Forgotten Gaming- Knuckles' Chaotix

Name- Knuckles’ Chaotix

Platforms- Sega 32X

Developer- Sega

Released- Spring 1995

Buried deep in the pile of mid-90s console rejects, among the 3DO, Atari Jaguar and Apple Pippin, lies an oddity known as the Sega 32X. As the second of the Sega Genesis’ major add-ons, the 32X was designed to enhance the power and performance of the aging 16-bit system in order to keep it relevant during the 32-bit revolution, led by the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn. It was shamelessly considered (and marketed as) the poor man’s entry into 32-bit gaming. Although the idea sounds solid: keeping your old Genesis up to speed with new gaming ideas, but in practice nobody wanted to blow $150+ on an add-on that was already set to be obsolete by the Sega Saturn, which was due to release within a year of the 32X. Fewer than 40 games were released for the 32X and despite a sales spike at launch, the add-on sold horribly and quickly became derided by critics and customers. Trust in Sega had been hurt greatly because of the 32X, and now more than ever it was clear that Sega really had no idea how to handle this next gaming generation. The botched 32X release, followed by the slow crash and burn of the Saturn in the following years, gave Sega no choice but to Cast a Dream =P and try to save face with one last console, but that’s another story for another day.

So here we are with Knuckles’ Chaotix, the only Sonic-related game released for the 32X. Ever since the announcement of the new 32-bit consoles, full-3D Sonic games were teased and hinted at, prepping the gaming public for the 32X (and later Saturn) to deliver these immersive experiences. Imagine their disappointment when a Sonic game finally released on 32-bit hardware and it looked like this:

Welcome to the next... level?

Yeah it looks nice, but where’s the 3D? Where’s the nextgen experience only available  thanks to the raw processing power of these new and expensive consoles? And where the hell is Sonic?

Every detail about Knuckles’ Chaotix’s launch and reception at the time was duly unfair. Few people even bothered with a 32X, and the few that did buy or review the game dismissed it as a spruced-up Genesis game with funky physics and a weird bungee gimmick. Even Sega dismissed this game in later years, never re-releasing it as they have with many 90s Sonic games, and deciding to reboot (most of) the Chaotix characters in new games with different roles.

But instead, look at this game from today’s standpoint. Retro gaming is a continuing trend and hobby, and even as the PS4 and Xbox One trudge forward, many gamers are deciding to look back and discover games from a simpler time. Classic Sonic games are particularly more popular than ever, thanks to their re-releases on mobile devices, and gamers are embracing games like SonicCD and turning down recent offerings like Sonic 4. Knuckles’ Chaotix now serves as a bonus offering of sorts for the gamer that loves classic Sonic sidescrolling action, but is looking for a different spin on it (because if Sonic 4 proved anything, it’s that Sega just doesn’t make ‘em like they used to).

Knuckles’ Chaotix is a 2D Sonic game starring fan-favorite Knuckles and his gang known as the Chaotix. Along with Knuckles, the game stars Mighty the Armadillo, Espio the Chameleon, Charmy Bee (no ‘the’), and Vector the Crocodile. Some members of the Chaotix have continued to make appearances in the Sonic universe (Espio, Vector), while others have never been seen again (Mighty). At the start of a game you choose one of the five to play as (and each character has his own unique abilities). However you will also be paired with a second character, and the two of you will be bound together by a bungee-cord ring mechanism. To successfully navigate the stages you will need to properly manipulate your character, take in account your partner, as well as keep in mind the cord that bounds you together. You can command your partner to ‘Hold’ in one place, stretching the cord, then let go to snap into a top speed to clear ramps. You can even pick up and throw your partner, for example throw him to an upper platform and using the bungee to sling you up to join him.

It is an odd mechanic indeed, but the stages are designed to allow room for bungee snapping and precision platforming is kept at a low. Enemies and spikes are rather sparse and there are no death drops to accidentally fall into. The main challenge you will face in the game is simply navigating the stage itself and enjoying all of the eye candy they have to offer. Because let me tell you, Knuckles’ Chaotix is loaded with the most superficial graphics and special effects in any game I’ve ever played. 

Screenshots don't completely portray just how alive this game can be.

In order to show Chaotix as an improvement over its 16-bit cousins, the game includes examples of sprite scaling, rotation and particle effects every single chance it gets. Foreground objects are heavily animated, and background art is left abstract and surreal. Every few levels the time of day changes, altering the color palette and allowing you to play the stages at morning, midday, evening and night. Item boxes no longer just show the item inside once broken, instead the panel flips upward, reveals itself and disintegrates. Collapsible platforms also disintegrate into a million pieces, and the gray rings released by destroyed enemies also explode into particles. Character sprites scale in and out of the foreground when entering a new stage, and if you lose enough rings to an enemy or spike, they will scatter into the screen. Again, none of this is vital to the gameplay and many players won’t even notice half of the graphic tricks, but those that do will appreciate it and in turn, appreciate what the 32X was capable of doing.

Although the 32X performed at its best by simply enhancing what Genesis games could already do, Chaotix’s Special Stages pushed the 32X’s capabilities to their limit. Special Stages took place in giant hexagonal tubes, and running onto the ‘walls’ would reset the center of gravity to make it the new floor. Later stages would open the tubes entirely and  create 3D playfields to navigate (while other playfields would exist on the ‘walls’ allowing unique routes). As you automatically ran forward you would have to collect solitary blue spheres (of Sonic 3 fame), curiously labeled as ‘Limits.’ Winning these stages did not get you a Chaos Emerald but instead a Chaos Ring, going along with the overarching ring theme throughout the game. Although the ‘3D’ was mostly sprite-scaling trickery, it still created a convincing effect and begged the question of what a Sonic game would be like created entirely out of these stages.

Flat-shaded polygons FTW.

Classic Sonic games can be known for being on the short side, luckily for Knuckles’ Chaotix that is not the case. In yet another way of being cool and different than the original Genesis games, Chaotix always starts you off in Newtrogic High, the game’s hub zone. Here is where you can select/change your partner in a slightly rigged claw machine setup, as well as learn your next stage. Chaotix has five zones with five levels each, totaling 25 stages, not including the Special Stages and introductory/tutorial stages. However, in a unique twist, the order you progress through the zones is randomized. A roulette at the end of Newtrogic High will cycle through icons of the five zones: Botanic Base, Speed Slider, Marina Madness, Techno Tower and Amazing Arena, and by hitting a bumper the roulette slows and lands on one of the stages, which you are then rocketed to. This gives Chaotix the ‘never the same game twice’ feel that is so helpful toward replayability.

The 32X was known for its graphical boosting power, but left the Genesis’ sound capabilities relatively untouched. That considered, Chaotix has a soundtrack that is simply one of the best in the series. And not only is the music great, but the sound test in which to hear it on is an audiophile’s dream. Chaotix’s sound test shows you every single sound channel as well as the notes being played on a keyboard, all in real time. As odd as it sounds, you will never look at a sound test the same way again.

As for zone variety, Botanic Base is a lush greenhouse of flora and fountains. Speed Slider is the carnival stage for the game and (appropriately enough) offers some of the fastest speeds you’ll reach. Marina Madness is the game’s water-less water level =P, and Techno Tower has you progressively scaling a large, uh… techno tower. Amazing Arena changes things a bit, requiring you to find and activate a large clock. Activating the clock ‘turns on’ the arena and powers the various level features necessary to properly finish the stage. And not to give too much away, but after finishing all five levels of a zone, the level icon in Newtrogic High will deactivate. When all five icons are deactivated, the stage becomes set for a clever endgame starring our favorite Sonic doppelgänger… 

Coolest title cards in a Sonic game. EVER.

Knuckles’ Chaotix also earns the title for the most diverse selection of power-up items. Sonic aficionados are well-versed in the item monitors littered throughout game stages, though most of those items were boring ring bonuses, shields, and invincibility. Chaotix ups the item game considerably, retaining all of the classic items but adding new ones that drastically change gameplay. The very first power-up you come across is a growth power-up that increases your player’s size. At first this just looks like an excuse to show off the 32X’s sprite-scaling, you’ll notice that when large your momentum and force are greatly enhanced. Your jump and snapback remain more powerful until the power runs out and you return to normal size. Likewise you will find a shrink power-up (more like power-down) that makes you minuscule and removes any strength you may have in your snap to make it up that huge hill. Other power-ups swap control from yourself to your partner, or even temporarily change your partner to whoever’s face is showing on the monitor. Perhaps the most interesting power-up is the blue ring, which consolidates your ring total into a single giant ring if you get hit by an enemy. Reclaiming that single ring will give you your complete ring total back, though not grabbing it fast enough will spew out all of your rings with your only hope that you can get back at least a few of them. This is a very cool mechanic that unfortunately has yet to make a return appearance.

So is Knuckles’ Chaotix for you? Well, let’s see. If you happen to actually own a 32X, then yes definitely, because there’s barely anything else to play on it =P. If you do not, your only real alternative is emulation, as this game hasn’t been re-released on any other console. If you love the original Sonic games and are looking for something new and fresh from an old bygone era, definitely give it a try. However if Sonic was never your thing, Chaotix may just confuse you into submission. The bungee mechanic does have a learning curve, but once you align your thinking, you’ll be bouncing and throwing and snapping like a pro. Compare it to thinking with portals, only here it’s bungee rings.