Sky Sanctuary Zone

Sky Sanctuary Zone (スカイサンクチュアリー) is a starter stage in Super Smash Flash 2 hailing from the Sonic series. It is based on the location of the same name originating from the game Sonic & Knuckles. It was confirmed for inclusion in the final SSF2 v0.8 Dev Blog in October, 2011.

Layout[]

The mini blocks falling — Tails running across the falling blocks.

Sky Sanctuary Zone consists of a large main platform, which is slightly raised on both sides, and two wide soft platforms floating above it. The main platform includes small slopes connecting its different elevations. Periodically, an Eggrobo appears in the background and flies across the sky and towards the floating Angel Island.

With hazards turned on, there is a series of small, block-shaped hard platforms spanning diagonally upward from each edge of the main platform to its respective blast line. Upon standing on one of these platforms, it shakes momentarily before falling down. Each platform reappears approximately 20 seconds after falling.

Music[]

The main music track is Sky Sanctuary Zone, a soft orchestral remix of the theme that plays on the level of the same name in Sonic & Knuckles.
The alternate music track is Sky Canyon Zone, a 16-bit remix of the theme that plays on the level of the same name in Sonic Advance 2.

Tournament legality[]

Sky Sanctuary Zone is currently banned 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. The stage also has a somewhat low ceiling and shorter-than-average side boundaries. Furthermore, the slopes on the main platform can lead to strange interactions with various characters.

Over the course of the game's development, this stage had a controversial history in competitive play, in part due to the elevated ground initially consisting of walls rather than slopes. These walls became larger in Beta, leading the stage to be banned until later being changed, before eventually being banned again.

Origin[]

Sky Sanctuary Zone is the sixth area, or zone, of Sonic & Knuckles, as well as the twelfth zone of the combined Sonic The Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles. It is a sacred ancient ruin floating in the sky above Angel Island, and it primarily comprises of pillars and towers, which are often connected by bridges that fall when stepped on, as well as clouds that bounce the player up when landed on and Warp Points that transport the player to higher sections of the zone. In the aforementioned games, Knuckles leads Sonic (and Tails, in the combined game) to this zone after escaping Hidden Palace Zone to pursue Dr. Eggman and the stolen Master Emerald. Mecha Sonic is fought three times throughout the level, and it ends with Sonic boarding the Death Egg, Dr. Eggman's orbital fortress. When Knuckles follows after, Mecha Sonic uses the Master Emerald to power up into a super form and fight him.

The stage in SSF2 most closely resembles the section of the zone in the original game in which Sonic fights Mecha Sonic for the second time, and its visual design is primarily based on the zone's appearance in Sonic Generations. Various elements throughout the zone appear across the stage, such as a Warp Point, the Master Emerald, and the falling bridges. The background depicts the Death Egg and Angel Island, the latter of which shows various zones present throughout Sonic The Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles. The Eggrobo references its prominent role in Knuckles' storyline of Sonic & Knuckles, in which it is sent to attack Knuckles on Mushroom Hill Zone as part of a larger attack on Angel Island.

Gallery[]

Screenshots[]

Early designs[]

Trivia[]

As confirmed by developer James Hadden, the bouncy clouds from the stage's first design were later recycled to make the trampolines and flippers in level 3 of Break the Targets.