- Launch Base Zone

Conquer Launch Base Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 3! Learn about obstacles, defeat the Mini-Boss, and stop Robotnik's Death Egg plans with this expert guide.

Alright, so you've made it to the final level of Sonic the Hedgehog 3: Launch Base Zone! Don't let the name fool you, it's not as tough as some of the earlier zones in Sonic 1 or 2, which is probably because this was originally meant to be part of the Sonic 3 Complete version. Think of it as a victory lap, but with plenty of hazards like flamethrowers, lasers, and those annoying Orbinauts. You'll be dealing with laser walls, overhead lasers, spinning gold cups, red sirens, magnetic drums, and flame blasters. Keep an eye out for Orbinauts, especially around those magnetic drums!

When you hit those laser walls, just hang back for a second, find an opening, and zip through. Easy peasy.

Act 1 Walkthrough:

1. You'll start by emerging from the ground. Head right, past some alarms. Setting them off will bring a bunch of Flybot767s your way. If you're aiming for a high score, keep triggering those alarms and taking them out one by one – it'll really rack up the points!
2. In the background, you'll see the Death Egg. Robotnik's busy fixing it up and getting ready to launch. Your job is to stop him, obviously. Keep heading right until you find a grappling hook. Use it to get to an elevator.
3. Ride the elevator up and jump into the first spinning gold cup. After your ride, smash the switch and hop into the next cup. At the top, head right and then down a slope.
4. Now, go left and past the Starpost. Ride another cup, then head right. Destroy the switch and drop down. You'll find an elevator; take it, and then take the next one too.
5. Head left and drop down. Destroy another switch and drop down again.
6. Past the next Starpost, you'll want to Spin Dash through some pipes. You'll enter a building where you'll see Robotnik making a quick exit. Ride the two cups to face off against Knuckles. He'll toss a bomb into the building and bail. Drop down to the right, and watch the building start to crumble. Once it's down, go right and pass the Starpost.
7. You'll enter another building, and this is where Robotnik drops a Mini-Boss on you before flying off. You can try to hit him if you want, but it doesn't really matter. The Mini-Boss will reveal itself, so get ready to fight!

Mini-Boss Battle: Spiked Rotating Machine

This guy takes about 6 hits to defeat. Just keep at it!