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The entrance to the stage is guarded by a caged KiKi, which must be destroyed before it can be accessed. In Sonic's level, the player must get the Ancient Light upgrade and perform a Light Speed Attack on the Kiki. For Knuckles, the player must get the Monkey Destruction Switch from a cave near the Mystic Ruins Chao Garden. If the player plays as E-102, he should simply attack it like any other enemy. The mountain appears to have been industrialized by Doctor Eggman, as the area is strewn with not only badniks, but also crates, bridges, zip-lines, and construction equipment. This indicates that perhaps this is where Eggman harvested the resources to build his army. It's a very fast paced and tricky stage that can quickly lead to Sonic plummeting into the bottomless canyon if one isn't careful.
The second section of Red Mountain is located within a volcano. This area is filled with flowing lava, collapsing rocks, and dangerous enemies. A watchful eye is needed here, as the landscape of the level can change in a matter of seconds. If the player pays attention to the surroundings, it can be seen that prison cells have been built within the walls of the area. Inside, ghosts of doomed men sway to the beat of the heavy music that plays. There appears to be two electric chairs in both cells, and tombstones can be found nearby, suggesting that this volcano area was once some sort of prison.
Story Modes
Sonic
Sonic's version is the longest version of the stage. The first part takes place in the large mountainous region the stage gets its namesake from, and the second part dives into what appears to be an active volcano, before rocketing back up to the surface of the mountain. Right after Sonic finishes the stage, he spots Tails upgraded bi-plane; the Tornado 2, and he hops aboard to continue his chase after the Egg Carrier.
Knuckles
Knuckles travels here to find more of the missing Master Emeraldshards. He only visits the first section of Red Mountain, never venturing into the volcano. Knuckles has a major advantage in this stage compared to Sonic, as his climbing and gliding abilities allow him to traverse the terrain much more easily.
E-102 Gamma
Gamma's mission in this stage is to "rescue" E-104 Epsilon. His version is the shortest of the three characters that travel through it, his area of operation being a small section of the volcano. As with most of Gamma's stages, this Red Mountain is much more enemy heavy than either Sonic or Knuckles' versions.
Trivia
The music in the volcanic area is a remix of the theme "Crying World" from Ristar. The theme is played during the Planet Automation stage.
Although he can't glide or climb like Knuckles, Sonic's Spin Dash, combined with the game's questionable physics, allow him to take many major shortcuts by jumping over pits and lava. This is highly recommended in Sonic's A-rank mission, since the time limit is very tight.
It is possible to skip to this stage after unlocking the Mystic Ruins. If the player goes to the big rock near the entrance the cave leading Ice Cap, he will see another small rock nearby. Using precise Spin Dashing, the player can cause Sonic to glitch through the rock and get to Red Mountain.
