An Opinion on Stardust Speedway (And How You Do a Climax)

New York, Los Angeles, Los Vegas. These cities have a reputation for bright lights and sleepless nights. The shimmering reflection of lights soar into a cloudy sky, leaving you with a sense of wonder as you peer into the night’s lively and sinister nature. We adore these cities more for their visual design, and less for the substance within them.

Indeed, a city or three with a magnificence and grandeur in design would give America a reputation for pride and bombasticism, as we often tout our achievements with these cities. Can you expect a place like this not to show at least some semblance of pride for these feats? Much like America takes pride in its cities, SEGA takes pride in its well designed Sonic levels in their games… when they’re even good to begin with that is.

Yes, the blue blur is known for his spunk, and his levels reflect his attitude in most games by being thrilling jaunts through unusual, surrealist landscapes, especially in the so-called “Modern” titles. Even the most terrible of Sonic’s levels usually have an artistic charm to them in the visual department, excluding Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), which tried to go for a more realistic, dry style to match what I call the Xbox 360 syndrome, where every game was required to have graphics that would look bland and dated in five years time.

Sonic CD is not an exception to the “unusual, surrealist” design I mentioned. Every Round in that game is vibrant, loud, and sometimes overwhelming, making the levels seem more Tokyo in design than New York. Each Round is styled in excruciating detail, from the sci-fi billboards of Collision Chaos to the glowing gemstones found in Quartz Quadrant. However, the crowning achievement in Sonic CD, in music, level design, and atmosphere is indisputably Stardust Speedway.

From a visual standpoint, Stardust Speedway hits all the right notes, whether it be the Past, Present, Good Future, or Bad Future. It has the best music, whether it be the Japanese/PAL region tracks or the United States tracks. It’s the only Round in CD where both versions of the soundtrack are loved by the majority of fans. It has the best boss fight,  but more on that later. It also has the best level design, encouraging the age-old Sonic philosophy of layout memorization and quick reaction times.

Stardust Speedway is more streamlined than most other Rounds in CD. Every level beforehand, with the exception of Palmtree Panic, the game’s first Round, is littered with confusing, maze-like design and a ton of gimmicks, making each Zone in a Round feel cluttered and claustrophobic. Stardust Speedway feels like a mad dash, keeping the verticality of the rest of the game while streamlining everything else, which sets it apart from the other levels in the series.

However, what is arguably the best part about this Round is the climactic duel with Metal Sonic, Sonic’s chrome doppelgänger. Metal Sonic is considered Sonic’s first true rival. He has a cold stare and wags his finger at you when you try to attack him, in parallel with Sonic’s own finger wag. In Collision Chaos’ first Zone, the metallic foe snatched up a pink hedgehog named Rosy (Known in Modern titles as Amy Rose), giving you more urgency to beat him.

Metal Sonic is probably the defining element that makes Sonic CD memorable to most people. No matter what region you get the game in, he’s on the front box art squaring off against Sonic. 1992’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 had a metallic foe modeled after Sonic, so did 1994’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3, but those counterparts weren’t built for speed, the defining attribute of Sonic. They were big, bulky machines that could never match Sonic in a footrace. The Metal Sonic we see in CD can match Sonic’s speed, and to prove who’s the fastest, you have to beat Metal Sonic in a race.

This is, without a doubt, the most difficult and unique boss in CD. When you reach Metal Sonic, Dr. Eggman will show off his new ride: a machine that will instantly defeat Sonic, regardless of Ring count. The laser that follows you gives you a sense of urgency, of course, but your immediate concern should always be Metal Sonic. He has two different attacks that he uses on Sonic, depending on where Sonic is in relation to Metal Sonic. If you are behind Metal Sonic, he will create a Shocker Shield that will hurt Sonic on contact. If you are far enough ahead of Metal Sonic, he will use his special Maximum V Overdrive attack, an attack in which Metal Sonic will become an electrical fireball and zoom  ahead until he catches up with you.

The Boss is tense, dramatic, and atmospheric. It provides enough urgency to be stressful, but not stressful enough to make you through your controller. Whether it be fighting on the dark roads of the Bad Future, or securing peace for the Good Future, this Boss gives you incredible motivation. Playing sloppy here is a non-option, and anyone who plays this Round knows the feeling.

Two things are waiting for you at the end of the race track: The finish line, and Rosy. You are unable to damage Metal, and you have no choice but to move ahead to stay alive. If Metal Sonic beats you, the door leading to Rosy will close, and Metal Sonic will taunt you as the laser closes in to hit you, but if you keep cool and anticipate Metal Sonic’s attacks you will get to Rosy first, slam the door in Metal Sonic’s face, destroying him, and freeing Rosy. The only thing left to do is to take the fight to Dr. Eggman in Metallic Madness, the final Round of CD.

In my view, Stardust Speedway should have been Sonic CD’s final Round. Metallic Madness’ boss is simply Dr. Eggman trying to destroy Sonic with a D-Pad, and I think Metal Sonic would have been a more suitable finale. Metal Sonic, the game’s memorable yet secondary antagonist, made a great impression and, despite the ultimate failure of the SEGA CD, would be a main fixture in the Sonic franchise, going so far as to be the main antagonist of Knuckles’ Chaotix (A game on yet another failed SEGA Genesis peripheral, the 32X) and Sonic Heroes. Having Stardust Speedway be the game’s final Round would make the most sense, as Dr. Eggman’s ultimate countermeasure, the death laser, would make a lot more sense in this boss as a “last stand” scenario. Rosy would be rescued to close the game out, and all the ends would be tidied up in a more climactic manner.

Perhaps I’m not the only one who thought this. As the credits roll in CD, we see some amazing animations, created by the talented studio Toei, depicting the various events that took place on Little Planet, and the last Zone to be depicted was the Metal Sonic Boss on Stardust Speedway. Either way, Stardust Speedway is a testament to fundamental Sonic the Hedgehog design, as well as to how you go about making an iconic, climactic moment. Thanks for reading.