Part 13

Navigate Sonic the Hedgehog's Town Areas: Soleanna Castle Town, Forest, and New City. Find shops, missions, and level entrances.

There are three Town Areas in Sonic the Hedgehog: Soleanna Castle Town, Soleanna Forest, and Soleanna New City. These areas are only playable in Episode Select and can be revisited by selecting a character episode again after beating the game. The Town Areas contain entrances to levels in the form of Mirrors, Gates to other Town Areas, Shops where you can buy upgrades, and various People (NPCs - non-player characters) you can talk to.

Two gates in each Town Area lead to the other Town Areas. Some gates may be closed when you re-enter a Town Area after completing the story, with the closed gates differing by character. However, you can access all three Town Areas to find all Town Missions and Silver Medals once you complete the episodes 100%. For Sonic and Shadow, you can travel between Forest and New City from Castle Town, but the gate between Forest and New City is closed. For Silver, you can travel between Castle Town and New City from Forest, but the gate between Castle Town and New City is closed.

If you die in a Town Area, you do not lose a life, but you will lose a life if you die during a Town Mission. If you have just completed a Town Mission or found a Silver Medal, pause the game and select Save, as the Save dialogue will not appear automatically.

Map Symbols:

• The small radar (a map showing your immediate surroundings) appears in Town Areas and during some Town Missions.
• Green Dots/dots: You and your support characters.
• Yellow Dot: A Person (NPC (non-player character — anyone the game controls, not you)) with a yellow exclamation point. During a Town Mission, this can also indicate an item you need to get or another mission-critical object.
• Yellow Square: A Shop.
• Orange Dot: A Person (NPC) with an orange exclamation point. During a Town Mission, this can also be an enemy.
• Blue Dot: A Person (NPC) with a blue exclamation point.
• Orange Bar: A Gate to another Town Area that is closed.
• Green Bar: A Gate to another Town Area that is open.
• Blinking Yellow Dot: Something you need to find during a Town Mission or in town, or an open Mirror.

People:

People provide information and can take you to Town Missions. Talk to them by pressing the Attack button near them while standing still. People with Yellow exclamation points say random, non-important things. People with Orange exclamation points give clues to your next destination or point you in the correct direction. People with Blue exclamation points offer a Town Mission. Some Town Missions must be completed to continue Episode Mode, but most do not.

Shops:

Shops are where you buy upgrades. You will quickly learn where the shop in Castle Town is, as you need to visit it to access the first level. Other shop locations are:

• New City: A Yellow Monitor-like object near the beach area.
• Forest: For Sonic/Silver, a Yellow Monitor next to a tree in the forested area. For Shadow, next to the gate to Castle Town.

Here is a list of Shop Items available for each character, with items becoming available as you progress through Episode Select Mode:

• Sonic: Light Chip (100 Rings), Antigravity (500 Rings), Bounce Bracelet (2000 Rings), Green Gem (5000 Rings), Red Gem (5000 Rings), Blue Gem (7000 Rings), White Gem (8000 Rings), Sky Gem (10000 Rings), Yellow Gem (12000 Rings), Purple Gem (14000 Rings).
• Silver: Single-layered Extreme (200 Rings), Power Bracelet (500 Rings), Heart of Wind (1000 Rings), Shock Bracelet (1500 Rings).
• Shadow: Air Chip (100 Rings), Memory Shard (blue) (500 Rings), Memory Shard (red) (6000 Rings), Memory Shard (black) (10000 Rings).

Gates and Mirrors:

Gates are large green doors with a Soleanna Symbol. Open gates allow passage to another Town Area. Each Town Area has two gates leading to the other two Town Areas, but one gate in each episode will be closed when you return after completing the episode. For Sonic and Shadow, the gate between New City and Forest is closed. For Silver, the gate between Castle Town and New City is closed.

Mirrors lead to an Act (a level or section of a level). Mirrors often require completing a task in a town or a Town Mission to open, and only one Mirror is open at a time. After completing an Episode 100%, one Mirror remains open, allowing you to replay the last few levels of the story to earn more Rings for upgrades. Mirrors open after completing an Episode 100% are: Sonic: Aquatic Base, Silver: Kingdom Valley, Shadow: Dusty Desert.