Letter to Labyrinth Zone on Sonic the Hedgehog

[Ziggy]

I don't know if it helps, but I make sure to stop at every air bubble to refuel no matter what, even if I just grabbed one two seconds before -- and if the timing is off for whatever's coming next, I'll sit with those bubbles until I'm sure I've got a path to immediately move after grabbing one. Any hesitation after taking a breath is Bad.

Actually, that's always what I've done anyway. In every Sonic game. I always stop for ever air bubble.

For the spikey dudes, if you duck, their spikes will pass harmlessly over you. (I can't remember if rolling has the same effect.)

I actually don't have any trouble with those guys. They're just annoying because you have to wait for them to unload their.... things before you can hit kill them. They just help to make the level more annoying.

If you're motivated to play through the whole game, stocking up a bunch of lives before this point will really take the pressure off.

That might have been my mistake last night. I used the level select to jump straight to the Labyrinth Zone, so I only started with 3 lives (or however many you normally start with).

That's actually been my plan of attack for Sonic games since I was young. Well, at least with Sonic 2 it was. I'd try and stock up as many lives and continues as I could in the early levels so I'd have enough to lose when I'd die over and over again on the final stage and boss.

And while we're sharing, I've never been able to get all the Chaos Emeralds in Sonic 1. Something about those Special Stages confounds me I guess.

I hardly ever try to get all the emeralds. Some times I'll grab 2 or 3 just for fun, without the intent of getting them all. Most of the time I just ignore them completely. The first 2 or 3 bonus levels aren't too hard for me, but then I start to really suck at them after that. Same goes for Sonic 2. The only time I've ever gotten all the emeralds in a Sonic game was the first time I played through Sonic 3 & Knuckles. I've played through each game by itself and never got all the emeralds, but when I played through both together I was able to get one set at least.

[Gunstar Green]

And while we're sharing, I've never been able to get all the Chaos Emeralds in Sonic 1. Something about those Special Stages confounds me I guess.

I've never done it either. I think the best I've ever done is four. Since all you get is a barely changed ending, which I spoiled for myself anyway as a kid who learned of debug mode, I've never really had the incentive to give it a serious try.

It's a little more rewarding in Sonic 2 and un-combined 3 thanks to Super Sonic but only has serious repercussions in Sonic & Knuckles.

[Luke]

Aw man, you've got to get all the emeralds. Seeing Robotnick mock you after beating the game is infuriating.

[samsonlonghair]

If it helps, just take your time on the boss. You don't have to actually kill him you just need to survive. It's actually not terribly difficult if you just don't hit the boss.

THANKS!

I never knew that. I just assumed you had to kill him, and I'm always like "What the hell! I can't catch up! I'm never gonna be able to hit him enough times!"

Wait Wait Wait.....WHAT!? WHAT!???WHAT!?

Are you telling me...that....all of my life....I just had to survive? I thought I had to kill him!? Why would they do that to me!? I have never been able to beat Sonic the Hedgehog on that principle ALONE!!!

I just found this out for myself earlier this year. I have been playing Sonic the Hedgehog since 1991 and I hadn't been able to beat Labyrinth Zone Act 3 for twenty-three years because I kept trying to attack Robotnik. The whole time all I needed to do was survive. I wasted so many lives trying to get eight hits on Robotnik.

[Ziggy]

OK, so I just beat the Labyrinth Zone. It's not so hard when you memorize all the cheap death locations. And I beat the boss in one shot, now that I know you don't actually have to kill him and just survive.

The Labyrinth Zone isn't so hard. I think my biggest problem with it is cheap deaths and boring level design (it's so sloooooow). So whenever I have died on it in the past, I would just shut it off due to a lack of motivation.

edit: Oh wonderful. Scrap Brain Zone 3 is just a pallet swap of Labyrinth Zone. It's like they knew it'd be everyone's favorite level!

[Key-Glyph]

OK, so I just beat the Labyrinth Zone. It's not so hard when you memorize all the cheap death locations. And I beat the boss in one shot, now that I know you don't actually have to kill him and just survive.

Congratulations!!

Oh wonderful. Scrap Brain Zone 3 is just a pallet swap of Labyrinth Zone. It's like they knew it'd be everyone's favorite level!

At some point it occurred to me that maybe we should have warned you about this. I was out somewhere idly thinking about the thread when I randomly thought, "...oh noooooo."

Nothing you can't handle, though!

About the emeralds: I always try to get them. I think the last time I played I got about 5 or 6. I have no issues with them in the later games, although getting to that point took a bit of practice -- but I always feel out of my depth in the Sonic 1 Special Stages for some reason. As if no amount of practice will help. Now I'm getting inspired to go back and challenge my own lifelong gaming block!

[Ziggy]

About the emeralds: I always try to get them. I think the last time I played I got about 5 or 6. I have no issues with them in the later games, although getting to that point took a bit of practice -- but I always feel out of my depth in the Sonic 1 Special Stages for some reason. As if no amount of practice will help. Now I'm getting inspired to go back and challenge my own lifelong gaming block!

Do you know about the trick for getting them all easily? I think it goes like this: You play Zone 1 Act 1 and jump in the ring at the end (which is easy to get, and the level is fast to play through). Then after getting the emerald, reset the console and repeat the first level again. When you reset the console, the emeralds collected stay in memory so you can keep collecting them that way.

Of course, you could easily consider that cheating. If I were ever gonna try and beat Sonic 1 with all the emeralds, that's how I'd attempt it.

[Key-Glyph]

Do you know about the trick for getting them all easily?...

I didn't, and I'll have to try it! That's a fascinating quirk. Thanks for sharing!

[Gunstar Green]

You know what really sucks? The 8-bit version of Sonic 1 only reused a few zones from the original game...

And one of them is the goddamned Labyrinth Zone. The boss there is easy but it's still a slow and arduous level.

[Haoie]

I'm surprised a blue hedgehog can hold his breath that long at all!