- This article is about the stage in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. For the stage in Sonic Generations, see Chemical Plant (Sonic Generations). For the location in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, see Chemical Plant Zone (Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog).
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Chemical Plant Zone is the second Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. As with most other Zones in this game, the Chemical Plant Zone consists of two standard Acts with a boss fight at the end of Act 2, Water Eggman.
Description
Chemical Plant Zone takes place in an industrial cityscape, filled with blue toxic gloop, mechanical creatures, and twisting chemical pipes. Some players consider this level disproportionately difficult, given that it's only the second stage; it has many difficult obstacles, often requiring fast reflexes, such as you having to jump very quickly over the gloop. There are still some loops, and other places where you can gain lots of speed. It is actually possible to outrun the screen sometimes.
Suction tubes, miscellaneous terrain features that suck you in and deposit you at the other side of the tunnel, wind across the level. These cause no damage nor have any effects other than transportation. Yellow-clad pipes filled with blue chemicals spiral through almost the whole map. They can have very steep drops and may climb after a drop. These can sometimes end badly, such as if one throws you onto a cliff into the water. To avoid dangers from these, stay alert while moving.
Blocky collections of yellow/purple squares move back and forth periodically. You must jump onto them and then jump onto either the other square next to it or solid ground. These require a knowledge of the game physics and quick reflexes. For players who do not have these, the moving squares can be the hardest part of the level.
The rising pink chemical waters (a substance unnamed in the game but known as Mega Mack in Sonic the Comic and in the manual for the original game) during Act 2 sees the water level rising and the only way to escape to land is by climbing up shifting blocks, as explained above. This is a very dangerous segment, as you are not only at risk of drowning, but also at risk of being crushed by the rotating blocks. However, it is easily evadable and completely skippable if the right path is taken.
There's also the ever-delightful blue chemical jets; these require very quick reflexes, as they are incredibly deadly. They are jets of sludge that shoot from one tube to another, or in a parabolic path. These cannot be destroyed, so just run past them and hope that you survive.
Boss
The boss of Chemical Plant Zone.
The boss is Dr. Robotnik in a floating vehicle that can create sludge "bombs." He will hover over the pink water as his overhead canister fills, then and will drop them on you once done. If that weren't hazardous enough, you fight on a solid platform surrounded by considerably less solid edge segments. Many people have killed the boss only to die by falling off the bottom of the level on the dropping squares.
Apperances in other media
Sonic the Comic
The Chemical Plant Zone also made several appearances in the UK publication Sonic the Comic.
In its first appearance, the Chemical Plant was a forced labor camp for the Emerald Hill Folk. Lazy workers were struck by Trooper Badniks with electric whips, or made into organic batteries for Badniks. Sonic infiltrates the Zone disguised as the penguin Bob Beaky and managed to free the captives, although they were ambushed on the way out by Megatox, a villain made entirely of the pink substance called Mega Mack. Sonic managed to defeat him by spraying him over the countryside.[2]
The Chemical Plant reappeared in "Zonerunner" stories featuring Tails, in which it was controlled by the robot Nutzan Bolt (one of Robotnik's lieutenants). Nutzan Bolt was opposed by Sab and a resistance group known as the Flock.[3][4]
Following Robotnik's fall from power,[5] the Chemical Plant Zone was abandoned and shut down. However, it was not cleaned up, and toxic waste seeped into a nearby river and led to the creation of the mutant Veg-Heads in the Plowright Zone.[6] A clean up operation of the Zone and the nearby coastline (including the new holiday resort Skegpool) was eventually implemented,[7] but shortly afterwards the factory was purchased by the Marxio Brothers and re-opened, with a promise to make it more environmentally friendly. The plant was nearly destroyed by Megatox, who had managed to reform, but he was defeated again by Sonic.[8]
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
The Chemical Plant Zone appears in the television seires Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. It appears in the episode "The Mobius 5000", where it is one of the locations Sonic, Tails and Professor Caninestein pass through during a race against Dr. Robotnik's Race Bots.
Trivia
- The Death Egg Zone and the Chemical Plant Zone both use the same tilesets.
- The same rhythm of the background-drums in Splash Hill Zone (Act 1) was reused from this stage.
- During the credits of Wreck-It Ralph, Sonic can be seen running through Chemical Plant Zone.
Gallery
| Gallery |
|---|
 Act 1  Act 2  Act 1 (Knuckles in Sonic 2)  Act 2 (Knuckles in Sonic 2) |
Music
| Name | Length | Artist | Music Track |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical Plant Zone | 2:10 | Masato Nakamura |
Video
External links
References
- ↑ Sonic the Hedgehog 2 manual pg. 12
- ↑ Sonic the Comic #10, "Megatox"
- ↑ Sonic the Comic #35 to #38, "Zonerunner & The Flock"
- ↑ Sonic the Comic #48 to #51, "Zonerunner & The Big Freeze"
- ↑ Sonic the Comic #100, "The Final Victory"
- ↑ Sonic the Comic #101 and #102, "Invasion of the Veg Heads"
- ↑ Sonic the Comic #111, "Hero of the Beach"
- ↑ Sonic the Comic #114 and #115, "Crisis in the Chemical Plant Zone"
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