

If a player enters this Bonus Stage with 50 or more Rings, collecting one standing Ring in the stage gives a Continue. Getting Rings makes the machine glow and spin around the arena faster, and touching the outer edges of the arena for too long turns them into GOAL blocks which send the player out of the Bonus Stage. Also, there are now icons with Knuckles added to the slot machine wheels. It functions the same way as it did in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, except the formations are somewhat different and expanded upon. Instead of parallel bars, it has a glass dome that the player must enter to activate the slot machine. The slot machine has the traditional three wheels with golden arrows pointing to the middle. This Bonus Stage functions like a combination of the Special Stages in Sonic the Hedgehog and Casino Night Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, as the camera rotates while the player navigates a large arena to reach a colorful-looking slot machine in the middle, with several bumpers and Jump Stands set around the machine. In Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, when the player passes a Star Post with 20-34 Rings, the player can access the Slot Machine Stage ( スロットマシン, Surottomashin ?, lit. The Slot Machine Bonus Stage, from Sonic & Knuckles. Does not appear in Sonic & Knuckles.Ĭlear Ball ( ィクリアーボール, Ikuriābōru ?)įlame Ball ( フレイムボール, Fureimubōru ?)Īwards the player 10, 20, 40 or 80 extra Rings. Useful for reaching greater heightsĬatapult Ball ( カタバルトボール, Katabarutobōru ?)Ĭan replace the red Springs at the bottom. The Gumballs that can be found here in this Bonus Stage are as follows:īounces the player off it upon contact. It is possible to initiate a super transformation in this Bonus Stage by jumping at the right time, just when the stage loads, but only in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 alone.Ĭollecting Gumballs in the Gumball Machine will reward the player with various goodies. If the player does manage to fall, they will not lose a life, but the Bonus Stage will end immediately. The gumball machine also begins sliding downwards once the bumpers below it are removed, making it more difficult to successfully turn the crank without risking falling into the pit.

Hitting a bumper will make it disappear, however, and though there is a floor with red Springs on the bottom that is destroyed after one use, unless the player collects a Catapult Ball, which restores the floor for an additional use. The player must use these bumpers to spring themselves upwards, which turns the crank on the machine and dispenses a random Gumball that begins falling downwards until it goes past the death barrier or the player collects it. In these stages, the player is in a tall corridor with bumper walls from Metropolis Zone on both sides and a giant gumball machine at the very top. In Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and the lock-on game Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, when the player passes a Star Post in with 50 or more Rings, they can enter the Gumball Machine. The Gumball Machine Bonus Stage, from Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
