Sonic The Hedgehog (2006 Video Game) - Gameplay

Gameplay

Sonic the Hedgehog is a platform game in which the player characters are the titular Sonic, Silver or Shadow the Hedgehog. Sonic's levels generally focus on speed, with some sections having him run at full speed while dodging obstacles. Other segments see him escorting Princess Elise, who uses a barrier to protect him from certain hazards. Shadow's sections are similarly speedy albeit more combat focused, though some segments see him riding vehicles, such as a buggy. In contrast, Silver's levels move at a slower pace, and revolve around his use of telekinesis to defeat enemies and solve puzzles. In certain areas, control is switched to an amigo character (Tails and Knuckles for Sonic, Rouge and Omega for Shadow, and Amy and Blaze for Silver), each with their own abilities. Although every character plays the same levels, each character's unique abilities allows the player to access different areas of each stage and deny the player from accessing certain items. Sonic, Shadow, and Silver start the game with five lives. A life is lost when the characters are struck by an enemy attack without rings or suffer any other type of damage. If the player runs out of lives, the game is over. The goal of the game is to complete three stories and unlock the Last Story. In each story, the player navigates through Town Stages where they can converse with townspeople to progress the story. The main gameplay takes place in Action Stages which become accessible as the game progresses. Some Action Stages require certain abilities to access; for example, one stage requires the Light Speed Dash move to be unlocked. While in Town, players can take Mission Stages to earn rings, which can be spent on upgrades to their characters.

Several downloadable extensions have been released that add features to single-player gameplay. These include "Very Hard" mode, a more difficult version of the game; "Boss Attack" modes, which allow a playable character to engage in continuous battles with all of the game's bosses; and "Team Attack Amigo" mode, which sends players through a multitude of levels in a set order, changing to a different amigo character every two levels, culminating in a boss fight. The game also features two multiplayer modes: "Tag", where two players must work together to clear levels and collect Chaos Emeralds; and "Battle", where two players race against each other.