Specially complicated

I am back with Sonic 4: Episode 1! The game of... debatable level design and bullshit special stages.

Heading into this stream, I only had 2 more chaos emeralds to collect. Should be a relative ease. I mean it's only 2.... Anyways I start in Casino Street Zone act 2. Can't have a Sonic game without some sort of gambling stage. It's like Mario always needing a fucking desert world. Anyways, at first it seemed like this level wasn't going to be bad. But then towards the end, I guess I forgot about the dreaded flipping cards section. Literally flipping cards. Having to get... a lucky draw you could call it. And hoping the card you're on doesn't flip back over. Because if it does... well then you're fucked. Even when I did get past it, there was another section with a long straight bridge of flipping cards that went faster than me. So I fell to my death and fucking died. Oh boy. 22 minutes into the stream I FINALLY jump into the huge ring at the end of the stage. That is the one thing I am thankful for is that in both Episode 1 and 2, the big rings are always at the end of the stage. Now onto the special stage!

And the only way to describe special stage 6... "Where in the absolute fuck do I go?" You are twisting and turning all the fuck over all while running against the VERY TIGHT timer. Despite time boosts, I found myself getting into red time a lot. And when the time ran out, I had to replay Casino Street Zone 2. Thankfully it didn't take me long to get back into the special stage. Though I did then find out, and it's possible I knew this before but forgot, you can restart the special stage. Assuming you don't hit the end stage blocks or the time runs out. That still didn't help the painful ass maze of a special stage I had to endure. With its breakable blocks and one ways and ring gates. And of course when that damn timer starts beeping in my face, it doesn't make things any easier. Just under 37 minutes into the stream, I hit those red end stage blocks. Which of course I didn't want to fucking do. So I had to replay Casino Street Zone 2 again. Whoopee. Thankfully another quick trip into the special stage.

At times I could actually see the emerald. I just didn't know how to get there. Despite the fact some ring gates guarding it probably should've been giveaways. I don't know if I was getting any closer. And it felt like that background was making me sick. And that soothing music did not make things better. Sadly I very quickly hit the goal blocks again. So BACK to Casino St-you get the idea. It took a bit longer to recomplete the level but I did eventually beat it again. After that I loaded back into Casino Street Zone 2. Now you might be wondering... wait... what? Why? Did I not have enough rings? Oh I had PLENTY of rings. You see... I was uh... too fucking fast and I actually missed the big ring. And even when I ALMOST touched it, Sonic decided to start going right and I had to replay the level because of my own fuck up. Cool. Thankfully I did get back to the big ring and ACTUALLY TOUCH IT not long after. And I guess my own fuck up pissed me off so much that on my next round in the special stage, I randomly found myself to the emerald. Uh... alright! Cool! Emerald acquired.

And I still need to get one more... oh fuck I need to play one more special stage. DAMMIT!