Sonic CD
Sonic CD was Sonic's third game released, made in 1993 for the Sega CD. If you don't know what a Sega CD is, i dont blame you. It was a add-on or expansion for the Sega Genesis that wasnt around for very long. From what my dad tells me, it was priced rather high and not many games were made for it. But if you want to play this game, its also available on Windows based computers, which is how I own the game.
The Story
Please note that the american manual for the Sega CD version of the game (where i got the story from) incorrectly calls Amy Rose by the name of Princess Sally from the ABC Sonic cartoon.
"Where are you going now?"
Sonic The Hedgehog looked over his shoulder at Princess Sally, the young hedgehog who was racing hot on his heels.
"To Never Lake," he called back.
"Why Never Lake?"
Sonic slowed down a little so he could explain. "Ever heard of the Little Plannet?"
"Isn't that the tiny world that orbits around Mobius?" Princess Sally asked. "The one with the special stones that alter time and change everything around them? I heard that the planet's is full of places that are completely ignored by the passage of time!"
"Yeah. On the last month of every year, the Little Planet appears over Never Lake. It's that time now, and I'm going to check it out. I bet space travel will be exciting!"
"With all those Time Stones, I bet you'll try to outrun time itself!" Princess Sally sighed in adoration.
Sonic didn't reply. He just smiled, eyes gleaming.
When they arrived at Never Lake, the Little Planet was there as expected. But there was something wrong. Where there should have been tall trees and bright flowers, there was nothing but dry sand and jagged rocks. The Little Plannet was tethered to a rock with a huge chain, and its surface was covered with twisted, gleaming metal.
"What happened?" Princess Sally wondered.
Before Sonic could reply, something wooshed over them. Princess Sally shrieked as she was snatched up, and she and her captor vanished in a blue streak of light!
"What the--PRINCESS SALLY!"
It didn't take long for Sonic to realize what had happened.
"This has to be one of Dr. Robotnik's tricks!"
Indeed it was! Upon discovering the location of the Little Planet, the evil Dr. Robotnik and his robot cronies had immediately set about converting it into a giant fortress. When Robotnik saw Sonic approaching, he had dispatched his prize creation, the Metal Sonic, to grab Princess Sally and lure his arch enemy into danger.
"How convenient!" Robotnik crowed, bouncing about like a malicious rubber ball. "This time my scientific expertise will crush you! Once all the Time Stones are in my hands, I'll be able to manipulate time and conquer the world! HO, HO, HO, HO!"
Sonic stood on a rock and thought. Robotnik had control of the Little Planet. He had Princess Sally, and he would soon have the Time Stones...but not if Sonic got to them first!
His adventure on the Little Planet was going to be more exciting and dangerous than he'd planned. It was time to get a move on!
Controls and Mechanics
Controls in Sonic CD are simple. You use the D-Pad to move around, left and right to run in those directions, and up and down let Sonic look up and down when standig still. (This pans the game camera up or down after a few seconds of holding the button, use this to look above and below for hazards.) The action buttons, A, B and C, make Sonic jump. He curls into a ball when doing so to attack enemies and smash obstacles ot item boxes. You can control your jump height by how long you press jump. When in motion, pressing down will let Sonic curl into a ball and roll on the ground. This can let you smash through breakable walls, hurt enemies on the ground (great for spiked enemies you can't jump on), and fit through tighter spaces. Sonic CD brings back the Spin Dash from Sonic 2, but it doesn't work the same. In this game you have to let the spin dash charge up before you can use it. CD also adds a new move to Sonic's abilities, the Peel Out. To perform it, you hold up while standing still and press a jump button (similar to how the spindash works). After you let it charge, release up to go zooming off at great speed. Becouase Sonic doesn't curl into a ball when doing the Peel Out, you're at risk of getting hurt by enemies. Pressing Start will pause the game when in a stage, and will begin the game on the Title Screen.
Rings act sort of like health. Sonic will die instantly if he collides with hazards, enemies, projectiles, or anything that hurts him. But when you have at least one Ring, instead of dying Sonic will get knocked back, becoming invincible for a few seconds, alloeing you to continue playing. When you're hit, all your held rings scatter, and they disappear after a few seconds if you don't try to collect them again.
In Sonic CD, there are seven different areas (known as Zones), split up into three levels (known as Acts), for a total of 21 stages total. There's also the secret Special Zone, which is kind of like a bonus level, but has its own goal and completing them all is needed to get the good ending of the game. As you go through the Zones, they introduce new elements and obstacles, and get more challenging as you make your way to Robotnik's base of operations to stop him.
Like Sonic 1, at the end of acts 1 and 2 of a Zone, you'll find a signpost with Robotnik's face on it. You run by it to complete the stage, doing so makes the sign spin and show Sonic's face on it to show you've completed the act. At the end of the third act in a Zone, you'll face off against Dr. Robotnik in his flying pod, the Eggmobile. In the Zones he has a contraption attached to it, besides Quartz Quadrant Zone, where he stands in a crusher thing. Once you defeat the doctor, you find a Capsule, and smashing it open finishes the level, and frees all the flowers from inside and lets them grow. The only Zone that doesn't have a Capsule is Metallic Maddness, as you take care of the doctor for good.
The Zones
Palmtree Panic
Palmtree Panic Zone is the first zone in this game. Set in the rolling, sunny hills of Little Planet, it's a good starting area with nice visuals and music. Palmtree Panic does a good job of letting you get used to the mechanics of Sonic and introducing the new things tha Sonic CD has to offer before the later zones.
In Palmtree Panic, you'll once more run into some of the staple level mechanics of the Sonic games, including Loop-De-Loops, which you have to have enough speed to go through, Speed Tunnels, where Sonic curls into a ball and zooms through the tunnel's path at speed (but only in one direction), obstacles like Springs, which bounce you to higher areas, forwards at speed, or into obstacles, Collapsing Ground, which crumbles and dissapears after you run across it, and hazzards like Spikes, which hurt you when you touch them.
Acts in Sonic tend to have multiple paths you can take to get the the end of the level. Quicker paths are usually towards the top of the stage and are harder to stay on. Paths lower in the level are usually slower and more dangerous. Palmtree Panic demonstrates this well while not making the lower paths too leathl.
New to Sonic CD is that every Act 1 and 2 of a Zone has 4 different versions, for different points in time. Past versions of levels represent what Little Planet looked like before Robotnik arrived, Present is how things are currently, with Little Planet chained up and Robotnik looking for the Time Stones. The Bad and Good Futures of a level show what the area looks like if Robotnik takes over Little Planet or if Sonic saves it.
You can visit the different time periods of a level by tracking down a sign with the word Past or Future written on it. Then, you have to run at top speed without stopping or getting hurt for a few seconds, and you've traveled through time! If you're in the future, Past Signs take you back to the present, and the same goes for Future Signs in the past.
The boss of Palmtree Panic is against the Bumper Mobile. Robotnik walks around in a legged mech, using bumpers to deflect your attacks. But if you are smart, or grab an invincibility monitor at the start of the level and run to the very right of the boss arena, you can damage him. Hit him three times and he'll be defeated.