Ranking Every Classic Sonic The Hedgehog Level From Worst To Best

16. Hidden Palace Zone

Sonic Ranking 3
SEGA

After being excised from Sonic 2, the Hidden Palace Zone was finally unearthed in Sonic & Knuckles, and it's quite a gem (in fact, it's seven massive ones).

As Knuckles, this is the worst level in the game, though 'level' is being generous; it's really just a room. For Sonic, on the other hand, it's the apogee of his adventure, the literal and metaphorical summit of the game where some serious s**t goes down.

First there's the showdown with the antagonistic echidna, all set before a portentious mural foreshadowing a probable future in space (and this is a video game, where all prophecies are 100% accurate). Then, after knucklehead Knuckles has finally had the sense knocked into him, there's a shocking moment as Robotnik zaps his gullible stooge only to steal the Master Emerald.

There's not much to it, but it's as good as Sonic storytelling gets - and it's super-cool being able to visit the Angel Island's reliquary after tantalising glimpses before special stages.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.