Knuckles' Chaotix/Cheats

Like most Sonic games, there are a few interesting cheats that change the way the game plays. Unlike others, however, these are accessed via a color test mode, instead of the sound test or a button combination.

Level Select and Debug

Stage Select from Knuckles' Chaotix.

From the start screen, go to the Options menu, and then the Color Test. On the left side of the screen, change the values to <06><0B><11> and <04><00><04>, from top to bottom. Now, press start, and a fourth option, Stage Select, will appear on the start screen. There will be several options:

Place - this is the level. There are several options:

• Botanic Base
• Speed Slider
• Amazing Arena
• Techno Tower
• Marina Madness
• Training
• Introduction (The place where the player starts out)
• World Entrance
• Not Used (Credits)
• Bonus Stage
• Special Stage

Level - a number, 1-6. This determines which Act of Each zone is accessed. There are 6 slots because of the number of Chaos Rings there are, but 6 isn't available for ordinary zones.

At-Time - This determines the time of day the level is played at. options are Morning, Day, Sunset, and Night.

Player - This is the Player's main character. options are:

• Mighty (One reason Mighty is thought to be in the first slot is because he uses the EXACT same sprites as Sonic from Sonic Crackers.)
• ********** (A removed character, dubbed by fans as "Wechnia". It uses Knuckles' sprites with Mighty's color palette, which makes Knuckles look white. Could be evidence of a removed Tails.)
• Knuckles
• Charmy Bee
• Vector
• Bomb (Bomb and Heavy normally aren't available as player one.)
• Heavy
• Espio

Combi - The secondary character. Has the same options as Player. An interesting use for this is that it allows for the same character to be used in both slots, so one can play as two Espio or two Knuckles.

Players - Not to be confused with the above entry, this determines if the game is being played by one player or two.

To access Debug Mode, press Start while in a level. The player team can now move freely around the level, much as in Sonic Crackers. It also displays a X/Y counter to show the position of the characters.

Amy in Sound Test

To view Amy in the Sound Test, go to the Color Test Screen, like for the Level Select code, and then change the left color bars to <00><00><00>, <06><0B><11> and <00><08><17>, from top to bottom. Then go to the Sound Test. Amy will be dancing, saying the words "Cool Sweet & Catchy!".

Connections to Sonic Crackers

Title Screen of Sonic Crackers.

Sonic Crackers is a very interesting game. It only exists as a ROM; the most common explanation for it is that it was a tech demo for techniques that would be used in Knuckles' Chaotix. It has a black and white ASCII art title. The levels look very similar to those seen in Knuckles' Chaotix; one even looking almost the same as Techno Tower. Sonic and Tails are tied together by the Combi Rings. The levels go through day and night changes, like those in Knuckles' Chaotix. The debug mode is always active in this version. In between the levels are fields, labeled as "Special Stages". There are only two levels playable, with different palettes. All other levels are lost immediately upon starting them.

Though Sonic and Tails are missing from the final version of Knuckles' Chaotix, some believe that evidence still exists that they were once a part of the game, as shown in Sonic Crackers. A short summary of some of the evidence includes:

• The fact that Heavy & Bomb have yellow and blue colored statues, respectively. These could have been the reserved statues for Sonic & Tails.
• The presence of Sonic and Tails in the Sonic Crackers alpha version in what appears to be Techno Tower; Although this could indicate they were simply removed in an early phase of development. Alternatively, Sonic and Tails could have served as generic placeholders for characters not yet designed. Additionally, an alpha version of what could be Speed Slider can be accessed.

Wechnia teamed with Mighty.

• The Level Select option in Knuckles' Chaotix allows you to manually select what character you want to play as. In the lineup, Mighty the Armadillo is listed in the first slot, typically where you would find Sonic in the Sega Genesis Sonic games. Listed second, is a character named **********. When selected, this character is a mess of corrupted graphics and colors (a typically occurring phenomenon when a ROM tries to access data that has been changed or removed) vaguely resembling Knuckles, dubbed "Wechnia" by fans; this could be the only remnant of what was once Tails.
• Empty spots in the combi-catcher machine filled in by a double for Heavy & Bomb, which some fans believe this space could have been reserved for Sonic & Tails, Or possibly to increase player's chance of a getting a 'lesser' character.
• An ending screen showing artwork of Sonic & Tails in front of the Chaotix team when the game is completed with all Chaos Rings.
• The presence of Metal Sonic in the game where Sonic himself is largely absent.
• The presence of Amy Rose in the sound test.
• Sonic Crackers' stage select referring to levels as 'attractions' instead of 'zones'.
• Knuckles' Chaotix music tracks, "Walkin'", "Hyper-Hyper", "Evening Star", and "Moonrise", as well as a version of "Electoria" based on the four previously mentioned tracks, can be heard in Sonic Crackers, as well as the Game Over theme from the first two Sonic games.