- Aftermath

Complete guide to the Aftermath section of Sonic & Knuckles, detailing Tails' airlift, Knuckles' hidden passageway, and the Giant Ring to the Emerald Chamber.

After Tails airlifts Sonic to Mushroom Hill Zone (or if Tails flies there on his own), Act 1 features a new opening area. Progress right to witness a cutscene of Knuckles hiding something in a secret passage. After Knuckles departs, enter this passage and jump into the Giant Ring to be transported to the Emerald Chamber of Hidden Palace Zone. Refer to the Special Stage section for more details.

Upon returning to Mushroom Hill Zone, exit the passageway and continue right until you reach the starting area of Sonic & Knuckles alone. From this point, the levels are identical to the standalone Sonic & Knuckles game. Consult the S&K Walkthrough for guidance on the latter half of the game. Any discrepancies will be noted in that walkthrough.

The inclusion of Sonic & Tails and Tails Alone modes allows for more varied routes than in Sonic & Knuckles alone. For instance, Tails can use his flight abilities to airlift Sonic to areas previously inaccessible. The final Zone is The Doomsday for Sonic or Sonic & Tails, and Death Egg for Tails.

Endings:

If Sonic collects all 7 Chaos/Super Emeralds, Super/Hyper Sonic retrieves the Master Emerald from space. Tails intercepts it in the Tornado as Sonic re-enters the atmosphere. Sonic, now regular, lands on the biplane with Tails. They return the Master Emerald to Angel Island Zone, and as the island ascends, they depart. Knuckles witnesses their departure if all 7 Super Emeralds were acquired.

If Sonic collects 0-6 Chaos Emeralds, he falls from space, but the Master Emerald remains. Tails meets him in the Tornado upon atmospheric entry. They land on the biplane and return to the Floating Island, which stays at sea as they leave.

If Tails collects all 7 Chaos/Super Emeralds, Regular/Super Tails brings the Master Emerald down. Sonic intercepts it in the Tornado. If Super Tails, he reverts to Regular Tails upon landing on the biplane (Regular Tails lands on the Tornado). They return the Master Emerald to Angel Island Zone, and as the island ascends, they depart. Knuckles witnesses their departure if all 7 Super Emeralds were acquired.

A post-credits scene varies based on Chaos Emerald collection. With 7 Chaos Emeralds, the Death Egg wreckage is shown with an EggRobo emerging. With 7 Super Emeralds, Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles stand before the Sonic 3 & Knuckles logo. With 0-6 Chaos Emeralds, Robotnik is seen with the Master Emerald.