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Sonic Lost World is a Platform Game from the Sonic the Hedgehog series for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS as part of a partnership deal with Sega and Nintendo. A PC port of the Wii U version was also released in November 2015.

Mad scientist Dr. Eggman has a new plan to Take Over the World: harnessing the power of an ancient artifact to control a team of six super-powered demons collectively known as the "Deadly Six". When Sonic the Hedgehog attempts to foil his plan by getting rid of the aforementioned artifact, the Deadly Six immediately use their new-found freedom to backstab their former master and embark on a rampage that threatens to destroy the world of "Lost Hex". Now Sonic must team up with Eggman to take down the Deadly Six before everything and everyone is lost to their villainous schemes.

The game marks the first (and only) entry in the main game series written by western writers Ken Pontac and Warren Graff. They previously worked as localization writers for Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations.

The 3DS version is also notably the first fully 3D Sonic game on a handheld, as well as the last Sonic game made by Dimps, ending a 12-year history with the franchise that dates back to the Game Boy Advance.

You can view the Wii U trailer here, the 3DS trailer here, the Colors trailer here, and the first in-depth level footage here.


As long as I can still strangle a Zeti, these tropes are fine:

  • Acrofatic:
    • Much like in previous games, Eggman is still somehow able to keep up with Sonic in terms of speed when =the Deadly Six revolt against the Doctor's enslavement.
    • For such a hefty guy, Zomom shows an impressive amount of agility and jumping prowess during his boss fights.
  • Action Bomb:
    • The Wii U version has the Black Wisp, a rarely acquirable item. When used, it turns Sonic into a rolling bomb; after a few seconds of use, he automatically explodes, taking out all enemies in range.
    • The Bomb Badniks make their return to the series after previously being featured in the 2012 version of Sonic Jump.
  • Adaptation Amalgamation: The crossover zone with The Legend of Zelda combines various aspects from past Zelda titles. Hyrule Field itself and the Gorons in the cave are based off of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Link has his The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword appearance and is shown riding the Loftwing from that game and the music for both Hyrule Field and the cave are rearrangements of music from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
  • Aesop Amnesia:
    • Sonic allows the Deadly Six to run rampant by impulsively kicking the Cacophonic Conch out of Eggman's hand without waiting for Tails to analyze the situation. Despite acknowledging that "I did something stupid", he later repeats his mistake by attempting to open a conspicuous capsule that Tails found suspicious, getting his best friend captured when the capsule turns out to be a trap.
    • Eggman, after all the trouble the Deadly Six caused without the one tool that could keep them in line, decides at the end of the story that he'll just find it and take control of the Zeti again, though he takes a plunge before he can get around to that.
  • Alas, Poor Yorick: Orbot quotes this in response to Cubot losing his body during the Deadly Six's revolt.
  • Anti-Frustration Features:
    • Some of the stages are on-rails, in which Sonic is constantly running and cannot stop. In those stages, there are chains of enemies moving with you in places that you must homing attack continually. However, if you — say — hit one of those streams a little too late and end up hitting the last enemy further down than you ought to have, such as just before a pit, the game freezes momentarily to allow the player to see what they're heading into, get their bearings, and avoid panic.
    • In the Wii U version, dying a couple of times causes a special "Wing Item Box" to appear. Hitting it will automatically teleport you to the next checkpoint, or the end of the level if you've already reached the last checkpoint.
    • In the 3DS version, dying enough times will cause an Assist RC robot to appear (a feature lifted right out of the recent Mario games). These devices can do anything from drastically decreasing gravity (UFO) to letting Sonic simply fly through the level (hovercraft), or attack enemies and make him invisible (and invincible). They're actually very helpful at times, and some even let Sonic break the levels in ways that Super Sonic can't. These RC robots can also be crafted out of materials by Tails, and transferred to the Wii U version or used in other levels normally.
    • The PC version greatly reduces the amount of animals you need to save to reach the final level. By the time you get to Lava Mountain, the required amount has been reduced from 5,000 to just less than 2,000.
  • Arc Number: 6. Sonic and Tails travel to Lost Hex, which is made up of hexagonal tiles (which are six-sided), and the main villain group has six members.
  • Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: After the Deadly Six failed him in the Desert Ruins, Eggman angrily lists the things he's done for them.
    Eggman: "I hone your abilities; I equip you with the most powerful mechs I can create; I even give you a giant sandwich, and you still disappoint me!"
  • The Artifact: While they're useful, the Wisps' presence in the game is not justified in the story.note 
  • Art Shift:
    • The art style is a lot more stylistic than before. This could be seen as taking it to the logical conclusion of the most recent games, which used surreal environments, but with realistic detail.
    • Previous modern Sonic games, especially starting from '06 onwards, add realistic detail by including setpieces and additional scenery in the near background or other unreachable areas. Lost World takes a more Mario-esque approach by focusing stage graphics to the playable area only and using a blurred, pre-rendered background that's clearly in the distance. A simple way to understand this is that in previous games, it's not always clear where it's possible to go; in Lost World, if it's modeled, it can usually be visited.
      • The notable exception to this is the DLC Legend of Zelda zone, which features almost all of Hyrule Field rendered, but only a small part of it can actually be accessed.
    • Dr. Eggman's Badniks are directly lifted from the original concept art from the Genesis/Mega Drive era.
  • Art-Style Dissonance: A stylized Mario-esque game where you fight zany colorful demons, who provide the darkest dialogue in the Sonic series. It's rated E10+ for a reason.
  • Aside Glance: After Zazz proclaims to have itching for a fight all day, Sonic sniffs him and suggests that he's "itching" because he needs a bath. Zazz briefly sniffs himself before both of them look toward the screen, Zazz in annoyance and Sonic in amusement.
  • The Atoner: Sonic impulsively kicks the magic conch Eggman was using away without even bothering to find out what it was for, thus allowing the Deadly Six to usurp Eggman's mechs and operations and try to destroy the world. The rest of the game deals with Sonic trying to stop the Six and make up for it.
    Sonic: "The whole world's in danger because I did something stupid! Do you have any idea how much that bites?"
  • Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: In Lava Mountain Zone 3, Zavok utilizes his "full strength" to grow into a giant who begins climbing up the volcano, into the platforms you're standing on. Sonic must evade his attacks and drop exploding platforms onto him in order to finish him off.
  • Auto-Scrolling Level: In the Wii U version, there are three such levels:
    • Desert Ruins Zone 4, due to a slowly advancing dust devil summoned by Zomom to kill Sonic. It is also the first classically slow auto-scrolling stage since Lava Reef Act 2 in Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
    • Tropical Coast Zone's extra level and Sky Road Zone 3 both have Sonic riding the air currents while engaging with the Deadly Six's fleet of hijacked Eggman robots.
  • Backhanded Apology: Sonic makes one in response to Zeena being more concerned about her nails than how she's helping to destroy his world.
    Zeena: "The last time we met, you ruined my nail art. Now I have to reapply a whole new coat!"
    Sonic: "Oh, my gosh, are you serious?! I am so, so sorry."
    Zeena: "Oh! Well, in that case..."
    Sonic: "Uh, no. What I meant to say is I am so sorry that you have nothing more important to do in life!"
  • Badass in Distress: Tails is captured in Silent Forest, and left to be turned into a robot. He manages to hack the machine that would have done so to retain his free will, rescuing himself from the Deadly Six's fox-napping.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: While he had mostly been treating the Zeti like jokes up to that point, Sonic confronts one of them with genuine rage after Tails is captured. Of course, given said Zeti is Zor, it doesn't really have much effect.
  • Beyond the Impossible: The explosive carts in Lava Mountain act 2 can kill even Super Sonic in one hit. For the record, the only other things in the entire franchise that can damage Super Sonic are the Big Arm's grab attack in Sonic 3 & Knuckles (and that is most likely a bug), along with a handful of attacks from ultra-powerful machines like the Egg Salamander and Phantom Heavy King or godlike beings such as Solaris and Perfect Dark Gaia.
  • Big Bad: After they usurp Dr. Eggman, the Deadly Six’s leader Zavok become the main antagonist, only for Eggman to overshadow them in the end when he reveals he was just using Sonic to get rid of them.
  • Big Boo's Haunt: In the Wii U version, Sky Road Zone 4 is haunted by Boom Boos, who serve as invincible obstacles.
  • Big "NEVER!": This is what Robot Tails yells in response to Zavok's order to destroy Sonic.
  • Big "NO!": Two of them, both yelled by Sonic. The first happens when Tails is captured by the Zetis, and the second when Zavok reveals what they're planning to do with him.
  • Blackout Basement: In the Wii U version, the later parts of Silent Forest Zone 4 has segments where Sonic must grab pulleys to turn on the lights, or else the room will go dark. Sonic can't use his Homing Attack as long as the lights are out.
  • Bleak Level: Nearly the entirety of Lava Mountain has Sonic fighting all the members of the Deadly Six alone, due to Eggman (supposedly) falling to his death, Tails being kidnapped and forcibly turned into a robot, and Amy and Knuckles succumbing to the Deadly Six's energy-draining machine.
  • Blood Knight: Zazz. Seriously, he loves a good fight more than eating three square meals a day.
  • Bombardier Mook: The Mantas make their debut in this game, appearing in Lava Mountain Zone 2 where they bomb the grind rails ahead of Sonic, though they can't be destroyed by normal means.
  • Bond Villain Stupidity: Zavok. Instead of personally supervising the roboticization of Tails, he and Zomom just leave him all alone in the lab. Being The Smart Guy he is, Tails successfully modifies the machine he's bound to to his own advantage.
  • Bonus Stage: The Hidden World, which unlocks after beating the game in the Wii U version.
  • Boss Bonanza: Act 1 of Lava Mountain in the Wii U version features Zazz, Zomom, and Zik challenging Sonic to one last battle, one after the other. Zeena, Zor, and Zavok do the same thing in Act 3, though that Act has platforming segments between the fights.
  • Boss-Only Level:
    • In the Wii U version, Acts 1 and 4 of Lava Mountain consist entirely of boss fights. Act 1 is a Boss Bonanza featuring the final battles with Zazz, Zomom and Zik, while Act 4 is dedicated to the final battle against Dr. Eggman.
    • In the 3DS version, the final Act of each Zone is dedicated entirely to that Zone's boss, and once the boss is defeated, the Animal Capsule that ends the Act will appear.
    • The 3DS version has all of Lava Mountain. The first three Acts are entirely dedicated to rematches against two of the Deadly Six per Act, with Zazz and Zomom in Act 1, Zeena and Zor in Act 2, and finally Zik and Zavok in Act 3. Just like the Wii U version, Act 4 is dedicated to the final boss fight against Dr. Eggman.
  • Boss Rush:
    • Nightmare Zone has Sonic face off against each of the Deadly Six, one after another. Their fights are based on ones that appear elsewhere in the game, but instead of their usual mounts, the Zeti are controlling different boss characters from the NiGHTS into Dreams… series.
    • Lava Mountain in the 3DS version is entirely dedicated to rematches against all of the Deadly Six one after another, before moving on to the final boss fight with Eggman.
  • Brainwashed and Crazy: The Deadly Six appear to hijack Eggman's Badniks using mind control. Specifically, they can control his mechs because they can innately manipulate electro-magnetic fields.
  • Broken Ace: The usually high-spirited and unstoppable Sonic becomes increasingly disillusioned as the story progresses, as his recklessness triggers events that seemingly doom his world and kill his friends before his very eyes.
  • Bubblegloop Swamp: In the Wii U version, Silent Forest Zone 1 has Sonic going through a jungle with harmful mud and invincible crocodile robots.
  • Build Like an Egyptian: The indoor section of Desert Ruins Zone 1 on the Wii U version, as well as Zone 2 on the 3DS version, has Sonic going through a Egyptian-esque tomb while avoiding giant sandworms (in the case of the Wii U version).
  • The Bus Came Back:
  • Casino Park: Frozen Factory Zone 3 Wii U takes cues from Casino Night and the Trope Namer Casino Park/Bingo Highway, and features copious amounts of casino-themed minigames. The casino was relocated to Sky Road in the 3DS version, with very similar graphics and gameplay to the 3DS version of Casino Night Zone, but curiously doesn't feature any of the casino-themed gimmicks like slot machines or pinball tables.
  • Call-Back: From Sonic Colors, Sonic calls Eggman "Baldy Mcnosehair" during their first encounter with the Deadly Six.
  • Canon Immigrant: This game introduces concepts that previously had only appeared in adaptations.
  • Cash Gate: In the Wii U version, the final Act of each Zone cannot be accessed until Sonic has rescued a prerequisite number of Animals.
  • Charged Attack: Aside from being able to lock onto multiple enemies at once, the Homing Attack can also lock onto a single enemy up to six times to do more damage. This is key to beating most bosses quicker and defeating Zavok in Sky Road Zone 4 — hitting him when he's on the edge with the reticule fully "charged" will force him off. It only locks up to 3 times in the 3DS version, but the basic concept is the same.
  • Cerebus Syndrome: The game starts off light enough with Sonic & Tails doing their usual routine of stopping Eggman, but once the Deadly Six turn on him, things get progressively darker. Tails is kidnapped and nearly turned into a robot under their control, Amy & Knuckles have the life sucked out of them while Sonic helplessly watches, and even Eggman looks like he bites it saving Sonic from Zik, Zazz, and Zomom. Sonic learns Eggman survived only when the latter doesn't need him anymore and replaces the Zeti as a villain..
  • The Charmer: Zavok knows exactly what to say to convince Zeena to attack Sonic.
  • Chekhov's Gun: Believe it or not, Zomom's giant sandwich, which he forgets on the roboticization machine Tails is tied to. After the Zetis leave him alone, Tails uses one of his tails to grab the toothpick stuck in the sandwich and uses it as a pen on the machine's touch screen to modify the program to his advantage.
  • Chekhov's Skill: Tails stated that he reprogrammed a supercomputer with a toothpick. Later on, he managed to hack the robotization machine using only Zomon's sandwich toothpick to save his own life.
  • Chicken Walker: Literally! The Clucker Badniks have two-legged mechs that are seen in stages such as Silent Forest Zone 3.
  • Color-Coded Characters:
    • The Wisps, with the new ones being (Indigo) Asteroid, (Magenta) Rhythm, (Crimson) Eagle, and (Black) Bomb, along with the returning ones like (Yellow) Drill, (Orange) Rocket, (Green) Hover, and (Cyan) Laser.
      • The 3DS Version also gives us (Red) Burst note , (Gray) Quake, and (Ivory) Lightning.
    • The Deadly Six: Zavok (red/black), Zazz (pink), Zeena (green), Zik (blue), Zomom (yellow), and Zor (purple/white).
  • Comedic Work, Serious Scene: The tone of this game is all over the place, but often keeps things on the comedic side. There's also plenty of dramatic or downright dark moments, including Eggman threatening the Deadly Six, Tails accusing Sonic of trusting Eggman more than him, Tails getting captured by the Deadly Six and Knuckles and Amy getting their life force sucked out of them.
  • Continuity Nod:
    • The Flickies have returned, as have all the other tiny cartoon animals, and they are imprisoned in capsules styled after those in the Genesis games (although Sonic Adventure was the last 3D game to feature animals imprisoned in capsules). The idea of mini-capsules scattered around stages is taken directly from Flying Battery Zone in Sonic and Knuckles.
    • The World Map brings back the level maps from Sonic Advance 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog CD.
    • Sonic now re-uses the Super Peel-Out, the figure eight running animation from Sonic the Hedgehog CD, whenever he's running at full speed.
    • The Wisps from Sonic Colors are back, some returning from that game, some new.
    • Most of the Badniks featured in the game return from earlier games, including Sonic 1, Sonic 3, and even Sonic CD, with designs that match the originals much closer.
    • Those spherical floating cannons with the checkerboard design return from Oil Ocean, once again firing Sonic from cannon to cannon over long distances.
      • Frozen Factory Zone 1 features the green platform lifts also seen in Oil Ocean Zone.
    • The Flame and Thunder Shields return, though they seem to lack their jump functions. The 3DS version has them too, in addition to the Aqua Shield from the same game.
    • The Casino zone from Frozen Factory heavily takes cues from Casino Night Zone. It even has its pinball tables, slot machine wheels with the same icons, and the "SONIC" and "MILES" signs. However, it has taken efforts to differentiate itself from Casino Night Zone, such as taking on a more purple color scheme.
    • Cubot's pirate voice has returned.
    • Sonic calls Eggman "Baldy McNosehair" in one cutscene.
    • Frozen Factory Zone 4 is callback-o-rama, including the return of the crushers from Metropolis Zone as well as that zone's screws that you must run or spindash on to move up.
    • The Boos from Sonic Adventure 2 make their return in the ruins section of Sky Road.
    • The Eggrobo seems to be an upgraded version of the original Death Egg Robot, sporting Eggman's classic design and the aforementioned mech's signature rocket arms.
    • When you beat Eggman in the last level, there's an explosion in the Eggrobo's destruction, just like in Colors.
    • The memetic huge sub sandwich makes a comeback, being taken to the logical conclusion of Zomom noshing on a sandwich probably about twenty feet long.
    • When Zavok and Zazz decide to taunt Eggman with the world's impending demise and his own failure, he utterly wrecks the wall of ice that they were projecting on. This seems unfeasible, until you remember that Sonic Riders classified him a Power type.
    • Sonic and Eggman once again join forces to take on Eggman's rebellious allies, but this time, it happens very early on rather than as a True Final Boss scenario.
    • When the capsule opened by the Zeti reveals Tails instead of Sonic, Tails is sitting there using one of the Idle Animations Sonic used in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Specifically, the one where he's drumming his fingers and tapping his foot while lying on the ground.
    • In Wii U's Silent Forest Act 4, Sonic must hang from switches in the ceiling to turn on the lights, which eventually die out, just like in Sandopolis Act 2 in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, though thankfully he doesn't have to worry about the Hyudoros.
    • Extra lives are represented by an icon of Classic Sonic as seen in Sonic Generations; the reason for this is unknown, but it's a nice callback.
    • The 3DS version has one to Sonic Rush Adventure in the form of Materials and Tails' ability to build robots and upgrade his lab out of them.
  • Creepy Shadowed Undereyes: Zazz, Zik, and Zor each have some variation of under-eye shadow, denoting their respective insanity, age, and depression.
  • Crossover:
    • NiGHTs, Reala and the bosses from NiGHTS into Dreams… make an appearance in the NiGHTMARE Zone from the Deadly Six Edition of the game (and the later Steam rerelease).
    • In addition to that, there's DLC where Sonic visits the world of, of all things, Yoshi's Island, complete with Yoshi and Mario enemy cameos.
    • Another piece of DLC has Sonic running around Hyrule as well, dressed in a green hat and tunic and fighting Deku Scrubs, Stalchildren, etc.
  • Darker and Edgier: Despite the more stylized look and brighter colors, the dialogue gets surprisingly harsh in this game, with straight references to genocide, strangling, and being skinned alive. And let's not forget that Eggman tells the Six that he'll "eat their black hearts" and destroy "everything they love". Though it's nowhere near as edgy as Shadow the Hedgehog.
    • There's a more concerted effort to portray a more complicated relationship between Sonic and Tails, one that isn't always jokes and happy agreements and instead includes some jealousy and bickering. The concept of Sonic gradually losing his friends, ending up entirely alone, all due to his trademark attribute of speed, also sheds a more serious tone on the events.
    • There's also the scene where Amy and Knuckles have the life sucked out of them.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Sonic's in top form here. Just read this exchange:
    Zazz: "I've been itchin' for a fight all day!"
    Sonic: (sniffs) "I think you're itching 'cause you need a bath!"
    *Zazz looks at the player, unamused*
    Zazz: "Are you disrespectin' me?!"
    Sonic: "Maybe."
    • Then there's this exchange between Sonic and Zeena:
    Zeena: "The last time we met, you ruined my nail art. Now I have to reapply a whole new coat!"
    Sonic: "Oh, my gosh, are you serious?! I am so, so sorry."
    Zeena: "Oh! Well, in that case..."
    Sonic: "Uh, no. What I meant to say is I am so sorry that you have nothing more important to do in life!"
  • Decomposite Character: In-Universe, the Crabmeats’ abilities are split into 2 different Badniks, the vanilla kind that almost acts the same as in the Genesis days, only to defend itself against Sonic’s Homing Attacks should he try to do so, and the Missile Crabmeatsnote , an orange version that fires missiles just like the Crabmeats from Colors and Generations, the first 2 Sonic games of the Post Modern Era.
  • Demo Bonus: The 3DS version allows you to carry over your save from the demo, which consists of the tutorial and the first level.
  • Despair Event Horizon: Sonic of all people reaches this. Despite continuing on, he's incredibly affected as everyone seemingly drops like flies thanks to his bull-headed stunt that led to the Deadly Six breaking free: his world has been sucked dry of its life-force, Amy and Knuckles seemingly die because of it, Tails has been captured by the villains (and Sonic is also mortified when Zavok tells him that they're going to turn him into a robot), and, for extra measure, he's forced to watch Eggman, Orbot, and Cubot plunge into lava. He almost seems resigned when he sees Tails turned into a cyborg of sorts until he reveals he's still in control and not a robot. Eggman even returns, ready to reclaim his victory, and, at the end, everyone's revived.
  • Despotism Justifies the Means: When Eggman stands poised with his latest weapon, the Eggrobo, after Sonic defeats the Six, he says that, while it's a pity that the Deadly Six have largely destroyed the world below, at least there's still enough of said world left for him to conquer.
  • Developer's Foresight:
    • Tails' kidnapping after the first act of Silent Forest is acknowledged by the game when you access some of its features:
      • In the 3DS version, he is missing from his lab, and text captions for different menu options, which were supposedly spoken by him, are replaced with something more neutral.
      • In the Wii U version, he is replaced by Cubot in the circus tent minigames.
    • In the Zelda DLC, if you attempt to use the Black Wisp's Wisp Power to blow up a Gossip Stone, it'll launch into space like a rocket just as how a Gossip Stone would launch into space if you tried to attack it using a bomb in the original Zelda games.
  • Disc-One Final Boss: The Deadly Six are fought one by one throughout the final Zone, culminating in a final showdown with Zavok, but even once they're all defeated for good, there's still one more Act left...
  • Disney Villain Death: Dr. Eggman falls off a collapsing bridge near the end while saving Sonic, but it's later revealed he had a jetpack to save himself and work on his plans. Then he falls for real at the end, thanks to Sonic removing a part of the jetpack. He somehow survives the fall, but got stuck in a patch of soft dirt and had half of his mustache eaten by a rabbit. Also, you get the actual death of Zor, who is sent falling into the lava.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: The Deadly Six decide to use Eggman's planet-sucking machine, the Extractor to destroy the world completely simply to get revenge on Eggman for enslaving them. Eggman also contemplates killing the Deadly Six by causing the entire Lost Hex to implode via "null-gravity effects", but that idea is swiftly shot down by Sonic.
  • The Dog Bites Back: After being under Eggman's thumb due to his torturous Cacophonic Conch, the Deadly Six waste no time unleashing swift payback once Sonic obliviously gets rid of it.
  • Double Jump: A more effective one than the double jump in Colors, though Sonic uncurls after using it in the Wii U version, leaving him vulnerable. He stays curled in the 3DS version. The 3DS version's Red Burst wisp gives Sonic infinite double jumps as usual.
  • Dream Land: Nightmare Zone, the first DLC in the Wii U version (and only DLC in the PC version), takes place in Sonic's dream, where he fights the boss Nightmaren from NiGHTS into Dreams….
  • Dropped a Bridge on Him: The Deadly Six almost all die during gameplay rather than in cutscenes. Zazz, Zomom, and Master Zik are killed off like common enemies.
  • Dwindling Party: First Tails is kidnapped to be converted to a robot, then Amy & Knuckles seemingly are sucked into the Extractor offscreen, and then Eggman sacrifices himself to save Sonic from the Deadly Six. By the time Sonic fights them in Lava Mountain, he's very much alone. Zavok actually mocks Sonic about it in Sky Road Zone 4.
  • Emo Teen: Zor is a self-aware parody of this trope.
    Zor: I suppose I should care that Sonic's heading my way to hand me a beating. But caring would cut into my sulking time.
  • Epileptic Flashing Lights: A glitch found in the second pinball table (where a red ring resides) of Frozen Factory Zone 3, where results causes the entire screen (except the HUD) to flash constantly, and Sonic will be stuck until the timer runs out, the stage is reset, or the game is closed. Caution must be taken, especially if you're epileptic — that is, if you haven't downloaded the patch that fixes this.
  • Enemy Mine: Sonic and Eggman have to team up to take on the Deadly Six and shut down the Extractor. Notably, unlike all earlier appearances of this trope between the two, it gets averted at the very end.
  • Eternal Engine: Frozen Factory, a Metropolis Zone-esque factory in the frozen part of the Lost Hex. It's downplayed in the 3DS version of the zone, but mechanical elements like crushers get added to Silent Forest Zone instead. Lava Mountain also contains slight elements of this, most notably in Zone 3.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: As evil as Zavok is, he genuinely does respect his teacher, Master Zik, begging him not to fight Sonic, as he feels that it's beneath him, and thanking and bowing to him after he gives him the idea to turn Sonic into a robot.
  • Even Evil Has Standards: Eggman only wants to borrow the planet's energy to conquer it, and is shocked when he discovers that the Deadly Six intend to destroy the world outright.
  • Evil Is Petty: Zeena cares more about doing her nails and makeup than helping her comrades take down Sonic.
  • Evil Versus Oblivion: Eggman wants to harness the planet's energy to power his mechs, but he has no intent of sucking the planet dry, which the Deadly Six aren't as concerned about.
  • Evil Virtues: Eggman's redeeming aspects are Lampshaded during his team-up with Sonic, even going so far as to put himself in harm's way to save his enemies.
    Sonic: "I can't figure you out. One second you're contemplating genocide, and the next, you're saving one of your worst enemies!"
    Eggman: "I'm a complicated guy."
  • Eviler than Thou: The Deadly Six prove to be a greater evil than Eggman after they break free of his control, as while Eggman only wants to use the Extractor to harness enough of the world's energy to power his machines, the Zeti plan to drain the world completely just to gain more power.
  • Face Palm: Eggman, after Zomom smashes part of his lair's floor to grab a sandwich.
    Eggman: "Ohhh, help me..."
  • Fangs Are Evil: Zeena sports a pair of these, most prominently shown when she responds to Sonic's Backhanded Apology..
  • Fat Bastard: The Brute of the Deadly Six is Zomom, a rotund, gluttonous Zeti who is constantly thinking about food, and is shown eating in nearly every scene he's in. He even puts his confrontation with Sonic on hold just to get mustard for his sandwich.
  • Foe Romance Subtext: Zeena makes a few flirty/teasing remarks towards Sonic, such as calling him "adorable", and telling him to call her.
  • For the Evulz: Though the Deadly Six destroying the world is mainly an act of vengeance against Eggman for enslaving them, they also seem to just really enjoy causing destruction.
  • Freeze-Frame Bonus: From the Nintendo Direct "Yoshi's Island Zone" trailer, part of the checkerboard background in Windy Hill is changed, showing the Triforce, hinting at the Zelda-themed DLC level that came a little while later.
  • Flaying Alive: During their fight, Zazz explicitly threatens to skin Sonic alive.
  • Floating Continent: The Lost Hex, the domain of the Deadly Six, is a hollowed-out miniature planet floating above Sonic's world.
  • Forced to Watch: Invoked; while ranting at the Deadly Six for their rebellion, Eggman vows that he will "destroy everything they love and make them watch."
    • Later in the game, the trope is played straight for Sonic, who's forced to watch Amy and Knuckles die through the Miles Electric and can't do anything but desperately call their names.
  • Gadgeteer Genius: Exaggerated with Tails here. He claims that he made a TV set out of paper clips and hacked a supercomputer using nothing but dish soap and a toothpick, and thus repairing the Tornado is as easy as taking a nap for him. He also later manages the impressive feat of kinda robotizing himself. In the 3DS version, he uses a random assortment of rudimentary materials (including rocks and leaves) to make RC vehicles that are actually quite helpful in-game, similar to his role in Sonic Rush Adventure.
  • Game-Breaking Bug: In Sky Road Zone 2's boss fight, it's possible for Zavok to slip through the planetoid instead of merely dropping to the ground after getting hit, leaving the level unwinnable.
  • Game-Over Man: A defeated Sonic under a spotlight, as in Sonic the Hedgehog.
  • Gameplay and Story Segregation: The second cutscene is potentially this if you managed to find some non-goal animal capsules from a path alternative to the main one, as the cutscene only makes sense if the goal capsule was the only one opened in that level. Averted in the 3DS version, in which the same cutscene only plays when you complete the tutorial level (which, naturally, only has the goal capsule in it).
  • Genre Throwback: This game aims to capture the look and feel of the classic games, not only by making the art style more stylized, but even extending to the gameplay.
  • "Get Back Here!" Boss: The final boss battle against Dr. Eggman has Sonic running after Eggman's Eggrobo mech in a section of the Lava Mountain.
  • Golden Super Mode: As in Sonic Colors, a playable Super Sonic in normal levels is the reward for collecting all Red Rings on the Wii U version, while special stages like that of Sonic 3 & Knuckles are used on the 3DS one. Notably, this is the first time the ability has been featured in a handheld Sonic game, ever.
  • Gratuitous English: In the Japanese boss trailer, Zazz screams "GO TO HELL!" in Engrish.
  • Gravity Is a Harsh Mistress: After his defeat, Eggman tries to fly off with his jetpack, but finds it malfunctioning. It's only after Sonic reveals that he removed part of the jetpack that Eggman plummets.
  • Gravity Master: The Indigo Wisp turns Sonic into a small Saturn-esque planet, whose spinning ring turns any enemy he encounters into cubes that float around him like a shield.
  • Gravity Screw: Seeing as this game uses circular level structures and planetoids similar to Super Mario Galaxy.
    • One strange example occurs in Silent Forest Act 3 (Wii U). At one point, Sonic comes across a semicircular spike trap that can rotate about its middle axis; it always falls downwards relative to the camera. (Thus, to make it turn, Sonic needs to run around the pipe.) This trap is the only object in the game that treats gravity relative to the camera — not Sonic or the stage.
  • Green Hill Zone:
    • Windy Hill. It even has the the checkered cliffs, totem poles, log bridges, and waterfalls of Sonic 1's Green Hill Zone.
    • Yoshi's Island Zone, the second DLC level in the Wii U version, takes place in a stage reminiscent of the grasslands levels from Yoshi's Island.
  • Ground Pound: Sonic can perform the Bound Attack by pressing the secondary action button after jumping without targeting an enemy or obstacle. The Grey Wisps in the 3DS version augments it through the Grey Quakes, allowing Sonic to smash otherwise unbreakable blocks and Badniks to pieces.
  • Guide Dang It!:
    • Zavok in Sky Road's last level. He won't go over the edge at the end of his boss fight unless the homing attack reticule locks onto him six times, resulting in a more powerful shove that'll do him in. The game doesn't explain that the homing attack can be charged in the first place, let alone that it can be charged more than usual during this particular fight (it normally maxes out at three reticles).
    • Hidden World Zone 1 in the Wii U version, where there is absolutely no indication that, unlike every other level in the game, you just let the timer run out to complete the level.
  • Hailfire Peaks: The 3DS version recycles each fight with the Zeti for the Boss Rush in Lava Mountain, meaning that Zeena once again fights Sonic with snowman mechs in a snowy area... surrounded by lava.
  • Hair Flip: Zeena does this quite often, most prominently shown in response to Zavok's charming.
  • Hard Levels, Easy Bosses: Compared to the often challenging main levels, most of the fights with the Deadly Six themselves are simple to beat. Zavok is a glaring exception to this rule, however.
  • Hidden Depths: Zomom is implied to have self-esteem issues, wondering if it's possible to make him look worse than he already does, and telling Sonic not to make fun of his size. The real kicker, though, is his quote upon being defeated in the last level.
  • Hollywood Magnetism: The Deadly Six have power over magnetic fields, though here, it's largely used to hack into electronics such as Eggman's Badniks and take control of them. Fridge Brilliance here, as it's possible that the Badniks aren't really sentient and receive their orders through electromagnetic waves. They could've just made it so that Eggman's waves are blocked and that their waves would come through.
  • Horned Humanoid: All members of the Deadly Six; most of them have two, Zeena has only one, and Zomom has a crown of five horns.
  • Hornet Hole: Desert Ruins Zone 2, in the Wii U version, has Sonic running through a series of giant beehives to reach Zomom.
  • Hypocritical Humor: Eggman calling Zomom fat.
  • I'm Standing Right Here: Said almost word-by-word by Eggman when Orbot asks Sonic to be his new sidekick.
    Orbot: "If we don't find your friend, can I be your sidekick?"
    Sonic: "What?! Shut up! What kind of question is that?"
    Orbot: "I didn't mean anything by it. I just thought it might be better to work for you than Eggman."
    Eggman: "Hello, I'm sitting right here, you know."
    Sonic: "Orbot, no matter what happens, I won't fail again. I will save Tails."
    Orbot: "It's stuff like that that makes me want to be your sidekick. Tails is lucky."
    Eggman: "Seriously, I'm right here. I can still hear you."
  • Invulnerable Knuckles: Subverted. In one cutscene, the Deadly Six taunt Sonic and Eggman via video screen on an ice wall, to which Eggman gets so mad that he punches said ice wall until it shatters. He does injure his hands doing so, though he blows it off.
    Eggman: As long as I can still strangle a Zeti, my hands are fine.
  • Kaizo Trap: In the 3DS version of Frozen Factory Zone 2, spin-dashing after a checkpoint will cause Sonic to go too fast and die for absolutely no reason, a strange glitch that somehow managed to creep in from the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
  • Jerkass Ball: Tails seems to have grabbed it. One noticeable example is when he blames Sonic for trusting Eggman to shut down his Extractor more than him.
  • Jungle Japes: Silent Forest, the forested jungle section of the Lost Hex.
  • Knight of Cerebus: While still brimming with comedic moments, the Deadly Six prove to be some of the scariest antagonists after betraying Eggman.
  • Large-Ham Announcer: There's once again an announcer that names the Wisp being used, though he's less of a ham this time around.
  • Le Parkour: A major element of the gameplay; Sonic can run on walls, leap over hurdles, and climb up other specific parts of the stage/scenery if faced head-on when the run button is held.
  • Lethal Lava Land: Lava Mountain, the Deadly Six's base of operations situated in a lava-scorched land of active volcanoes.
  • Level Ate: Des(s)ert Ruins Zone 3, in the Wii U version, has Sonic going through a world made entirety of sweets, chocolate, and other confectionery treats.
  • Level in the Clouds: Sky Road, the sky-high section of the Lost Hex.
  • Literal-Minded: This exchange when Sonic comes across Zomom while he's eating his giant submarine sandwich:
    Sonic: "One word of helpful advice: diet and exercise!"
    Zomom: "That's THREE words!!"
  • Losing Your Head: Cubot is reduced to just a head after the Deadly Six take control of Eggman's Badniks and make them attack everyone. Of course, since he's a robot, he's just fine.
  • Lost World: The Lost Hex, the setting of the game, is remarked to have never been seen before.
  • Lost in Transmission: When Amy is about to have her life sucked out, she says "she's sorry she never got to say..." before the Miles Electric goes black.
  • MacGuffin: Eggman's Cacophonic Conch, which he uses to keep the Deadly Six in check.
  • Mana Drain: The Lost World version of the Aquis can drain Sonic’s Rings with its snout, forcing the Blue Blur to either find new Rings or just destroy it to regain them.
  • Marathon Level: A lot of the levels in the 3DS version can take around 20 or more minutes to complete. Unfortunately, this is often due to an overabundance of tricky puzzles instead of speedy Sonic action.
  • Mood Whiplash: The game would occasionally mix the rather comical and lighthearted boss encounter cutscenes with the much darker scenes from the main story.
  • Multiple Head Case: After not knowing what to do with Cubot's head for most of the game, Eggman eventually settles for attaching it to Orbot's body. Orbot isn't too thrilled about this.
    Orbot: Who thought that putting this bucket-brain's head on me was a good idea?
  • Musical Nod:
    • The theme of the Invincibility and Speed Shoes Items in the 3DS version is "Sonic Heroes" and "Reach for the Stars", respectively.
    • A lot of the zones' BGM shown so far has been noted as to being similar to music from Sonic Unleashed. Considering that Tomoya Ohtani, who did some of the music for Unleashed, is also the composer for Lost World, this is very likely intentional.
    • Hidden World Zone 2's music is a remix of Believe in Myself.
  • Music Is Eighth Notes: The Magenta Wisp resembles an Eighth note. In addition, its Wisp power turns Sonic into one and allows him to climb notation bars as if he's following the bouncy ball.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: Sonic realizing his recklessness gets Tails captured inside the capsule.
    Sonic: I'm supposed to be the fastest, but I was too slow to save my buddy...
  • Mythology Gag: There's one at Lava Mountain Act 3. You'll have to listen closely. When the robotic Tails moves, the sound is re-used from SatAM and Underground.
  • Never Say "Die": Believe it or not, it's averted! Several times!:
    • In a trailer, Zavok uses the word die to Sonic.
    Zavok: Your fate is to be destroyed. Why don't you just accept that? Lie down and DIE..
    • There's also "I long for death's cold embrace" and "one second you're considering genocide..."
    • Hell, with the Deadly Six's assortment of colorful euphemisms, let's just say the whole game averts this and makes damn well sure you know it.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Sonic kicking away Eggman's Cacophonic Conch, the one thing that kept the Deadly Six under his control, is what led to the Zetis' immediate betrayal and their forced alliance. To drive another nail in, Tails even warned Sonic to stay back because they didn't know what the shell did, but Sonic didn't listen.
  • No Body Left Behind: Zazz, Zomom, Master Zik, and Zeena all explode after their final battles in Lava Mountain.
  • There Is No Kill Like Overkill:
    • When brainstorming ideas on how to defeat the Six, Eggman decides it would be simplest just to blow up the entire Lost Hex and them along with it. Sonic, not entirely comfortable with the idea of killing off an entire planet (full of innocent living things) just to finish off their enemies in as spiteful a way as possible, has some objections to say the least.
    • Likewise, the Deadly Six decide to take vengeance on Eggman by using his life-draining machine to suck the entire planet dry.
  • Nominal Hero: Eggman becomes this after the Deadly Six turn against him, forcing him to work together with Sonic and Tails in saving the world from destruction so that he can get the Six out of his way and keep one of the places he plans to conquer with iron fists.
  • Noob Bridge: Sonic has a mid-air kick rarely seen in previous games. While Omochao will explain the kick to you near the beginning of the game, Omochao can be turned off. It's also explained in the manual, but no one reads that. Those who turned him off or weren't paying attention will then be stuck in Silent Forest Act 1, where Sonic is required to defeat a group of spider robots to proceed, who are invulnerable to Sonic's normal jump attacks until they're kicked.
  • Noodle Incident: One has to wonder how Tails was able to make a TV out of paperclips, or reprogram a supercomputer with detergent and a toothpick. The latter is somewhat shown when Tails manages to reprogram the computer that would've roboticized him by using the toothpick from Zomon's sandwich as a touchscreen pen, but that just leaves the question of what the detergent was for.
  • No Sense of Personal Space: Zazz. In his cutscene with Sonic in the Windy Hill pre-boss cutscene, he constantly gets real close to Sonic, mildly startling him.
  • No, You:
    • When Sonic and Tails have an argument.
    Sonic: The whole world's in danger because I did something stupid. Do you know how much that bites?
    Eggman: Actually, nothing bites more than having to listen to this dreadful conversation.
    Sonic & Tails: Eggman, you bite!
    • When Eggman reveals he was manipulating Sonic all along.
    Eggman: Pity about the damage done down there, but there's still enough left there for me to conquer.
    Sonic: The only thing that's gonna get conquered is your face, Eggman!
  • Old Master: Master Zik is over a thousand years old and looks his age, but he's still an excellent fighter who can easily take on Sonic.
  • Older Than They Look: The Deadly Six are all over a hundred years old. Even Master Zik, the Zeti that looks the oldest, is well over a thousand years old, and according to one of his quotes in-game, considers being a hundred young ("I feel like I'm a hundred years old again!").
  • Ominous Owl: The owl robot in Silent Forest Act 2 (Wii U)/Act 3 (3DS) is notable for not only forcing Sonic to slow down, but to use stealth and avoid its sight by hiding behind bushes. In the Wii U version, being spotted results in smaller owls carrying Sonic away, resulting in an instant death, while the 3DS version causes certain walls to fall, blocking off paths or rarely crushing Sonic. Downplayed in Silent Forest Act 4 to comical extent, as it's smoking from the inside and has most of its moving parts broken or missing, requiring its owl subordinates to carry it around. The 3DS version's boss fight of that zone involves owls, too.
  • Out of Focus: Amy and Knuckles are just there to take care of the animals. The latter in particular has just two lines.
  • Palmtree Panic: Tropical Coast, the beach area of the Lost Hex.
  • Patchwork Map: The Lost Hex is made up of hexagonal patches of environments like desert, ocean, and volcano with little coherence between them.
  • Pet the Dog: For all of his evil, Zavok is concerned and respectful to Master Zik, even urging him not to trouble himself with fighting Sonic.
  • Planet Looters: Eggman's latest machine, the Extractor, is designed to drain the life force out of the planet, though it is unstable, so he only intends to drain a little bit at a time. The Deadly Six, however, kick the device into overdrive as part of their revenge on Eggman.
  • Platform Game: As with all mainstream Sonic games, but this one has much more emphasis on platforming than perhaps any previous 3D Sonic game.
  • Plot Armor: Cubot and Orbot are somehow immune to the Deadly Six's ability to magnetically hijack electronics. It's likely that the Deadly Six didn't bother controlling them due to them being useless in combat (and pretty much everything else). That, or they aren't controlled via radiowaves because as actual sentient beings, they don't need to gain commands from them like the other Badniks.
  • Prehensile Tail: Tails shows this ability for the first time ever in this game, when he grabs the toothpick stuck in Zomom's sandwich to save himself from being roboticized. (It's long been speculated that his ability to fly relies on this trait, but this is the first time it's been clearly demonstrated.)
  • Razor Wind: In the 3DS version, Sonic can perform an aerial somersault, sending a shockwave that can stun enemies.
  • Restraining Bolt: The Cacophonic Conch, which inhibits the Deadly Six's powers and causes them pain.
  • Reverse Cerebus Syndrome: Yes, this game suffers from both Cerebus Syndrome and Reverse Cerebus Syndrome. The environments and enemy designs are bright and cartoony, harkening back to the early Genesis games. The Deadly Six, while still undeniably evil, are significantly more humorous than Dark Gaia or the Time Eater. While the tone of the story is definitely darker than usual, the overall visual tone of the game is quite possibly one of the cheeriest in the entire series.
  • Reversible Roboticizing: Tails is roboticized towards the end of the game thanks to the Deadly Six, but manages to mess with the process enough to retain his free will. He still shows up with mechanical bits grafted to his body, including something that suppresses the natural blue of his eyes for a more gray color. By the end of the game, he's completely back to normal, with no visible signs of any invasive technology on his body.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: The Deadly Six's primary motivation: taking revenge on Eggman for his enslavement of them.
  • Rolling Attack: The Spin Dash, in its first 3D game appearance since Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).
  • Rubber-Band A.I.: Zazz gains super speed just to outrun the faster-than-usual Super Sonic that chased him before the second boss battle with him just so that the scene leading to the boss battle happens normally.
  • Ruins for Ruins' Sake: The last acts of Silent Forest in both versions has Sonic going through a series of temples to reach Zor.
  • Sarcasm-Blind: Zeena, who takes Sonic's Backhanded Apology about messing up her nail polish at face value.
    Zeena: "The last time we met, you ruined my nail art. Now I have to reapply a whole new coat!"
    Sonic: "Oh, my gosh, are you serious?! I am so, so sorry."
    Zeena: "Oh! Well, in that case..."
    Sonic: "Uh, no. What I meant to say is I am so sorry that you have nothing more important to do in life!"
  • Self-Deprecation: Zomom. His mom did say he was a failure, after all.
  • Sequel Hook: Eggman mentions that he'll find the Cacophonic Conch and regain control of the Zeti at the end. So the Deadly Six may not be completely gone for good.
  • Shifting Sand Land: Desert Ruins, the desert area of the Lost Hex.
  • Shark Tunnel: For the Wii U version, Tropical Coast Zone 3 and Lava Mountain Zone 2 has Sonic rail-grinding through a huge water tunnel while avoiding minecarts and Badniks.
  • Shock and Awe: The Ivory Wisp allows Sonic to attract rings and target enemies in a chain of lightning. The Thunder Shield returns with its usual function of attracting rings and in the 3DS version, allows the player to safely come in contact with electrical rails and Spinas.
  • Showy Invincible Hero: Although Sonic plays less like one in gameplay than he did in Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations (see A Tragedy of Impulsiveness), he still deconstructs it within the cutscenes, with his brash behaviour inadvertently causing more problems than it solves (again, see A Tragedy of Impulsiveness). Funnily enough, again in cutscenes, he's still the character who gets through the whole ordeal relatively unscathed, physically at least.
  • Slippy-Slidey Ice World: Frozen Factory, the icy area of the Lost Hex. The underground level in Silent Forest (Wii U) also features ice prominently.
  • The Smurfette Principle: Out of all the members of the "Deadly Six", only Zeena (the green one) is female.
  • Soundtrack Dissonance: The Black Bomb theme is rather a bouncy bluegrass melody than aggressive rock music you'd expect for an Action Bomb.
  • Speed Echoes: Sonic gains this while running along walls in the Wii U version, replaced by stars in the 3DS version.
  • Sprite/Polygon Mix: In the 3DS version, objects like rings and rotating fireballs are rendered in billboarded sprites.
  • Stealth Pun: After Sonic knocks away Eggman's conch and thus prevents his control over the Deadly Six, Sonic states that "Eggman's shell is gone."
  • Straw Nihilist: Zor. He's constantly depressed, doesn't really care if he wins or loses, and even has Death Seeker tendencies.
  • Sugar Bowl: The Lost Hex is definitely one of the most bright and colorful locations ever visited in the Sonic series.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute:
    • The new Indigo Asteroid has an ability very similar to that of the Violet Void (consuming all objects around it and making falls slower).
    • People who finished the Wii version of Sonic Colors will see obvious recycling of that final boss' attacks in Lost World's final boss' attacks. The Wii U one uses the Laser Wisp attack, and the 3DS one uses the Cube Wisp attack.
  • Suspicious Video-Game Generosity: In the lead up to the rematch against Zavok, a secret corridor holds several extra lives, where he unsurprisingly goes One-Winged Angel after beating his first form.
  • Sympathy for the Hero: Eggman had even comforted Sonic after Tails was captured by the capsule trap.
  • Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Sonic, Tails, and Eggman spend just as much, if not even more, time bickering with and insulting one another as they do actually working together.
  • Theme Naming: All the Deadly Six have names that start with 'Z': Zavok (Red), Zazz (Magenta), Zeena (Green), Zik (Blue), Zomom (Yellow), and Zor (White). They are also a member of a race called the Zeti.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Tails, who actually tricks the Deadly Six into thinking that he's been robotized, and quickly reprograms Eggman's machine.
  • Took a Level in Jerkass: Tails is far more eager to insult Eggman than in previous games, possibly even moreso than Sonic is. He also shows more opposition to joining forces with Eggman to stop the Deadly Six, even getting angry at Sonic in one scene for trusting Eggman to shut down the Extractor more than him, despite the fact that he never put up this much resistance to teaming up with the Doctor against a greater threat in previous games.
  • A Tragedy of Impulsiveness: Sonic's tendency to smash first and ask questions later is nastily deconstructed in Lost World:
    • First, he recklessly charges in and kicks the Cacophonic Conch out of Eggman's hands, completely ignoring Tails' warnings to stay back and not even caring about what it does. As it turns out, said conch was a Restraining Bolt Eggman was using to control the Deadly Six, and Sonic's impulsiveness allows the Deadly Six to turn on Eggman and usurp his plans and operations.
    • When Sonic, Tails, and Eggman learn that the Deadly Six are using Eggman's life-sucking machine to drain their world dry, Tails immediately states that Sonic's first instinct would be to destroy it, which he doesn't even bother to deny. Eggman quickly calls him out on it and explains that destroying it like that would cause an explosion that would incinerate everything within a hundred miles of ground zero.
    • Later in the game, Sonic's impulsiveness ends up triggering a capsule trap, but gets Tails captured instead. Suffice it to say this was an eye-opener.
    • In a metaphorical sense, this extends to the gameplay itself. It's much less about speed as it is about puzzles and slower platforming, what with the new controls and level design. There are even stealth sections, like the owl in Silent Forest, and there's a hell of a lot of tight platforming. Going too fast in this game will cause Sonic to die... many, many times.
  • Under the Sea: Zones 1 and 3 of Tropical Coast, in the 3DS version, has Sonic going through a series of undersea caverns. Act 3 in particular is noteworthy for being the first 3D predominantly-underwater level in any Sonic game ever.
  • Unexpected Gameplay Change: The game deviates from its normal platforming gameplay more frequently than in previous Sonic games.
    • Frozen Factory Zone 2 has Sonic curl up into a large snowball that he rolls around on the inside of for the entire level, including the boss fight. In this form, he lacks access to most of his abilities, and the movement controls are much heavier thanks to how big the snowball is, and he must avoid falling off the stage while various obstacles try to bounce him around.
    • At certain points in the game's resident Casino Park level "Frozen Factory Zone 3", the gameplay briefly changes into that of a pinball game, similar to Sonic Adventure. You can even lose a life by draining the "ball"note .
    • Tropical Coast Zone ? and Sky Road Zone 3 are Auto-Scrolling Levels where Sonic flies through the sky while avoiding obstacles and collecting Rings. He automatically moves upward as long as the player isn't holding the jump button.
    • Hidden World Zone 2 has the player take control of Tails flying the Tornado, with Sonic standing on top. You can steer the plane left and right, and must fly through rings in order to gain speed boosts and increase your time so you will have enough to reach the goal, all the while dodging enemies.
    • The Special Stages in the 3DS version are controlled by moving the entire 3DS to steer Sonic as he flies around an open space. Due to how many different directions the stages require Sonic to go in order to complete them, the player needs a lot of room to move around in order to play them properly.
    • Zor's boss fight in the 3DS version requires the player to load Sonic into a cannon and look around for the Owl Mech Zor is riding to fire at it. The controls for looking around use the same aiming mechanic as the Special Stages.
  • Unexplained Recovery:
    • They never explain how Eggman managed to escape from the White Space.
    • Or how Orbot and Cubot got back from space and found Eggman.
  • Unhand Them, Villain!: During the opening, Eggman is carrying a container of the animals you rescue in Windy Hill Zone 1 with Sonic & Tails hot on his trail. Sonic demands for Eggman to "Drop the critters" and Eggman does just that.
  • Unwilling Roboticisation:
    • Eggman's back to using living animals as organic batteries for his Badniks in this game.
    • Master Zik gives Zavok the idea to do this to Sonic. They end up capturing Tails instead, and decide to roboticize him, only for Tails to reprogram their machine to let him keep his free will.
  • Variable Mix:
    • Background instruments fade out when Sonic dies.
    • During Windy Hill Zone 3 (Wii U) and Silent Forest Zone 3, the music noticeably changes during sections where Sonic is running through tubes with boulders rolling towards him.
  • Video Game Cruelty Potential: In Windy Hill, you can find herds of sheep wandering about and grazing, and while Sonic can't hurt them, he can jump on or just bump into them, and it'll knock their fur (and a single ring) right off. Do this enough, and it'll send a whole herd of angry sheep charging after him! Some sheep won't respond, and some just start out angry, though.
  • Villainous Glutton: Zomom loves to eat. Also has shades of Extreme Omnivore, as he threatens to eat Sonic and Eggman at different points.
  • Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: The Deadly Six, especially Zazz and Zavok.
  • Weaksauce Weakness: The Deadly Six are restrained by a special conch shell that hurts them when Eggman blows it. Unfortunately for Eggman, Sonic's impulsiveness leads him to kicking it away without even bothering to learn what it does.
  • Wham Episode: After the end of Silent Forest Act 1, when Tails gets captured by a trap of the Deadly Six that was supposed to snag Sonic. This is the moment when Sonic starts getting serious for real.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: For prominent antagonists, the Deadly Six completely disappear from the plot after Sonic defeats them for the final time. There's no final cutscene showing their fate (which is rather ambiguous, given Zor's seemingly-fatal lava baths and the other four Zeti disappearing in puffs of smoke) and once Eggman retakes the helm they're more or less forgotten about. The 3DS version does slightly alleviate this by clearly depicting them flying away after their respective final battles, but they still remain absent from the climax.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Three examples:
  • Wheel o' Feet: Sonic's running animation, taking cues from Sonic the Hedgehog CD's Super Peel-Out. It's the first time such an effect has been used in a 3D Sonic game since the Japanese version of Sonic Adventure. In the Wii U version, Sonic can actually perform the Peel-Out, but oddly it's no more effective than simply breaking into a run.
  • Why Won't You Die?: Zeena expresses this in the Lava Mountain Zone
    Zeena: Ugh, why won't you die?! You're like a cockroach with a bad fashion sense!
  • Wrong Genre Savvy:
    • This exchange after Sonic disposes of the conch Eggman was using on the Deadly Six:
    Eggman: "That was a mistake..."
    Sonic: "Whatever! When is it a mistake to take your toys away?"
    Eggman: "When it's the only thing keeping six angry Zeti from controlling my mechs, you moronic hedgehog!!"
    • The capsule trap set for Sonic: he automatically assumes it's full of animals and tries to smash it, instead getting Tails into a mess. Clearly, he didn't learn from his experience in Sandopolis Zone...

 
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Orbot considers leaving Eggman

Orbot asks to join Sonic's team as his new sidekick, while Eggman is right behind him.

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