Sonic Labyrinth
Developer(s)	Minato Giken
Publishers(s)	Sega
Release date(s)	JP November 17, 1995 NA November 1995 EU October 1995
Genre(s)	Platform game
Mode(s)	Single player
Platform(s)	Sega Game Gear, Nintendo 3DS (Virtual Console)
Media	Cartridge, Digital Download

Sonic Labyrinth is a puzzle and platform game for the Sega Game Gear, released 17 November, 1995 in Japan and sometime during November 1995 in the US and October 1995 in Europe. It is also playable on Sonic Adventure DX and in the PC, Nintendo 3DS, and on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox editions of Sonic Mega Collection Plus. The game features isometric 3D gameplay similar to Sonic 3D. Sonic and Robotnik are the only characters in this game.

StorylineEdit

Dr. Robotnik was in a foul mood since he came to expect Sonic to stop his plans, but then he had an epiphany - what if Sonic's speed can be removed from the equation preemptively? One day, Sonic woke up from a nap and put on his trademark sneakers to find that something was not quite right - their heaviness hurt his mobility, and he could not even jump. On the sole of his shoe was the mark of Dr. Robotnik, and Sonic looked up to see the smug face of Robotnik laughing. His invention, the Slow-Down Boots, was manifested with raw energy of the Chaos Emeralds. As nothing is more powerful than a Chaos Emerald, it could only be removed from Sonic's feet with the use of the Emeralds. There was now nothing stopping him from keeping the six Chaos Emeralds of South Island, so Robotnik imprisoned Sonic in his labyrinth which is under construction. Fortunately, the Slow-Down Boots have no effect on Sonic's Spin Dash, so Sonic realizes that he must rely on in order to escape the labyrinth in one piece.

StagesEdit

In Sonic Labyrinth, there are a total of four Zones, each containing three Acts and a Boss. The goal of the first three Acts is to help Sonic locate three keys hidden throughout the stages and then head to the GOAL door. Rings do not appear during these Acts, but the keys provide protection in a similar way: if Sonic is damaged while holding any keys, he will drop them nearby, negating the damage but forcing him to pick up the keys before they disappear and return to their starting positions.

Throughout the stages are many enemies just waiting to attack the unsuspecting Sonic, so the player must remain aware of his surroundings. The only time Sonic is able to collect rings is during levels with Boss fights. Sonic begins each Boss Act rolling down a steep incline with many Rings, and as with most Sonic games collecting 100 earns the player an extra life. The end of the incline drops Sonic into an arena where Sonic battles the boss. Rings may also spawn periodically in the boss arena in case the player takes damage. Upon defeating the boss, Sonic is awarded a Chaos Emerald.

ZonesEdit

• Labyrinth of the Sky
• Labyrinth of the Sea
• Labyrinth of the Factory
• Labyrinth of the Castle
• Bonus Stage (Sonic Labyrinth)

Sonic Labyrinth BadniksEdit

The badniks within Sonic Labyrinth are robots created by Dr. Robotnik in order for him to protect the Labyrinths. Interestingly, though, all of the badniks have a vowel in the end of their respective names.

TriviaEdit

• Sonic Labyrinth is one of the few Sonic games to not feature Tails at all, in addition to the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Blast, and Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I.
• This game is notorious for being hated by many fans due to the tremendous lack of speed in gameplay.

ReceptionEdit

When released, Sonic Labyrinth fared poorly in terms of sales on the market. The game was also heavily criticized by critics and Sonic fans for taking away Sonic's ability to run, the clunky control of the mandatory Spin Dash, bland graphics and music. The gameplay was non intuitive, often very frustrating, and created an almost pointless gaming experience. People have even gone as far to say it is the worst Sonic the Hedgehog game ever made.