Make Knuckles Proud

Make Knuckles Proud, sometimes parsed as Make Knuckles proud., is a game for the Wii U (and later the Pataton) featuring Knuckles the Echidna. The game is very different from other games in the Sonic series.
== Gameplay ==
The game title screen is very sparse, only sporting the title of the game and Knuckles standing silently. There are no logos on start-up, and the menu screen is silent. Upon pressing start, the player is taken to a screen resembling a picnic. From here various minigames can be selected.
There are six minigames of various length. At the beginning of the game, only the first minigame is available. Completing each subsequent game unlocks another. Upon completing the sixth game, nothing happens except for Knuckles disappearing from the title screen.
Each minigame is exclusively controlled with the Wii U Gamepad. Various actions must be completed, such as pulling weeds or beating up robots. Based on how well the player does, Knuckles gives them a letter rank based on how well they performed the task. The rankings are:
*A-Rank: Knuckles is proud of you.
*B-Rank: Knuckles is feigning proudness.
*C-Rank: Knuckles sees your potential.
*D-Rank: Knuckles is not proud of you.
*F-Rank: Knuckles is disappointed in you.
== Minigames ==
Game 1: Clean Up Knuckles' Garden
This game takes place outside of Knuckles' cottage located near the Master Emerald. There are many weeds growing around the Master Emerald, which seem to make Knuckles unhappy. The goal of the game is to use the Wii U Gamepad to navigate the field, pull out the weeds, and throw them in a wheelbarrow which is located near the cottage. The wheelbarrow can also be pushed around. The player is allowed to take their time, but to get an A-Rank the minigame must be cleared in seven minutes. Pulling out Knuckles' beautiful flowers causes the player to lose points.
Game 2: Get Knuckles Some Food
This game starts in the same area as Game 1, but has a much more open world. In this game, Knuckles' stomach is growling for something to eat. The player has two choices in the way of methods for completing the minigame. The first is going inside the cottage and making a sandwich for Knuckles. This is a tedious task which requires the Gamepad to complete. Ultimately, however, it rewards the player with one of the best ranks from Knuckles (either an A-Rank or a B-Rank, depending on whether or not the minigame was completed in six minutes.)
The player's other option is to go to a fast food restaraunt which is located near the shrine. Inside is a jolly, fat burger vendor who will give the player a burger and some fries. After procuring these items, the player must carefully carry them back to the cottage. The highest rank the player can receive from this route is a C-Rank, as Knuckles dislikes fast food and would rather you show your panache by making some grub yourself.
Game 3: Make Knuckles Shine
Game 3 is the only minigame in which the player cannot freely walk around, instead being confined to the area at the top of the Master Emerald shrine. Knuckles wants to see his reflection in the Master Emerald, as evidenced by his silent handing of a towel, sponge and bucket to you. To clean the Emerald, the player must alternate between using the towel and sponge in conjunction with the water-filled bucket. If the player runs out of water or knocks the bucket over, the game ends immediately. Unlike the other minigames, the player will only be rewarded an A-Rank if they take their time and polish the Master Emerald to have a beautiful sheen.
Game 4: Destroy Knuckles' Enemies
The game starts quietly with the player and knuckles located near the fast food restaurant. (If the player enters the restaurant during this game, the burger statue man will be absent.) After a little while, the mischevious robots Scratch and Grounder appear, intent on stealing the Master Emerald. While Knuckles could easily defeat the metallic opponents, he entrusts the ordeal to you and chooses to watch.
This mission is similar to an FPS game, although the only weapon available are the fists of the player character. Scratch and Grounder are tough opponents with many attacks each: Grounder's attacks mainly focus on using his drills to fire at the player and to dig underground, and Scratch can fly above the player and drop explosive egg projectiles. These attacks can not defeat the player, but they have a stun effect that lasts for a couple seconds. To get an A-Rank, Scratch and Grounder must be defeated within six minutes.
Upon the defeat of whatever robot which was the last one standing, a large explosion will occur. In the aftermath of the explosion, it is revealed that the Master Emerald is broken beyond repair. This will cause Knuckles to begin sobbing silently, and the minigame fades out back to the selection screen.
It's unnecessary to enter the cottage during this mission, but if the player enters the Kitchen they can see the Burger Statue man appear for a split second with his back facing the player. Upon being noticed, he vanishes. This is a small easter egg with no visible effect on the game.
Game 5: Calm Knuckles Down
Knuckles is sitting in the small cushioned chair in the living room of his cottage, quietly sobbing as in the end of Game 4. It appears to be a dark, rainy night outside; with only sporadic flashes of thunder illuminating the sad scene that unfolds in front of the player.
Knuckles is deeply saddened, and his crying will only get louder if the player doesn't do something about it. Thusly, the goal of Game 5 is to turn Knuckles' frown upside down. Turning on the lights isn't an option, as it seems like there is some kind of power outage in the cottage. Instead, the player will have to search for more analog ways to bring Knuckles down to his regular self. 
Most noticable is a baby grand piano in the corner of the room. The player can sit here and select which keys and chords to play on the Wii U Gamepad. There is some sheet music resting on the piano's mantle, which when played seems to have the same melody as the game's Select Screen music. Playing the piano will calm Knuckles down a little bit. However, if the player can play any of the six Zone themes from Sonic 3, Knuckles will be much easier to calm.
There is a box of toys in the other corner of the room. Inside there are plushies of a Chao, an Eggrobo, and Super Sonic. There is also a rattle which looks like a spring or bumper from the Sonic games, and a gold ring on a metal wire. Bringing these toys to Knuckles will prompt him to push them away. The player must play with the toys themself before Knuckles will warm up and grab the toy to play with. Playing with a toy increases Knuckles' mood substantially, however he dislikes the Eggrobo and Super Sonic plushies and will throw them away almost immediately.
If the player enters the Kitchen, they will find that they can make a sandwich for Knuckles much like in Game 2. There are more ingredients for the player to choose from this time around, but Knuckles' favorite seems to be the BLT as evidenced by a note on the fridge. Knuckles won't accept any sandwiches from the player until he is calm enough to play with toys.
The Bedroom can not be entered at any point during the six games, but approaching it during Game 5 and standing next to it, the player can hear a quiet groaning sound coming from inside.
If the player is not in the process of calming Knuckles down or is doing a bad job, Knuckles' quiet sobbing will get louder and louder until it approaches an ear-breaking volume. This sobbing can be made quieter by trying to calm Knuckles down appropriately. If it reaches its maximum level, the player will automatically fail the mission with an F-Rank. To get the A-Rank in this Game, Knuckles must be calmed down within six minutes. Completing the minigame successfully causes Knuckles to slowly lower his hands away from his face, get up from the seat, and stare at the player with a look of great determination and sadness. It is at this point that Game 5 ends and the final game is made available.
Approximately three minutes and thirty-three seconds into gameplay, the silhouette of the Burger Statue man can be seen outside the window, illuminated by lightning.
Game 6: Make Knuckles Proud
==The Contest==
SEGA held a contest in parts of North America, The United Kingdom, and Japan that was featured in a few select publications. The details asked contestants to record their best Knuckles the Echidna impression and send it to a fixed address. The winners were promised a Sonic-related reward and a visit to SEGA Studios.
In the end, ten winners were picked from each of the three countries.
== Soundtrack ==
*Title screen: Silence.
*Selection screen: A quiet, sparse, upbeat piece not unlike the music heard in the Kirby series.
*Game 1: A piece very similar to the Chao Race theme from Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, though sparser and slightly more sinister.
*Game 2/First part of Game 4: A more ambient remix of the Mystic Ruins theme from Sonic Adventure.
*Game 3: Spaced-out, indiscriminate guitar noodling with a bongo drum and flute added later on.
*Game 4: An intense, driving chiptune theme that resembles Sega Genesis music.
*Game 5: Silence.
== Characters ==
*Knuckles
*Scratch
*Grounder
*Burger Statue
== Pataton edition ==
With the release of the Pokeytech Pataton in 2016, the game was ported to the console due to fan demand. Although not much is different in the port, the lack of an ESRB rating means some scenes (especially in Game 6) are made slightly more vulgar.
== Trivia ==
*Knuckles' mouth is always open during the game. By turning the volume up, the player can hear Knuckles screaming quietly.
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