Learn how to access Special Stages and earn Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals in Sonic Advance 3 by beating Acts and Bosses within specific time limits.
- 1Locate the hidden Special Spring within the map area of each zone.
- 2Bring the Special Key you collected to the Special Spring.
- 3Enter the Special Stage.
The Special Stage in Sonic Advance 3 involves piloting the Tornado 2 plane and collecting a target amount of Rings to reach the first goal, and then another target amount to reach the second goal and earn a Chaos Emerald. Avoid obstacles, but strategically destroy large gray obstacles by spin jumping into them to gain rings. Passing through blue hoops activates X-wing mode, doubling ring values and increasing speed, but disabling your jump ability. X-wing mode has a limited duration.
Controls in the Special Stage:
- D-pad: Move the plane.
- A button: Jump to collect rings or avoid obstacles.
Objects in the Special Stage:
- Regular Rings: Worth 1 Ring.
- Flashing Rings: Worth 5 Rings.
- Small Red Obstacles: Lose 5 Rings on contact.
- Large Gray Obstacles: Lose 5 Rings on contact, but gain 5 Rings if destroyed by a spin jump. Some may move or shoot energy spheres.
- Blue Hoops: Activate X-wing mode, increasing speed and doubling ring values. Jump is disabled in this mode.
Unlocking Special Stages:
- To unlock Special Stage Mode on the main menu (after collecting all 7 Chaos Emeralds), enter Up, R, Down, L, Right, Left.
Medals:
You earn a medal (Gold, Silver, or Bronze) for defeating an Act or Boss in Story or Time Attack Mode, based on completion time. Gold medals require the fastest times, Silver are mid-range, and Bronze are the slowest. Earning all Gold Medals unlocks the ability to fight bosses in Time Attack mode.
- For Acts, use Sonic as a partner and utilize Sonic Tag Action for speed. Consider a flying character like Tails or Cream partnered with Sonic for reaching high areas. For water-heavy acts, Sonic/Cream can save time by avoiding air bubble searches.
- For Bosses, find the quickest team. Cream's Chao Attack is effective for most, but not for Zone 5 or Zone 6 bosses.
- To earn Silver Medals, aim for times between the Gold and Bronze windows.
- To earn Bronze Medals, intentionally take longer or wait at the end of an Act or Boss.
Medal Time Requirements:
- Zone 1 Act 1: Gold: < 1'30''00, Silver: 1'30''00 - 2'30''00, Bronze: > 2'30''00
- Zone 1 Act 2: Gold: < 2'15''00, Silver: 2'15''00 - 3'15''00, Bronze: > 3'15''00
- Zone 1 Act 3: Gold: < 2'00''00, Silver: 2'00''00 - 3'00''00, Bronze: > 3'00''00
- Zone 1 Boss: Gold: < 1'45''00, Silver: 1'45''00 - 2'15''00, Bronze: > 2'15''00
- Zone 2 Act 1: Gold: < 1'45''00, Silver: 1'45''00 - 2'45''00, Bronze: > 2'45''00
- Zone 2 Act 2: Gold: < 1'30''00, Silver: 1'30''00 - 2'30''00, Bronze: > 2'30''00
- Zone 2 Act 3: (Team suggestion: Tails/Amy or Knuckles/Tails)
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