Notes and Strategy (32)

Master the boss battles in Sonic & Knuckles! Learn how to defeat Robotnik and navigate the collapsing bridges with Knuckles. Tips for Hydrocity Zone included.

Alright, let's talk about this part of the game. It can be a little tricky, but once you know what to do, you'll be fine!

Boss Battle: Robotnik

So, Robotnik shows up. Your first move is to hit him just once, then immediately run to the right. He's gonna drop a fireball on the bridge, and poof! It collapses. Don't worry, he'll pop back up on the right side, behind the waterfall.

When he starts shooting fireballs at you, just jump to dodge them. He'll do a couple of patterns, shooting them vertically and horizontally. After he finishes his attack, that's your cue to go in and attack him. Be careful though! If he disappears behind the eastern waterfall, you need to be quick. If you're not careful and fall behind the waterfall yourself, you'll lose a life. It's a real bummer, so watch out for that.

Pro-Tip: If you happen to have a Flame Shield, this fight becomes a whole lot easier. Those fireballs won't even bother you!

Encountering Knuckles & The Bridge Collapse

After the Robotnik fight, you'll see a Prison Egg coming down from above. Don't jump too early! Wait until it's at a good height, right within your jumping reach, and then hit its plunger. Once you've done that, you'll cross a bridge, but here comes Knuckles!

He'll press a switch, and the bridge will start to collapse. If you time your jump to the left just right, you can avoid falling into the water. You can't really do anything about Knuckles himself, he's too high up, and even Tails can't reach him from there. Your only option is to drop down into the water, and that's how you'll enter Hydrocity Zone.