Summary
- Sonic games need diverse stages to keep players engaged & excited throughout.
- Sonic titles like Superstars, Frontiers, Adventure 2 provide varied and unique levels.
- Unleashed, Mania, Sonic 3 offer a mix of cultural influences, revamped classics & new tracks.
A major part of the appeal of Sonic games is being able to blast through a wide range of levels at staggering speed, but in order for the game to feel exciting from beginning to end, the stages need to be diverse. After all, it's going to get a little boring simply running through the same grassy fields or ancient ruins over and over again, but this is clearly something Sega and Sonic Team are well aware of, considering many of the games provide a healthy variation of different locales to race through as the Blue Blur.
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Having a variety of stages not only provides new level designs and aesthetics, but it can also enhance the selection of music featured in the game, considering this always needs to feed into the general style of the area. Thankfully, most Sonic the Hedgehog games do a good job at mixing up the types of stages the player will be jumping into, and it's these titles below that do the best job of achieving this.
8 Sonic Superstars
Venture Through A Wide Variety Of Weird And Wonderful Areas With A Group Of Friends
Sonic Superstars
- Released
- October 17, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- 2D, Platformer
Sonic Superstars unfortunately ended up going under the radar for a lot of people, despite being a highly polished game that features a ton of content to enjoy. While the main draw of the game was the four-player co-op, what also stuck out to many fans was the stages, many of which feel like fun iterations of many of the classic areas that have been explored in the previous games.
From glistening tropical islands all the way to sandy dunes that stretch on for miles on end, it's a lot of fun traversing these areas and experiencing what they each have to offer in terms of pathways and enemy types. With Jun Senoue also making a return from Sonic Mania to work on the music, he does an excellent job of bringing these diverse areas to life by giving each of them their own memorable melodies.
7 Sonic Frontiers
The Short But Fun Cyberspace Levels All Feel Unique In Their Own Ways
Sonic Frontiers
- Released
- November 8, 2022
WHERE TO PLAY
Sonic Frontiers marked a pretty big shift for the series, not only with its slightly darker and more mature story, but primarily through the game's attempts to enter the open world genre. As Sonic travels through large open hub areas, players will need to complete the Cyberspace Levels in order to move on to the next location, and while these stages are admittedly very short, they are also packed full of detail and very vibrant in their presentation.
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Because these stages need to relate to the main hub world in terms of how they look, it results in there being plenty of unique tracks to run through. For example, the Skyfall Islands feature a lot of areas that seem reminiscent of Green Hill Zone or Sky Sanctuary, but they become much more creative as the game goes on, such as stages which take on more of an electronic and glitchy aesthetic, and others which are modeled around large landscapes and cities.
6 Sonic Unleashed
Unleashed Provides A Mix Of Fast-Paced Day Stages And Hack-And-Slash Night Levels
Sonic Unleashed
- Released
- November 18, 2008
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Platformer, Beat 'Em Up
Considering that Sonic and his newfound friend Chip embark on a globe-trotting adventure in Sonic Unleashed, it only makes sense that there would be a nice variety of levels to enjoy. What makes these particular stages stand out is how they are all influenced by the culture of the area they are based. For example, the jaw-dropping Dragon's Road is clearly heavily influenced by Chinese architecture; meanwhile, the platform-heavy Empire City is a heartfelt homage to New York City.
This isn't even mentioning the night stages, which are the levels that can only be played as the Werehog. While these are technically only small alterations from the day stages, the tone of these areas feels completely different because of the hack and slash gameplay and terrifying enemy types, providing a nice mixture to keep things fresh.
5 Sonic Mania
A Heartfelt Celebration Of The Series With A Few New Tracks Thrown In
Sonic Mania Plus
- Released
- July 17, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Cartoon Violence
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
While the classic Sonic games of the '90s and early 2000s are all well worth playing through for any platforming fan, there are always a select few stages from each game that end up stealing the show. For Sonic Mania, long-time fan Christian Whitehead decided to compile all the best areas into one game, while also adding in a few new levels to surprise players, too.
Studiopolis, Flying Battery, Metallic Madness, these are just a few familiar stages which have been revamped for Sonic Mania, and it's clear that Whitehead made sure to get as much variety as possible rather than sticking with the usual go-tos. Thanks to Mania's updated visuals, every stage flaunts a very colorful and retro aesthetic, which goes a long way in giving each of these areas their own unique vibe, especially when paired with the soundtrack, which many fans consider one of the best in the franchise.
4 Sonic 3 & Knuckles
SEGA Took What They Had Learned And Included An Exciting Selection Of Stages In Sonic 3
Sonic & Knuckles
- Released
- October 18, 1994
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
The first two Sonic games took the video game industry by storm when they were first released, but it's clear from playing those games that there were still several areas that needed some improvement. For Sonic 3 and Knuckles, not only was the fast-paced gameplay made even more responsive and refined, but the developers went all out with the stage selection, flexing their creative muscles by providing an exciting offering of areas to travel through.
No longtime fan of the series will ever be able to forget about stages like Angel Island, Marble Garden, and especially the Sky Sanctuary, which has appeared in several games since Sonic 3 was released. This is just the tip of the iceberg in regards to the multitude of zones that can be explored throughout a playthrough of Sonic 3, with it still standing as a prime example of how to make a platformer that is enjoyable and unpredictable the whole way through.
3 Sonic Adventure 2
Each Character Has Their Own Set Of Stages In Sonic Adventure 2
Sonic Adventure 2
- Released
- June 19, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
Sonic Adventure 2 is often viewed as one of, if not the most ambitious, games in the franchise, and this doesn't just relate to its epic story. The game includes a lovable cast of characters, many of whom are playable in their own stages, which helps to add a good amount of variety to the core gameplay. Sonic's areas tend to be much more straightforward and linear, as is the case with the iconic City Escape at the very beginning of the game.
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For characters like Tails and Knuckles, though, their missions are often based in factories or ancient ruins, which can be a lot more platform-heavy and methodical than what fans are mostly used to. Sonic Adventure 2 contains a plentiful variety of stages, which would all look dazzling if the game were ever to receive a remake or remaster - something that seems likely given how immensely popular the game remains, even today.
2 Sonic Heroes
The Four Teams Travel Through All Kinds Of Bizarre Areas To Reach Eggman
Sonic Heroes
- Released
- December 30, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Platformer, Racing, Fighting, Action-Adventure
It's staggering how outlandish Sonic Team got when it came to designing the stages for Sonic Heroes, but that isn't a bad thing, since it's one of many reasons why so many fans have been clamoring for a remake. The game starts with a familiar-looking Seaside Hill, but it's not long before the levels start getting a lot more unique. One moment, players will be swinging between vines in a giant-frog-infested Forest, while the next they'll find themselves in a spooky castle full of ghouls and ghosts, until eventually reaching a brightly lit casino.
Needless to say, each and every stage of Sonic Heroes feels different from what came before, and though the four teams do all navigate through the same levels, the different objectives and difficulties ensure that it doesn't end up feeling too repetitive. One thing is for sure: on that first playthrough, it's honestly a feast for the eyes to uncover the wonderful selection of stages that are on offer here.
1 Sonic X Shadow Generations
A Massive Collection Of Classic Stages, Remodeled For Modern Systems
Sonic X Shadow Generations
- Released
- October 25, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
While the original Sonic Generations already contained nine memorable stages, which were all revamped versions of classic levels in the series, the Sonic X Shadow Generations remaster adds even more areas into the mix. When jumping in as Sonic, players will have a wide variety of stage options to pick from, including well-known levels like Green Hill Zone and Chemical Plant, but also a few slightly more niche stages, too, such as Crisis City and Planet Wisp.
Shadow's portion of the game includes an entirely different set of levels, with just a few of the standouts being Sunset Heights from Sonic Forces and Kingdom Valley from the infamous Sonic 06. Every stage in the game has an Act 1, which tends to take a more 3D approach, while the Act 2 sections are completely 2D. Sega team did an excellent job at picking a selection of stages which all have completely different layouts, designs, and music, providing what truly does feel like a massive celebration of the franchise for players to enjoy.
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