduct section in the at the end of the daytime Act 1 in the game, but also includes new sections of the area not presented in the game. Here, the player travels down on top of the aqueducts and has to reach the Goal Ring at the end of the series of aqueducts, while avoiding and/or fighting incoming groups of Aero-Chasers. During the course of the Act, the player also has to watch out for obstacles such from trip steps, bombs and incoming Egg Fighters on the ground
Act 5
This Act takes place high up in the skies above Spagonia. Here, the player has to make it to the Goal Ring on the clock tower that is visible in the horizon. However, this Act has nearly no platforms for the player to stand on, leaving the player with nothing but a bottomless pit covering the entire Act. In order to complete the Act, the player has to use the Homing Attack on lines of Spinners and Balloons before falling out of the attack's range, and the Light Speed Dash on trails of Rings to get across the abyss below to the few platforms present in this act, and eventually reach the Goal Ring.
Nighttime
Act 1-2
This Act takes place in the middle of the nighttime Act 1, from just before the second giant barrel to the first giant barrel presented in the Act. Here, the player moves through sections of the alleys sequentially, with each section being open up and closed one after another. Throughout this Act, the player has to find all and activate all the hidden ball switches in each alley section. For each switch activated, however, a number of enemies will appear, which the player then has to defeat. Once all enemies that have appeared are defeated, the gates to the next section will open, allowing the player to proceed. Near the beginning and the end of the Act, the player has to defeat a Big Mother. Also, at the end of the Act, the player then has to find and activate all switches in order to make the Goal Ring appear.
Act 2
This act takes place in a sever-like area called the Catacombs beneath Spagonia. Here, the player has to use Sonic the Werehog's climbing abilities to climb along the stone walls in order to pass between the sections of the Act.
In the beginning of the act, the player has to climb through a passage filled with obstacles, before arriving at a section where the player has to defeat a Big Mother. After defeating the Big Mother, the player has to activate a moving platform that will take him/her to another climbing section with ledges moving through iron balls. After this, the player arrives at a section where he/she has to defeat two Big Mothers. After defeating them, the player has to activate a switch from a distance to make swinging poles that will take the player to another climbing area. After that, the player will arrive at a new section where he/she has to defeat the enemies in order to access the Goal Ring.
Boss
The boss fought by the player in Rooftop Run is the Egg Devil Ray, a large mech resembling a fish, with laser cannons floating around it, which is piloted by Dr. Eggman/Little Fighters. It can be fought after unlocking the Boss Gate in Spagonia's Entrance Stage in the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of Sonic Unleashed, and after unlocking the Boss Stage in Spagonia's Gaia Gate in the Wii/PlayStation 2 version of Sonic Unleashed. For this boss battle, the player controls Sonic the Hedgehog.
During the battle, the Egg Devil Ray will either fire giant laser beams covering entire tracks or launch small fireballs. At some points during the battle, the player's perspective will switch to bird's eye view, or from 3D to 2.5D, with the Egg Devil Ray's attack formations changing depending on the perspective. To defeat the Egg Devil Ray, the player has to avoid its attacks and attack its cockpit, either with the Homing Attack or the Sonic Boost. After taking a hit, however, it will put up a harmful energy shield to protect itself.
Collectibles
Nearly all Acts/Missions in Rooftop Run in both versions of Sonic Unleashed contain a number of collectibles the player can obtain when playing through them:
Wii/PlayStation 2
| No. | Location |
|---|---|
| 9 | Head for the Goal! |
| 11 | Time attack! Race for the Goal! |
| 15 | Act I: Alleys of Spagonia |
| 20 | Act III: The Great Aqueduct |
| 24 | Act I: Alleys of Spagonia |
| 37 | Head for the Goal! |
| 38 | Act II: Jet Black Back Streets |
| 70 | Act II: Jet Black Back Streets |
| 77 | Act I: Alleys of Spagonia |
| 79 | Act I: Alleys of Spagonia |
| No. | Location |
|---|---|
| 4 | Act I: Alleys of Spagonia |
| 5 | Act II: Jet Black Back Streets |
| 9 | Act I: Alleys of Spagonia |
| 12 | Act III: The Great Aqueduct |
| No. | Location |
|---|---|
| 1 | Act I: Alleys of Spagonia |
| 2 | Act III: The Great Aqueduct |
| 6 | Head for the Goal! |
| 7 | Head for the Goal! |
| 12 | Break nothing en route to the goal! |
| 14 | Gather Rings at top speed! (optional mission) |
| 23 | Reach the goal unscathed! |
| 24 | Time attack! Race for the Goal! |
| 26 | Special Mission! Find the treasure! |
Xbox 360/PlayStation 3
| No. | Location |
|---|---|
| 3 | Day Act 1 |
| 7 | Night Act 1 |
| 13 | Night Act 1 |
| No. | Location |
|---|---|
| 8 | Day Act 1 |
| 22 | Night Act 1 |
| 23 | Night Act 1 |
| 38 | Night Act 1 |
| No. | Location |
|---|---|
| 3 | Day Act 1 |
| 4 | Day Act 2 |
| 23 | Day Act 2 |
| 27 | Day Act 3 |
| 28 | Night Act 1 |
| 29 | Night Act 1 |
| 58 | Day Act 1 |
Trivia
- Sega composer Tomoya Ohtani, responsible for compositions in multiple Sonic games, stated that his favorite song he composed was Rooftop Run (day).
- Act 3 in the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of the game involves Sonic finding Chao, marking their only appearance in the game aside from Wentos' hand puppet and a downloadable content (DLC) level.
- The background music for Spagonia's daytime levels appears in the Shopping mode of the Wii version of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games. It also appears as one of the selectable songs that can be heard during events in Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games, Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games and Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
- In the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of Rooftop Run Day Act 1, there is a person who can be seen reading a newspaper with the box art of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) on it.
- Rooftop Run is slightly similar to Rooftop Rampage from the Crash Bandicoot series, both in name and in level design.
- In the Wii/PlayStation 2 version of Rooftop Run, There are two clock towers, with the difference that one is incomplete and the other is not.
- In Act 1: Alleys of Spagonia, it shows that the two clock towers form a cathedral similar to the Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Music
| Name | Artist | Length | Music Track |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooftop Run - Day | Tomoya Ohtani | 3:55 | |
| Intro: Rooftop Run - Night | Tomoya Ohtani | 0:08 | |
| Rooftop Run - Night | Tomoya Ohtani | 3:08 | |
| Rooftop Run - Mobile | Tomoya Ohtani | 0:59 |
Videos
Xbox 360/PlayStation 3
Daytime
Nighttime
Wii/PlayStation 2
Daytime
