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Sonic the Hedgehog CD
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Shoot through a maze of valves and pipes in a world of stardust and music, mind-boggling speed... and danger. Wipe out lightning bugs before they catch you in their currents. Look for certain ways to open passageways and bypass springs. Watch your step! 
— US instruction manual, Sonic the Hedgehog CD[1]
Stardust Speedway (星くずのサーキット[2] Hoshikuzu no sākitto?) is the sixth round in Sonic the Hedgehog CD. It is best known as the place where Sonic the Hedgehog raced and defeated Metal Sonic.
Contents
Description
Present
One of the fastest levels in Sonic history, Stardust Speedway is a highway adorned with musical instruments above an enormous city; like its namesake implies, the city glows with many lights. A statue of Dr. Robotnik can be seen undergoing construction in Zone 2, with girders and incomplete sections.
Past
In the past, the background takes the form of a Roman/Greek-style city, complete with an acropolis and surrounding towns. The night sky is not as bright as it is in the Present due to the lack of technology, but some stars can still be seen. The zone is mainly entangled by vines as well. It also has a Gothic-styled building in the center of Zone 2.
Bad Future
In the Bad Future, Stardust Speedway has become a corrupted, polluted dystopian city underneath a large electrical storm with a completed statue of Dr. Robotnik in the center of Zone 2. The roads and instruments have become corroded and discolored, and no stars can be seen at all.
Good Future
The Good Future looks like a giant futuristic amusement park, with bright pink and green colors dominating the landscape. It looks upon a vast bay with bright cities in the distance, and the Doctor Robotnik statue has been replaced by a beautiful cathedral in Zone 2.
Near the end of the level, Sonic is pitted against Metal Sonic in a complex race; should Sonic win, he will rescue the captive Amy Rose.
Trivia
- Stardust Speedway is the largest Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog CD. This is likely because such a speed-oriented Zone would be cleared too quickly if it was normally sized.
- There are some paths in this stage which go up and down, much like Chemical Plant Zone. It is possible that this stage is inspired by Chemical Plant Zone.
- The cathedral at the center of the good future timeline of Zone 2 appears to reuse the base of the Robotnik statue (seen being built in the present timeline of Zone 2)
- In Sonic Generations, the unlockable remix of the North American/PC theme is listed as Stardust Speedway Zone.
- Oddly, Sonic Generations depicts the bad future as being a theme park, but this was only in the good future in Sonic the Hedgehog CD.
Gallery
| Gallery |
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 Stardust Speedway past  Stardust Speedway Present  Bad Future  Good Future  Race with Metal Sonic (Bad Future)  Race with Metal Sonic (Good Future)  Stardust Speedway as it appears in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode Metal  Metal Sonic reactivated in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode Metal Add a photo to this gallery |
See also
Music
| Name | Artist(s) | Length | Music Track |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stardust Speedway "P" mix | Naofumi Hataya | 2:30 | |
| Stardust Present | Spencer Nilsen, David Young | 3:20 | |
| Stardust Speedway - Bad Future | Spencer Nilsen, David Young | 3:52 | |
| Speedway To Good Future | Spencer Nilsen, David Young | 2:10 | |
| Stardust Speedway | Naofumi Hataya | 1:18 | |
| Stardust Speedway "B" mix | Naofumi Hataya | 1:05 | |
| Stardust Speedway "G" mix | Naofumi Hataya | 2:48 |
Video
References
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Sega CD) United States instruction manual, p. 14.
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Sega CD) Japanese instruction booklet, pg. 28.
