Sonic Insanity

"Sonic Insanity", dubbed "Sonic Mania 2" by certain fans, is an official sequel of the 2017 smash-hit, Sonic Mania. With all of the original crew returning to help produce it, the game will be published for all recent consoles, including the Playstation 4, Xbox One X, Steam, Nintendo Switch, and the newly released Playstation 5. Officially published by SEGA, the game takes what the aforementioned Sonic Mania did and expands upon it, fixing some of the previous game's flaws and problems, along with adding more content for only five dollars more. Sonic Insanity was released to the public on August 17th, 2019, two years and two days since the original game launched in 2017.
==Gameplay==
Sonic Insanity, like previous "classic" titles, follows the same kind of gameplay that has enticed fans since 1991. Like it's older siblings, however, it does subtle things to tweak the formula and make itself stand out from the other games in the series. The biggest change, besides details that'll be explained later, is that the game focuses on getting rid of all that bothered players in the original games. The most major of these changes is that Insanity replaces the previous live system with a new system. If you die in a level, you lose all of your rings and restart from the last checkpoint you were at.
While the overall gameplay is still the same with the main focus being speed and tight platforming, there are a number of smaller tweaks to the gameplay. Most hard-to-avoid obstacles that cannot be easily avoid when going at a high speed have been either removed or downsized, for example. When your character goes super, you have the ability to turn it off via pressing the same button combination that activates it. The returning UFO Stages from Sonic Mania now have the addition of a drift button, which helps with the sharp turns each course provides. In addition, the returning blue sphere stages now give you the ability to turn in four other directions, totaling up to eight different mobility options. One other smaller addition is better control when going up slopes, which help tremendously and adds a whole other layer to secrets. Finally, the addition of time limits has been abolished all together, letting you explore the level for how long you want without worrying about dying via time.
Other than those changes, Insanity still plays like any other regular Sonic sidescroller. You still gain speed the faster you go without being interrupted. The addition of multiple playable characters returns, each having their own distinct ability that separates them from one another. The iconic "zones" format also has made it's return, with fifteen zones for each character being present, some being different from the others in terms of location or routes taken. In addition, every zone is completely new and has never been seen before in the Sonic series.
===Insanity Mode===
More info down below.
===Time Attack===
Returning from Sonic Mania is Time Attack, a mode where you race to beat the times you previously set or times of other people online. The online leaderboard shows which player is the best across all consoles the game is on. Most of the game's levels are available to be time attack-ed except for a very small amount. Also returning from the past game are the "Reset Rings", capsules that hold the ability to teleport you back to your last checkpoint.
===Competition===
Also returning from Mania is the frantic Competition mode. You and one of your friends choose one of six characters and race down one of nearly all of the levels from Insanity Mode. Whoever reaches the goal first kickstarts a timer for the other player that kickstarts a one minute timer for them to get to the goal. You can set the rules and amount of matches here.
===Musical Madness===
The biggest new mode in Insanity is Musical Madness. There are fifteen custom-made levels that are made to go with the beat of an existing song. Each course is layed out to follow the rhythm while also reusing assets from each level. This mode is only single-player. Some of the songs including the likes of Daft Punk's Doin' It Right.
===UFO Race===
Also new to the series is the multiplayer mode known as UFO Race. Up to two players enter one of the seven UFO stages from the main game. In a split-screen fashion, both players are chasing down the UFO in order to steal it's emerald. Whoever reaches the UFO first wins the match. Unlike the regular UFO minigames, rings have been removed, making for a time limit-less game that can be played for hours.
===Settings===
Settings is exactly what the name implies: a convenient way for a player to choose the way their game is played. Things that can be changed include the music, language, sound, and even a special CRT TV filter that brings back the days of the 90's. In addition, here is where you can toggle the kinds of special stages you want to play, including Blue Spheres, Half-Pipe Run, and even the Hexagonal Half-Pipe from Knuckle's Chaotix. The half-pipes are lifted straight from the mobile ports of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, with the stages being full 3D and the level design being improved.
===Extras/Secrets===
While playing through the game, you may end up unlocking certain rewards and perks. These include:
*Grotto o' Jams: This is an unlockable easter egg that allows you to listen to the game's kickin' tunes. You can change the pitch and tone of the songs as well.
*Debug Mode: A mode that allows you to place random items from any and all of the stages on a stage of your choosing, even stage-exclusive enemys and assets.
*Level Select: A menu that allows you to play any zone and any act as any of the six characters. This rules even applies to the character exclusive stages like Tyrannical Toybox and Soaked Soprano Zone.
*???
*Special Stages: A mode where you can play non-stop rounds of the UFO Stages, the two half-pipes, and the Blue Spheres. You can choose which of these you want to play.
*Eggtona USA: Play SEGA's hit racing game, Daytona USA, featuring Dr. Robotnik's special car, the Badnik! Blaze through iconic locations and end up in first place!
*???
==Insanity Mode==
Insanity Mode is Insanity's equivalent to a normal story mode. Each character have their own set of alternate events that play out.
After the events of Sonic Forces, Classic Sonic has returned to his home dimension only to find that everyone has gone off to do their own separate things. Tails has been working on useful inventions while Knuckles has been guarding the Master Emerald. Ending up in Horizon Hill Zone after his adventure, he notices that a giant city of sorts is rising out of the water, which said city sporting some of Dr. Robotnik's signature technology. Sonic sets out in order to tour the forgotten city of Krakenopolis and find out what the bad doctor is doing.
After entering Krakenopolis, Sonic is met with the arrival of a new person claiming to be "the better Sonic": Mach the Rabbit. Mach proves to be a persistent bother to Sonic during the events of the game, along with the returning Metal Sonic and Amy Rose. Throughout his story, Sonic must outrun Mach, guide Amy from danger, and duke it out with Metal Sonic in order to reach "King Robotnik".
After reaching King Robotnik with all of the Chaos Emeralds in hand, Sonic beats his final machine before being teleported to a mysterious void in time and space (along with everyone else except Metal Sonic) where he meets the true final boss: the Grandmaster of Krakenopolis, an ancient powerful warrior who sunk the entire city in the past. After eventually beating him, Robotnik's machines explode and Krakenopolis sinks back into the ocean once again. Sonic returns back home and rests after a job well done.
===Tails===
After the events of Sonic Mania, Tails and Knuckles went their separate ways. Tails took up residence on the nearby Horizon Hill Zone, where he set up a laboratory that also served as a way to monitor Dr. Robotnik and his evil schemes. After finding out about Robotnik's new plan to rise Krakenopolis out of the water and make it his new base, Tails started to make a new device that would short circuit all of Krakenopolis's systems and send it back into the sea. But that's when Fang the Sniper, a bounty hunter hired by Robotnik, snuck into Tails's lab and took the device to give to the doctor himself. In order to foil Robotnik and Fang, Tails hops in the Tornado and heads towards Krakenopolis.
Eventually, during his pursuit, Tails catches up with Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy, while also encountering the strange "rival" known as Mach. He helps out his friends while also trying to catch up with Fang each step of the way. Mach acts as a sort of nuisance towards...everyone, really. In Tails's case, he's the reason why his plane goes down in Sapphire Spire Zone and a boss fight toward the end of the game. Eventually, however, Tails fights Fang and takes back the device before he can give it to the evil doctor. Tails then realizes that Oblivion Ovoid Zone is where he needs to put the device in for maximum effect, and he heads straight towards it.
After activating the device AND defeating Robotnik, all of the characters except for Metal Sonic are transported to a weird location where they all meet the true final boss, the Grandmaster. However, due to Tails's device, Krakenopolis had already begun to sink into the sea, giving Sonic and company little time to beat The Grandmaster. They eventually beat the Grandmaster and Krakenopolis sinks into the sea, but not before Tails notices Robotnik, Omelette, and Fang escaping from the base. Tails flies off with Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy on the Tornado and heads back to Horizon Hill Zone, sitting down and waiting for their next adventure.
===Knuckles===
After the events of Sonic Mania, Tails and Knuckles went their separate ways. Knuckles went back to Angel Island in order to protect the Master Emerald and to just...rest for a bit. But one day, a large collection of Egg-Robos knock him out and take the Master Emerald, bringing it over to the a city covered in seaweed and metal bits: Krakenopolis. Knuckles, enraged he let the emerald get taken away AGAIN, jumps off Angel Island and glides on down to Horizon Hill Zone in order to enter the city headfirst.
After getting through some zones, Knuckles catches up with Sonic, Tails, and Amy as they traverse the maze that is Krakenopolis. Along the way, Knuckles runs into the annoyance that is Mach, who he tries to stop from getting to Sonic and messing up their progress. Due to Mach's interferance, Knuckles ends up taking an alternate route just to avoid him. Eventually, though, Knuckles makes it to the Master Emerald and dislodges it from it's position in the base, sending it back to Angel Island. Now all he needs to do is wait for Tails to get his device back.
After beating Robotnik, everyone is teleported and forced to fight the Grandmaster. Knuckles must assist Sonic and distract the Grandmaster so Sonic can knock him out for good. Eventually, the team takes him down once and for all and escapes from Krakenopolis, with Knuckles hopping on Tail's Tornado to get to Angel Island easier. He's about to sit back down and relax when he sees Technicolor, a character who he hasn't met before, walk over to him before his story closes.
===Amy===
TBA
===Metal Sonic===
Robotnik just knew that Sonic and his band of friends would try and stop his evil plan this time around. In order to prepare, Robotnik set up the ferocious Metal Sonic on Horizon Hill Zone so that whenever Sonic started to head towards Krakenopolis, Metal Sonic would awaken and attack, hopefully stopping Sonic in the process. It's Metal Sonic's personal mission to beat Sonic and his crew before they can get to the mad doctor himself.
During his journey, Metal Sonic meets Mach the Rabbit, an egotistical "rival to all Sonics". Seeing as Mach compromises his mission plenty of times, he always ends up knocking him out. In addition, Metal also meets a strange new opponent in the form of Technicolor, a robotic being who doesn't seem to be of this world. Metal must fight him as well, but always ends up losing somehow.
Eventually, after fighting Sonic, the blue blur, his friends, and Eggman seem to disappear into a void while he's left all alone with the new robot from earlier, now known as Technicolor. Technicolor unleashes his full power on the robotic duplicate of Sonic, forcing him into a fight. Finally, Metal Sonic beats him and leaves him to destroyed as Krakenopolis sinks back into the sea. Technicolor escapes, however, and ends up at Horizon Hill Zone, while Metal Sonic sinks down into the depths of the sea.
===Mach===
It's been a while since word broke out about Sonic's victory over the notorious Dr. Robotnik and his Hard-Boiled Heavies, and Mach is angrier than ever. He's wanted Sonic's fame ever since he first stopped the tyrant. This is when he hears a distant rumbling noise coming from outside his house, which turns out to be a roboticized Krakenopolis rising from the deep. Noticing that it's Robotnik who has his machines plastered all over the place, Mach sees this as an opportunity to beat Sonic to the punch and gain the fame he desires. He races off towards the robotic city while a blue blur does as well.
Throughout Mach's storyline, he constantly runs into Sonic himself and wants to beat him in a race. However, no matter what he tries, Sonic always ends up beating him. In order to be one step ahead of Sonic, Mach constantly delays Tails, Knuckles, and Amy so they can't help him. Inadvertently, however, he also ends up halting Metal Sonic plenty of times, which helps Sonic stay one step ahead each and every time.
After Sonic makes it to King Robotnik and beats him, everyone, including Mach, is taken to the Grandmaster's domain and forced to fight him. Realizing the severity of the situation, Mach is forced to team up with Sonic and must take out Robotnik in a giant mech suit in order to keep Sonic and the others focused on the Grandmaster. The result is that Robotnik is defeated, along with the Grandmaster and everyone is sent back home, with Mach landing flat on his face, being cheered on by the people of his village.
==Characters==
===Playable===
Character	Information
 	
Name: Sonic
Species: Hedgehog
Description: Sonic, known as the fastest thing alive, is a speedy hero who's always willing to kick some Badnik butt! When he finds out about Robotnik's new plan, he immediately heads over to Krakenopolis and plans to stop him once and for all.
Ability: Drop Dash. Sonic performs a drop dash that activates a quick dash when Sonic lands on the ground. This helps give Sonic a bit of a speed boost.
 	
Name: Miles "Tails" Prower
Species: Fox
Description: After Fang the Sniper steals a piece of Tails's machine for Robotnik, Tails decides to chase after weasel and get his part back! After finding out what Robotnik has been doing, however, taking him down is his main priority.
Ability: Flight. When he jumps, Tails can start to fly via his two tails. This helps him search for extra goodies and gain better height advantage.
 	
Name: Knuckles
Species: Echidna
Description: Knuckles is the sole guardian of the Master Emerald. When he realizes that Robotnik has stolen the emerald from under his nose, he hops into action, planning to take down Krakenopolis by force.
Ability: Climbing/gliding. Knuckles can jump off a high point and glide across the stage. If he lands on a wall, he can also climb up it like a mountain climber.
 	
Name: Amy Rose "Rosy the Rascal"
Species: Hedgehog
Description: A young girl with a knack for fortune telling, she also has a somewhat disturbing fascination with Sonic the Hedgehog. Hoping to take down Robotnik in order to gain his trust, Amy is willing to do ANYTHING to save the day...if only for her "boyfriend".
Ability: Throwing cards. Amy can throw cards from a distance and knock out enemies/trigger events from afar, giving her a long-ranged attack.
 	
Name:
Species: Robot/Badnik/Hedgehog(?)
Description: An evil doppelgänger made by Dr. Robotnik, Metal Sonic will not rest until he becomes THE ultimate Sonic. Unlike the others, he's here to help Eggman and complete his task. He'll fight for Eggman until the very end.
Ability: Magnetize. Metal Sonic by default has the ability to pull rings towards him. It's essentially a permanent electric shield of sorts.
 	
Name: Mach
Species: Rabbit
Description: Mach, while being a heroic figure, absolutely despises Sonic the Hedgehog. He wants to be the hero, yes, but he also wants his fame and glory. He's willing to take down Robotnik AND Sonic in order to become the REAL hero.
Ability: Homing. Mach can home in on one or multiple different enemies and unleash a world of hurt on them all, quickly jumping from Badnik to Badnik.
===Non-Playable===
Character	Information
 	
Name: Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik/ King Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik
Species: Human(?)
Description: The evil doctor is up to no good again! After his last scheme failed, Robotnik raised an entire city from underwater and has made it his new base of operations. Crowning himself the king of Krakenopolis, the mad doctor won't let anyone stand in his way of complete world domination.
 	
Name: Technicolor/Technicolor 01
Species: Badnik/Robot
Description: A strange entity that appears to be from another dimension. Despite being a robot, he doesn't seem to be evil...in fact, he's seemingly helping out the heroes on their journey! Metal Sonic must put a stop to him before it's too late, but with his strange alien powers, this foe could be a bit hard to take out.
==Zones==
There are about fifteen different zones in the game overall.
Zone 	Information
Horizon Hill Zone 	
Act 1: The start of the game. A very simple zone reminiscent of Green Hill Zone that teaches players the basics of Sonic's physics and abilities while also being fairly challenging in it's execution. Introduces all of the game's available item boxes.
Act 2: Introduces the gimmick of palm tree tipping to make platforms/bridges. Krakenopolis can be seen in the background. Stage ends with you running on water towards Krakenopolis and fighting the boss.
Boss (Sonic-Amy): The Hard-Boiled Hodgepodge. The five Hard-Boiled Heavies from Sonic Mania have been combined to make one messy yet powerful beast. Reach your top speed and hit each head three times to beat it!
Boss (Metal Sonic): Mach the Rabbit. Who is this...mysterious new hero? Whoever he is, he seems to have a bone to pick with you, so watch out for his spin dashes and homing attacks. The goal here is to avoid his homing attack six times, which causes him to fall in water and eventually fail.
Boss (Mach): Metal Sonic. This robotic duplicate of Sonic is here to stop you! You must find a way to take him out so YOU can be Sonic's only rival! When he dives down, home in on him and jump on his head six times, eventually pushing him into the water. Hopefully he doesn't beat you...
Playable As: Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Metal Sonic, Mach
Metallic Moat Zone 	
Act 1: Sonic has finally made it to Krakenopolis and reaches the bridges and moats surround the entrance. The new mechanic here is killing the enemies surrounding the each moat, which will activates bridges for you to cross.
Act 2: Seems like there's less bridges and more large gaps here. Lucky for Sonic and friends, motorized alligators serve as platforms for them to use in order to finally make it to the city of Krakenopolis.
Boss (Sonic-Amy, Mach): Chopper-Deluxe. A giant beefed-up version of the classic Badnik. It'll dart back and forth under the water before jumping out and trying to take a bite out of Sonic and company! Aim for it's head when it jumps out eight times and he's going down!
Boss (Metal Sonic): ???. A mysterious new robotic character possessing the powers of bursts, rockets, drills, hovering, cubes, asteroids, and voids. He only uses bursts, drills, and cubes in this fight, but he's still a strong opponent. In the end, however, this new opponent wins, sending you into the waters below.
Platinum Village Zone 	
Act 1: Sonic has finally entered the inside of Krakenopolis! He ends up in a town square covered in platinum machinery. Sonic has to navigate through the robotic town in order to get to Robotnik's new base of operations!
Act 2: Sonic must sneak into the mad doctor's base...via the sewers? You must run through sewage and the catacombs of Krakenopolis's plumbing system and make it to the large metal and limestone castle in the center of the city.
Boss (Sonic-Amy): Mach the Rabbit. Mach will challenge Sonic to a race to the end of the zone while also trying to activate tricks and traps along the way. You must run, jump, and spin dash across the end of the zone in order to outsmart this carrot cruncher!
Boss (Metal Sonic): The Egg Guard. A robotic knight holding a Robotnik-branded axe has declared you to be an enemy. Metal Sonic must dodge his blows and hit the axe three times, breaking it and sending the knight in a stomping frenzy. Hit his behind four times and you win.
Boss (Mach): Sonic the Hedgehog. Your sworn enemy has appeared and is trying to outsmart you! You have to prove you're better than him via a race to the end of zone! However, no matter how many traps you set off, Sonic still beats you to the finish line and forces you to take an alternate route.
Black Onyx Buffet Zone 	
Act 1: Welcome to the fanciest one-star dining hall this side of South Island! You run past piles of dirty dishes, slide around on tables, and even jump from chandelier to chandelier. Watch out for grumpy customers starting a food fight.
Act 2: You have now entered the employees-only area...the kitchen! Chefs are making some delightfully devilish meals as you knock over silverware, trip chefs over, and even help make a few dishes on accident. Get to the end before a chef mistakes you for a mouse!
Boss (Sonic-Knuckles, Metal Sonic): The Egg Special. An Egg Robo dressed as a chef cooks up delightly dangerous meals to throw at you. Bombs, Badniks...you name it, he's got it. Find a way to mess up his cooking and win his little game!
Boss (Amy): Mach the Rabbit. This egotistical bunny is out to give Sonic a run for his money, and Amy won't have it! Now equipped with a special hammer, Amy has to attack Mach in order to ensure Sonic's safety! However, Mach ends up beating you and continuing his quest.
Boss (Mach): Amy Rose. This pink hedgehog stands in your way of getting to Sonic in time! With the helping of her throwing cards and her giant hammer, Amy's gonna put up a fight! Jump on her after she swings her hammer around eight times to win.
Sapphire Spire Zone 	
Act 1: You've entered a somewhat narrow tower that marks a kind of halfway point in Krakenopolis's palace. Robotic birds and the like will try and stop you from scaling the massive tower and reaching the top in time. Just keep running and get to the airship!
Act 2: What remains of Flying Battery Zone is now a much smaller compact airship. Go between the upper and lower decks and dash past Egg Janitors to get to the Air-Strips, a much smaller airship that you fly across Krakenopolis!
Boss (Sonic, Knuckles-Mach): The Aerial Ace. A robotic eagle that shoots feathers out small yet dangerous missiles. The missiles will try and move in different ways in order to avoid predictability. Move out of the missile's way eight times to win.
Boss (Tails): Fang the Sniper. Tails pilots the Tornado as Fang gets away with his device. The airplane has cannons on the back that shoot out large bullets. These bullets must be deflected by Tails six times in order to beat the nefarious weasel! However, before you can fully finish him, Mach bounces on your plane and forces it to crash in an area below...
Quartz Quadrant Zone 	
Act 1: TBA
Act 2: TBA
Boss (Sonic): Metal Sonic. The evil robotic version of you has come back and demands a fight! TBC
Boss (Knuckles-Amy, Mach): TBA
Boss (Metal Sonic): Sonic. Your ultimate rival, that blasted blue copy of you! Prove that your better than him in a race! TBC
Spinel Sanctum Zone 	TBA
Amber Arena Zone 	Act 1: Emerald Collector destroyed the ground underneath Sonic! He almost splashed into lava, but luckily the platform saved him and they drifted away. After a few minutes of waiting, a lavafall arrives and charges sonic down the hill, only to arrive in a burning arena with enemies able to swim in lava, and block your way!
Act 2: TBA
Boss (Sonic-Amy, Tails): TBA
Boss (Mach-Metal Sonic, Knuckles): TBA
Crystallized Cavern Zone	Act 1: After Sonic gets passed amber arena, Sonic falls into a hole avoiding the Amber-Walker. Sonic thought he'd fall and get crushed fully, Luckily there was a yellow spring that stopped sonic's fall. He then ended up in a cavern with a bunch of 
crystals where enemies with shells, spikes, or carriers attack you and stop you on track!
Act 2: TBC
Metallic Under-core Zone	TBA
Highride Escapist Zone 	TBA
Collapsed Island Zone 	TBA
Leviathan Highrise Zone 	TBA
Phantom Shrine Zone 	TBA
Oblivion Ovoid Zone 	TBA
===Character Exclusive Zones===
Certain characters have zones that are exclusive to them, along with their own enemies and bosses. All of these exclusive levels can be played as other characters in the Level Select unlockable mode, however.
Zone 	Information
Soaked Soprano Zone 	
Act 1: A large collection of Badnik shells, musical instruments, item boxes, and other items the king considers trash are now under Metallic Moat. Metal Sonic must navigate through water and pollution in order to reach Sonic and his crew.
Act 2: All the trash from before is being compacted and sent down the drain! Use the terrain to your advantage and use the trash to parkour across the walls and/or compactors in order to make it back to the surface.
Boss: Egg Compactor. Two giant set of teeth that chomp up trash are trying to devour YOU instead. Be careful to avoid the suction technique it uses and jump on the "tongue" six times in order to destroy it and get back to Krakenopolis!
Playable As: Metal Sonic
Tyrannical Toybox Zone	
Act 1: Toyboxes filled with Badnik pieces? Robots that are designed less for battle and more for playtime? What, did Robotnik adopt a child? Whatever the case is, Mach must run through this oddly colorful zone and get back to Sonic.
Act 2: Miniature robot versions of Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Robotnik are on the loose! Avoid these crafty characters and make it back to the main area...but not before fighting the cutest villain of them all.
Boss: Omelette. Robotnik's adopted daughter is here and she's taken up the mantle of Evil Scientist In Training. Hopping in her Egg Trike, she'll trying to drive over you at blazing speeds. You must target the wheels of the trike four times each in order to halt her in her tracks.
Playable As: Mach
Diamond Dungeon Zone 	TBA
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