The Party Mode from Secret Rings actually takes place in Maginaryworld.
The Party Mode set up is very similar to Sonic Shuffle's, both of them being party games. And given they feature characters not seen in the Story mode, it would make sense. Speaking of! It's all a fever dream.
I mean, the game starts with Sonic fast asleep after catching a cold, and it's probably why Dinosaur Jungle, which makes no sense otherwise exists in the first place, why the game doesn't tell you what missions you'll need to complete in order to progress, and why the bosses can look so bizarre, including Alf Layla wa-Layla, whos voice is comparable to a squeak toy, because dreams don't follow a set plot line! So, it might very well be a fever dream of Sonic's.While on the subject, the flame on Sonic's chest very well be how the hedgehog feels from his cold, thinking it's so bad he might very well die from it. Which obviously doesn't happen, perhaps Erazor Jinn still in his lamp being thrown into a lava pit is a metaphor of Sonic getting better while he sleeps off the cold.
