Sonic Axiom
Dr. Robotnik is back to his old tricks, turning animals into robots, industrializing pristine environments, and generally making a mess of things. Are you a bad enough 'hog to teach him a lesson?
Sonic Axiom is a Sonic the Hedgehog fangame assembled by Vexer and released in its latest form in 2011. It's game engine is based on the fan-made Sonic Worlds engine.
Inspired by the design of the classic Sonic platformers, Sonic Axiom distinguishes itself with fantastic visual aesthetics (albeit many of those modified from pre-existing resources), impressive and diverse level design, and a huge amount of content for a fangame: Three playable characters (Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, and Knuckles the Echidna), eighteen full-fledged levels, nine bosses, and seven original special stages, each with a Chaos Emerald you can collect or ignore.
You can download the game from here. Have fun!
- Alliterative Name: Like Sonic CD, Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island, and Knuckles Chaotix, the names of the levels employ alliteration, to a slightly-cheesy degree. There's Coastal Causeway Zone, Neo Night Zone, Riptide Relic Zone...
- Awesome Music: Although there is quite a jarring difference between the 16-bit Genesis music used for some of the game's jingles and the more smooth, modern, and diverse score used for everything else, the selection of the music really is good; Most of the soundtrack comes from some of the better submissions published on Newgrounds and OverClocked Remix.
- Bonus Stage: The Special Stages in this game are somewhat unique in that they aren't in some 3D realm, like those of practically every official Sonic game and quite a few fangames. Instead, the player must traverse 2D platforming segments and reach a certain elevation, both within a time limit and with a prerequisite number of rings!
- Green Hill Zone: Essentially what Coastal Causeway Zone is.
- Hailfire Peaks: While most of the zones play mostly stay within the confines of a single setting, two in particular stand out from the rest...
- Glacial Galaxy Zone is a wonderful mix of Ice Palace and Tomorrowland.
- Molten Meltdown Zone is a jamboree of Shifting Sand Land, Lethal Lava Land, and Dug Too Deep, with trace bits of Palmtree Panic and Eternal Engine.
- The boss act of Machine Mayhem is a dramatic pairing of Eternal Engine and a vast Skyscraper City.
- No Plot, No Problem: It's never really explained what cheeses off Sonic & Co. enough to chase Eggman down this time. Who knows? Who cares?
- Rise to the Challenge: Robotnik pulls a particularly nasty one in the boss level for Steel Station Zone. Just as you encounter him, a purplish liquid, much like the Mega Muck from Chemical Plant Zone will start to rise. This new goop will instantly kill the player if they're ankle-deep in it.
- Super Drowning Skills: Back with its usual effect in Sonic platformers. Riptide Relic Zone, the only zone containing water in significant amounts, has a monopoly on the only elemental shield in the game, which allows the player to traverse underwater without having to worry about gathering air bubbles.
- Super Mode: Sonic can go for this if you care. Gather the Chaos Emeralds and then can get 50 rings...