Super Mario X Sonic the Hedgehog

Super Mario X Sonic the Hedgehog is a crossover platforming game released in 2021 for the Nintendo Switch. It is the seventh installment in the Mario & Sonic series, and the first entry to not be based on the Olympic Games. Despite being the seventh installment, it actually serves as a prequel to all the previous ones, detailing how the two franchises connected for the first time.
As one would guess, the game serves as a crossover between the Super Mario series and the Sonic the Hedgehog series, and incorporates several aspects of both of their gameplay. It was also released to simultaneously celebrate Sonic's 30th anniversary.
==Plot==
For a more in-depth description of the plot, see here!
The game begins with Dr. Eggman pacing angrily around his lair, grumbling to himself about how he's tried to harness everything from throughout Mobius, yet has still had no luck in conquering the world or defeating Sonic. He eventually decides to search other dimensions for something suitable to harness. One jump-cut later, Eggman, with the help of Orbot and Cubot, manages to complete an inter-dimensional machine, opening a portal that happens to lead into Bowser's Castle, where he bears witness to Bowser fighting Mario, who is once again trying to save Peach. Mario gets tossed around quite a bit, but still prevails and escapes the castle with Peach in tow. Eggman is nonetheless impressed by Bowser's fighting prowess and decides to take him in as a powerful new ally. Right as he makes his decision, however, the machine malfunctions and explodes, forming various portals to the Mushroom Kingdom all throughout Mobius, including one that shatters the Master Emerald and brings Angel Island to the ground. Nonetheless, Eggman and his minions cross over into the Mushroom World and form an alliance with the Koopa Troop.
Days later, Sonic finally catches wind of this bizarre phenomenon and immediately suspects that it's Eggman's doing. With the help of the Tornado-2, he and Tails venture into this new dimension and proceed to explore it. On the ground, Sonic spots Mario and Luigi beating up some of Bowser's minions, which he mistakes for innocent animals. Furious, he leaps off the plane and confronts the plumbers, and after a two-way fight, he realizes that these animals are actually evil and the four quickly team up. Upon noticing some evidence of the villain team-up, Tails suggests that the group should warn Princess Peach about this and the four immediately head for Toad Town.
From there, countless plot threads unwind: Dr. Eggman starts roboticizing Bowser's army, spreading their combined forces across both dimensions; Knuckles looks for the missing emerald shards with the help of the Chaotix; the Koopalings and the Deadly Six form an alliance; Amy teaches Peach the importance of self-defense; Team Dark chases after Metal Sonic and butts heads with the Wario Bros., who hope to capture the robot and sell his technology for a huge profit; and Silver travels back to the present after various Mario enemies start appearing in his time.
Eventually, Mario, Sonic, Luigi, and Tails manage to beat Bowser and Eggman at once, before both villains retreat. Angered at their shared defeat, Bowser and Eggman start to squabble and decide to kidnap Peach in a last-ditch effort to come out on top, unintentionally grabbing Amy in the process as well. Giving chase, the heroes make their way over toward Bowser's now mechanized castle; a portal nearby leads to Eggman's fortress back home, which has been overrun by the Koopa Troop. For the sake of switching things up, Mario and Sonic trade sidekicks and head off to stop their respective villains for good, getting a boost from the Chaos Emeralds they've gathered over the course of their adventure.
After doing so, Professor E. Gadd steals Kamek's mechanized wand and uses its amplified powers to close all but one portal, although the one around the fortress takes a long time to close. With time running out to get home, Eggman manages to find a barely conscious Bowser, who got beaten up so badly that he has no memory of the game's events; finding that he had a lot of fun during their team-up, he convinces him that the two are friends, before heading back to his own dimension, foreshadowing the events of the following olympic installments. Just before the credits, the heroes of both worlds are gathered in Peach's basement, standing before the sole remaining portal. Sonic quips, "Hey, maybe we should stay in touch and possibly meet up again, like, at the Olympics or something." Afterwards, everyone says their goodbyes, and after Sonic and friends head home, Peach turns off the portal for good, vowing to save it for special occasions.
==Gameplay==
The game makes usage of two gameplay styles, each contained within its own story, in a similar vein to Sonic Adventure. The two stories often intertwine and may even veer off in different directions. Once the player completes one campaign, they will unlock a level select screen, allowing them replay any stage within that campaign, as well as all of its cutscenes and a Sound Test. After completing both campaigns, a Last Story is unlocked, containing the final levels and boss fights for each character.
A unique feature present in both campaigns is the return of emblems from the Sonic Adventure titles. The player will earn one for simply beating a level, another for clearing it with an S-rank, and one more for completing the level 100%. In Mario's case, he must collect all emerald shards within the stage, while Sonic must collect the five hidden Star Coins within each of his levels, which replace the Red Rings from his home series. In addition, there are also five emblems tucked away throughout each level in the game (excluding boss fights), which the player can simply collect.
Nabbing every emblem in the game will unlock a final, much more challenging level in which the player must switch between Mario and Sonic in order to traverse the numerous areas. Clearing this level will unlock a Hard Mode version of every level in the game, sporting relocated collectbles and smaller platorms; Sonic's campaign involves a halved health bar, while Mario's levels contain fewer rings. Additionally, beating the game in the main mode unlocks the ability to play as the characters' Hyper forms outside of the final boss, who are invulnerable and have increased speed and jump height.
===Mario's Story===
In Mario's story, his levels mostly take place throughout Sonic's world, complete with returning tracks from various games in that series, all remixed by Koji Kondo. Despite this, they are all structured similarly to the stages in Super Mario Odyssey, in that they are all large sandbox areas full of collectibles. Mario controls similarly to how he does in Odyssey, but instead of Cappy, he uses his punches and kicks from Super Mario 64. Another difference is that since Mario is in Sonic's world, he now has to use the ring system. Thus, the player must collect rings in order to protect themselves from damage. Getting hit will cause the player to lose a portion of their rings, and getting hit with no rings in tow will result in a death. If this occurs, the player must restart from their last checkpoint, though there are once again no lives.
Each stage contains eighteen emerald shards, and the goal is to collect at least six of them and reach the Goal Ring that appears, before the player's performance is ranked from D to S, based on the number of rings collected, as well as the completion time. Before starting each stage (with the exception of the opening fight against Bowser), the player can choose between either Mario or Luigi to play as. Both brothers control the same way, though the latter can jump twice as high and has slippery traction. Boss fights are dvided into phases, forcing the player to switch control between the two brothers.
====Power-Ups====
Item: 	Ability:
Shield 	Lets the player sustain a single hit without taking damage.
Speed Shoes 	Increases the player's ground speed for fifteen seconds. During this time, his punches will be replaced with sliding tackles.
Invincibility 	The player sparkles and beomes invulnerable to enemies and obstacles for fifteen seconds
Electric Shield	The player can do a double-jump, resist electric hazards, and draw in rings.
Fire Shield 	The player can do a mid-air dash, and resist fire and lava.
Bubble Shield 	The player can perform a bounce attack to gain extra height, and has unlimited air underwater.
===Sonic's Story===
Sonic's levels mostly take place in Mario's world, complete with returning tracks from throughout that series, all remixed by Jun Senoue and Tomoya Ohtani. They are all structured in a similar vein to the ones in Sonic Generations, mixing high speed and platforming with a sense of exploration. Sonic controls similarly to how he does in Generations, though because coins do not work the way rings do, he can no longer perform the Light-Speed Dash and now has six hit-points. Losing the last of these hit-points will result in a death, though like in Sonic Forces, there is no life system. In addition, the combat system has been reworked to suit Mario's enemies; if the enemy has a shell, then they must be homing attacked twice to be defeated, and the second hit will launch them in whatever direction the player is facing; similarly, if an enemy has spikes, it must be boosted into or else Sonic will take damage.
Though the player is given a specific story reason behind each level, the goal of each stage is still to simply reach the end. As opposed to the goal rings from his own games, Sonic must now reach a flagpole with Bowser's emblem on it, which will automatically lower itself after he runs by. The player is then ranked from D to S, based on their clear time as well as the number of coins collected. In addition, the player has the option to choose between Sonic or Tails before each level. The latter plays almost exactly like Sonic, but has the ability to fly and has access to special routes that Sonic cannot reach, as well as an added projectile in the form of his arm cannon from Sonic Battle; he can even fly faster and longer by using the boost. Like in Mario's story, boss fights require the player to switch control between Sonic and Tails.
====Power-Ups====
Item: 	Ability:
Super Mushroom	These are dropped by enemies, and collecting them will fill the player's boost gauge.
Fire Flower 	When the player boosts, they'll be coated in a flaming aura that can burn wooden objects and melt ice, as well as letting them boost across lava. Also doubles the damage output of the homing attack, and replaces Tails' arm cannon shots with fire.
1-Up Mushroom 	Much more common than they are in the Mario series, these will replenish the player's hit-points.
Starman 	Turns the player invincible for fifteen seconds and boosts their speed.
Super Leaf 	Replaces the player's air dash with a double-jump, and lets them slow their descent from mid-air by holding the jump button. Also doubles the range of the homing attack.
Ice Flower 	Gives the player better traction on ice, and lets them boost across water. Stomping will release a shockwave that freezes enemies in their tracks. Replaces Tails' arm cannon shots with ice.
Frog Suit 	Reverts Sonic's underwater controls to the way they were in Sonic Colors, and has the added effect of doubling the amount of time he can spend underwater. While on land, Sonic will run slightly slower, but a standard jump will launch him twice as high.
==Levels and Boss Fights==
===Mario's Story===
*BOSS: Bowser: Mario is briefly tutorialized on the game's controls within the castle, before fighting his lifelong nemesis. Bowser attacks by spewing fireballs and shaking the ground, and Mario must spin him around by his tail in a similar vein to Super Mario 64, hurling him at the walls. After a phase of this, Bowser uses his Whirling Fortress to ram Mario, which must be dodged. Bowser eventually destroys the platform, and Mario must use a series of quicktime events to dodge his firebreath and kick him into the wall one last time, freeing Peach and sendng him plunging into the magma.
*STAGE #1: Grassy Getaway: A typical grassy plains stage. A brief cutscene beforehand shows Mario and Luigi dropping the princess back off at her castle, before setting off on their way home. The player is briefly tutorialized on how Mario's levels work, and simply must find at least six out of the eighteen mysterious emerald shards in order to complete the stage. Also marks the player's first opportunity to play as Luigi.
*BOSS: Sonic/Tails: The Mario Bros.' first ever encounter with the denizens of Sonic's world. In Phase 1, Mario must avoid Sonic's spin-dashes, countering with a punch or a jump to head whenever he slows down; doing this three times will end the phase. Phase 2 involves Luigi avoiding Tails's arm cannon blasts and dealing damage by hitting him from below, like he would a block; again, this must be done three times. In Phase 3, Mario gains access to Speed Shoes for the first time, and spends the phase running after Sonic in order to ram into him and whittle down his health bar, though this becomes tougher halfway through, as Sonic touches a Super Leaf and uses its abilities to keep his distance and occasionally trip the player up. Finally, Phase 4 involves Luigi avoiding Tails' ice shots, before using his new Fire Shield to ram into him a few times.
*STAGE #2: Station Square: A bustling city in Sonic's world. Has a lot more verticality compared to Mario's other stages.
*BOSS: Knuckles: In the odd-numbered phases, Mario must avoid Knuckles' punches, gliding, and sneak attacks from underground. He cannot jump on his head, as the echidna will block him with his spiked gloves, which will deal damage. Instead, Mario must dodge all incoming attacks and quickly counter with his own punches, landing three-hit combos in order to whittle down Knuckles' healthbar. In the even phases, Luigi must use his higher, floatier jumps in order to reach Knuckles when he resorts to wall-climbing, but otherwise the fight is the same.
*STAGE #3: Classy Casino: A flashy, casino-themed level full of pinball bumpers, slot machines, and multiple ways to get showered in rings.
*BOSS: Dr. Eggman: Mario's first time fighting Eggman. He arrives in his Eggmobile, with each phase utilizing his boss patterns from Green Hill, Emerald Hill, Angel Island, Flying Battery, Bridge Zone, Electric Egg, Secret Base, and Route 99. Mario and Luigi take turns after each phase, but the phase does not end until the player hits Eggman with three jumps or punches.
*STAGE #4: Dim Dungeon: An underground portion of the ruins that Mario and Sonic wind up in. The area is dimly-lit and full of traps, but there are also several torches that can be lit with the Fire Shield.
*BOSS: Metal Sonic: Takes place immediately after Sonic's fight with the robotic döppelganger. Mario and Luigi cannot jump on Metal Sonic due to his hard exterior, and thus can only attack him with punches, all the while dodging his chest-cannon shots and charge attacks, during which he electrifies his entire body.
*STAGE #5: Ice Cap: A snow-covered mountain with climbable icicles, as well as plenty of caves and ledges to explore. The stage ends with a snowboarding segment as the player flees from an avalanche. A few of the emerald shards are found during this segment, and thus if the player misses them, they cannot be grabbed except on repeat playthroughs. Unlike its Sonic Adventure counterpart, the level transitions into an aurora-filled night around the second half.
*BOSS: Team Dark: Mario takes on Rouge and Shadow in Phases 1 and 3 respectively, while Luigi spends Phases 2 and 4 fighting E-123 Omega. Rouge fights by tossing heart-shaped bombs (which can be knocked back with punches), using martial arts, and occasionally launching her signature screw-kick; the latter can get stuck in the ground, leaving her open to a jump on the head. Shadow will teleport away from all of Mario's attacks, while also firing his own Chaos Spears into the fray and occasionally using a spin-dash or homing attack. When he uses a Chaos Blast, he will get stunned from exerting himself, leaving him open to Mario's punches and jumps. Omega fights completely from a distance, dashing around the arena and firing off energy blasts and missiles for Luigi to dodge. The only way to stop his assault is to time a jump on his head, which will leave him open to a punching combo.
*STAGE #6: Adabat: The Mario Bros. must explore both the seaside village and the surrounding waters in order to find the emerald shards. This is the first stage in Mario's Story to put his swimming abilities to the test.
*STAGE #7: Luigi's Mansion: Mario must hunt for this level's emerald shards within the depths of the old mansion his brother won a while ago. Full of illusions, ghosts, and shaky wooden platforms.
*BOSS: King Boo: Mario and Luigi tag in and out of the fight after each phase, although the phases don't differ very much. King Boo fights by ramming into the plumbers and releasing purple lightning bolts from his crown, and can only be damaged by either luring him into the sun's rays (brought in by jumping on a switch that opens the skylight), or sneaking around and punching him from behind. After three phases, a cutscene plays where Sonic and Tails enter the scene, giving the plumbers the edge they need: an Invincibility monitor. Phase 4 is spent with Luigi hitting King Boo with the same attacks as before, defeating him for good.
*STAGE #8: Toad Town: Mario or Luigi must hunt for several emerald shards within the town's borders. Many of them are hidden in and around the Toad Houses.
*STAGE #9: Windy Hill Zone: Returning from Sonic Lost World, Mario must navigate the various tubular and spherical landmasses in order to find the level's emerald shards.
*BOSS: The Deadly Six: Phases 1, 3, and 5 revolve around Luigi fighting the Amalgamech, a hideous combination of each of the Deadly Six's mechs from Sonic Lost World, which has access to all of the original attacks. After Luigi lands six hits, he and Mario will switch places. Phases 2, 4, and 6 involve Mario directly engaging two Zeti at once, starting with Zazz and Zeena, followed by Zomom and Master Zik, and finally Zavok and Zor. Each pair has access to its share of singular and team attacks, and each individual Zeti can take three hits before defeat.
*STAGE #10: Cybertrek: Takes place inside an ominous, distorted virtual world with an eerie color palette, complete with 8-bit sound effects; even the enemies are replaced with their original NES sprites. Some of the level terrain disappears in small, pixelated explosions if Mario stands on it for too long.
*BOSS: Eggshell Koopa: A hybrid between the Mecha-Bowser from Super Mario Sunshine and the Death Egg Robot from Sonic 2. In Mario's Story, Luigi must dodge shockwaves, fire breath, and homing Bullet Bills; the latter of which will halt upon reaching the ground and explode after twenty seconds. Luigi must run up towards the mech's legs and punch all four toes on each one, temporarily stunning and immobilizing it. Mario will then tag in and throw the downed missiles at the mech's kneecaps, causing it to collapse to his level; by platforming along its body and hitting four switches along the way, Mario will successfully deactivate the electrification of the glass dome covering Eggman's cockpit, allowing him to jump on top of it. All of these patterns repeat two more times; the third time around, Eggman will be completely exposed and Mario must punch him eight times, ending the battle.
===Sonic's Story===
*STAGE #1: Green Hill Zone/Plain Plains: Sonic and Tails' first level, which includes some brief tutorials on how their story's levels work. The first half takes place in Green Hill Zone, while the second half is set in the Mushroom Kingdom.
*BOSS: Mario/Luigi: Phase 1 involves Sonic avoiding Mario's jumps and punches, before countering with a boost or a homing attack. Phase 2 involves Tails avoiding Luigi's uppercuts and countering with the same attacks, with the added option of using his arm cannon. Phase 3 involves Sonic chasing down Mario and ramming into him with the boost; he must then follow the game's button prompts and form a tornado with his boost, before pummeling Mario with a series of homing attacks. Phase 4 involves Tails boosting across a lake and chasing down Luigi, avoiding his flamed ramming attacks, before countering with an onslaught of Ice Flower-induced projectiles.
*STAGE #2: Shroom Dunes: A scorching desert, housing a Vegas-like city and a slew of cacti, quicksand, and ruins, with the occasional oasis. Halfway thrugh the level, the day transitions to night, and a major setpiece involves traversing a massive windstorm that culminates in a tornado.
*STAGE #3: Unstable Ruins: A set of partially underwater ruins, seemingly built from the same bricks that make up the floating blocks throughout Mario's world. The level is full of crumbling ground, Thwomps, Chain Chomps, and spiked traps. A major setpiece near the end involves being chased by a giant Unagi Eel.
*BOSS: Bowser: Sonic's first encounter with Bowser. In the odd-numbered phases, Sonic must dodge all of Bowser's shell dashes, fireballs, punches, and claw swipes, before countering with homing attacks to anywhere on the front of his body. After Bowser takes enough hits, Sonic can boost into his legs to knock him onto his back, before homing attacking his head, causing them both to enter his shell and inducing a powerful pummeling. In the even-numbered phases, Bowser will hop into his Koopa Clown Car and fly out of Sonic's range, forcing Tails to dodge his Bulls-Eye Bills and firebreath, before shooting or homing attacking his head and knocking him back onto the ground. The fourth and final phase ends with Tails shooting the car's propeller, downing Bowser for good.
*STAGE #4: Isle Delfino: The stage begins with Sonic sprinting across the ocean, before arriving on the familiar airstrip and heading into Delfino Plaza. The rest of the level sees Sonic traveling through each distinct area of the island, culminating into a sprint up the side of Corona Mountain and a free fall towards the goal inside the crater.
*BOSS: Metal Sonic: Sonic and Tails chase Metal Sonic down the inner walls of Corona Mountain and through the pool of lava (with help from a Fire Flower). The fight plays out pretty much like the one in Sonic Forces, but with a few added attacks.
*STAGE #5: Yoshi's Island: This stage starts out on the sandy shoreline, but it primarily takes place within the island's jungles before concluding at the foot of the local mountains. Throughout the stage, the multicolored members of the Yoshi race assist Sonic in various ways, such as letting him swing and grind on their tongues, or launching him to far off areas by slurping him up and tossing him as an egg. There are even a few sections where Poochy appears and lets Sonic ride across hazardous areas.
*BOSS: Wario/Waluigi: During the odd-numbered phases, Sonic challenges Wario, who attacks by punching the ground and forming shockwaves, using his Wario Bite, or using his elbow-dash. Homing attacks will not work on him, as they will simply bounce off his belly, and if Sonic gets too close, he will get tossed aside. However, Wario's elbow-dash can be countered by boosting, overpowering him and leaving him open to a homing attack. Occasionally, Wario will let loose a massive fart, clouding the area and reducing visibility. It is only during these instances where Sonic can land a homing attack without stunning him first. Meanwhile, Tails and Waluigi face off in the even-numbered phases; the latter fights with martial arts, and will flip away from any projectiles fired at him, forcing Tails to attack up close. After whittling down his health enough, he will be sufficiently stunned and vulnerable to an arm-cannon shot.
*STAGE #6: Cobweb Canopy: A stage in a haunted forest, with cobwebs to bounce on, tree trunks to run along, and poisonous swamps to avoid. Several of the enemies are of the ghostly variety, making them completely indestructible unless Sonic has a Starman handy.
*STAGE #7: Sweet Mountain: This dessert and junk food-themed level returns from Sonic Colors, albeit completely free of machinery this time around. Setpieces include but are not limited to: chocolate rivers, mountains of cake and hamburgers, shuttle loops made from donuts, and grind rails made from candy canes and licorice.
*BOSS: Petey Piranha: Petey's fight is similar to the one from Super Mario Sunshine. He attacks by spewing glop that can either make Tails slip or immobilize him, sending out gusts of wind by flapping his arms, or when he's close, performing a lunging chomp attack, while occasionally hovering to a different part of the arena. During Phases 1 and 3, Tails must avoid the attacks and attack him from whatever angle he chooses until he's stunned. Phases 2 and 4 see Sonic using a homing attack to enter Petey's mouth, triggering a platforming section where he must attack the sore spots on the inside of his body before he gets coughed up and must land a homing attack on his exposed bellybutton.
*STAGE #8: Mushroom City: Aesthetically based on the racetrack from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, but is built like a Boost-era Sonic level. Sonic must run along freeways and platform through the cityscape, all the while dodging cars, trucks, Bob-Omb cars, and Wiggler-themed buses. At some point in the level, Sonic launches into the sky and briefly runs through the Double Dash version of Rainbow Road.
*STAGE #9: Airship Assault: Structured similarly to Egg Fleet from Sonic Heroes, but is themed around a fleet of Bowser's Airships. Sonic must sprint along several massive Airships, using springs and cannons to launch between each one as the fleet gets progressively destroyed, all the while dodging cannonballs, regular and homing Bullet Bills, and Rocky Wrenches, among other things. 
*BOSS: Koopalings: Taking place on a giant Airship overlooking the area where Mario and Luigi fight the Deadly Six (which can be witnessed in the background), Sonic and Tails take turns fighting two Koopalings at a time. Phases 1 and 3 see Tails taking down Larry and Wendy, and Iggy and Lemmy, respectively. Phase 2 sees Sonic face Roy and Morton at the same time, while Phase 4 starts out with just Ludwig; Bowser Jr. only appears after the latter has been defeated, and unlike the others, he goes down in five hits instead of three. After he is defeated, his Junior Clown Car explodes, causing significant collateral damage to the Airship and ultimately sending it hurtling below the clouds.
*STAGE #10: Cybertrek: Takes place inside an ominous, distorted virtual world with an eerie color palette, complete with 16-bit sound effects; even the enemies are replaced with their own Genesis sprites. Some of the level terrain disappears in small, pixelated explosions if Sonic stands on it for too long.
*BOSS: Eggshell Koopa: A hybrid between the Mecha-Bowser from Super Mario Sunshine and the Death Egg Robot from Sonic 2. In Sonic's Story, Tails must dodge shockwaves, fire breath, and homing Bullet Bills; the latter of which will halt when they reach the ground and explode after twenty seconds. The mech will then use its extendable arms to punch the ground; if Tails baits it into hitting the downed Bullet Bills, then it will temporarily stun the arm, allowing Sonic to sprint up towards the head. After dodging lasers and slap attacks, Sonic must also run over four switches along the way, which will deactivate the electrification of the glass dome protecting Bowser's cockpit, allowing him to hit it with a homing attack. This pattern will repeat three times; the third time, Bowser will be completely exposed, and Sonic will beat him up with a barrage of homing attacks, ending the fight The music is a mashup of Bowser's theme from Super Mario 64, and Eggman's theme from Sonic Unleashed.
===Last Story===
*STAGE #1: Charred Cauldron: A volcanic level leading up to Bowser's Castle. It is a Sonic stage, and several portions of it involve boosting across lava with the Fire Flower.
*STAGE #2: Medeival Doorstep: Takes place directly ouside the gate to Bowser's Castle. Mario or Luigi must explore the level and find all six keys (as opposed to emerald shards) to not only open the castle's gate, but also to lower the drawbridge.
*BOSS: Boom Boom/Pom Pom: Unlike other levels in the game, this one sees Mario and Sonic swap between each other, although Luigi and/or Tails can optionally be selected instead before the fight begins. Mario decides to take on Boom Boom, while Sonic challenges Pom Pom. Both of them fight similarly to how they do in Super Mario 3D World, but with larger heath bars, some new attacks, and even a couple of team moves.
*STAGE #3: Hellfire Castle: Sonic's last stage, taking place inside Eggman's base. Tails is not playable here, as the two sidekicks have swapped places at this point in the game. Instead, Sonic must zoom through the level while carrying Luigi, who slightly inhibits his moveset. As the player travels through the level, Kamek repeatedly teleports in, using his magic to manipulate the stage in various ways, such as changing the pull of gravity, spawning enemies and obstacles, or even summoning giant versions of Orbot and Cubot to destroy parts of the level. The stage ends with a quick-step section, where Sonic must dodge blasts of magic and boost into Kamek, incapacitating him, before finally reaching the goal.
*STAGE #4: Mecha Fortress: Mario's last stage, set inside a mechanized version of Bowser's Castle, where he has to find another set of keys to reach the final boss. Luigi is not playable here, as the two sidekicks have swapped places at this point in the game. Instead, Mario has the option to press the jump button in mid-air so he can gain access to Tails' flight ability.
*BOSS: Giga Bowser/Robo the Egghog: The final boss of the game. Mario faces off against a mutated form of Bowser, brought on by Kamek's magic, while Sonic fights a giant, robot mech version of himself, controlled by Dr. Eggman. All the heroes power up with the help of the Chaos Emeralds for Phase 1, but are barely able to leave a scratch on the bosses. Fortunately, Knuckles and Silver arrive with the repaired Master Emerald, using it to power up the Chaos Emeralds and unlocking Hyper forms for the heroes, which thus kicks off Phase 2. Throughout the fight, Mario, Sonic, Luigi, and Tails must swap between each other when the ring count drops too low, and each take turns attacking the bosses' weak points. In one final attack of desperation, Bowser and Eggman pair up and attempt to ram the heroes one last time, forcing the four to join forces as well and counter it. Ultimately, the villains are overpowered and sent reeling through the walls, losing their new abilities in the process. The music is a mashup of "Fated Battle" from Super Mario Galaxy 2, and "Dr. Eggman Showdown" from Sonic Lost World.
===Bonus World===
A series of harder levels for Mario and Sonic to play through, with much more surreal aesthetics compared to the main game's stages, including a few modeled after various Mario Kart tracks. One of these levels is based around Donkey Kong Island, complete with cameos from Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, and a boss fight against King K. Rool, with phases for both Mario and Sonic that pay homage to all of K. Rool's appearances. Finding every emblem in the game unlocks one last challenge level, taking visual cues from the bonus areas in Super Mario Sunshine, in which Mario and Sonic must swap between each other in order to traverse it.
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