User:TheJoebro64/Sonic Crackers/Levels

Sonic Crackers features four playable levels, which are accessible either by pressing Start on "1P START" or "2P START" on the title screen or by using the "SELECT" menu. There are two kinds of levels: "Attractions" and "Fields". While Fields were cut by the 1207 prototype, Knuckles' Chaotix kept the "Attractions" name for its levels.

Attraction Levels

Side-scrolling levels similar to those seen in previous Sonic games.

World 1 Level

A circus/carnival-themed level which, rather than having a definite end, loops. The collision detection is glitchy and makes the floor difficult to walk on when entering the normal way, and each time the level loops the collision gets more and more broken. If you go far enough with Debug Mode, strips of garbage data spawn at the bottom of the level. You cannot die from falling into a pit, and are simply stuck there unless there is garbage data or you debug your way out.

Pressing Left while standing still will cause Sonic to fall through the floor, but not Tails. This is due to a typo in Sonic's code, which can be fixed by using the Pro Action Replay codes 00A3EE:B541 00A3F0:0241.

The music is an early version of Electoria. When the timer reaches 1 minute, the Game Over tune plays and the player is sent to the World 2 Field.

Map

World 1 (Sonic Crackers)

Speed Slider (Knuckles' Chaotix)

This level is thought to be a very early version of Chaotix's Speed Slider, as it has a similar carnival aesthetic and shares design elements such as the use of slopes and massive downhill stretches. A map of Speed Slider Act 1 is presented alongside the World 1 map for reference.

(Source: Sonic Retro)

World 2 Levels

World 2, Level 1
World 2, Level 2
World 2, Level 3
World 2, Level 4

An industrial-themed world. This is the World the game begins with from the title screen, likely done for testing purposes. Using the pause debug feature in this World will cause a vertical black bar to exist on the left side of the screen for the rest of the level. This is the only World with an obstacle which causes harm to the player (spikes), which in turn makes this the most complete World of this build.

There are four levels, the only differences between them being music and palette changes: Level 1 plays Walkin' and has a morning palette, Level 2 plays Hyper-Hyper and has a daytime palette, Level 3 plays Evening Star and has a sunset palette, and Level 4 plays Moonrise and has a nighttime palette. This lines up with the usage of these tracks in Chaotix's World Entrance, and indicates that the time of day feature was already planned at this point.

When the timer reaches 3 minutes, or when the top of the level is reached, the Game Over tune plays and the World 1 Field is entered.

(Source: Sonic Retro)

Map

World 2 (Sonic Crackers)	Techno Tower (Knuckles' Chaotix)

This level is thought to be a very early version of Techno Tower from Chaotix, as it has a similar industrial aesthetic and shares the goal of reaching the top. A map of Techno Tower Act 1 is presented alongside a World 2 map for reference.

Worlds 3-7 and Premium 1-2

No work has been done on these. Trying to enter them shows the title card and plays the World 2 music for a few seconds before immediately giving you a Game Over and beginning a Field level. It is unknown what a "Premium" stage would have been like.

(Source: Sonic Retro)

Special Stage

Present on the Level Select menu, but no work has been done on this either. Unlike the above, however, selecting it causes the game to crash.

Field Levels

A pair of overhead stages which are very incomplete and have no collision detection. The music is the early version of Electoria also used in World 1.

To exit these stages, simply pause and press any button. The game will then load an Attraction of the World it is on.

Maps

Unused World 2 Field Level Palette Cycle

The second Field level has a bug in one of its color palette cycles: The color palette cycle incorrectly uses color palette line 2, instead of 3 which is the foreground. However, by using the codes 008570:D43C 0085DC:D43E (or HWCT-BKXT H4CT-BK06), the intended effect can be restored.

Unused Chunks

There are a ton of unused stage chunks.

World 1

Some of these chunks, while unused in the level layout itself, appear as part of the garbage data found at the bottom of the level in the loopback.

07
0A
0B
0C
0E
17
19
1A
1C
1D
20
24
2A
2C
2D
30
38 - Appears in the loopback.
39 - Appears in the loopback.
3A - Appears in the loopback.
3C - Appears in the loopback.
3D - Appears in the loopback.
3F - Appears in the loopback.
42 - Appears in the loopback.
43 - Appears in the loopback.
45
47
48
49
4B
4C
50
51
52
53
56
57
58
5A
5C
5D
5E
60
61
63 - Appears in the loopback.
64
66
67
68
6A
6B
6C
6E
6F
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
78
79
7A
7B
7C
7D
7F
80
87
88
89
8A
8B
8C
8D
8E
8F
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
9A
9C
9D
9E
9F
A0
A1
A2
A3
A6
A7
A8
A9
AB
B0
B1
B4
B7
B9
BC
BE
C0
C1
C5
C8
C9
CA
CD
D2
D3
D8
D9
E2
E3

World 2

This stage has a lot more unused chunks than used ones.

Foreground

While the game also doesn't use tiles 30, 4A-4C, 4F, 50, 56, 58-5A, 60-62, A2-A5, AD, AF, B0, and B2, they are all blank and as such are not included here.