Sonic DL

Sonic the Hedgehog DL (short for DownLoad) is a fictional entry in the Sonic the Hedgehog series of games. The game's title is often abbreviated to Sonic DL.
==Overview==
Sonic DL is essentially an alternative version of Sonic the Hedgehog 4, and like that game, is a traditional Sonic 2D platformer that incorporates story and gameplay elements from the Genesis Sonic titles and Sonic CD.
Sonic DL is intended to be released episodically in three parts (called "Episodes"), each of which contain different zones and gameplay but an overarching story. Players that purchase multiple episodes will receive access to exclusive mini-episodes, which focus on new characters, their gameplay styles, and their unique perspectives on transpiring events. All episodes can be purchased for the Nintendo Wii-U and Switch, Playstation 3 and 4, X-Box 360 and One, and PC via Steam. All three episodes sell for $14.99US each unless on sale.
Seperate "Mini-Episodes" exist, which serve as bonuses for players that purchase more than one of the three main Episodes of Sonic DL. These are automatically available for download once it is detected that players have purchased the requisite episodes, or available for purchase as stand-alone products for $4.95US each unless on sale. The Mini-Episodes are Sonic DL: Episode Metal (gained by purchasing Sonic DL: Episode I and Episode II), Sonic DL: Episode Rose (gained by purchasing Episode II and Episode III), and Sonic DL: Episode Aftermath (gained by purchasing Episode I, Episode II, and Episode III).
==Story==
Sonic DL In-Depth Story
Following his defeat at the end of Sonic and Knuckles, Eggman gathered what little remained of his army and retreated from Angel Island, eventually hiding out in one of his several hidden underground bunkers spread throughout the planet. And here, he did nothing for a long time but plan his next move. And really, that's all he could do. The loss of the Death Egg, a massive undertaking, had resulted many of the doctor's resources being completely destroyed, and Sonic, his friends, and other world powers were all determined to find and detain him. Eggman decided that it was best to lay low for a while, gradually regroup his holdings, and come up with a plan designed to rid himself of Sonic once and for all.
In the meantime, Sonic and Tails have dedicated themselves to finding and destroying what remained of Eggman's automated outposts and forces. Though diligent, the two quickly discovered that the demand for such heroes was not as great as it had once been. While Eggman's schemes had once commanded all of their attention, now weeks or even months could pass without some crisis erupting somewhere. Gradually, the two returned to their previous activities: Tails tinkered and invented in his lab, while Sonic hit the road, desperate to find something exciting to do.
Sonic and Tails still kept in contact with each other, but one day, Tails went silent. As time went by, Sonic became more and more concerned for his friend, and made it his mission to find Tails. Sonic eventually traveled to Never Lake, thinking that perhaps Tails had gone there to witness the annual arrival of Little Planet, a small and mysterious planetoid that appears above Never Lake for one month out of the year before vanishing. While walking along the shore, Sonic heard the familiar mechanical sounds of Badnik activity in the nearby forest. Grateful for something interesting to investigate, Sonic dashed forward into his next great adventure...
==Characters==
===Playable Characters===
* Sonic the Hedgehog (Playable in Episode I, Episode II, and Episode III)
* Miles "Tails" Prower (Playable in Episode II, and Episode III)
* Knuckles the Echidna (Playable in Episode III)
* Metal Sonic (Playable in Episode Metal)
* Amy Rose (Playable in Episode Rose)
==Gameplay==
Gameplay in Sonic DL titles are largely similar to the gameplay in Sonic 4: Sonic and the other playable characters must traverse through levels, overcoming obstacles and surviving traps and enemies, to reach an end goal. Each level is called an Act, and there are generally three Acts in each Zone, a group of Acts with a similar aesthetic and theme. Additionally, each Zone usually has at least one Boss, a powerful enemy which must be defeated in order to progress to the next Zone.
Playable characters exploit their innate speed, momentum and special abilities to travel through Acts, exploit level gimmicks, and avoid or defeat enemies.
===Character Abilities===
====Sonic the Hedgehog====
The world's fastest hedgehog, Sonic gets wrapped up into events after finding a large contingent of Badniks pursuing him off the coast of Never Lake. Sonic relies on his speed and acrobatics to run and soar across the landscape. He does have some unique situational abilities available only to him.
* Spin Attack - Press down on the D-Pad while still running. Sonic will roll into a ball, allowing him to destroy any enemies, Item Monitors, or barriers he comes across.
*Spin Dash - At a standstill, hold down on the D-Pad and press the action button. Sonic will begin to charge up a spin. Pressing the action button again will cause Sonic to spin even faster. Release the down D-Pad button to send Sonic spinning forward, plowing through any enemies, Item Monitors, and barriers in his way. The speed at which Sonic is propelled forward depends on how much Sonic charged up his spin.
*Insta-Shield - Press the action button while Sonic is jumping. This will cause a shield of vibrated air to momentarily envelope Sonic. Although this move requires careful timing, it can expand Sonic's attack radius and will cause any projectiles that contact it to harmlessly bounce off Sonic. Sonic cannot generate an Insta-Shield while encased in any kind of shield, and will instead perform a different move based upon the shield he currently has.
*Mach Charge - If Sonic finds a Speed Up item box and then accelerates to maximum speed, he'll gain afterimages that trail his body. In this state, he can simply plow into most enemies to defeat them and pass through Flip Panels, which are otherwise impassable. The Mach Charge can persist even after the Speed Up item's effects are no longer active, but will cease if Sonic slows down at all.
*Hydro Dashing - If Sonic is fast enough, he can run across the surface of any bodies of water he finds. Sonic can even jump and then continue running once he comes back into contact with the water's surface, but he will start to sink if he slows down or is damaged.
===Items and Objects===
These are some common objects that players will come across during the course of Sonic DL.
* Rings - Ubiquitous to the world of Sonic, Rings can be seen everywhere in a variety of formations. Simply touch a ring to collect it. As long as the player has at least one Ring, they (usually) cannot die whenever they take damage. If the player does have Rings and takes damage, all the Rings the player has will scatter out of their possession. Usually, the player can at least recover some of these scattered Rings before they disappear. Collect 100 Rings to get an extra Life.
* Big Ring - Identified by their larger size and red ribbon tied around them, Big Rings bestow 5 Rings to the player upon touching them.
* Red Star Rings - A special kind of Ring hidden in out-of-the-way places. There are five of these somewhere in each Act. As permanent collectibles, do not actually increase the player's Ring count, but do grant Sonic a variety of bonuses once he collects a certain number of them.
* Item Boxes - Monitors that bestow a certain effect once they are cracked open with a damaging attack by the player. The icon on the box will indicate what will happen once it is opened.
**Big Ring - Immediately bestows 10 Rings to the player.
** Speed Up - Increases the player's acceleration and top speed temporarily. Allows Sonic to plow through Badniks and run past Flip Gates when sprinting at top speed.
**Elemental Shields - Protects the player from one hit without spilling their rings and provide other beneficial effects. Any shield that the player possesses is carried forward into the next act or zone. Come in three varieties: 
***Flame Shield - Protects the player from one hit and renders them immune to small projectiles and fiery attacks or surfaces. It also lights up a large radius in dark areas. Finally, it allows Sonic to perform the Fireball Spindash. Extinguishes underwater.
***Thunder Shield - Protects the player from one hit and renders them immune to small projectiles and electrified attacks or surfaces. It also lights up a large radius in dark areas and draws in nearby Rings thanks to its magnetic properties. Finally, it allows Sonic to perform the Double Jump. Shorts out underwater.
*** Bubble Shield - Protects the player from one hit and renders them immune to small projectiles. It also prevents the player from drowning when underwater. Finally, it allows Sonic to perform the Bouncing Jump.
** Invincibility - Temporarily prevents the player from taking damage or drowning. There are certain hazards, such as crushing, for which Invincibility cannot provide additional protection.
** Stamina Up - Refills the player's Stamina gauge, which is depleted by certain actions.
** Bomb - If the player touches this Item Box, a large explosion will be set off after a short delay. This explosion can open up new paths, but it can also damage the player if they aren't far enough away from it. The explosion will also immediately set off any other nearby Bomb Item Boxes or any other type of explosive.
** Extra Life - Collect these to immediately be granted an extra Life.
** Chance - Exclusive to Competition Mode, this box randomly bestows the player with a Big Ring, Speed Up, Shield, Invincibility, or Bomb effect, in addition to the exclusive Slash and Teleportation effects.
*** Slash - Immediately assaults the opposing player with an unavoidable attack.
*** Teleportation - Immediately swaps the two players' positions in the level, Ring count, and Shields.
* Star Posts - Travel past this to set it off. If you lose a life before completing the Act, you will restart at the last activated Star Post. If you collect at least 50 Rings when activating a Star Post, a portal will be temporarily generated above it. Jump into it to enter the Special Stage. Note that doing so will forfeit 50 Rings from your Ring count after you return to the Act.
* Springs - Springs will launch you very quickly in the direction that they are facing should you touch it. Red Springs will launch you further than Yellow Springs.
* Flying Springs - Springs suspended in the air with a propeller. Simply touch these to be launched in the direction that they are facing. Red Flying Springs will launch you further than Yellow Flying Springs.
* Air Bubbles - Underwater, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy will drown if they do not either find Air Bubbles or get back to dry land after a short while. Air Bubbles come in two varieties; Air Bubbles will continuously spawn from small cracks in the floor (look for bunches of small bubbles), and in areas with a strong current the player will encounter freestanding Air Bubbles. Simply touch an Air Bubble to replenish your oxygen underwater.
* Spikes - A common hazard throughout Sonic's world. Landing on these will cause you to take damage unless you are in an Invincibility state. Some of them even pop out from surfaces before retracting. Be careful around them.
* Sign Posts - Mark the end of most normal Acts. Simply travel past them to continue onto the next Act.
* Animal Capsules - Generally materialize after defeating a Boss. Jump on top of them to free the animals inside and end the act.
=== Shield Combinations ===
New to Sonic DL are Shield Combinations. Any time you break open an Elemental Shield item box, you can quickly press a secondary button before the shield envelops the character to put the shield into a holding state. During a holding state, that shield will not be active and can be lost if the player incurs damage. However, if the player breaks open another kind of Elemental Shield item box, it will combine with the shield in holding to create a Hybrid Shield. Hybrid Shields generally combine the properties of their constituent shields, as well as provide additional benefits to the player. It's even possible to put a second shield into a holding state and combine all three Elemental Shields together.
* Flame Shield + Thunder Shield = Burst Shield
** Gives the player immunity to small projectiles, as well as fiery attacks and surfaces
** Lights up the screen when the player is in a dark environment
** If the player incurs damage with the Burst Shield, it will explode, destroying all on-screen enemies and damaging bosses
** Can be extinguished if the player is submerged in water
** Allows Sonic to perform the Burst Spindash. It's similar to the Fireball Spindash except that Sonic's attack radius increases above and below Sonic.
* Thunder Shield + Bubble Shield = Plasma Shield
** Gives the player immunity to small projectiles, as well as electrified attacks and surfaces
** Draws in Rings towards the player
** Lights up the screen when the player is in a dark environment
** Allows Sonic to perform the Spark Flash. By pressing the jump button again after jumping, Sonic will gain a mid-air boost in whatever direction the Analog Stick is held
* Flame Shield + Bubble Shield = Steam Shield
** Gives the player immunity to small projectiles
** If the player submerges themselves in water, the water immediately around them will instantly evaporate. This allows the player to experience normal speed, movement, and physics while underwater. It also allows the player to breathe normally underwater
** Allows Sonic to perform the Updraft Jump. By pressing the jump button again after jumping, Sonic will perform a double-jump. Additionally, if the jump button is held down after performing this move, Sonic's rate of descent will decrease for a brief time
* Flame Shield + Thunder Shield + Bubble Shield = Nova Shield
** Gives the player immunity to small projectiles, as well as both fiery and electrified attacks and surfaces
** Lights up the screen when the player is in a dark environment
**If the player incurs damage with the Nova Shield, it will explode, destroying all on-screen enemies and damaging bosses
**Allows Sonic to perform the Supernova Bound. By pressing the jump button again after jumping, Sonic will gain a mid-air boost in whatever direction the Analog Stick is held. If the player holds the jump button in midair before performing this move, the boost will become charged and will be even faster whenever the jump button is released, depending on how long the move was charged for. After performing the move, Sonic will also be enveloped by a large blast radius for a short time afterwards, which becomes larger and longer-lasting the more the player charges the move beforehand.
===Badniks===
Throughout your adventure, Dr. Eggman's hordes of robotic minions will stop at nothing to halt your advance. Sonic and the gang have what it takes to confront them, but it's still a good idea to approach each with the correct strategy in mind. New to Sonic DL are Super Badniks, tougher versions of regular Badniks, which are identifiable by their unique coloration and exclusively appear in Ultra Marathon Mode.
* Motobug - A ladybug robot that simply patrols a small area, making sure to turn around if they encounter a ledge or wall.
** Electro Motobug - Will discharge an electric shock that covers a wide area if Sonic fails to destroy it quickly.
* Bubbles
* Chomper - Fish robots that jump up and down through waterfalls, hoping to catch their victims unaware from below. They also inhabit pools of water, where they'll quickly home in on Sonic once they see him.
** Bomb Chomper - Explode once Sonic makes contact with them. Unless Sonic is currently invincible, it's impossible to destroy them without getting hurt.
* Buzzer - A wasp robot that slowly flies back and forth. If it encounters Sonic, it will attempt to shoot him with a projectile.
**Tri-Gun Buzzer - Has a special gun that fires off three bullets at different angles, making its attacks more difficult to avoid. It's also quicker on the draw.
* Newtron - A chameleon robot that uncloaks itself to attack Sonic in one of two ways, either by colliding with him or attacking him with projectiles from the safety of a wall.
** Quick Newtron - Suddenly reveal themselves and perform their attacks much more quickly. Can attack in either of the ways that a regular Newtron can.
=Zones=
==Episode I==
Never Shores Zone - 1 Act - A sandy, danger-free beach located at Never Lake. This short but open zone is intended to act as a playground to teach first-time Sonic-players the basic mechanics of the game, but can be easily blasted through by veterans.
* Boss - Badnik Horde - Your first actual threat comes in the form of a mess of Badniks that decide to swarm Sonic. A multitude of Motobugs, Buzzers, and Crabmeats will enter the arena from either side and attempt to overwhelm our blue hero with sheer numbers. They shouldn't be that big of a hassle, but be sure to clear them out fast lest you run out of breathing room. The onslaught ends with the destruction of 25 Badniks.
Splash Hill Zone - 3 Acts - This tropical forest lives up to its name with a wide variety of geysers and water spouts that serve to keep you moving throughout the stage; Horizontal founts will ferry you across gaps, while vertical springs automatically carry you upwards, the tops of them acting like solid platforms. The latter can be tricky if you're specifically trying to reach a lower path, but you can utilize a Steam Shield to completely bypass all watery obstructions. Act 2 adds in vines that Sonic can swing and jump on to get some major air. Act 3 adds in zip lines that sometimes require a certain amount of speed in order to reach their opposite ends.
*Boss - Egg Wrecker II - Eggman drags his old ball-and-chain contraption out of the closet. Avoid the doctor's wrecking ball while reaching the platforms that will allow you to smack him. After four hits, the Egg Mobile starts shorting out, becoming dangerous to the touch, while Eggman unleashes wilder swings that whirl his wrecking ball completely around him, an attack that is more difficult to avoid. Upon the conclusion of each attack, the Egg Mobile will briefly stop being electrified, giving you a chance to strike. Four more hits and Eggy's done for.
Casino Street Zone - 3 Acts - The gaudy casino trope returns for Sonic DL. Make your way past bouncy bobbins and bumpers while using pinball flippers to navigate your way through this glitzy city. Try your luck at the slots to win (or lose) big. In Act 2, take aim with cannons and flip giant cards that can act as platforms or barriers. Act 3 is a series of pinball tables. Use flippers and bobbins to collect keys and unlock the next board to navigate through.
* Boss - Egg Catcher II - Once again lacking ingenuity, Eggman dusts off the original Egg Catcher from Casino Night Zone. Use the pinball flippers to bash him, but be careful not to wander below him. Do that and he'll drop a bomb that explodes into a flurry of smaller projectiles. After four hits, Eggman starts rolling around the perimeter of the boss area. Feel free to attack him when he's in the upper half, but in the lower half he'll electrify his machine, rendering it invincible and harmful to hedgehogs. Four more hits will end him.
Lost Labyrinth Zone - 3 Acts - These ancients ruins are loaded with large pools of water and a myriad of booby traps, either of which can be deadly to our hedgehog protagonist. Watch out for piercing spears and boulders that fall from overhead openings, and keep your balance on top of large, rolling stone orbs, lest you fall off into the drink below. Act 2 adds in water slides, mine carts, underwater currents into the mix. Act 3 takes place largely in the dark. Sonic carries a torch that he can used to illuminate a small area around himself and solve puzzles involving lamps or blocks strapped with dynamite. Make sure it doesn't get wet, or you may have to backtrack to an open flame to reignite it. Alternatively, you can use a Fire, Thunder, Burst, Plasma, or Nova Shield to illuminate nearly the entire screen.
* Boss - Egg Float - Eggman flees up a vertical shaft. Pursue him but also be sure to watch out for the rising water level beneath you - it can easily catch up to you and spell your imminent hedgehog doom. At the top of the staff, Eggman will attempt to crush you with various pillars jutting in and out of the floor, walls, and ceiling. Use them to attack Eggman and reach areas of unobstructed safety. After four hits, the pillars will move more quickly, and four more will win the battle. You can strike Eggman up to three times while he's fleeing up the shaft, each of which will deduct from the total number of hits needed to defeat him in the pillar chamber.
Mad Gear Zone - 3 Acts - Eggman's Badnik factory is working overtime to churn out robotic creations to smash, slice, or otherwise maim a certain blue hedgehog. Steam vents serve to boost you forward or into the air, or serve as obstructions. Other features include conveyor belts of various directions and speeds and large crushing pistons. In Act 2, the eponymous gears show up. Some act as rotating platforms that can also crush Sonic should he get caught up in their teeth, while others have to rotated with your swift little feet to cross gaps, change elevations, or temporarily open up doors. In Act 3, Eggman goes absolutely bananas and starts consuming the entire zone with an imposing wall of industrial-scale excavators in an effort to trap and crush Sonic. Navigate his fiendish traps quickly to avoid such a fate.
* Boss - Egg Flyer II - Eggman's old mech from Metropolis Zone. Around it are eight rapidly-spinning orbs that rotate at various angles. When it's safe, smack Eggman and one of the orbs will detach, inflating into a balloon facsimile of the good doctor that slowly bounds across the arena. It can be safely popped by any attack, and Eggman won't descend to continue the fight until you do. After four hits, Eggman will take off running. You'll need to chase him down and land four more hits to defeat his machine for good, but Eggman will keep tossing out inflatable capsules that serve to knock you back. In addition to his normal pods, he'll also unleash smaller blue ones that quickly skip across the screen, larger yellow ones that can't be popped and simply knock you back, and black pods, which are the same size as the normal grey ones but explode upon being touched.
Egg Station Zone - 3 Acts - Eggman seems to be constructing some sort of tower at the center of this transportation hub / fortress, and it's up to you to investigate. Avoid a battery of projectiles, flamethrowers, and electrified traps. Large guns shoot explosive mortars at you from the background of the zone; avoid of their reticles if you don't want to get blasted into oblivion. In Act 2, armored trains barrel down tracks at high speeds and you should avoid their path unless traveling alongside or atop of them is necessary. Warning lights will flash red when their approach is imminent. All the while, you'll need to find and destroy generators that produce impassable electric barriers. Act 3 changes things up when you board a train traveling directly towards the center of the complex. You'll have to contend with a barrage of projectiles originating from another train in the background. Eventually, Eggman will locate you and drop a large bomb after a 20-second countdown. If this happens, the train you are riding on will be destroyed and you'll instantly lose a life. You can circumnavigate this by using a special spring to launch Sonic onto the train in the background. This process will repeat, with Sonic bouncing between the background and foreground trains until he reaches and stops the locomotive pulling one of the two. You can use switches to briefly speed up or slow down the train you're currently on. Doing so can change which car on the opposite train you'll launch yourself onto, avoiding traps and accessing stockpiles of goodies.
* Boss - Egg Bomber - Back on terra firma, Eggman still hasn't hung up the idea of blasting Sonic to smithereens with excessive ordinance, and will attempt to do so in this heavily-armed, heavily-armored vehicle. Any attacks Sonic directs at this contraption will be repelled, while the Egg Bomber in turn will treat you to a cornucopia of bombs and missiles. What's a hedgehog to do? The answer lies in the two turrets in the background assisting the doctor in his efforts. If you can lead the turrets into blasting the space currently occupied by Eggman, the resulting explosion will destroy some of his vehicle's armor. After four hits, Eggman will finally become vulnerable to Sonic's moves. At this point, the doctor will simply unload his entire ordinance all at once from a safe elevation. Survive this bombardment and Eggman will be forced to dip below the boss arena to restock his weaponry before shortly returning. This will be the only opportunity you'll have to attack him. Four more hits and Eggman retreats to his tower.
Horizon's Edge Zone - 1 Act - This space elevator has seven floors of fun and terror to experience. Load up on Rings on Floor 1 and then head to the elevator to ascend to Floors 2 through 6. Each floor contains a hastily-repaired Egg Wrecker II, Egg Catcher II, Egg Float, Egg Flyer II, and Egg Bomber, respectively, each piloted by despondent-looking Eggrobos resigned to their fate as boss rush fodder. These watered-down death engines are destroyed in only four hits, but they enter their more-dangerous pinch phases immediately. Some of these fights also have additional stage hazards. Each time you defeat a boss, you move up a floor. 
* Final Boss - Death Egg Robot II - Reach Floor 7 and you'll see that you're now at the edge of space, overlooking what appears to be a gigantic floating metallic ring. At this point, Eggman will ambush you from above with his ultimate creation... an updated Death Egg Robot. Eggman will march forward a bit while menacingly brandishing his robot's spiky arms, then will launch above the boss arena a short while later, only to come crashing back down a short while later. He'll land wherever a reticle constantly homing in on Sonic ends up, so keep moving to avoid being stomped. At this point, Eggman will perform one of two attacks: If he's facing Sonic, he'll lean down to quickly jut out his arms in quick succession; Jump out of the way or scurry to the opposite end of the arena to avoid the attack. If the Death Egg Robot is facing away from Sonic upon landing, he'll launch out a trio of mines that quickly explode into a flurry of hot shrapnel. After his arm or mine attack, Eggman will launch back into the air and crash back onto the floor, resuming marching and repeating the cycle. Although Eggman's mech is intimidating, each of its moves leaves it vulnerable to attack at least once. After sixteen hits, the Death Egg Robot II goes haywire and electrifies itself, making it invulnerable to your puny attacks and dangerous to contact. At this point, it will initiate its attacks randomly, adding in a new technique where it quickly bounds across the entire stage, necessitating that you duck or spin under it mid-jump. Its arm attack will be slightly different, with the last limb it fires spirals wildly into the ceiling, before tumbling down and implanting itself in the floor. At this point, Sonic can Spin Dash into said arm to launch it back into the Death Egg Robot's chassis, making it briefly vulnerable to attack. After four more hits, Eggman cranks up the difficulty - it will now fire a sweeping laser across the arena while marching and firing small blasts from its eyes while bounding or launched above the boss arena. Four more hits and Eggman will initiate a final suicide attack, desperate to take Sonic down with him and his space elevator. Eggman will launch into the air one last time and slam down hard in the center of the arena, causing the entire floor to wobble ominously. If Sonic isn't in the air when this happens, he'll be stunned and flung backwards. By the time he recovers, the floor will collapse and Sonic will bite the dust. If Sonic does jump in time, he'll have enough time to land one final hit on the Death Egg Robot, postponing the elevator's implosion. However, if Sonic dawdles for even a second, Eggman will succeed in his gambit and Sonic will give up the ghost regardless.
==Episode II==
Sylvania Castle Zone - 3 Acts - A partially submerged medieval castle isolated in the middle of a forest. Either take the high road or skim across the water to avoid having to worry about drowning. Bust through the ruins to uncover secrets or the way forward, and be wary of stone heads, which emit either water currents or arrows from their gaping mouths. Act 2 adds in changing water levels, platforms that extend from and retract into the background, and floating spheres that alternate between a relatively level surface or a giant spring. Use them to cross shafts of water or bounce into the air. Act 3 adds in weird spinning platforms of all sorts of shapes and sizes, as well as a large bridge whose segments sequentially rotate and requires proper timing and patience to cross.
* Boss - Egg Serpentleaf - After faking you out with another rehashed boss (
White Park Zone - 3 Acts - This winter wonderland varies considerably depending on which of its acts you find yourself in. Act 1 takes place in icy grottos, which are separated by pools of cool water. Impertinent Steelion badniks will freeze the water around them if you dawdle for too long, forcing you to find alternative routes and blocking access to some goodies. You'll reach the surface in Act 2, a snow-covered forest upon which a colorful theme park has been constructed. Hop aboard Ferris wheels, Mary-Go-Rounds, and fireworks to get to where you need to, while avoiding treacherous giant snowballs and irritating bobbins. Act 3 takes place on a gigantic roller coaster. Use special springs to make your way from the foreground to the background and visa-versa, which is necessary to proceed and avoid being crushed. If you're running into a giant exclamation mark, it means a roller coaster car is rapidly headed your way! Jump quickly to avoid being ran over.
* Boss - Metal Sonic
Oil Desert Zone - 3 Acts - Eggman's hit Texas Tea in this deserted wasteland and has quickly set up shop. In Act 1, his infrastructure is minimal and the main attractions are expanses of quicksand and huge sand dunes, which Sonic and Tails can roll through after revving up via a special gimmick. Inside the dunes, the duo automatically move ahead but can jump to attack enemies and ascend to higher platforms, as well as use springs to reverse their direction. If they're hit without a shield, however, they'll unroll and quickly suffocate inside their rapidly-collapsing tunnel. Act 2 sees you hit the oil fields, upon which a sprawling refinery has been hastily constructed. The loose oil everywhere makes for some slick surfaces and slides, and is combustible, to boot. However, Flame, Burst, and Nova Shields will protect you from the resulting inferno, which can even open up new pathways for you by blowing up certain barriers. Act 3 takes place primarily inside vertical silos, which begin to rapidly fill up with sand the moment you step inside. Move quickly or risk getting crushed. Outside the towers, you'll be asked to team up with your buddy Tails to navigate some tricky flying sections.
* Boss - Egg Scrap Mech
Sky Fortress Zone - 3 Acts
* Boss - Metal Sonic
* Boss - Egg Bombast
Death Egg II Zone - 3 Acts 
* Boss - Metal Sonic & Egg Bumper
*Boss - Metal Sonic race
Death Egg Core Zone - 1 Act
* Boss - Egg Heart
==Episode III==
Amethyst Dome Zone - 3 Acts - A crystalline subterranean jungle interspersed with streams of lava. Puffs of steam and giant mushrooms will propel you upwards, tremors can either elevate the ground or cause it to slide rapidly down a slope, and small caverns filled with large crystals can open up the way to beneficial routes, but only if you touch the crystals inside in the proper order. Fail to do so and you'll be shunted into an inferior way. Act 2 introduces large pools of lava that provide enough thermal lift to cause Knuckles to rise while gliding. Act 3 takes place next to a giant lavafall. Chunks of metallic material flowing down the falls can provide the platforms you need to ascend, but avoid being accosted by a giant Rexon on the way up.
Cumulus Garden Zone - 3 Acts - These aerial ruins are completely overgrown with flowers and other colorful plant life. Act 1 winds up a gigantic twisting vine, while Act 2 takes place on several floating towers connected by vines and held aloft by windmills. Eggman's fleet decides to assault the place in Act 3, in an attempt to send our heroes plummeting to their demise below. If the platform you're on is suddenly targeted, get out of the way quick, or it will be destroyed with you on it.
Rhythmic Wilds Zones - 3 Acts - A windswept savanna with vast, open areas in which to run and all sorts of music-based gimmicks designed to bounce you around. The winds are strong in Act 1 and are liable to sap your speed and blow debris your way, but you can find special weather vanes that will cause the wind to blow in the opposite direction. Act 2 takes place around a sandstone monolith, in the process of being excavated by a swarm of termite-based Badniks. Make your way to the top by manipulating streams of air piped throughout the structure. In Act 3, a luminous nighttime parade of colorful floats breaks out in the canopy of a giant acacia tree. Make your way to the head of the parade but be sure not to lose your footing.
Neo Launch Base Zone - 3 Acts - Eggman's old stomping grounds from the events of Sonic 3 & Knuckles. The spaceport appears to be abandoned and flooded at first, but traveling to Act 2 makes it evident that the doctor's robots have resumed operations here. Weave through various rockets and the fuel lines leading between them while scurrying under giant exhaust ports in Act 3.
Temporal Prism Zone - 3 Acts - An ornate glass palace located on Little Planet. Eggman has constructed the Epoch Gate here, which hasn't been good for the integrity of the space-time continuum. Act 1 is still relatively stable; Flip Time Warp signs to instantly switch between the past and present. In the present gigantic vines are fully grown, while in the past stone ruins remain uneroded. In Act 2, the player has to keep activating beacons that prevent the zone from slipping into a dark and grimy bad future. Fail to do so and your surroundings will become a lot more hazardous; Spiky black gears will materialize, holographic Badniks will constantly assault you, and certain routes may be blocked off. Act 3 is set in this crappy future by default, and you must activate the beacons to temporarily clear the way of miniature black holes and other obstacles. 
Epoch Gate Zone - 1 Acts
*Boss - Metal Sonic & Masked Rose
Temporal Panic Zone - 1 Act
*Boss - Egg Annihilator
===Sonic DL: Episode Metal===
This mini-episode showcases Metal Sonic's return from his defeat after the events of Sonic CD, and the origin of the strange new powers that he displays during boss fights in Sonic DL: Episode II.
Stardust Speedway Zone - 1 Act. The episode opens will a flash of bright light, after which Metal Sonic is seen lying motionless in Stardust Speedway's good future. A large, bulky robot with a large battery strapped to its back shortly descends, and manages to pump enough voltage into Metal Sonic to return him to operational status, though he's still obviously damaged. The robot points to the Earth in the sky, and then flies off. Metal Sonic gazes at the planet for a while before he begins to move. Stardust Speedway serves as a short tutorial stage for Metal Sonic's controls.
* Boss - None
* Story - Metal Sonic finds an appropriate clearing to return to Earth at the end of the stage. After a few false starts, Metal Sonic manages to launch himself off of Little Planet and returns to Earth.
Egg Station Zone - 1 Act. As Metal Sonic arrives, he finds most of Eggman's robots and artillery docile towards him. However, it isn't long before he finds some robots, surrounded by a mysterious aura, that ferociously attack him. Metal Sonic must overcome this and newly-hostile turrets to make it through the zone in one piece. The stage ends with Metal Sonic riding on one of the zone's superconductor trains.
* Boss - Battery Droid - Metal Sonic finds the robot that revived him on Little Planet corrupted by the mystery aura. Because the Battery Droid is electrified throughout the entire fight, it's impossible for Metal Sonic to directly attack it. However, two turrets on either side of the battlefield will shoot projectiles at Metal Sonic that will damage the Battery Droid if they manage to make contact with him. Metal Sonic can bounce the Battery Droid around the arena with his Black Shield to facilitate this. In turn, the Battery Droid's only overtly offensive move is to fire off slow-moving electrical projectiles. After 3 hits, the Battery Droid enters its pinch stage, in which it moves slightly more erratically and fires off slightly faster projectiles at a slightly faster rate. After six hits it's decommissioned.
* Story - The train that Metal Sonic was on arrives in Mad Gear Zone, and Eggman is waiting to retrieve Metal Sonic. Eggman grabs him and immediately runs off, pursued by multiple corrupted badniks. Later, Eggman orders Metal Sonic to enter into a large machine. Metal Sonic complies and the entire zone powers the machine in a flurry of activity. While this is happening, corrupted badniks manage to break down the door to the room and are homing in on Eggman. Just before they reach him, Metal Sonic emerges and quickly dispatches them in his renewed, repaired glory. Eggman orders Metal Sonic into the rest of his factory and Metal Sonic zooms off.
Mad Gear Zone - 1 Act. All of the robots here are corrupted by auras and will attack Metal Sonic on sight. Metal Sonic must move along the factory's main conveyor belts, which have many, many crushers and other hazards lining it. At some points, Metal Sonic will need to supply power to batteries and restart machinery to clear the way.
* Boss - The Flame Guardian - The conveyor belt ends with nowhere else for Metal Sonic to go except for down. Doing so, Metal Sonic falls beneath the factory into a temple complex that apparently Mad Gear Zone was built upon. And here waits the Flame Guardian, one of the four guardians that try to protect Never Lake from danger and the source of the auras for the robots in Mad Gear Zone. The Flame Guardian will begin by being out in the open or on walls, lobbing flame projectiles or spewing large streams of the stuff at Metal Sonic. The Flame Guardian can be attacked, but only if he's not engulfed in flames, which it periodically is. After 6 hits, the Flame Guardian enters its second, permanent phase: The Guardian curls into a flaming ball and bounces off the walls, ceiling and floor of the arena, trying its best to loosely home in on Metal Sonic as it descends towards the floor. The Guardian will also generate large glass spiked balls, which the guardian will then actively avoid, which hover above Metal Sonic's reach for a while before falling to the floor. Metal Sonic wants to use his Black Shield to hit the Flame Guardian, stunning it for a while and changing its trajectory to hit the glass balls, which cause it to tumble to the ground so that Metal Sonic can hit it. In 4 more hits, the Flame Guardian is down.
* Story - The Flame Guardian disintegrates, leaving behind only a red-colored sphere of energy. Metal Sonic approaches it and tries to absorb the energy into its body. While it looks like he might fail, Metal Sonic succeeds in the end and becomes much, much stronger. A floating monitor descends, showing a celebrating Eggman. Eggman then switches the feed to a map of Never Lake, indicating that there are three more guardians to defeat. Metal Sonic nods and bursts through the temple's walls to enter Lost Labyrinth Zone.
Lost Labyrinth Zone - 1 Act. Metal Sonic has burst into these underground ruins just as Eggman had begun looking for the next Guardian located somewhere within them. Therefore the good doctor has built many traps and much scaffolding and transportation throughout the ruins. You new Fire Spin will be necessary to ignite some catches of TNT and clear the way. Keep in mind that on his initial trip, water is a hazard to Metal Sonic; Merely touching it will cause Metal Sonic to lose his rings or a life.
* Optional Boss - The Kraken - Once Metal Sonic defeats the Aquatic Guardian, he gains the ability to navigate underwater without the risk of contact damage with water. At the end of one of the pools that Metal Sonic can explore in Lost Labyrinth is the Kraken, a large, imposing sea creature. The Kraken will try to summon aquatic allies and swing its massive tentacles. If you can't get out the way of the Kraken's attacks, using your Black Shield will allow you to survive the onslaught. Defeating the Kraken by shooting water jets at it will cause it to fall by the wayside, allowing you to continue through the zone.
* Boss - The Earth Guardian - A massive drill supercharged by Metal Sonic bores right into the Earth Guardian's chamber, causing it to fight you. The Earth Guardian will mostly keep inside of its protective shell, but it can be broken by hitting it three times, allowing Metal Sonic to get in at least one damaging hit. In the meantime, the Earth Guardian attacks with rapidly-growing plants, including swinging vines, blossoms that launch projectiles or explode, piercing roots that emerge from the ceiling, and spontaneous moss that will slow Metal Sonic and limit his jump (the only way to deal with this is with Metal Sonic's Fire Spin). In its pinch stage, the Earth Guardian will become mobile in an effort to crush Metal Sonic; Being on the ground during impact will momentarily stun Metal Sonic. Barbed growths will also cover the walls of the arena, making it dangerous to touch them.
* Story - The Earth Guardian being defeated, Metal Sonic successful absorbs its aura as well, and launches up through the ceiling into Azure Resort Zone.
Azure Resort Zone - 1 Act. Everyone has fled this casino after Eggman's initial attack, leaving the attraction mostly dark and motionless. Metal Sonic will need to restore power temporarily to power up certain gimmicks that operate on electricity. The juice goes out after a brief time, so be quick while navigating this zone.
* Boss - The Aquatic Guardian - Unlike the other guardians so far, the Aquatic Guardian is the first to bring the fight to Metal Sonic. It destroys the bridge Metal Sonic was traversing, making the bottom of the arena a large expanse of damaging water. The Aquatic Guardian mostly attacks via a quick series of horizontal attacks across the arena. While it does move fast, it is vulnerable in its attacking state, allowing Metal Sonic to land hits on the Guardian if it aims its jumps right. The Guardian may also splash in the water, causing a large amount of water droplets that can hurt Metal Sonic to fall from above. In its pinch stage, the Guardian summons two geysers of water on the left and right sides of the arena, limiting Metal Sonic's movement even more. Floating orbs of water will occasionally drift between these two geysers, which Metal Sonic must also avoid.
* Story - The Aquatic Guardian is defeated and Metal Sonic absorbs its aura. Now positively brimming with energy, it blasts off to Spring Hill Zone.
Spring Hill Zone - 1 Act - Things have changed for the worse since Sonic ran through here. Eggman's influence has resulted in the flora of this zone to wilt and die, the skies and waters are polluted, and the number of badniks roaming about has been increased. Metal Sonic has to worry about a massive uptick in traps and gigantic Motobugs that are leveling the landscape, making some areas inaccessible after they pass through. There is also a river segment that Metal Sonic can safely travel through thanks to defeating the Aquatic Guardian.
* Boss - Sky Guardian - This guardian has generated a twister that Metal Sonic gets caught in. Inside Metal Sonic finds the Sky Guardian and a fragment of land that he can stand upon. The Sky Guardian fights with a flurry of rapid attacks, including sweeps from across the screen and from the background. Especially dangerous is when the Sky Guardian kicks up a strong wind, not only making it possible for Metal Sonic to be blown off the arena, but blending with it sharp, metallic feathers, which will damage Metal Sonic on impact. At the beginning of its pinch stage, the twister keeping the arena afloat will suddenly dissipate, causing the arena to plummet to the ground below. Metal Sonic now has five minutes to defeat the Guardian, after which the Guardian will pen Metal Sonic down and cause him to instantly lose a life upon impact. The Guardian will also start to fire off its feathers rapidly from the background. 12 hits defeats the Guardian.
* Story - The final guardian has been defeated, Metal absorbs its aura and Eggman takes the opportunity to celebrate. Just then, Sonic and Tails pass by in the distant horizon. Eggman orders Metal Sonic to intercept them, and Metal Sonic readily does that. Metal Sonic instantly complies, starting the events of Episode II.