The HARDEST Part of EVERY Sonic Game

Sonic games as a whole are pretty easy, all things considered. That being said, there are some notorious stages and segments in each Sonic game that plague gamers from all walks of life. And in this video, I'm here to discuss them all with you.
Time Stamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:27 - Sonic 1
3:02 - Sonic 2
5:16 - Sonic CD
7:29 - Sonic 3&K
8:39 - Sonic Adventure
10:20 - Sonic Adventure 2
12:19 - Sonic Heroes
14:28 - Shadow the Hedgehog
15:54 - Sonic 2006
18:34 - Sonic and the Secret Rings
19:35 - Sonic Unleashed
21:22- Sonic and the Black Knight
22:03- Sonic Colors
23:19 - Sonic Generations
24:34 - Sonic Lost World
25:22 - Sonic Boom
26:36 - Sonic Mania
28:18 - Sonic Forces
28:57 - Sonic Frontiers
30:25 - Sonic Superstars
31:32 - Conclusion
►SOCIAL MEDIA Instagram: plexitier_a... Tiktok: / plexitier_on_yt Twitter: / plexi_tier

[@crane2724]

I wrote the joke about Forces btw

[@Plexi.T]

True lol

[@GottaGoFast91]

Yeah, Null Space is my favorite stage.

[@SyhperXcypersupersoniccyperamy]

Why null space

[@natepion8449]

Every sonic game, sonic rush,rush adventure,the advance trilogy, sonic 3d blast cry in the corner

[@GottaGoFast91]

@@SyhperXcypersupersoniccyperamy because it has level design

[@lackluster4777]

"Not everyone bought the Frontiers DLC" But... Sonic Frontiers doesn't have paid DLCs. It's not even technically dlc, it's a free update

[@Kimberlysauce]

How is it not dlc, it is quite literally downloadable content, being free doesn’t change that

[@RandomAnimeGamer]

​@@KimberlysauceHe said bought. It's free.

[@RaxusXeronos]

@@Kimberlysauce You didn't have to go into a store menu and get it, it's automatically put into the game when you update it. Therefor making it more an 'update' than a 'DLC'

[@Lime-AID]

You need internet to download the game anyways so why not download the update

[@Noah0_]

i mean technically u could call it a DLC AND an update, dlc is literally downloadable content, an update IS a downloadable content, plus it wasnt there at launch and sega themselves called it DLC so.. But yea it wasnt paid

[@jasmith85]

Where is EVERY Sonic game, no Master System, no Sonic Advanced, no Sonic Spinball.

[@echiko4932]

No sonic rush uwaaa

[@Fafr]

To be fair, there are tens more Sonic games, it's pretty obvious the video's creator meant mainline games specifically

[@Blit-X-TVLive]

​@@FafrThe keyword is EVERY...

[@DarkSymphony777]

@@Fafr that makes no sense since the storybook games are very much spinoffs

[@joesretrostuff]

Came here for the master system games, but no mention of them

[@WalmartSanchez6942]

Did you just call emerald hill, emerald coast

[@AutumnCrusader]

And Marble Zone was called Marble Garden, and that Sonic 2 was the debut of Special Stages?

[@PrussianoKbb]

11:31 Are you Fucking kidding THIS WHOLE TIME, THIS WHOLE TIME, there was a power up that made that level easier?, Bro I died SO many times in that final Knuckles section, you have no idea, I almost gave up completing the game because of it, and you're telling me right now, it could've been easier, if just payed a little more attention and got the power up, man my life is lie

[@Plexi.T]

Lol, I told you it was a f*ck8ng nightmare. 😂

[@memelordmemes420]

i dont think this part of the satage was hard, i beat without power up, i just got the way to do it

[@deprooespreston3984]

You know young me looked at and cried for being robbed. I MADE IT, BUT IT COST ME MY SANITY

[@Blit-X-TVLive]

Skill issue.

[@thegamerator10]

Oof, that’s rough. My main problem was getting through the corridors before time resumed. It was always a butt clencher when I made it through by the skin of my teeth.

[@andyz6306]

Bashing on Shadow The Hedgehog with "I don't ever intend to play it" because you have this perception that it sucks from other people's recounts is incredibly silly. Don't play it if you don't want but you could avoid the tired "game is bad and unfun" commentary.

[@abduljunaid4220]

It is bad and unfun as someone who’s played it

[@andyz6306]

@@abduljunaid4220 Congrats. It's great and fun to me as someone who played it.

[@aceofsongs8682]

Just like Sonic Forces

[@Josuh]

@@abduljunaid4220Look at the recent "How to REALLY play Shadow the Hedgehog" video that came a while ago, it makes the game seem really fun to play

[@KOTSOSMC2002]

Sonic fanbase in a nutshell. I swear they're all like this, just negative yapping about things they've never played.

[@uttdcentral9700]

For sonic cd you can just get all 7 time stones and it automatically gets all good futures

[@Plexi.T]

Yeah, but I was more referring to the traditional method of destroying all the generators in each zone.

[@MichaelJacksonZombie]

yeah but the special stages are hard as BALLS

[@SwiftSwelter]

@@Plexi.T what do you mean traditional method? both were in the original

[@HAXRLITSXY]

@@MichaelJacksonZombie i disagree, at least relatively to finding all the generators.

[@MichaelJacksonZombie]

@HAXRLITSXY nah tbh the generators are easy, BUT THE SPECIAL STAGES ARE BASICALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME

[@E-102GammaMKII]

00:32 - Marble Garden is from _Sonic 3._ The Zone from _Sonic 1_ is just the Marble Zone.

[@GTkoopa]

If I had a nickel for every time a youtuber made that specific mistake I'd be rich.

[@maximyllion]

he also called Emerald Hill "Emerald Coast", which is from sonic adventure

[@dragnjames2190]

The most difficult part of Shadow is the Expert Mode Circus Park. In Expert Mode, you play through every stage in the game sequentially. A lot like Egg Shuttle in Sonic Colors. The difference is that Expert Mode radically changes the level design that requires you to have mastered control of the game and knowledge of some more in-depth speedrunning tech. What makes Expert Circus Park so difficult is the route you are forced to take in the middle of the level. You must jump across an extreme large gap, hopping along barrels and flaming hoops. If you mess up, you die and have to redo it all over again. These hoops are positioned in such a way so you HAVE to short hop over them AND land on the other moving barrel at the same time. The worst part about this is that this is the one single area in the game where Chaos Control WON'T carry you to safety across the chasm. It will drop you into the pit if your meter runs out halfway through. The chasm is also large enough that you damn near NEED a full Chaos Control meter to cross it. Without utilizing the Chaos Control menu warp glitch for infinite meter, this section of Expert Mode Circus Park becomes unreasonably difficult and tight for even experienced runners.

[@levthelion71810]

So if we're going to include Expert Mode, you're not going to talk about Expert Mode Cosmic Fall? The jumps in that version of the stage are brutal and you need to be really patient, and the checkpoints aren't very nice either. I breezed through expert mode except the Cosmic Fall when I played

[@dragnjames2190]

@@levthelion71810 My memory is very hazy on Expert Mode Cosmic Fall, so take it with a grain of salt. From what I remember, the only real stand out changes were the platforms rotating/moving at triple speed, the light speed dash shortcut trail being removed entirely and Shadow needing to actually climb to the topmost platform instead of falling down to various platforms before taking the 3 rockets up to the "computer room."

[@Plexi.T]

Damn, that does seem extremely difficult. I am going to have to check that out if I ever play Shadow on a 100% save file for the game just to eat things out.

[@gatla4695]

Interesting that I've never heard of this! Seems like its such a deep cut of the game that only the most invested players would have ever experienced it which was not many, probably.

[@wolftales5203]

Expert Cosmic Fall is by farrr harder

[@arcticfox1985]

skill issue

[@CodyPenner-ob3cq]

Facts this is literally a videogame marketed mainly for kids

[@CrazyQuanNights]

@@CodyPenner-ob3cqwhat😭🙏

[@s_5_u6969]

well yes but actually no​@@CodyPenner-ob3cq

[@hunterirish2617]

*EMOTIONAL DAMAGE*

[@S-Groove]

​​@@CodyPenner-ob3cqBrotheren, fasten your esophagus. Why, im willing to bet you couldn't succeed in a singular stage showcased in this viewing.

[@samarius_art_and_games]

"Not everyone has bought the DLC for Frontiers". The DLC was free.

[@gummiewormproduction]

I totally agree about Sonic 2. I played this game when it came out, and have been playing it up to Sonic Origins, and I have never been able to beat all the special stages. The main game is much easier than those stages. And damn Tails for not reacting as fast as you and losing rings.

[@Plexi.T]

Damn, they're STILL that bad in Sonic Origins, I thought they fixed them in that game. I guess they wanted to stay true to the original.

[@gummiewormproduction]

@@Plexi.T hahaha, Well I know you can see further down the pipe in Origins, but I still can't beat them all

[@aliastheabnormal]

You think Sonic 2's halfpipe is bad? You've never plated Sonic 3D blasts Saturn version half pipes. It has all of Sonic 2's problems plus pits of doom, speed up sections, and the transparency effects that mess with your visibility. Not to mention that you can only get one per level and both Tails and Knuckles take all your rings in exchange.

[@juschlora7249]

sonic 2 special stages are not that difficult, ive only beaten this game a few times on both the original and origins, and have never went without collecting all 7 during chemical plant zone at worst ancient ruins. its about memorization and timing. even with tails it is not that difficult, time all your movements and jumps ignoring sonic and envision yourself as tails with input delay, get timings down and its a breeze, im sure youll get it eventually

[@WilliamTheLonelyRobot2]

For me it was that stupid segment in chemical plant act 2

[@Nister.N]

The hardest part of Sonic Unleashed is DEFINITELY the hot dog missions

[@Michael_Afton40]

"Sonic 06 has bad level design" Whaaaat? Are you serious?

[@seematahir5970]

Literally one of the best parts of the game😭

[@Michael_Afton40]

@@seematahir5970 exactly

[@jables5895]

Shadow the Hedgehog wasn't that bad

[@Chucklestheechidna128]

"Where's that DaMn fourth chaos emerald?"

[@FirstName_LqstName]

Drinking orange juice after you brush your teeth ain't bad either. I still dont want to, cause it leaves a shit taste in my mouth when im done.

[@rpgfanatic9719]

@@Chucklestheechidna128 So does that mean other people and characters are edgier when they swear harder? Im really not following this meme. Damn isn't even swearing anyways.

[@rpgfanatic9719]

@@FirstName_LqstName if it leaves a bad taste then it means it does something bad and is bad. What are you babbling about?

[@FirstName_LqstName]

@rpgfanatic9719 when you're older, you'll learn to get original material. You'll also learn the amazing power of "context clues" and "piecing things together" all on your own

[@MarkerMurker]

I'm surprised you didn't mention anything about Trip's final boss in Sonic Superstars. Did you find that one easier? Same for the Super Sonic boss, no mention at all.

[@cameronverona7092]

Yeah to me the secret boss was definitely the hardest part of the game. Not necessarily because of the difficulty but because of the really tight timer and the unreliable ring spawns

[@bladewolfdarknight1605]

There is no timer. It's a fakeout.

[@RandomTomatoMusic]

I'd say the hardest part of Sonic Mania (Plus) would be the Encore Special Stages. The normal ones I have no trouble with, I've memorized them all by now and can reliably get all of the Emeralds before Studiopolis. Encore Mode, on the other hand... those stages are cruel and unforgiving even on a good day, and when you compound that with Encore's altered level design and strange Big Ring locations that completely throw off someone accustomed to Mania Mode, getting all the Emeralds in one playthrough would be a _very_ tall order.

[@Plexi.T]

Oh wow, I actually didn't know encore mode changed THAT much of Mania's level design. I thought the stages were basically just recolors of the original ones.

[@RandomTomatoMusic]

@@Plexi.T Yes and no. Aside from the Special Stages, much of the stage geometry and "landmarks" are still recognizable according to one's memory, but many key points and routes are changed and have different object layouts.

[@Blit-X-TVLive]

They're not that bad.

[@staryolo6947]

Here's mine: Sonic 1 - 3rd Special Stage. Sonic 2 - Beating the game as Tails cuz he have no Super Form for the Chaos Emerald!? Sonic CD - Zones Time Attack. Sonic 3&K - Beating the first half of game as Tails cuz he have no Super Form for the Chaos Emerald!? Sonic Rush - Beating the bosses on normal difficulty. Sonic 4 Ep. I - The Special Stages & the final boss. Sonic Colours - Getting all Red Rings & S Ranks. Sonic Generations (console) - EVERY STAGE THAT COMES AFTER GREEN HILL! Sonic Generations (N3DS) - Getting an S Rank on Radical Highway Act 2. Sonic 4 Ep. II - The Special Stages. Sonic Mania - Getting all the Chaos Emerald on Encore Mode. Sonic Forces - Clearing Stage 30 within 270 seconds. Sonic Frontiers - Final Horizon difficulty spike. Sonic Superstars - Egg Fortress Zone with it's Act 1, Act 2 & Final Boss, TRIP'S STORY FINAL BOSS & Last Story Boss.

[@BEE_127_BEE]

The hardest part of any Sonic game I’ve played is eggman land which took me an hour to beat and I lost 80 lives before I finally beat the stage

[@Plexi.T]

Yep, that'll do it. I wonder if the game devs actually played through the level before after they made it to gauge how difficult it is. I would pay to see that lol.

[@theblueblur3913]

Ayo that's crazy to losing 80 lives in a single run of egman land

[@BEE_127_BEE]

@@theblueblur3913 yea it kinda is crazy now that I think about it, and that was the 30th time I lost most of my lives😅😅😅

[@TeaSlurper---]

Too many Shadow haters ;-;

[@chesterharris3112]

Ikr

[@Terry-bm20]

Bro it's emerald hill not emerald coast

[@SybillinePrimal]

I love the tone shifts when you talked about Rise of Lyric and sonic forces 💀 Like you got to have recognized that those games are worse than 06, cause those tone shifts are just so fucking funny bro

[@tommapar]

You really should play Shadow the Hedgegod, it's not that long, you can plan your routes to get all 10 endings before going to the last story. It has some of the best "fast" missions I've played. Some I like them more than SA2 even, like that one Lava Stage that has lava levels that rise on the Dark side of the mission, with all paths available to you in the Hero mission. That level makes me get why there's a cult to Sonic's lava levels. You also have Mad Matrix which has you collecting A TON for the dark mission but it makes up for it by challenging you in interesting ways with tons of "gotcha" moments on the speed circuit you go on to destroy the 50 mines. It has you going to 4 speed subdungeons for the Hero's one. The neutral one is the "gotta go fast" option, it's very enjoyable once you've learned the layout. The last boss is comparable to SA1 and SA2's final boss. What I like the most besides from some of its OST is the story, it's hilarious, campy as all hell, faking taking themselves way too seriously. It's got some of the hands down best lines I've ever heard Shadow say. Like in the pure dark ending where he kills basically the Devil himself to become the ultimate lifeform to conque all the universe. It's great

[@Plexi.T]

I did play the multiplayer with my older brother when I was a kid, but I guess I could give the actual game a try on my own time. The internet has sadly conditioned to me to avoid certain games like the plague though.

[@Fr0sty1337]

Personally i would say the hardest part in sonic frontiers is the whole 3rd island just because traversing the map is such a pain, but in the end its worth it because after you finish up the 3rd island you fight the best titan

[@spongebobfan78]

22:22 The current Sonic ambassador in Japan took several hours to finish Terminal Velocity Act 1 and got a 0 score because she didn't know that dying without checkpoint still has the timer continue (meaning you will lose the score bonuses given to you) unlike if you pause and hit restart. Reminded of the fact that quite a lot of Sonic fans on Twitter turned on her when someone posted about that moment to the point they even preferred Arin.

[@dave9515]

Oh wow. I mean that wasn't a good choice by sega and the ambassador probably tried at least. Also Based QtPi PFP.

[@Plexi.T]

Yeah, Sonic fans and people in general can be pretty toxic when it comes to that. I'm all for joking about people's skills when playing video games, but NEVER to the point of actual bullying.

[@LuigiFanPlays]

The hardest part of Sonic Frontiers is not HEADBANGING to the music

[@RRM693]

Hardest part in shadow is defeating all the artificial chaos in ARK. I felt like i searched for hours and could never find them all

[@Void_Echoes]

sorry if them not being included was already explained in the video, but what about the Advance / Rush games?

[@LeClaireVert]

Great idea for a video! I really enjoyed it, thank you 🤩 Oil Oceans inclusion was a surprise, I really enjoy that level.

[@Plexi.T]

Thanks, I'm really glad you enjoyed it 😊

[@LeClaireVert]

@@Plexi.T Yeah…I just watched your Mania/Superstars video too💙 You have a new fan 👍Subscribed!

[@basu2428]

Here's mine: -Sonic 1 - Labyrinth Zone -Sonic 2 - Special Zones -Sonic CD - Getting the good ending w/o the time stones -Sonic 3&K - Sandopolis Zone -Sonic Adventure - Big the Cat -Sonic Adventure 2 - Mad Space without using the hint monitors -Sonic Heroes - Its ice physics controls on top of Team Chaotix campaign -Sonic & The Secret Rings - Playing the game lol -Sonic 06 - Silver Dusty Desert without glitching through the door -Sonic Unleashed - Eggmanland Hotdog Vendor -Sonic & The Black Knight - Merlina -Sonic Colors - Getting all Red Rings and S Ranks -Sonic Generations - Beating the final boss without getting hit for an achievement/trophy - Sonic Lost World - A tie between the snow level and the special stages on the 3DS version -Sonic Forces - Buying the game in the first place -Sonic Mania - Final Boss with the 4 main EggRobo - Sonic Frontiers - Going for 100% clear on all the islands

[@Plexi.T]

Dang, I actually got pretty close to all of your picks, it seems. Good choices.

[@ritauribe210]

Most of my least favorite things from the games made it onto the list, I'll only cover the games I've played. Sonic 1: The most annoying thing for me is the Spring Yard Zone Boss, sometimes as I'm jumping to land a hit, I end up getting hit by the spike under Robotnik's vehicle. As for Labyrinth Zone....I only hate Act 2 mainly because of that endless waterfall section, the boss wasn't that big of a deal. I think it's a skill issue. Sonic 2: Yes, the special stages. I too used the cheat to get the Chaos Emeralds. Metropolis Zone was a bit of a challenge, the enemy placement is awful. S3&K: Freaking Sandopolis, I agree. Even though I watched several playthroughs of it beforehand, I still had trouble getting through it. Shadow the Hedgehog: Didn't have trouble with any of the stages. Well one day when I wanted to play the game and got to The Doom, I was COMPLETELY LOST. I literally forgot the layout of the stage that I had to look up a playthrough of the level just to get the Neutral Ending. Sonic Heroes: Rail Canyon for Team Chaotix, half of the time I had no idea how to progress near the end, it involved a switch to change the direction of the rails, I couldn't find it at first. And Mystic Mansion for Team Dark, I could NEVER get the A rank in that stage no matter how many times I tried. Sonic Unleashed: Eggmanland for sure but the PS2 version. Took me forever just to get the S Rank on the first Day Stage. The Night Stages weren't that bad but there were some sections that were so dark that I had to rely on the map of the stage at the corner of the screen. I should've mentioned this first but also the Adabat Day Boss, I was stuck on that Boss for WEEKS; Quick Time Events and the very few moments you have to attack Eggman, I was so relieved when I finally beat it after so much trial and error. Another thing, those hidden items you were able to find in the Day and Night Stages to unlock stuff like the music, concept art, and the cutscenes; some of those items were hidden really good, adds a bit of challenge. Sonic Colors: Uhh not a whole lot. But there was this one act in Asteroid Coaster (forgot which one) that I had trouble with, I remembered it had to with the gravity in order to get to the Goal Ring that was nearby. And yes, I too struggled to get all the Red Star Rings, and since I loved to explore the levels, most weren't hard to find but there were times where I had to look up a guide for some of them. Oh and the Final Boss, no it's not difficult, I just couldn't get the S Rank. I've gotten every single S Rank except that one. I spammed the Quick Step up to the point where it stopped giving you the 1,000 points bonus and nothing. I could never get that S Rank and it annoyed me because I had the game at 99% complete.

[@Plexi.T]

Dang, I was glad I got a lot of the obvious ones down. It feels good to know that a majority of people struggled with the same things I did. Thanks for the comment.

[@ritauribe210]

@@Plexi.T Yup you're not alone lol

[@aliastheabnormal]

The stages are nothing compared to getting the true ending. You think the Diablo is bad?! Try fighting it in four different routes. And don't get me started about the Egg beater and the Egg slot machine.

[@ritauribe210]

@@aliastheabnormal I never had issues with the Egg Beater or the Egg slot machine, they were relatively easy bosses for me and I never managed to get the True Ending so I can't comment on 'The Diablo' lol

[@aliastheabnormal]

@@ritauribe210 No, the Beater and Slot are just annoying. Especially if you did all the endings. If anything i think the hardest thing is all the pits. Since you can't skip cutscenes and have to watch every single one again.

[@genarftheunfuni5227]

I'd argue that the hardest part about Sonic Heroes is the special stages They're not that easy to play through (and are needed for the final story) and the method of accessing them is pretty much no-hitting a level

[@cedricmessias6863]

Plexi I have a question what is the song playing at the beginning of the short in "Sonic Unleashed SAMPLED This Song!!!" I must know.

[@TheAlphazoneYT]

People like to whine about Eggmanland but nah, we actually need more levels like Eggmanland. It was the ultimate challenge to really test/show off your skill because it’s what the whole game up until that point was preparing you for. Say what you want about the Werehog but Unleashed fundamentally excelled at risk reward gameplay in both the day & night stages. I miss when Sonic games tested player skill like that. (Frontiers is a step in the right direction) Also, Shadow the hedgehog is not as bad as people in 2005 made it out to be. Once you get a feel for it, the controls are smoother & the boss battles are better than Sonic Heroes. The OST is incredible. And upon replaying, I actually enjoy Shadow a lot more than many recent Sonic games. Don’t get me wrong, the indoor Ark levels are some of the worst things the sonic franchise has to offer but it’s only 2 stages. Besides that, Shadow has really cool levels. Digital Circuit in particular is one of the most fast paced energetic levels in the entire franchise. Def give the game a chance.

[@kauanjos3199]

Don't forget Eggmanland was being hyped up since the Classics, and he finally builds it in unleashed. They had the obligation to make it a hard level

[@dominicballinger6536]

I haven't gotten to the end of Unleashed, but I've played it and no level, day or night, really seemed like risk vs reward. The Werehog stuff is just kinda mindless combo spam at times, and the day levels are more reaction time and level layout memorization tests that reward fast thinking. That kinda fits, but it's not like, say, in Mario games where you can get better powerups from mini challenge portions during the level's downtime before the level's actual platforming challenges.

[@savannajones4653]

This video is therapeutic, it has eased my disappointment with myself in the parts of these games I had such difficulty with. For so long I thought it was just me and my weak skills.

[@jackattack6430]

Trust me man, some of the stupidest game design I’ve ever seen has mainly come out of the classics and then brain deaders assemble to defend it like crazy 😂 I love the franchise to death though, Frontiers was great aside from the cyberspace stages

[@sanicmaniac]

0:30 that's MARBLE ZONE. 4:18 it's called EMERALD HILL.

[@joshuatrevino7759]

I don’t think he plays sonic much lmao

[@TheTrueJevil]

One other hard thing about Eggmanland. Hot dogs. Now,this will only matter to achievement hunters but basically in every hub world, there's a hot dog vendor who will sell you a hot dog unique to that hub world if you clesr either the day or night stsge under a certain condition. These hot dogs are required to get the achievement for eating all the food items in the game. The challenges can be a bit tricky but aren't too bad up until Eggmanland. Once you beat the game, you can visit a Eggmanland hub world where you can take on the challenge of beating Eggmanland in a certain amount of time. The kicker is if I recall correctly, you don't get any checkpoints. You die, you restart the whole thing.

[@idont1311]

For shadow the hedgehog, it's getting the ending you want while a live chat is "controlling" you with the unmatched power of money

[@Leafree5]

Sounds stupid enough to have it's own ending goal. Haha like, trying to find an orange gamecube?

[@PhirePhlame]

As a fun bit of background on Sonic 1's level design ethos, the reason it zig-zags so much from zone to zone was deliberately done, due to the experimental nature of Sonic's gameplay. The devs' faith in it wasn't complete, since something quite like Sonic had never been done before, so the choice was made to make what I think was a half-and half split, where half of the zones would lean fully into the newfangled speed-platforming while the other half was kept to more traditional platforming challenges.

[@PhirePhlame]

Note: Eggman Land is _not_ called "Crimson Carnival". I don't know why the fandom has latched onto that name as "fact" when the game itself just calls it "Eggman Land", an exception to the game's "area name, stage name" naming scheme because EL has no hub area.

[@fernandezadrian156]

Is that confirmed? I always assumed the first game was moreso focused on both slow and fast movement and was focused on controlling the player's momentum and ease of transition between the two (slow down to not fall down, go faster to make big jumps, etc..) Basically trying to emulate Super Mario Bros' momentum to the extreme.

[@justyouraveragegamer6142]

​@@PhirePhlame eggman land does have a hub world tho. After you finish the game you can press A on it just like all the others. Hit "go to Capitol" and you can roam around the hub world. Do hotdog missions. And even chat with an egg robo

[@parzival-bo]

For Shadow, having 326'd the game...honestly, *Death Ruins Hero* is the hardest part for me, imo. Lost Impact/The Doom is a fair choice though. Also, for Black Knight...yeah no, the Cauldron as anyone but Gawain is _WAAAAAAY_ harder than King Arthur lmao.

[@Eddie.C.]

Just to share something if you did not know. Sonic 2 allows tails to be controlled by the second controller making the special levels a breeze to complete if you have a buddy helping you 😃

[@Plexi.T]

Not if that "buddy" is also bad at them, like the player is, lmao 🤣

[@thecjgameworld4013]

Ahoy there, Wii player here, we don't gotta worry about those Sun/Moon Medals, they're optional. But even though Eggmanland got split up with only 1 day stage & multiple night stages. I gotta say that Eggmanland Day is still the hardest level around, and the nighttime levels that come afterward feels like a sweet release of that frustration.

[@SamGoodger]

Hardest part of Shadow was having to endure Westopolis ten billion times to get the true ending ☠️

[@Shritistrang]

Nice video, even though it's technically not EVERY Sonic game. Also, Oil Ocean is awesome, especially the original version. And Sonic Forces isn't nearly as bad as people say. It has a lot of flaws, agreed. But I had fun playing it.

[@tnvmark2173]

If you think Eggmanland was bad, then good luck completing every Side Missions and Hot Dog Challenges in the game. Becoming a completionist in Sonic Unleashed is the perfect definition of purgatory.

[@entertainmentwizard2703]

Great Video!

[@DLGanimator]

Shadow the Hedgehog is a great game, you just gotta play it like a shooter, not like a sonic game. I am sick of people saying it sucks, bc it really doesn't and most of you saying that haven't even played it. There is a lot of care and love put into this game, and more people should know it. Yes it's edgy, but that doesn't mean it's a bad video game. Sa2 has some edginess too (Shadow backstory, eggman with a gun etc), but no one says it's a bad game bc of it. Shadow's only negatives is the light swearing and The Doom + Lost Impact. Nothing else in this game is bad, in fact it's really fun and sometimes phenomenal: Black Comet, Final Haunt, Egg Fortress, Lava Shelter, Space Gadget etc. are great and fun levels. + The route mechanic is genius. 320+ ways to create your own story in a video game + being able to watch that story in library is great! Most of these stories are either decent when it comes to sonic franchise or at the worst a bit confusing. In the end it's at it's worst a good game to play and at it's best a complete blast to play.

[@Hedgie3]

I think that one majorly obvious reason why the Shadow 05 game is a bad one is because that game caused Sega to think of completely ruining Shadow's whole personality because that edgy 05 game was all they looked at to decide what Shadow should be like after Sonic 06 became a glitchy failure game and completely threw all the good character developement that he had gotten through that game, SA2, and Heroes into the trash and made him be enough of a friendless and rude edgeloard that he couldn't even be part of Team Dark with Rouge and Omega anymore! I really hope that the better version of him will be returning in his own new part of the Sonic Generations remaster and the Sonic 3 movie!

[@Reeupmvp]

What's that instrumental that plays when you start talking about Sonic CD??? Colddd

[@eleronpfoutz7823]

Flying Battery? Atrocious? Cap. Maximum Cap. That's the zone that should have been in Sonic 3 instead of Ice Cap Zone.

[@haospacman1084]

For colors, I’d choose getting all the s ranks. For alot of them you basically need to know where the red rings are anyways and grab them in one run. The boss of asteroid coaster is an annoying s rank too

[@callumsparrow4379]

Sonic 1 GEN: Special Stages (any version) Sonic 1 MS: Sky Base Zone Act 2 (an entire proper level with no rings, loads of hazards plus slowdown in critical areas) Sonic 2 MS: Getting the 2nd Emerald in Sky High Zone Act 2 (bouncing on clouds and walking platforms indistinguishable from the background clouds) Sonic 2 GEN: Special Stages 5 - 7 (BS spike bomb traps and trollish ring placements without prior knowledge) Sonic CD: Good Ending via Robot Generators only (no second chances if you accidentally miss one) Sonic Chaos: Special Stage 4 (Impossible gaps to go over unless you take very specific Lu placed Rocket Shoes item boxes) Sonic Spinball GEN: The Showdown (Need I say more?) Sonic Spinball MS: Playing it without wanting to turn it off immediately (Challenge: Impossible) Sonic 3 & Knuckles: Playing Marble Garden Zone Act 2’s boss as Tails only (small boss hit-box + surprise attacks + slow Tails flying speed = frustration) Sonic Triple Trouble: Special Stage 5 (BS disappearing bumper platforms over bottomless pits and blind leaps of faith) Sonic 3D Blast: Not playing it with an analogue stick Sonic R: Unlocking emeralds & tokens in one run on the same track (Self-imposed challenge I know, but otherwise this game’s a cakewalk) Sonic Adventure DX: the two Snowboarding missions Sonic Adventure 2 Battle: Mad Space Sonic Heroes: Team Chaotix’s Hard Mode missions Sonic Advance trilogy: Getting the Chaos Emeralds Shadow 2005: The Doom Sonic 2006: Completing all side-missions (the length and amount of loading times truly rear their ugly heads here) Sonic Rush: Not being tempted to spin-dash up the Egg King’s arm when the game instructs you to hold down (figured out the solution a year after I got the game as a kid) Sonic Rush Adventure: Getting all the Sol Emeralds Sonic Unleashed & the Storybook sub-series: Obtaining true 100% completion Sonic Colours WII: Playing the Game Land’s Sonic Simulator 2-player mode Sonic Colours DS: Finding access to the 7th Special Stage Sonic Generations HD: Getting the online-only achievements after they inevitably shut down Sonic Generations 3DS: Completing all the side missions (only allowed 2 per day based on the 3DS Play Coin function; 5 per each mission and 10 per mission bonus) Sonic Lost World HD: Playing it without a Wii U or PC. Sonic Lost World 3DS: Tropical Coast Acts 1 & 3, Frozen Factory Act 3 and Sky Road Act 3, playing all the Special Stages without looking like a lost mental patient, and completing all of Hard Mode) Sonic Forces: Destroying the one singular enemy in Casino Forest and clearing the Silver Ring challenge in that stage Sonic Mania Plus: Encore Mode’s Special Stage 7 Sonic Frontiers: Having any interest of picking the game up at all Sonic Superstars: Trip Story’s final boss against Mecha Fang and the Last Story’s Black Dragon fight

[@ericb3157]

for Sonic 06, i was sort of expecting a mention of the final level. you have to take control of seven different characters, trying to find the seven chaos emeralds, while dodging a whole bunch of tiny Black Hole obstacles that can pull you in and INSTA-KILL you... and if you run out of lives, you have to start ALL over from the beginning of the FIRST character's segment! there's one part of Sonic Mania i REALLY despise, it's a small area halfway through part 1 of Chemical Plant. it's a vertical shaft, with moving platforms, which fills with water just after you enter. miss ONE jump, and you WILL drown. miss TWO jumps, and you WILL fall off the bottom of the level. mis-TIME one jump, and you WILL be crushed. three different things that can insta-kill you, in ONE room. it's MUCH easier if you are playing as Tails or Knuckles, however, you can fly or climb instead of jumping. i've seen some videos of Sonic Superstars, and they all said the final boss of "Trip's Story" is worse. but it DOES have an amusing "death animation"...

[@enzo-ib2gy]

For Sonic Forces, i think it's egg fortress (the last classic sonic level) with that one autoscroller and also the final section where if you don't have enough speed, you will die no matter what.

[@deacongabel1396]

Honestly surprised to not see Lancelot Returns for Black Knight. I know it's an optional side mission, but it is an insanely cheap boss fight all around.

[@jamiemichael6237]

What is the Spring yard zone song playing in the background of Sonic 1

[@Plexi.T]

Tee Lopes

[@jagerzaku9160]

You see you don’t know pain until you talk about the game gear games. Getting all the Chaos Emeralds in Sonic 2 for the Game Gear and THEN beating the elusive Crystal Egg Zone is a nightmare of a task. New fans will not know this pain.

[@andrewhall6479]

For Sonic Rush Adventure, I would say getting the last two Chaos Emeralds. Johnny is a VERY tough opponent in the last two races, and it’s borderline impossible to win without upgrading your Jet Ski

[@sirspookybones1118]

Out of every time I've played the game, the last emerald has always been a thing I've attempted, but I never got close to beating.

[@Arichson]

6:36, In my opinion for most of the stages this appears in, it’s a good thing. In order to get the good ending, (or the “neutral” one) you have to understand the level design, and gain mastery over the speed-based platforming that sonic exclusively provides. it’s a nice little challenge and I think regardless of execution, on paper it is a really clever method to incentivize the player to get better at the game.

[@freponad9053]

In Sonic Adventure 1 as Big, if you flick the control stick when you get a fish it sets the hook. This was actually in the game's manual.

[@yuchun_]

For Shadow, it's definitely the doom, though can I even call it challenging when the problem is yet another "enemy won't spawn" bug? Seriously, Shadow is such a shit game that most missions require you to use the checkpoint teleportation to spawn all the enemies you need to pass the dark or hero missions. Genuinely, fuck that game. I can tell you with full certainty since I wasted a few months back in my teenage years to experience the travesty myself. People who say it's a good game genuinely have not finished it, or even played it. It's not fun in the slightest.

[@friezuh240]

My sonic 06 pick has to be the final level end of the world. Silvers section is so broken to the point where if you don’t speed run the final lap of his portion it’s just impossible to complete because those insta kill portal orbs crowd the ending, not to mention that his section takes place in dusty desert, which has insta kill quicksand. That part of the game was the first time I’ve ever cried playing a video game out of sheer anger and frustration I probably sound dumb for this next take, but for Sonic frontiers, I think that laser puzzle on Kronos island is the hardest part. I don’t think I’m that dumb but holy shit, I don’t understand how kids would be able to figure that out when all the movements in the guide I had to watch to complete it were hyper specific

[@PGW85Productions]

I think a lot of people struggle with End Of The World in ‘06. Which is strange for me, because whilst End Of The World is definitely not an easy level, I personally found almost all of Sonic’s Mach speed sections to be harder than End Of The World.

[@friezuh240]

@@PGW85Productions I think the only high speed section I had trouble on is kingdom valley, because it has the problem crisis city has with you not being able to adjust your jumps but even worse. I found myself spamming the light dash to beat those so it wasn’t the worst

[@Hedgie3]

I didn't have a hard time getting through that pinball stage in Sonic Frontiers, and the Master Koco Titan time trial was okay for me because each time I failed to complete that challenge, an option came up on screen to choose if the player would or wouldn't want it to become easier if you try again, so when I had made it easy enough by choosing that option each time was how I finally got through that part of that game. I think the hardest part (if you haven't downloaded the free Final Horrizons update yet) is getting an S rank on the Sky Sanctuary inspired cyberspace stage on Kronos island that has the music in it that was playing in this video when you brought up Sonic Frontiers. You get an S rank if you reach the goal before the time limit and I continuiously keep frustratingly failing at reaching the goal before it gets past that time limit and get any rank that is lower than the S one each time I try!

[@jeanroberto5974]

I remember yelling "GET YO ASS OUT MY WAY TAILS!" a lot in the last special stage of sonic 2

[@VesDegree]

The hardest part of Shadow the Hedgehog 05 is the hero mission for The Doom, where you have to search for wounded GUN soldiers & heal them. The entire stage has a confusing layout, and some of them are hidden in obnoxious, unintuitive locations. I remember having the biggest struggle with that level as a kid. Also I disagree with 06 having bad level design. That was the one thing 06 did right. You didn't talk about the Advance games, the Rush games, or Chronicles. rip You really not gonna talk about SA2's Mad Space? Lmao

[@rcarter310]

There was this one enemy in metropolis zone that would always knock me off the gear you use to go up (I’m not talking about the star shaped enemy)

[@Goldcoin69]

Wdym by bought the Frontiers DLC? The Final Horizon was a free update

[@SapphireStarlight9916]

He accidentally said “Bought” Like he accidentally said Emerald Coast instead of Hill

[@Plexi.T]

😓

[@SapphireStarlight9916]

@@Plexi.T don’t worry we loved ur video

[@alenwithmusic]

9:40 I almost commited unalive while doing the A rank missions for Big.

[@toastednoodle60]

I like how half of the things you mentioned for bad level design in sonic 1 are normal things in the game

[@azure361]

I disagree with Superstars and Forces. I find the final boss against Fang to be MUCH more challenging. As for Forces, I would say Iron Fortress is the most difficult level for that game. Otherwise, great video! 👍

[@Plexi.T]

Thanks for the polite disagreement, good sir. Have a nice day.

[@thegamerreborn55567]

I'm surprised you didn't include the Wii/PS2 versions of Sonic Unleashed. Those versions had a whole different level selection, including only having the boss fight for Mazuri.

[@vitoraugustocarlos3758]

You know what? The way you talked about Eggmanland actually made sense. I never had the privilege of playing the PS3/360 version (only played the PS2 version, getting an S rank in that stage within 4'30'' was still bullsh!t), but if you're going to have a final stage where the bad guy finally achieved his dreams, why not let him be as much of an S-hole as possible? Still, seeing people lose so many lives was agonizing. At least the level designers were kind enough to give 1-ups here and there.

[@FinalHopeTrio]

I'll give you a note for the "Getting the Good Future" thing for Sonic CD: Opt for the special stages. Completing all special stages rewards all good futures in all zones, even if you don't find the robot generators. Time Stones are your friends. Just get 50 rings and keep them at the goal. A warp ring will appear at the end of the level and you can try to nab a Time Stone. Get all of them and you covered the alternate route for the good future.

[@misalazagamers3443]

Final boss in Sonic Mania IS hard , but that hard is actually FUN

[@xis350]

The hardest thing in Sonic Generations is completing the race with doppelganger on Planet Wisp with a rank S. Especially on a keyboard

[@zeospark9715]

As one who played through Shadow the Hedgehog throughly, I can safely say that Central City Hero Mission was stupidly tedious. The time is EXTREMELY tight and the aliens you have to take out are very durable pretty much requiring you to take them out with their own blasters. And yeah that last alien doesn't always spawn at times. This mission annoyed me so much as a kid, I decided to just say "Screw it going for the Dark mission" and I was opting for a pure Hero route at the time.

[@whact]

6:34 i thought you were gonna talk about the special stages here, they're extremely difficult to beat

[@ReFriedNoodles]

Gotta agree with you on Sonic 2. As a kid I only ever beat Metropolis zone ONCE, then failed Wing Fortress. But that was never as frustrating as only ever getting two emeralds in that game. A nice double whammy of being defeated.

[@Hello-hz7gj]

You can pause the special stages in Sonic 2. I find Oil Ocean Zone the hardest because I always get lost

[@robertwhite3181]

you didn't mention that getting all the time stones in CD is the other way to get the good future in the end, plus you could have done Sonic 3 & Sonic & Knuckles seperately as it's how they were originally released, for SA2 the air necklace is mentioned in the manual which takes it down a bit in my opinion, while it's not easy to find it's existence is known

[@astriverofstrengthandknowledge]

What about Trip’s final boss in Sonic Superstars? The amount of 1-hit KO attacks in that fight alone is nuts

[@deathray252]

SA2’s difficulty spike for me was eggman’s cannon core, only because of a cursed glitch on some of the Dreamcast copies! On my version, every time without fail at the start of eggman’s section, he falls through the floor and dies. I didn’t know what a glitch was. I was baffled! Eventually I found that if you started gliding right away and held a certain direction, you wouldn’t die, and you could catch back up with the stage below. I EARNED my SA2 ending damn it!

[@XtremeMusik]

For shadow the hedgehog, I wouldn't consider it hard. It's rather tedious. Lost Impact's hero mission (Destroying 35 artificial chaos), Mad Matrix's dark mission (Destroying up to 30 bombs), The Doom's dark mission (It's broken because a gun soldier glitched through the floor), Westopolis's hero mission (finding alien #45 which doesn't spawn correctly unless you use the checkpoint to respawn at one of those areas), and Cosmic Fall's EXPERT MODE! Egregious!!

[@deathray252]

lol, it was definitely that final egg puzzle for me in SA1 as a five year old! I felt so much adrenaline when I finally got to open and got to confront the man himself! Big the cat was also a second roadblock, one of my friends who also had the game and happened to love big the cat’s play through had to come and beat it for me for me to get to super sonic

[@ChickenTeller]

Honestly, as a 28 year old man, I still just run around aimlessly, spamming all of the switches until the door opens

[@DeltaRaven97]

Imagine 10 year old me playing through SA2 and not knowing the Air Necklace actually existed. I just had to get good at the level to win. Absolutely crazy, looking back on it years later.

[@partyfoxdavy]

Can you make a part 2? Including all game gear titles and other spinoff sonic titles

[@riicky83]

For me on Shadow the Hedgehog, my first real struggle was trying to get the hero route on the circus path. trying to get 400 rings was a challenge let alone making sure you didn't get hit and lose any.

[@SirBanana1992]

My personal takes on some of these games: SA2: Eternal Engnine is one worth thinking about because every stage before encourages you to rack up combos and target as many things in a string as possible but in Eternal Engine doing this will actually get you killed in quite a few spots. BUUUUUUUT....not so much as hard but long, I think imo another overlooked part of SA2 could also be getting an immortal Chao in Chao Garden, the process itself is sooo incredibly long! Sonic Mania: Maybe it's just me but I found the entire game easy, even Oil Ocean Act 2 as I had religiously played the old Sonic games on repeat and the game design in Mania is so good compared to the older ones that I could breeze through most of the game. But to me that's a compliment to Headcannon just making such a GOATed game. Sonic Frontiers: Master King Koco's Trial on hard mode pre-patch for sure, I did it and it was mostly due to abusing the highest damage moves and strats and also knowing how to skip Knight's Shield surf. Barely made it within the time with like just above 10 rings left. And having to restart all the way back to Giganto if you somehow fail at any point and doing the titan climbs everytime can be miserable.

[@amateur-madman3047]

I will now be completing Sonic and the Black Knight for the first time at 23 years old

[@A_Different_Name]

As someone who has 100% Shadow the Hedgehog, I'd have to say the hardest part (Excluding Super Hard Mode) would be either The Doom's Dark Mission or Lost Impact's Hero Mission. Diablon isn't actually *that* hard, as long as you know the pattern and when to/not to attack. Both TD Dark and LI Hero missions are kinda the same; run around the Ark and kill the enemies. It really comes down to preference which one is harder. I'd like to say Lost Impact but that's probably just because while going for an S-Rank I died right when the last Artificial Chaos was in sight and had to start over but if we're talking *just* clearing the stage, then The Doom's Dark Mission is probably more difficult. Again, it just comes down to personal preference. Though I feel its much easier to get lost in The Doom. On the plus side, if you're just trying to clear the game (As in, reach the true final stage and defeat the Super Shadow fight) you never have to play The Doom OR Lost Impact. Clearing Space Gadget's Hero Mission will get you to Final Haunt, the last True Hero stage.

[@Jaxxes1991]

I’d say I struggled with Big’s Ice Cap in SA1 because the physics of the fishing kinda suck but the other one I suffered while playing was Imperial Tower because of the death lasers

[@DaltonLunday2103]

Funny enough, I was able to do the pinball game in frontiers in one shot. It was long but not that difficult. Now the bosses though, they’re difficult

[@rpgislife]

"Not everyone has bought the DLC for Sonic Frontiers." Who wants to tell him?

[@iseethesea]

I actually love Planet Wisp in Sonic Generations. Once I figured out the layout of both acts a bit better it became a really fun location to return to. For Generations, I'd say the hardest part would be trying to get that S Rank on that damn side mission as classic Sonic where Espio swings you from side to side. One of my least favourite parts of getting full S ranks, so I ended up having to leave it to last.

[@rubengouveia8440]

null space is actually one of my favourite levels ever, although its really sad the only good level of that game being so short :(

[@ArceusBowser212]

The final boss in Sonic Frontiers on hard mode (pre free DLC) gave me quite a lot of trouble. It's basically Touhou, and if you've never played a game from the series or something similar to it (me), you WILL struggle. I died dozens of times alone there, easily the most frustrating part of the game for me.

[@sirspookybones1118]

It's probably more comparable to Ikaruga, but Touhou is more well known. But yeah, it's a fight you need to really pay attention to.

[@scottcampbell3735]

Here's mine based on the games I've played. Sonic 1 - Special Stages. Game is challenging overall but special stages gave me the most trouble. Sonic 2 - Special Stages. Endgame gets very hard but still does not compare to getting the Chaos Emeralds. Sonic CD - Getting the Good Future in Wacky Workbench and Metallic Madness. Game is very easy aside from the Metal Sonic race and that pit in Metallic Madness Act 3. But the robot generators in the two levels above are a bit cryptic. Sonic 3 & K - The last 2 special stages to get the Super Emeralds. Nothing in this game is really that hard overall. Sonic Adventure - Mission Mode. Do not play these. 4 large metal fish for Big to get, unfair flag collecting and having to get three perfect snowboard tricks in a row. Getting the 130 Emblems was much less of a hassle. Sonic Adventure 2 - Cannon's core without Air Necklace. Not got all emblems (yet) so I'll go with Cannon's core for now. Sonic Advance Series - Chaos Emeralds for all three games. 1 had terrible special stages due to depth perception issues, Advance 2 has you collecting all 7 special rings in one go on a game that does not encourage exploration and Advance 3 has Chao collecting and hard special stages. Sonic Heroes - Team Chaotix Bonus Missions. Getting the A ranks on these were a nightmare. Bingo Highway being the worst. Having to get all the chips with those pinball controls was frustrating. And you need to be fast for the A rank. Sonic Rush - Special Stage 7. Rush is challenging overall but nothing else came close. Shadow the Hedgehog - Mad Matrix Bomb detonation. Total luck based due to poor draw distance and level design. Sonic 06 - Dusty Desert Ball Puzzle - You are at the mercy of the broken physics system on this. Sonic Rush Adventure - Sky Babylon. This game is not difficult. Getting the True Final Boss is tedious but not hard. Only difficult part of the game is the Sky Babylon level. Sonic Unleashed - Eggmanland Hot Dog Missions - Thought it was hard before. Trying doing extra missions while not being allowed to die a single time. Sonic Colours - Red Rings. Game is not hard at all. These only qualify due to some being well hidden. Sonic Colours DS - Asteroid Coaster Special Missions. Good luck S Ranking these. Sonic Generations - Red Rings again for the same reason as Colours. Sonic Generations 3DS - Ranking System. And this is being generous as this game honestly left no impression on me. Sonic 4 Episode 1 and 2 - Special Stages for both. Sonic Lost World - Red Rings. These are so much worse than the ones in Colours and Generations. Sonic Mania - Getting the perfects in Blue Spheres. Sonic Forces - Silver Moon Rings. Good luck with these in the water slide levels. One mistake and you are restarting. Sonic Frontiers - Final Horizons Endgame. Tower climb or boss rush. Both are very difficult.

[@DillyWilly-pl7cc]

i like the planet wisp in generations, but i don't like how it forces the mechanics on you so much just to squeeze them in

[@izan4miii589]

The sonic frontiers dlc is free lmao. Frontiers id say dlc3 hardest part 100% cause the pinball is easy af no? Just takes time if bad. Maybe im biased cause I played a shit ton of spinball as a kid. Eggman land did end me but

[@Plexi.T]

Yeah, I definitely should have went with that. But my older brother was raging the entire time while playing it, so I just couldn't resist the opportunity 🤣

[@pancakes2726]

Wasn't Frontiers DLC free? Anyways the hardest part of that game probably was the boss rush in the New Horizons DLC on Hard and Extreme and that's because of Wyvern honestly as an honorable mention I'd say Cyberspace 1-2 on the first playthrough

[@Mr_Gixxer]

What about the other games? I'd like to see what you think about them too. (Master system, gg, spin offs etc)