Sky Sanctuary Zone

Sky Sanctuary Zone is a stage from the Sonic series, based on the location of the same name. It is from the game Sonic & Knuckles. It was confirmed for inclusion in the final SSF2 v0.8 Dev Blog in October, 2011.

Layout
It consists of one large platform, two very long floating platforms, and, like in Sonic & Knuckles, a series of mini blocks that fall down if stood on for too long. The center of the main platform is sunken in, creating two small inner edges.

Origin
Sky Sanctuary Zone first appeared in the game Sonic & Knuckles as the second to last stage. After Dr. Eggman escapes from Hidden Palace Zone with the Master Emerald, Knuckles and Sonic (and often Tails) chase after him. Knuckles leads Sonic to the Sky Sanctuary Zone via a warp, and Sonic follows Eggman onboard the Death Egg, fighting Mecha Sonic numerous times along the way. When playing as Knuckles, Sky Sanctuary is his last stage, as he does not go to Death Egg Zone. Instead, Knuckles is forced to battle Mecha Sonic as his final boss.

The design of the stage in Beta was updated to resemble the level design seen in Sonic Generations.

Music

 * The main music track is titled Sky Sanctuary - Classic from Sonic Generations
 * The alternative track is Sky Canyon from Sonic Advance 2 in a Genesis Mix

Tournament legality
Sky Sanctuary Zone is a counterpick in tournament play. The long floating platforms, combined with the sunken in central area of the stage, make it very difficult for a player to claim control of the stage if their opponent has already assumed control, as the edges of the sunken region prevent ground approaches while the long platforms hinder aerial approaches. Other than that, the stage also has a somewhat low ceiling and shorter than average side boundaries. However, none of these characteristics are considered to be enough to warrant banning the stage.

Trivia

 * Mecha Sonic from the game Sonic & Knuckles was visible in the background, albeit ruined from his battle against Knuckles. He was removed in Beta.
 * If the player looks closely, an Eggrobo flies past the stage in the background.
 * As confirmed by developer TSON, the bouncy clouds from the first design were later recycled to make the trampolines and flippers in stage 3 of Target Smash!!.