Continue refers to the option in video games, where after losing all lives, the player gets another chance to try complete a level (and continue progressing through the game) without having to start from the beginning of the game. Originally derived from arcade games, many Sonic the Hedgehog games also featured Continues similarly before or after the player manages to get Game Over. When given a Continue, the game progresses to the screen, where the player has ten seconds to decide whether he/she wants to continue. If the player choses chooses to continue, the player usually gets three extra lives and starts from the act in the Zone, where he/she lost before.
To gain Continues in the Sonic the Hedgehog games, the player is required to fulfill certain criterias to earn them. A common example is in the Special Stages, which the player has to collect a certain number of Rings, points or certain other objects. Once this is done, the player is usually able to know on score results if he/she has obtained a Continue, where the player can either hear the Continue's jingle or see a chibi-version of the playable character flashing on the results. Games like Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Tails Skypatrol, Sonic Adventure, Sonic Generations and Sonic Lost World have infinite Continues, while the three latter games feature Continue menus after the player gets Game Over instead of having a ten second counter.
If the player gets at least a total of 10,000 points in the end of the normal Zone's act, the player earns one Continue.
In the 8-bit version of the game, if the player finds one of the six Chaos Emeralds and completes the act, the player gets a Continue. The player also gets a Continue if the signpost at the end of each act shows Tails on the plate.
If the player chooses Tails for playable character, the player gets three Continues automatically. Depending on the playable character, if Sonic/Tails manages to swing the signpost at the end of each act and got Tails/Sonic picture to the plate, the player earns a Continue. Also, collecting a Chaos Emerald at the end of each Special Stage gives one Continue to the player.
The player begins the game with one Continue on the hand. If the player swings the signpost in the end of regular act and gets Knuckles' picture on the plate, the player earns a Continue.
In regular Zones, the player has to collect ten floating icons called Sonic Medals to earn one Continue. They are usually located above springs. Certain Sonic Medals cannot be reached if the player does not have enough Flickies following Sonic, which are able to lift Sonic up to the medal.
In each Special Stage of the game, there is single flashing flower seen sitting on the tubular route, which the player is able to pick up in order to earn one Continue.
Floating Chao can be found at each Special Stage of the game. By collecting it and clearing the Special Stage gains a Continue for the player. Chao's placement can sometimes be tricky, such as being set behind or in the middle of a set of bombs, which can require some skills from the player to get them.
Trivia
Similar way how Continue icons appear at results screen of earlier games, games like Sonic the Hedgehog CD (after Special Stage) and Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I (after completing Zone) show chibi-versions of the playable character, once the player earns extra life from bonus points. Misleadingly, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I use the same Continue sprite from original Sonic the Hedgehog after getting an extra life in the result screen, but was changed to Sonic/Tails 1-Up icons in Episode II.
When Sonic gets shrunk by the shrink ray at Metallic Madness Zone 2, his appearance is similar to the chibi Continue-icon.
The Game Over screen in the Wii U version of Sonic Lost World is heavily reminiscent to Continue screen from original Sonic the Hedgehog, while the lower screen on Wii U controller has option to continue the game or not.
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