Sonic Count Down

Sonic Count Down (ソニックカウントダウン Sonikku kauntodaun), alternatively known as Sonic the Hedgehog Count Down (ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ・カウントダウン Sonikku za hejjihoggu kauntodaun) is a side-scrolling platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise set within the alternate timeline established by Sonic Mania, taking place after the events of that game. The game follows Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, and Knuckles the Echidna as they try to combat the hostile takeover of Big Moon, lead by Dr. Eggman. The game also follows Robo Sonic, a minor boss character from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit) who is now playable as he butts heads with two of Dr. Eggman's more refined models of robotic doppelgangers; Metal Sonic and Mecha Sonic, the latter making his first big appearance since his debut in Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
Unlike the mainline, 3D Sonic games, this game is not handled by Sonic Team directly. The project is instead developed by Christian Whitehead, Headcannon, PagodaWest Games, and Exclamatory Laboratories, the former three all returning from their work on Sonic Mania. The game emulates the gameplay and 2D sprite animation of the original Sega Genesis Sonic trilogy, while also fusing the gameplay with elements from the cult-classic installment Sonic CD, aka Sonic the Hedgehog CD. The game's development began on May 13, 2018, only months after the completion of Sonic Mania Plus.
==Gameplay==
Like the previous game within the 2D Sonic franchise, Sonic Count Down is a 2D sprite-based side-scrolling game with Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, and Robo Sonic as playable characters. The fundemental gameplay, controls, and physics of Count Down are nigh-identical to Mania.
Zones are formatted in a similar way to Mania. Each zone consists of two acts, with a boss to fight at the end of each zone. However, Act 1 of each Zone consists of that Zone's Present and Past. The player always starts in the Present by default, and can travel to the Past version of the Zone by jumping into the ring of sparkles that appear above a Star Post after passing it. Act 2 of each Zone consists of that Zone's Bad Future and Good Future. The player starts in the Bad Future by default, unless the Robot Teleporter in the Past of Act 1 is destroyed. If that is the case, then the player will instead be treated to that Zone's Good Future, which is devoid of Badniks. Good Futures are also the only Acts where Special Stages can be found, which, if completed, reward the player with a Time Stone. All Zones, no matter the time period or Act, contain many alternate paths, some of which can only be reached by certain characters. Some characters also have entire areas that can not be accessed by other characters. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles each have one Act unique to them, while Robo Sonic has three.
==Plot==
Note: Almost all of the cutscenes in Sonic Count Down are in-engine cutscenes with no dialogue, in the same style as preceding 2D Sonic games. The two exceptions are the game's opening and the endings, animated in the same style as the opening/title animations featured in Sonic CD and Sonic Mania.
The game begins over a cloudy landscape, with the serene Never Lake coming into view. But all too quickly, large explosions start ravaging the lakeside, and soon the perpetrators can be seen; Egg Robos. Groups of four each carry large bombs that they drop down to earth, creating large blasts that begin to level the mountains surrounding the area. The scene then pans to Dr. Eggman flying in his Egg Mobile, modified to hold an especially large bomb (with his face plastered on it, of course). Hot on his tail is the Tornado, being flown by Tails, with Sonic and Knuckles standing on each wing. An aerial dogfight starts to take place, as the Egg Mobile fires missiles the Tornado has to dodge. But the airplane is only so nimble, and to the trio's dismay, the right wing is soon hit! Knuckles nearly falls off the Tornado because of it, barely hanging on. Once he gets back up, Knuckles jumps from the Tornado and latches onto the Egg Mobile, pounding on the vehicle. The nefarious doctor suddenly panics, shouting at the echidna to stop what he's doing while Sonic, carried by Tails, starts to hover closer. All four parties soon hear a sudden beep... beep... beep... BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.
Not good.
The Egg Mobile and already damaged Tornado are sent hurdling down to the ground by the blast, while Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are blasted high into the sky. They soar above the clouds, showing Little Planet almost aligned with Never Lake as it does every year. But above it? A planetoid bigger than it; Big Moon. It is covered in a metallic husk, but with no chains in sight. The trio are sent sailing through space and end up hurtling right towards the planetoid.
==Characters==
Image	Character 	Description
 	Sonic the Hedgehog 	A carefree hedgehog with a need for speed, Sonic's always on the case whenever one of Dr. Eggman's diabolical schemes are put in place. He first appeared in, what else, Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis. Technically speaking, though, his first appearance was a cameo as a car freshener. We've come a long way.
 	Miles "Tails" Prower	Using his two tails, Tails can use them like a propeller and fly through the air. Ever since they first met on West Side Island, Sonic and Tails have been an inseparable duo! He travels around in the Tornado, an airplane that's always useful for catching up with the ever-elusive Eggman. Although we can't help but wonder... why does Tails never use his real name any more? Maybe he isn't really fond of puns...
 	Knuckles the Echidna	The sole living protector of the Master Emerald, Knuckles is rougher and tougher than the rest of them. He can glide and climb walls with ease... who knew echidnas were so aerodynamic? After a major misunderstanding on Angel Island, Knuckles has become a powerful ally of Sonic's, and since the Master Emerald's safe and sound (for now), he won't pass up a chance to beat up Dr. Eggman again.
 	Robo Sonic 	One of Dr. Eggman's earliest known metallic mockeries of Sonic. After a failed test run against the newly formed duo of Sonic and Tails, Robo Sonic was left on the wayside, not demolished, but neglected for years. After accidentally being reactivated, Robo Sonic harbors a resentment for his creator, and wishes to prove him wrong by demolishing his successor models. Rathering than running, Robo Sonic uses the jet boosters attached to his feet to propel himself. He also has the unique ability to charge a mid-air spin dash, which bursts straight forward once unleashed.
 	Dr. Eggman 	A malevolent and mischevious mastermind, Dr. Eggman made the horrible mistake of using woodland critters to power his baddies in his attempts to take over the world. This had drawn in the attention of a blue hedgehog, whose prickly blue spines would become a pain in his back for years to come.
 	Metal Sonic 	One of Dr. Eggman's greatest inventions yet (although that isn't saying much), Metal Sonic has one goal; to defeat Sonic. However, creating such a powerful nemesis for someone like Sonic wasn't easy. Naturally, every mechanic creation has a prototype or two...
 	Mecha Sonic 	Dr. Eggman's direct successor to Robo Sonic, tasked with preventing Sonic to get any closer to the revived Death Egg. Despite his strength, even he failed, and was similarly tinkered with before being left to gather dust. After being reawakened, Mecha seeks to reclaim the immense power he weld before.
==Zones==
Sonic Count Down consists of 17 Zones, each split into 2 Acts, and each Act split into 2 timezones (in most cases). The list of Zones is also split in half, and into 2 "Episodes". At the end of each Act, a boss is fought before clearing it. To reach the last zone, a Good Future needs to be obtained in all of the 16 Zones prior. The Zones in chronological order are:
===Episode 1===
*First Forest Zone - A prehistoric rain forest blooming with life, even as the sun is blotted out. A great first level, with plenty of space to run around and up massive trees. The Past takes place in a prehistoric era, with mechanical level elements like springs and boosters being replaced by organic phenomenons, like strange mushrooms and flowers that spit you out at high speeds. The Bad Future has most, if not all of the massive titans of trees torn down or torched, leaving bare, dead land, and an ominous smog in the air. The Good Future has more sun shining through the canopy, and the titanic trees are given mechanical fortifications and enhancements to help uphold the natural sanctuary.
*Cruiseship Calamity Zone - A massive cruise liner that voyages across Big Moon's oceans. The main attractions here are the indoor water park for high octane, water slide action, and level elements similar to some casino-themed Zones, designed after shuffleboard. The Past takes place during the ship's construction. Many platforms consist of incomplete chunks of the ship, with the majority of solid ground being iron girders or partly functional attractions. The Bad Future strips the "luxury" from this luxury cruise liner, degrading it into a cargo carrying ship traveling across murky waters. The Good Future takes place during a serene sunset, as the ship is now a big-name, high-quality cruise liner. A trip through here should be nothing but smooth sailing.
===Episode 2===
WIP
==Game Modes==
===Count Down Campaign===
The main mode of the game. Entering Count Down Campaign brings the player to the file select screen, where players can select their file and character to play as. Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are available to play as right off the bat, but Robo Sonic cannot be played as unless the player has already completed a playthrough of the game once.
====No Save====
In lieu of choosing an existing save, players can play in No Save mode. The game will not save while playing No Save mode, and not using a Continue after getting a Game Over will result in all of the player's progress being lost.
==Trivia==
*As a spiritual successor to Sonic CD, this game contains many references and throwbacks to that game, and elements it introduced.
**The game's title, when abbreviated, is SCD, the same as Sonic CD.
**All of the game's Zones, except for the last, start with the same letter, the same way Sonic CD named its Rounds.
***The last Zone, Climactic Duel Zone, uses "C" and "D" as its first letters, as in CD.
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