Notes and Strategy (50)

Learn the strategy to defeat the self-destructing mini-boss in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Master its attack patterns and exploit its weakness to win quickly and avoid losing a life.

To beat this Mini-Boss, you must trick it into destroying itself. When the drill detaches itself from the blade, it'll move around the screen and start destroying the floor you are standing on. If you fall off the floor, you'll lose a life, so it's important to end this Mini-Boss Battle as quickly as you can. To destroy the Mini-Boss, you must hit the blade to open and extend it. When the drill attempts to re-attach itself to the blade, you'll score a hit. Watch out for the energy that appears around it at different times. If you touch it, you'll get hurt, so be careful.

Act 2

Go right and head down the slope. Make your way past the bumpers and enter the water. After the two rotating drums, go right and climb up the eastern wall. At the top, break through the walls and run through the speed boosts. Spin Dash up the slope and glide carefully across the bumpers. Jump onto the moving drum and climb up the wall. Grab the Lightning Shield on the platform nearby and head right.

Make your way past the bumpers and glide to grab onto the edge of a platform. You can use the moving drums instead, but it's harder. Use the cannon to catapult Knuckles over to the right, but watch out for the spikes on the edge of the wall. Make your past the bumpers and head past the Starpost.

After the anti-gravity platform, go up the slope and head through the hidden passageway. Run through the speed boosts and open the three Boxes at the end. Drop down the invisible hole and run through more speed boosts. Eventually, you'll hover upwards and see a Prison Egg nearby. Open it to finish the level.

Yes, there was no drum to get underneath or a Boss to fight as Knuckles. Perhaps Sonic Team realised how much trouble a lot of players had getting past the rotating drum and decided to programme a different version of the level for Knuckles? (It is, however, possible for Knuckles to enter Sonic's/Tails' version of Carnival Night Zone. Check the Glitches section for more information.) Anyway, go right and use the teleporter to transport Knuckles to Icecap Zone.