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Level A Mission Guide


Vyrastas

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OVERVIEW

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Since the The Fastest & Strongest trophy consists of getting 96 emblems, I figured it warranted its own thread for explanation and discussion.

 

There are 32 action stages total and there are different Mission requirements for each stage’s trial: Missions C, B and A. Mission C is what you complete during Story mode. You can’t attempt a Mission B until C is complete, nor A until B is complete.

 

If you’ve completed the storyline, you will already have the 32 Mission C emblems, leaving 64 for Missions A and B. They will take 5-10 hours depending on your skill level. Don’t attempt these until you have all the upgrades for every character. Check the Upgrade section of this walkthrough if you don't have them yet (courtesy JasonKHowell):

 

http://faqs.ign.com/articles/453/453821p1.html

 

Here are the emblem counts for each character:

 

Sonic = 30

Tails = 15

Knuckles = 15

Amy = 9

E-102 = 15

Big = 12

 

You can access the B and A trials by replaying each action stage in Adventure Mode with your desired character (just go to where the stage is located) or by selecting them through Trial Mode (which nicely shows you which ones you are missing).

 

Feel free to do these in any order you like. I will list out the difficulty of each and you can decide the best plan of action for yourself. For each group of characters I personally did all the Mission Bs first, then moved onto A. I also switched to something else if I started to get frustrated with one particular trial (usually a Sonic Mission A), as succeeding in little chunks here and there makes me feel like I’m making progress, rather than spending an hour on a single stage and constantly failing.

 

Tips listed here are for the player who wants to do the minimum amount of shortcuts and tricks to acquire all emblems. If you search on YouTube you will notice some people using crazy glitches, difficult shortcuts or spamming boost to get really low times. The majority of these are not required to achieve A rank, so don’t bother with them unless you want to compete on the leaderboards. I will only point out shortcuts/technique that are needed at a minimum and which are the easiest to learn.

 

Note:

 

- If you replay action stages in Trial Mode, the animals you acquire (which you can use to feed Chao) don’t appear in the Chao Garden.

 

- If you mess up part of a speedrun, you can always pause the game and select “Restart,” which will place you back at your last checkpoint and reset the timer back to what you had when you first hit the checkpoint. You lose a live when doing this, but it can be helpful if you screw up a crucial part of the run and want to redo it. This is particularly helpful for the Knuckles stages (see that section of the guide for more info). Note that if you play an action stage in Trial mode, you only start with 4 lives. In Adventure mode, you can accumulate multiple lives over multiple runs.

 

Like this guide? Then do me a solid and join the forums!

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SONIC [30 emblems]

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Mission C is for completing each stage in Story mode. The requirement is just to finish each stage. See the walkthrough in the roadmap for more info.

 

Mission B is the same for all 10 action stages:

- Get 50 Rings and Break the Capsule (easy-medium)

 

This essentially means, “finish the second half of the stage without getting hit or dying,” since you lose all your rings if you are hit by an enemy or die. Take each stage slow, don’t worry about the time and pick up as many rings as you can. Be patient and avoid enemies where possible. None of these are that hard, though a couple may take you a few tries.

 

Mission A is completing each stage within a specified time limit (in minutes):

- Emerald Coast = 2:00 (hard)

- Windy Valley = 3:00 (easy)

- Casinopolis = 5:00 (medium)

- Icecap = 4:00 (easy)

- Twinkle Park = 3:00 (hard)

- Speed Highway = 2:30 (medium)

- Red Mountain = 3:00 (medium)

- Sky Deck = 5:00 (easy)

- Lost World = 4:30 (hard)

- Final Egg = 4:30 (medium)

 

Because Sonic's are the most difficult trials to get through, listed below is an in-depth discussion of Sonic gameplay tips and shortcuts you should use for every level.

 

 

[GENERAL SONIC TIPS]

 

Spin Dash

A good technique to learn is the “spin dash.” This is where you hold down :square: momentarily to boost, then dash :cross: as you let go of :square:. So it’s a quick hold of :square:, then rock your thumb back to hit :cross: as :square: is released. If you merely boost you don’t get any lift and will just fall if you’re trying to spin dash across a pit. The Red Mountain Mission A video below is a great example of this being done – the player does it constantly throughout the cave segment in the second half of the level.

 

This is necessary to learn for some shortcuts I will point out, but it’s not necessary to do this or to spam boost throughout the entire level. You can easily make the A mission time limits using it sparingly. I did.

 

Beware of Spinning Before Boost Pads

In Sonic levels, you will have noticed there are those black pads on the ground that boost your speed when you pass over them. There are fine and dandy, but I noticed that may times if you boost/spin with :square: and then pass over them, that you can actually lose momentum or easily careen off the path that they are suppose to keep you on. This is particularly evident when they are boosting you into a loop of some sort. So don’t spam :square: when there are boost pads, they will speed you up sufficiently enough.

 

Homing Attacks

Make sure you are facing the enemy/spring (using :ls:) you are aiming for with a homing attack. If you don’t, you risk zooming off into a pit to your death.

 

Ignore Enemies

When working on the Mission A trials, ignore enemies unless you need to kill them to continue (like following a trail of flying enemies). They are just a waste of time otherwise. So don’t use a dash to go faster when you are near an enemy or box, as you will change direction and hit it, causing a delay.

 

 

[LEVEL SHORTCUTS / TIPS]

 

Aside from the shortcuts listed below, you will just need to move as fast as you can without making any major mistakes. If you hit the shortcuts and make no mistakes, you will make the Mission A times.

 

 

Emerald Coast (2:00)

This one is hard unless you learn a few shortcuts. The ones you need to learn are the following, with the times they occur in the video below:

 

- (0:07) Right at the beginning, spin dashing up to the elevated walkway. Spin up the ramp and jump when you get to the top. Restart until you get the hang of it, as it's crucial for this level.

 

- (1:07) Tunnel near the beginning of the second section of the level. Keep your momentum as you run along the wall and just guide Sonic into it.

 

- (1:22) Turn and dash to the far beach after boosting up the vertical ramp. From there you can continue to the spring further down the beach (my preference) or do what the video creator does and use the number panels.

 

Video courtesy of Cackman:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2A0--Ko8HI]Sonic Emerald Coast A mission - YouTube[/ame]

 

 

Windy Valley (3:00)

Fairly easy, the shortcuts you need to learn are the following, with the times they occur in the video below:

 

- (0:07) Homing attack along the trail of fans, then spring to the checkpoint.

 

- (1:05) After exiting the tornado, falling off the edge to the path below. Don't miss the track!

 

- (1:32) Dashing over the wall after hitting the spring.

 

There are other falling shortcuts shown later in the video, but if you hit the 3 shortcuts above you won't need them. Use them if you like.

 

Video courtesy of Cackman:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcCM4CvUNO0]Sonic Windy Valley A mission - YouTube[/ame]

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Casinopolis – Mission B

Here you will need to get 400 rings to open the vault, then get another 50 rings after that, since when you open the vault you lose all your rings. So after opening the vault with 400 rings, play a quick game of pinball or something, get 50 rings more, then break the capsule. You can use the strategy in Mission A below for your 400 rings, or just relax and play some pinball, there’s no rush here.

 

Casinopolis – Mission A (5:00)

The easiest way to do this is to play through the sewer portion of the level twice in a row. You access the sewer portion by losing all your balls in a pinball game when you start with 0 rings. So pick one of the pinball games (there are two, Slots and Cards) and let your 3 balls drain. When letting them drain, switch the lanes at the top of the table with the right flipper :r1: so that you light them all up within 3 balls to score some extra rings. If the ball bounces around on the bumpers too much and take too long to drain, you might have to start the level over. Nudge if the ball (Sonic) is being problematic.

 

After they all drain, you will fall into the sewer. Speed through the level, picking up as many ring capsules as you can. Make sure you have at least 200 by the end. Once returning to the main casino area, go to the vault and empty your rings. Then go to the other pinball game (whatever you didn’t play the first time) and repeat, making sure to get 200 rings again. Rush to the vault and finish.

 

You will need to finish each sewer/vault segment within 2:30 minutes each time, or you won’t finish in time. Note that visiting the vault and getting rings shaken out of you is going to take around 20-25 seconds each time.

 

Here’s a video illustrating this technique, courtesy of Cackman:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ux8PocfmZA]Sonic Casinopolis A Mission - YouTube[/ame]

 

 

Icecap (4:00)

This level is very easy to get A rank in. There's really only one good shortcut you should hit. The rest of the time follow the normal route and you shouldn't have any issues. Just make sure to get to the snowboarding section in less than 2 minutes, don't get stuck while boarding and you will be money.

 

- (0:41) Dashing to the right after reaching the checkpoint in the new section. Don't run too fast down the tunnel or you'll fall down and miss it. If that happens, just restart and you'll be back on the ledge with the checkpoint.

 

Video courtesy of Cackman:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_FnVwsDm0I]Sonic Icecap A mission - YouTube[/ame]

 

 

Twinkle Park (3:00)

This one is hard unless you learn a few key shortcuts. The ones you need to learn are the following, with the times they occur in the video below:

 

- (0:00) Get into a car as fast as you can, don’t waste time killing all the enemies. For the race, avoid enemies as they will slow you down. Try to finish the race in around 1:30.

 

- (1:45) Just before the roller coaster stops, hold the :ls: right or left to prevent Sonic from falling into the front hole. Walk behind the coaster and jump out the hole the track came through to land on a platform. Make sure you jump, because if you just walk off the edge, you’ll miss the platform.

 

- (2:02) Try to use the boost pad to skip over the water section, as the water can really slow you down.

 

If you fall off any of the platforming stuff at the end (2 minutes onward) you might as well Restart, because you probably won’t make it.

 

Video courtesy of Cackman:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdiaqSoSqM4]Sonic Twinkle Park A mission - YouTube[/ame]

 

 

Speed Highway (2:30)

This one is not too bad, as long as you hit the shortcuts and follow the tips below, as there are plenty of places to really screw up. Make sure to hit the section where you run down the building by 1:30.

 

- (0:10) Don’t boost over the boost pads at the beginning before the loop, or you’ll fly off the track and die.

 

- (0:28) Make sure to hit the track that starts on the side of the building. Keep a tight rein on Sonic while on this elevated track, he has a tendency to fly off the sides on the curves.

 

- (0:40) Use the ramps to move up to the higher tracks and get the speed power up. Jump over and ride the platforms to the top level.

 

- (0:55) Be careful not to actually land on the helicopter, the rotors will hit you.

 

- (1:18) Land on the platform and use homing attack along the trail of floating enemies.

 

- (2:01) It’s not shown in the video, but you can use the boost pad on the right to get atop the building ahead of you, then boost diagonally to the street section (at 2:09) to get there a little quicker. Boost while on the street so cars don’t hit you.

 

Video courtesy of Cackman:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq-I_hmXox8]Sonic Speed Highway A mission - YouTube[/ame]

 

 

Red Mountain (3:00)

This one may take a few tries. Try to have 1:30-1:40 when you get the cave section. Note that the player in the video spin dashes constantly throughout the cave section. You don’t need to do this to make the time... you can do it just by running and jumping normally, just don’t waste time killing enemies.

 

- (0:06) After the first rocket, hold right on the :ls: and hit the spring.

 

- (0:17) After the second rocket, hold up on the :ls: to reach the spring on the elevated platform.

 

- (0:44) Homing attack on the flying enemies to reach the elevated platforms.

 

- (1:09) After the bridge, jump over the fence to the left to drop down to the next switch/rocket.

 

- (1:34) Use the ramp to get the speed power up.

 

- (2:20) Ride the trail of rings using the light dash ability.

 

Video courtesy of Easmodx:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4LKI1XNDoM]Sonic Adventure 1 Sonic´s red mountain A rank mission - YouTube[/ame]

 

 

Sky Deck (5:00)

This one really isn’t that hard. Just be precise when you are jumping around the columns, it’s easy to misjudge which direction you are going in. The shortcuts you need to learn are the following, with the times they occur in the video below:

 

- (0:53) Don’t turn around and jump over the boost pad like the player in the video does. Use the boost pad to take you to the next section. Once there, drop off the edge to the left and you’ll be at the same place Sonic is in the video at 1:02.

 

- (1:05) Don’t rush into the spiked balls, or you’ll get hit. Wait for the right moment.

 

- (1:26) Jump to climb up the column to the 3rd level.

 

- (2:25) Use spin dashes if you start to fall behind the falling platforms.

 

- (2:36) The cannon is not always facing the same direction when you get there, so quickly go to the rocket that will shoot it head on. If you can get it within 10-15 seconds, you will be fine.

 

- (3:47) Stand on the platform and use a simple boost to shoot all the way to where the next checkpoint is before the ship tilts.

 

- (4:11) Make sure you hit the switch so the ship tilts, otherwise you can’t get to the capsule.

 

Video courtesy of Cackman:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TxHuVVxEz8]Sonic Sky Deck A mission - YouTube[/ame]

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Lost World (4:30)

I would say this is the hardest one to do, mainly because the floating snake section can be a time sink if you screw it up or are too slow. Restart if you get behind.

 

- (0:19) Boost and jump-dash through the fire corridor as fast as you can. This one is tricky, but if you get hit, there are plenty of rings around.

 

- (0:43) Skip the first water trigger and run past it to get to the first door trigger.

 

- (1:28) Quickly get to the third water trigger, before the snake gets there. Jump on the snake when it arrives, boost down its length and then you should be able to quickly jump on the platform with the third door trigger. If you can’t hit this, Restart. Make sure you’re done with that water puzzle by 2:15 at the max.

 

- (2:14) When you get to the mirror part, skip the mirrors. You don’t need them, there’s plenty of light.

 

- (3:39) Instead of going over the spiked wall like in the video, just go to the right and break the wall with a boost to go under it. It will take you right to the next trigger that is used at 3:50 much faster.

 

Video courtesy of Cackman:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONZVSMx3Y-Q]Sonic Lost World A mission - YouTube[/ame]

 

 

Final Egg (4:30)

This one can be annoying at times if the camera doesn’t cooperate. You will be cutting it close on this one, so you can’t make any mistakes.

 

- (0:00) Boost your way through the opening sections and ignore all the enemies.

 

- (0:33) The quickest way through the tumblers is to jump and dash.

 

- (2:03) Fall right away and hug the inner edge. You’ll land right by the elevator (where you’ll then waste 15 seconds riding it down).

 

- (3:19) When you fall down the shaft, stay off-center to the right and land on the top-most platform.

 

- (3:37) Alternatively, right after this checkpoint, instead of going to the right and fighting enemies, just spin dash straight ahead over the pit and boost up the wall to the next section.

 

Video courtesy of Cackman:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2j62L7hAqcc]Sonic Final Egg A mission - YouTube[/ame]

 

 

 

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TAILS [15 emblems]

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Mission C is for completing each stage in Story mode. The requirement is to beat some other character to the finish. See the walkthrough in the roadmap for more info.

 

Mission B is the same for all 5 action stages:

- Get 50 Rings and Break the Capsule before Sonic / Robotnik (easy)

 

These are not hard at all, as you are less likely to get hit while playing as Tails. The only thing to be careful of is dying close to the end, as you will lose all your rings. Pick up rings where it’s logical to do so and be patient. It is very easy to beat Sonic and Robotnik.

 

Mission A is the same for all 5 action stages:

- Beat a Faster Sonic / Robotnik to the Capsule / Missile (easy)

 

None of the A missions should take you more than one or two tries, so I haven’t posted videos. If you’re really struggling, I suggest you look at Cackman’s YouTube channel, where there are videos for every Tails stage: http://www.youtube.com/cackman

 

Since you don’t have to worry about rings, just speed through each level. If you do them right after the B missions, you won’t have any problems.

 

 

 

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KNUCKLES [15 emblems]

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Mission C is for completing each stage in Story mode. The requirement is to get 3 pieces of the Master Emerald. See the walkthrough in the roadmap for more info.

 

Mission B is the same for all 5 action stages:

- Get the 3 pieces of the Master Emerald without using Hint Balls (easy)

 

Just like in Story mode, find the emerald pieces, just don’t touch any of the hint balls for help. Since there is no time limit, take your time and use the hot/cold indicator to find the emerald pieces.

 

Mission A is completing each stage within a specified time limit (in minutes):

- Speed Highway = 1:00

- Casinopolis = 1:00

- Red Mountain = 1:00

- Lost World = 1:00

- Sky Deck = 2:00

 

There is a trick that makes all of these a joke. I mentioned earlier that you can pause the game and select “Restart” to revert your progress and time back to the last checkpoint. In the Knuckles stages, this means you revert back to the last emerald piece you found (or the beginning, if you haven’t found any).

 

So basically, search and find all the emerald pieces, but don't grab any of them. Once you know where they are, Restart and you will be back at the beginning with 0:00 on the clock, but the emerald pieces will be in the same spots. So race toward them and easily get them within a minute.

 

If you are trying to do these legit, be prepared to play each level at least 10-15 times before getting a good layout where they are all near each other. Over time you'll get used to where they frequently appear. The only one that’s actually quite easy to get legit is Sky Deck, because of the higher 2 minute limit.

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AMY [9 emblems]

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Mission C is for completing each stage in Story mode. The requirement is to evade ZERO and get the Balloon. See the walkthrough in the roadmap for more info.

 

Mission B is the same for all 5 action stages:

- Get 50 rings and get the Balloon

 

No time limits here, but you may find the Hot Shelter stage to be irksome. There are a few places near the end of that level where you can easily get hit and the platforming with Amy is sketchy, to say the least. The level is also very long, so having to redo the entire thing if you get hit at the very end is annoying. Definitely beware the hidden monkey towards the end of the level (while going up the ramp at 5:46 in the video below, courtesy of Easmodx):

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpnHF6EJpXU]Sonic Adventure 1- Amy´s hot shelter B rank mission - YouTube[/ame]

 

Mission A is completing each stage within a specified time limit (in minutes):

- Twinkle Park = 2:00 (medium)

- Hot Shelter = 6:30 (easy)

- Final Egg = 2:30 (medium)

 

The only one you might have a problem with here is Twinkle Park, as you need to use the hammer to jump and move quicker (press :cross: when the hammer hits the ground) or else you won't make the time limit. Make sure you hit the switches in counter-clockwise order at the beginning (go to the right around the pool). Be careful of the mirrored corridors, as the direction you move with the :ls: will change as the camera changes.

 

You won't need the hammer/jump trick as much in Hot Shelter or Final Egg, as they give you more than enough time. The only sketchy part is Final Egg, where you have to find the one door out of five that leads to the next area. If you can't find it until the fourth or fifth door, consider restarting from the last checkpoint and trying again. It's random each time, so it won't be the same, but you may find it faster and save yourself 10 seconds.

 

If you’re really struggling, I suggest you look at Cackman’s YouTube channel, where there are videos for every Amy stage: http://www.youtube.com/cackman

 

 

 

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E-102 [15 emblems]

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Mission C is for completing each stage in Story mode. The requirement is to finish, which is either find Froggy or destroy some enemy at the end. See the walkthrough in the roadmap for more info.

 

Mission B is the same for all 5 action stages:

- Get 50 rings and find Froggy / destroy some enemy

 

Final Egg and Emerald Coast are easy, as there is no major enemy at the end of either stage. The other three stages are slightly harder, since you have to fight an enemy at the end and risk getting hit (losing all your rings). Make sure you are constantly targeting and shooting enemies. It’s similar to the Sky Chase sub games, where you can hold down :cross: and swivel the laser around to target enemies.

 

The only B mission I found hard is Hot Shelter, where you have to destroy E-105 at the end. E-105 fires multiple missiles at once and you can easily get hit. Keep moving in a circle and keep your laser aimed at E-105. You will take out some of its guns as you do so and after a few circuits it should be dead.

 

Mission A is completing each stage with at least a specific amount of time left on the clock:

- Final Egg = Destroy the Sonic Doll with 150 seconds left (easy)

- Emerald Coast = Find Froggy with 180 seconds left (easy)

- Windy Valley = Destroy E-103 with 180 seconds left (easy)

- Red Mountain = Destroy E-104 with 180 seconds left (medium)

- Hot Shelter = Destroy E-105 with 120 seconds left (hard – if done legit)

 

The strategy here is to rush through each level, targeting multiple enemies as much as possible. For each enemy you target and kill, you get a second added to the clock. If you target more than one at a time, then release :cross: to kill all at once, your multiplier increases, resulting in more time. For instance, if you target 10 enemies before shooting, you will get 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10 = 55 seconds added to the clock when you kill them!

 

Note that you can also target switches and get a bonus second each time you shoot it. Switches aren’t destroyed so you can use this to your advantage if you’re having trouble with a particular level (see Hot Shelter tips below).

 

Windy Valley is particularly easy, since the Badniks they are 10 segments long and merely facing them with :cross: held down will target all 10 separately, resulting in huge time bonuses. For the last three, where you have to destroy a robot at the end, allow yourself at least 25-30 seconds to destroy them, as you can’t earn time bonuses during the final battles.

 

Targeting

When you are targeting enemies, don’t flail about with the :ls: trying to get everyone quickly. Usually you can just face in a general direction and with :cross: held down, it will automatically target every enemy in range in sequence. You will soon get used to moving through a level while targeting and shooting. Just make sure to face in the same general direction when moving around for maximum effectiveness.

 

Hot Shelter

If you try to do this level legit, it can be somewhat challenging since it is long, has some time sinks and a fairly high time limit compared to the level length. However, there’s a nifty little trick that can net you as much bonus time as you want. Switches give you 1 bonus second every time you target and shoot them, which you can use to your advantage.

 

At the first crane section, use the crane and kill the enemies up above (so they don’t throw bombs down at you), then fall back to the first switch. Repeatedly target and shoot the switch for 1 second each time. Your time will slowly increase and you can keep going as long as you want until you have as much time as you need to safely finish the level.

 

Here is Cackman’s video demonstrating this strategy. The switch trick can be seen starting at 1:43 in the video:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUBuxhMQDDs]E102 Hot Shelter - YouTube[/ame]

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BIG [12 emblems]

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Mission C is for completing each stage in Story mode. The requirement is to catch Froggy. See the walkthrough in the roadmap for more info and the Mission A section below for fishing tips.

 

Mission B is the same for all 4 action stages:

- Catch a 1000g fish and then Froggy (easy)

 

Not hard at all, as virtually every large fish is over 1000g. You just need to catch at least one fish that is over 1000g, then catch Froggy to end the level. For fishing tips, see the Mission A section below.

 

Mission A is the same for all 4 action stages:

- Catch a 2000g fish and then Froggy (medium)

 

Once you understand how to catch fish, this becomes more time consuming than hard. There are plenty of large fish in each area and they will constantly respawn with each that you catch. Here, you just need to catch at least one fish that is over 2000g, then catch Froggy to end the level. You will definitely need all of Big’s upgrades to complete this, because 2000g fish won’t appear otherwise.

 

How to Fish

Fishing is rather easy once you get the technique down. Use :cross: to cast your lure in the vicinity of the fish you are trying to catch. Use :cross: or :circle: to jerk the line and attract the fish. Once it bites, press :down: to snag it – the game will display “HIT!!” if you’ve caught it. Now, all you have to do is reel the fish in.

 

To reel, you just need patience. Don’t panic or spam :cross: or :circle:. All you need to do is periodically reel with :cross:. Let the gauge go down to about halfway (or when it gets close to turning blue), then hold down :cross:. When the gauge increases and starts getting orange, let go of :cross: and let it decrease back to halfway. Repeat this over and over again and you will eventually reel in the fish. So it’s a simple pattern of press, release, press, release, press, release – never letting the gauge completely deplete or fill.

 

Sometimes when you hold down :cross: it won’t actually reel the fish in. That’s okay, just keep repeating the method and trust me, you will catch the fish. Some fish will take longer than others to catch, so be patient. I’ve had 1100g fish that took 4-5 minutes to reel in, while I reeled in a 2000g+ fish in less than a minute. So weight doesn’t necessarily matter.

 

You should be able to find a 2000g+ fish within 5-10 fish on each stage. Some stages may only take 1 or 2 fish. Just keep fishing the same area and you will get one – don’t quit the stage, as they will keep respawning indefinitely (as far as I know).

 

Icecap

I call out this stage, as fishing here is a bit tricky. If you stand on the ice too close to the water, your lure won’t play out far enough and you won’t be able to fish. Stand a ways back from the fishing hole and cast to the far edge, or just float in the water. Generally you will need to try one of the more distant fishing holes here to get a 2000g+ fish.

 

Here is a video, courtesy of Cackman, that illustrates fishing in Icecap:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNdKb_AwYwk]Big Icecap A mission - YouTube[/ame]

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AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I HATE BIG!!!!!!!!!!

 

Need to do his level A missions on Emerald Coast & Twinkle Park, I get the fish hooked, takes 10 mins to get 'em to 4ms, then they just run away!!!!! AHHHHHHH HELP PLEASE! Ty

 

EDIT: Oh, btw gr8 guide, soz 4 the rant!!!

 

Heh, no problem, just keep trying on the Big levels, once you can consistently catch fish it's not too bad. After I started using the technique in the guide above I could catch any fish within 5 minutes, usually.

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  • 2 months later...
You will be cutting it close on this one

This guide is really inaccurate. I totally killed Final Egg in 3:00. :/ Some additional strategies for Sonic's levels...

 

General:

- Dashing over boost pads can keep you going faster, but you need to know the level so you know where to slow it down. If you're not dash mashing during any non-precision section, you're doing it wrong.

 

Emerald Coast:

Pretty good start, but there are a few more things you can do.

 

- Instead of following the path after the first checkpoint, cut over the slope to head to the ramp and save nearly two seconds.

- On the second big jump, try sticking to the right. You might get caught on the cliff there and save a few seconds that would otherwise be spent way up in the air.

- You can dash over the mini-pits on the structure.

- Dash mash during the whole whale section, except maybe when you're about to turn the corner.

- Dash mash at the start of the second area.

- Personally I prefer to go through the lower path on the start of the second area. Might save a few seconds that are spent bouncing if you're good.

- The triple loop. This takes a little long to go through, and you can save a second or two if you leap off before you hit it and quickly get through what's left of the short watery section to the ledge and dash mash to the ramp.

- Instead of jumping over to the number platforms that way, you can alternatively keep going a little and jump from the top of that big slope to the area where they're on. Takes about the same amount of time.

 

Windy Valley:

Nothing special. You should be okay even without the huge cuts mentioned here.

 

Casinopolis:

You should be able to hit 300 if you go the whole way through, then just do a partial run (there's a lower vent you can go through in the second wind area which takes you to the final leg quicker). You can also do the same pinball game twice in a row (Sonic can be faster, but NiGHTs is more consistent). Finally, you don't need to empty out your rings twice - just get the 400 (getting hit at any point in this will force a restart anyway).

 

There was actually a trick to beat this level in under a minute, but it seems to have been patched in this version.

 

Ice Cap:

You can completely cut out the first ice cave if you head down at the start. You'll find some numbered platforms that will take you right to the next area. If you're really good, you can use a charged slope dash jump to get up there even quicker. Instead of jumping right at the start of area 2, head left instead. You should be able to make it to the platform across there (below the icicles near the spikes), worst case with an air-dash assist. Then, instead of using the icicles, jump on the ledge to the right and you should be able to charged dash jump over to the next ledge.

 

Twinkle Park:

The only one that can be a bit of a pain IMO. Try to have a cart give your ass a push at the start. You can take falling shortcuts during the course, but only if you have enough rings. Avoid the jumps during the small section with them - they slow you down.

 

You can actually forgo the platforming. You can more than make up for it on the path below with a nice shortcut to the next floor with a spin dash jump when you hit the one spot with the single spiked ball rising and falling (hard to describe). Instead of going around the entire castle near the end, a fancy high jump and air dash will get you to the switch in an instant.

 

Speed Highway:

Instead of going around the loop, jump right to those platforms to save a chunk of time. Ludicrous shortcut you can take if you're good - you may have noticed the weird looking buildings on either side there. You can actually jump on them. Grab the magnet shield, then jump down onto that brown building. Charged dash up it to find an extra life, but if you charge dash jump off its top right side, you may be able to make it to the helipad over there! It's really hard, though.

 

Red Mountain:

Another sick shortcut here. After the first rope, you should go through a small area, head over a destructable bridge, and reach an area with two monkeys and a flame shooter. Take out the monkies if you have to, step on the rock near the shooter, and look right. You should see this strange structure that looks kind of like a head with a box on it. If you do a charged dash jump from the rock on the right, you can actually make it over here. Set the camera to auto for this jump, but when you do hit it, set it to free. Do another one of them to the right, staying near the wall on the left as you do so. You may need to air dash at the end, but this will stick you right at the entrance to the interior!

 

It's really tough. Doing it in Adventure Mode for the extra lives is recommended just for this.

 

Sky Deck:

Not much to write here. When you enter the second area, there are some floating guys on the right. Homing attack to get over to another platform, but be quick about it, because for some reason you can easily get screwed up here (once an animal bubble knocked me down!). You're supposed to use the crane next, but a charged dash jump will suffice to get to the next platform quickly where a rocket awaits. You'll hit a bomb monitor, and can jump to the right to continue following the other path. Instead of running down the slopes at the end though, cut a lot of time by jumping straight down to the bottom one (this can be done in a couple other spots as well).

 

Lost World:

Seems intimidating, but there are two tricks to absolutely kill this one. Spindash through the long corridors and try not to get caught up on the walls. Slightly to the left is the ideal place for the flaming room. You should be at the first checkpoint in 0:30

 

Now, the Snake Room. There's a trick here that lets you do this in no time flat. To start, head right, and use a charged spindash to make it over to the other side. Quickly get up and hit the highest water switch, and if done fast enough you should be able to take the short ride over to the platform ahead. Now, go up the spike crusher and across to the next water switch. It shouldn't be too long before the snake comes hopefully, so jump on and get to the next platform when you're passing it by in the water (take out the fire spinner if you need to). Now, approach the closed door. Free Camera may help here. Aim for the right corner of it, spindash, and jump. If all goes well, you'll go right through into the next area! If you miss. keep holding jump and move back to the ledge for another go.

 

In the mirror room, you can blow through, or slow down just a little if you need to. I did so. When you come to the fork, go left. Hopefully, the spinning bricks are in a favorable spot.

 

Not much you can do on the waterslide, but try to land on the spring from the waterfall (or if you're good, don't land on it and spindash across). Same goes for the boulder section. If you try to spindash over the first jump, you might not make it, so stop there.

 

Now for the second of the tricks. In the wall room, ignore everything. Ready the one that looks like a sideways T, charged spin up it, and move left as you're starting to reach the top. You'll fly up between a platform and a spinning brick - land on the platform. Set Auto Camera back if you haven't already.

 

Now look out across the platform to the right, and you should see the exit out of here on the wall. There are two ways to do this - the easy way, or the quick way. For the easy way, charge spin over to the area on your right, head to the left side of it, and jump and air dash in from there. If you're feeling bold, you can cut that out entirely and just charge spin over and in. Even if you don't want to glitch, this is something you should really do. Together, those two got me the win in 3:00!

 

Final Egg: Nothing really fancy here, but there is a nice trick you can do. When you enter area 2, set the Camera to free, and spin up the slope behind you. You should be able to make it to the top. Now, jump down. You can go through the wall back into the main area and, best case - cut out all the floors except two (you can't go directly into the last floor, so head into the one just below it and jump down that way). Other than that, keep on rolling. I finished in 3:00, but probably could have hit 2:45 if I didn't mess up the big pit with the fans. During the barriers in the beginning, try to dash through one of the things making them.

Edited by TheSystemError
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This guide is really inaccurate.

 

Thanks for the feedback (and nice edit there), but I have to completely disagree that it's "inaccurate" and I stand behind my guide 100%. The point of this guide is to demonstrate how to make the Level A times without having to learn every possible shortcut or technique in every level. It's made for the average player who just wants to learn easiest and simplest shortcuts and still make Level A times. The average player can't do the more advanced shortcuts or would want to mess with things like turning the camera on and off. I easily got Level A on all Sonic levels merely using the videos and the suggested shortcuts with time to spare.

 

Your info is valid, but it's hardly necessary to learn all of those shortcuts in order to make the times. If you want to go for world record times they might be useful.

 

As far as dashing, I think it's obvious and common sense that you should dash when you have the space too, but you don't have to do it constantly throughout each level to make the times because I didn't.

 

As for Casinopolis, I could have sworn you needed to do the other pinball game because when I tried to do the same one twice in a row, I wasn't dumped into the sewer the second time. I will have to go back and confirm.

Edited by Vyrastas
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Nah, World Record times are even crazier. Like there's one ridiculous shortcut in Ice Cap that takes you right to the Snowboarding section from the first area. There's also a trick to skip most of the second half of Twinkle Park that I'm unsure how to pull off (it involves somehow not getting on the roller coaster then jumping from roof to roof). And Emerald Coast can be done in a minute with even more ludicrous techniques. The ones I mention here really help though - they're pretty much the difference between "cutting it close" and finishing with more than enough time (and therefore a lot more room for error).

 

The only one I really wouldn't recommend if it can be avoided is Red Mountain's, because it is pretty insane. Most of the others are straightforward enough, and some can be combined with the other strategies. Still, they're here if the strategies in the videos are proving to provide with too strict limtis (some though you definitely should use instead, like going to the left in Ice Cap instead or ignoring the wall puzzle in Lost World), because they're so simple.

 

Personal preference on the rest I guess. I just prefer somewhat harder tricks that help out a lot to easier tricks that only help a little. To each his own and whatnot. :p

Edited by TheSystemError
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Certainly there are different ways to complete the levels under time, and if people want to use other tips they are free to do so. I didn't feel the need to make a comprehensive guide of every shortcut when only a few will do and I don't think it's necessary to call my guide "inaccurate" when it's not. I made all the Level A times using my guide, so it can't be inaccurate. If you use the videos I posted, the suggested shortcuts and don't make any mistakes, you will make the Level A times. Simples.

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Certainly there are different ways to complete the levels under time, and if people want to use other tips they are free to do so. I didn't feel the need to make a comprehensive guide of every shortcut when only a few will do and I don't think it's necessary to call my guide "inaccurate" when it's not. I made all the Level A times using my guide, so it can't be inaccurate. If you use the videos I posted, the suggested shortcuts and don't make any mistakes, you will make the Level A times. Simples.

 

The guide is good and it saved me a lot of time from trying to figure out the shortcuts that aren't needed. Thanks Vyrastas for the guide! I still have 33 hours of playtime though...stupid Chao not taking the Chao fruit! :D All I have left is the 60 missions. YAY!

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Yeah I know, they could have changed MS's ones a bit. To generate some fun out of MS. :(

 

I agree, doing them all over again was a bit much after just getting 100% in the core game. I only did about half of the Metal Sonic stuff and then I took a break because I got a little bored... maybe I'll come back to it and finish it off.

 

The guide is good and it saved me a lot of time from trying to figure out the shortcuts that aren't needed. Thanks Vyrastas for the guide! I still have 33 hours of playtime though...stupid Chao not taking the Chao fruit! :D All I have left is the 60 missions. YAY!

 

Glad you found it helpful. :)

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  • 1 month later...

Ecellent thread I'll reserve these when I get upto the A missions justgoing through all B's at the moment, I've already done sub game missions and I'm leaving them critter races till last.

 

For Twinkle Park as Sonic if you slightly let go fo X and press it again you'll turn corners a little better works when I was doing sub game trial

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  • 9 months later...
  • 1 month later...
Thanks!! I'm going to need this guide!

 

God yes!

 

I got 100% SA2 on the dreamcast but I've always been pretty terrible in comparison with SA1. Maybe because I didn't own the original (only played at friends house) ...I got the PSN version the day it came out, completed the stories etc then kinda lost interest. 100% on this is my new 'project'. (I'll need to go retrieve my old save data from my 40gb fat first mind you:p)

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