Sonic Mania - Part 12 - Stardust Speedway Zone Act 2
20Stardust Speedway Act 2, by contrast, is set in the Present. The city is now a modern-looking metropolis, albeit much pinker than usual. There is no more ivy climbing around the structures, nor are there any chunky building-like structures (which were not present in Sonic CD's Past Stardust Speedway either). Instead, Sonic is traversing on a road made of brass, with valves and horns here and there. None of the Marble Garden native gimmicks are here either, making it a rare case of an Act 2 with fewer gimmicks than Act 1. It ought to be short anyway, as there's going to be a long struggle against Metal Sonic later on.
Giant Gold Ring Count:
Total: 3
Available in one go: 3
Badniks Returning from Act 1:
Dango - These are now pink instead of green.
Hotaru
Kabasira
Kanabun
New Badniks:
Silver Sonic - Badniks themed on Sonic himself, though much simplified in function and durability compared to Metal Sonic. They can do the Spin Attack, Spin Dash, and a standing dash across the screen (similar in function tot he Super Peel-Out). They are found only in the second phase of the Metal Sonic fight; more on that below.
Other Sonic References:
Sonic 2 (8-bit) - Silver Sonic was previously fought as the boss of Gimmick Mt. Zone.
Sonic CD - You first see Metal Sonic as a hologram abusing some animals. These were hidden in some places in the Past in Sonic CD. Destroying the hologram projector released animals that would hop around all over the stage.
Sonic 3 - Bouncing off a Dango makes the same sound effect as a bumper gumball in the Sonic 3 Bonus Stage.
Sonic 3 - When Metal Sonic climbs into the big Silver Sonic machine, it makes the same sound effect as nabbing a Giant Gold Ring.
Sonic & Knuckles - The sticky vines at the end of downward slopes that flings Sonic to higher places could be found in Mushroom Hill Zone, though they are much more common and more pronounced in Sonic Advance 3's Sunset Hill Zone.
Knuckles' Chaotix - The Silver Sonic machine resembles the one Metal used in Knuckles' Chaotix as part of the final boss.
Sonic R - Diamond-shaped formations of Rings can be found near the top of this stage, referring to the song "Diamonds in the Sky" in Sonic R, used in Radiant Emerald Zone. (Do not confuse with "Lucy in the Sky (with Diamonds).")
Sonic Advance 3 - Sonic rides a firecracker much like how he rides the exploding rockets in Toy Kingdom Zone.
Sonic Generations - Most of Metal Sonic's attacks in the final phase were taken from that game's battle against him.
Stardust Speedway is not complete without Metal Sonic, and this will be a long one, with four phases.
In the first phase, you must travel up a road as Metal Sonic attacks. The road has a general uphill path. Pretty straightforward, though you may get caught unable to maneuver much as Metal Sonic attacks. You have to multi-task between running up the road and watching Metal Sonic.
In the second phase, Metal Sonic climbs into a machine that shoots energy balls and summons Metal Sonic enemies. Metal Sonic cannot be harmed unless a Silver Sonic ricochets into him. To do so, wait until Silver Sonic attempts a Spin Dash at the far side of the screen (NOT in the middle, which I forgot for a while), then Spin Dash into it. It will bounce diagonally such that, most of the time, it will hit Metal Sonic. Hitting Metal Sonic four times with a Silver Sonic will cause the machine to break and transition to the third phase.
The third phase is much the same as the first, but with more spikes and ramps. Not much different though, but the path is longer. Reaching the end brings us to the fourth phase.
And this final phase is a direct battle against Metal Sonic, with a rapidly moving wall lined completely with spikes. I had a real tough time with this, tougher than it ought to be, honestly. No, I don't normally fail this hard here, but I just wasn't feeling it at the time, I guess. It resulted in a Cool Bonus of 1000 points, the lowest you'll see me get in this playthrough.
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