Top 10 Hardest Sonic The Hedgehog Levels

The last stage before the final confrontation from the first adventure has everything to stop you in your tracks. From moving and disappearing platforms to sawblades and pipes belching fire, if these hazards weren’t enough, then the underwater section with scarce air bubbles to replenish oxygen should do the trick. You can blame Sonic’s co-creator Yuji Naka for mistakenly thinking that hedgehogs couldn’t swim and creating a design element that has plagued players for years. Oh, and no checkpoints.

More like maddening, but in a good way. Before “Super Mario Galaxy”, Sonic was maneuvering through gravity thanks to Dr. Robotnik’s crazy machinations. What would have been a hard level with a healthy dose of tough enemies strewn about becomes down right difficult when the platforming gets flipped on its head. Players not only had to protect their anthropomorphic hedgehog buddy from deadly foes, but also compensate for the constant switching perspectives as gravity gets switched around in different directions, making it especially difficult to do certain jumps in 3D when you’re on the wall or ceiling. Truly insane!

After he made the transition to 3D, which quickly outgrew its welcome, fans of 2D Sonic would have to resort to his handheld adventures. But those who thought Sonic had lost his touch should have given these instalments a go. With old school twitch platforming and tons of hazards and enemies to handle, this old school 2D challenge had you scaling its platforms to new heights at intense speeds. It’s how we like our Sonic: fast and unforgiving.

While it’s always fun to scale heights, some times limiting your movement can be even more exhilarating. Forced to use gears by running over them to reach new areas, you had to control your speed to prevent crushing Sonic. Add in annoying as hell exploding starfish, pitfalls and spikes, lava, and the level can suddenly become overbearing. Although the boss fight features a duplicating Eggman, that should be the least of your worries here.

Generally speaking, running underground should be avoided. Especially when there’s a pool of lava, which is an instant death, and the ground itself is entirely unstable. When that lava starts to pour out and cover the stage, make sure you’re moving fast. Those traps that would otherwise be a death sentence suddenly become your only means of escape. With plenty of enemies and some light block puzzles, this stage is a classic example of the types of challenges awaiting fans of Sonic.

Once you’ve made your way onto Eggman’s flying ship, only tight maneuvering and precision jumps can save you from the countless instant death falls. Some platforms are already puny before they disappear altogether within seconds to make your life hell. Then there’s the giant laser boss in a small room, surrounding by laser walls. Yes, this level is challenging, especially if you’re looking to get to Eggman in record time.

And just when you thought you were reaching new heights. The precision platforming is tough enough as it has you sticking to spinning wheels to maneuver to new areas, but throw in a few pinball bumpers, moving springs, spikes placed almost at random, and the saw spinning enemies and you’ll be thankful to get through this chaos. We didn’t even get to the bevy of lasers and barricades. It is very, very difficult not to get crushed here…

Out of all of Sonic’s 3D levels, this one has got to have the best combination of speed and platforming challenge, without frustrating mechanics. Incorporating almost all of the elements you’ve learned so far, front and center for frustration here are the Werehog sections – sections which require some very tight maneuvers to conquer. This level is also notoriously long, clocking in at about half an hour, not including deaths – and there will be deaths.

At some point, we like to think the game’s director and Sonic level designer Hirokazu Yasuhara pooled all previous ideas for challenging gameplay into one giant death trap. Countless spikes and enemies, check; lots of springs to send you in directions you don't want, check; plus disappearing platforms and traps, and pinball style bumpers in combination with gravity manipulaion? Check, check and check. You’ll want to keep snagging as many rings as possible if you wanna keep going – more so than usual. What could possibly top this death trap?

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions:

Final Fortress
“Sonic Heroes” (2004)

Sandopolis Zone Act 2
“Sonic and Knuckles” (1994)

Carnival Night Zone Act 2
“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” (1994)

Final Rush
“Sonic Adventure 2” (2001)

Scrambled Egg Zone
“Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Game Gear)” (1992)

Water and Sonic simply don't mix. Not only is this level maddening in its layout for platforming, enemy placement and traps, but it’s the addition of a large underwater section that make managing this maze a nightmare. The complex design of the underwater maze on top of Sonic moving really slow in the water AND constantly running low on air makes drowning very VERY common. Sure it’s tough, but it’s challenging in the best of ways, without frustrating controls or broken mechanics getting in the way; just solid level design. With enough practice and skill, you can own this level before it owns you.

Do you agree with our list? What’s Sonic the Hedgehog level made you break you Sega controller? For more blazing Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.