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| Knuckles Chaotix A 32X 2D Platformer reviewed on 8/7/2009 by Vincent T. Vantine |
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"Knuckles and the his new friends, the Chaotix, usher in the ill-fated 32X add-on with the system’s most popular 2D platformer."
On the eve of the grand opening of the Newtrogic High Zone, a high-tech amusement park built on the Floating Island, all of Knuckles’ friends have been trapped using Dr. Robotnic’s Combi Confiner and can only be freed by the power of two tethered rings with a mystical elastic connection. To make matters worse, the doctor has his own nefarious plans for the Newtrogic High Zone, turning it into a myriad maze of obstacles and perils for our heroes. With our story set in motion, Knuckles and one friend of his choice set off to fight Dr. Robotnic and his minions. Players one and two (non-CPU) have the choice of one of the five Chaotix; Knuckles the Echinda, Mighty the Armadillo, Espio the Chameleon, Charmy Bee, and Vector the Crocodile. Also joining the team are two of Robotnic’s “Mechanix”, Heavy and Bomb. They claim they are here to help the Chaotix, but Heavy will only slow our Heroes down with his hefty weight and bomb will explode on his partner at the first sign of danger. The “Mechanix” are only available in one player mode and are considered the booby prize in the Combi-Combiner crane game. Knuckles Chaotix consists of 34 stages total; five stages per Zone with five Zones total, six Special Stages, one ring grabbing bonus stage and two final stages. All stages are chosen at random by a roulette in the game’s main lobby and zone bosses are located at the 5th act of each zone. Knuckles Chaotix also includes a semi-3D sphere-grabbing Special Stage where players have the opportunity to win one of the six Chaos Rings. Also strewn throughout the game are large bonus round rings, which when entered, take you into a free-falling world where players have the ability to grab rings, extra points, and other items to tilt the semi-random Combi-Combiner and Zone roulette more in their favor. In this game, many new elements are introduced to compliment the somewhat strange style of gameplay for this Sonic spin-off. After choosing your characters, you are immediately whisked away to a training area to learn how to master the “rubber-band effect” that is created by the power rings each character holds. The only way to achieve high speeds is to stretch the characters as far apart as possible and release, causing the power rings to spring back with force and thrust both characters forward. In it’s infancy, Knuckles Chaotix in prototype stages was intended to be a next Sonic title and was also being designed for the Genesis and not the 32X add-on. Although many would argue that the platform switch most likely domed the game to never see the light of day for most gamers, the platform change had it’s definite advantages. The 32X add-on allowed Knuckles Chaotix to have a larger color palette than any other Sonic title and also allowed for some spectacular visual effects such as the “particle” effect on platforms eroding away and also the semi-3D Special Stage. In Knuckles Chaotix, the game creators also added other effects such as the changing between morning, day, sunset and night within all of the stages and even the lobby making for a truly breathtaking experience. Although Knuckles Chaotix is very close to a Sonic-style game in it’s design, it’s gameplay is another story. The linked power ring system will take a long time for may gamers to grow accustom to and can also be a major source of annoyance. CPU partners can be extremely uncooperative, unintentionally steal items such as shields and also get caught in walls causing the player to recall them with the A button at the cost of 10 rings. Another disappointment is that the spin dash is drastically slower rendering it nearly worthless. This was done so that players would be forced to use the power rings to build speed instead. The plus side is that in developing the game, Sega has compensated for many of the CPU’s shortcomings with a more forgiving game engine. Pits have been completely removed from the game as have many cheaply-placed spikes. Also removed is the life system and death after being hit with zero rings. When hit with zero rings, the player will loose their partner for a short time (about 30 seconds) and can only be killed when they are without their partner and are without any rings. Even with it’s shortcomings, many of the problems with Knuckles Chaotix can be averted. Knuckles Chaotix is fortunate to have a somewhat large and all-around solid soundtrack. All of the music fits its respective areas very well and gives Knuckles Chaotix a unique feel. Even with it’s flaws, Knuckles Chaotix is a fantastic title and it’s one that won’t get old for many gamers. With a plethora of characters and large levels, this is a game that many people will enjoy playing again. In the end, the 32X was both a strength for this title as well as a great weakness, but it’s one that I would advise any Sonic gamer to play at least once.
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