Knuckles' Chaotix
| Knuckles' Chaotix | |
|---|---|
North American 32X cover art
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| Developer(s) | Sonic Team |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Director(s) | Masahide Kobayashi Atsuhiko Nakamura Naohisa Nakazawa |
| Producer(s) | Hiroshi Aso Makoto Oshitani Mike Larsen |
| Artist(s) | Takumi Miyake |
| Composer(s) | Junko Shiratsu Mariko Nanba |
| Series | Sonic the Hedgehog |
| Platform(s) | Sega 32X |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
Knuckles' Chaotix, known as Chaotix (カオティクス? Kaotikusu) in Japan, is a platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Sega 32X in 1995. It is a spin-off to the Sonic the Hedgehog series, and the only one to be released for the system. It is also one of a few that does not feature Sonic himself. Instead, the game centers around Knuckles the Echidna, and the Chaotix team of characters as they try to stop Dr. Robotnik and Metal Sonic from their evil plans. Gameplay is similar to earlier Sonic titles, however, the game introduces a partner system in which the player's character is connected to another via a ring force bond with "rubber band" physics. Most of the gameplay is based on using this mechanic to maneuver the characters through the stages.
Upon release, Knuckles' Chaotix received mixed reception. Although critics praised its graphics and gameplay, criticism was directed towards the level design and partner system, which was described as frustrating; this, along with its release on the short-lived 32X, has led it to be considered a black sheep in the Sonic series. Contrary to most other classic Sonic titles being re-released in modern video game compilations, Knuckles' Chaotix was only re-released once, through GameTap's PC service for a brief period in 2007.
At the beginning of the game, players choose two of five playable characters to control (one main and one partner): Knuckles the Echidna, Mighty the Armadillo, Espio the Chameleon, Vector the Crocodile, and Charmy Bee. Each has unique abilities: Knuckles retains his gliding and climbing abilities from Sonic & Knuckles, Mighty is the fastest and can perform a wall-kick, Espio can walk on walls and ceilings without falling, Vector can perform mid-air dashes and cling to walls, and Charmy can fly infinitely and is invincible while flying; each can also perform a "spin dash" ability if they are crouching and pressing the jump button. There are also two partner-only characters, Heavy and Bomb, who can be selected: Heavy is incredibly slow and has poor jumping abilities, but is indestructible; Bomb is fast, but explodes and sends out projectiles when hit, which can injure the player.
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