1. Egg-Fleet- Stage 13
Egg Fleet takes my top spot because of its adrenaline-inducing mechanics such as grinding on rails and using a propellor to dodge cannon fire all while being sky-high. It is a fast-paced stage that leaves little room for error, but rewards you greatly because you only have to complete one more stage. Probably the biggest reward though is destroying Eggman’s large battleships to prevent him from conquering the world.
2. Bullet Station- Stage 8
Similar to Egg Fleet, Bullet Station has you riding rails above a vast canyon. Your objective is to infiltrate Eggman’s base and destroy it. Bullet Station has the best music in the game and allows players to be shot out of cannons, which dramatically increases the player’s score because the path is littered with rings and power-ups.
3. Mystic Mansion- Stage 12
Mystic Mansion is a haunted house filled with ghosts, unpredictable switches, and obstacles that test your basic knowledge of each formation. In order to get to the goal, you have to complete a trial that requires executing flying, gliding, and jumping. Mystic Mansion forces you to switch between each team member because many parts of the stage cannot be bypassed, and require a certain character to complete.
4. Hang Castle- Stage 11
I get a little scared completing this stage because its main mechanic is playing with gravity. As you progress through the stage you will need to hit switches that turn the castle upside down. However, it is easy to miss the platform you need to land on when changing gravity, which can result in a lot of frustration and an E rank.
5. Rail Canyon- Stage 7
Here we have the lesser and more annoying Bullet Station because this stage is almost exclusively rail-riding. What makes me rank Rail Canyon below Bullet Station is that the rails not only disappear, but they also carry giant, fiery trains that will instantly kill you if they hit you. Additionally, players have to deal with a bobsled ride riddled with obstacles that will cause them to lose a character should they hit the obstacles. Rail Canyon is still a good stage because rail grinding is an important skill to master, and you still have the thrill of moving at high speeds sky-high.
6. Grand Metropolis- Stage 3
Grand Metropolis makes it this high because of the pathways that allow you to move faster. The pathways will move you even if you stand still. The pathways make this basic stage more interesting and worth your best effort. Additionally, you are able to utilize skills such as Ring Dash, which allows you to complete future stages at a quicker pace. If you can avoid sliding off the pathways your time and rank on this stage will thank you.
7. Frog Forest- Stage 9
Frog Forest takes players to the jungle that features frogs that make it rain. The green frogs scattered throughout the stage will summon rain and grow vines and platforms. The only downside is that the platforms are extremely small, which makes them easy to slide off of if you are landing on them at a high speed. Flight Formation is extremely useful during this stage because in the event that you slide off a platform, you have a chance of getting back on and salvaging your rank.
8. Seaside Hill- Stage 1
Oh Seaside Hill, the very first stage. This stage may guarantee you an A rank, however it is a boring stage because you are running to the goal with very few obstacles to overcome. It is hard to fall off of this stage, but what you trade for less annoyance you make up for with a very simple stage. Seaside Hill is alright in my book—it’s not too hard, but it’s also not that exciting.
9. Lost Jungle- Stage 10
This stage ranks low purely because of the final area before the goal. The final area involves swinging from vines over water, while a huge alligator tries to eat you. This area lowers the rank of the stage because the chase is nerve-racking and the probability of dying is really high. You have to be able to time your jumps on the vines, which gets harder as you reach the end because the vines start to swing faster. If you are slightly off on your timing or you are too slow you will be dinner.
10. Final Fortress- Stage 14
The final stage of Sonic Heroes is way too long and the obstacles are ridiculous. You have to avoid lasers, robots with giant hammers, and falling platforms. These obstacles on their own would be fine, but combine them, and do them three or four times with increasing difficulty and it gets annoying. Final Fortress is the stage that will easily give you an E rank because dying towards the end of this long stage is really easy to do.
11. Ocean Palace-Stage 2
Similar to my critique of Seaside Hill, Ocean Palace is not too hard but it is boring. Its boringness is not why I have ranked it this low. I have ranked it this low because of the floating turtle segment that involves using cannons on the turtle’s backs to reach another turtle. If you make the mistake of using the cannon in Power Formation, you have to fire the cannon manually. However, you can only move the cannon side to side and not up and down, which guarantees you certain death and frustration.
12. Power Plant- Stage 4
Yet another stage with an annoying obstacle at the end—lava. You have to be quick and you cannot touch the lava or it is instant death. This obstacle is also guaranteed to destroy your chances at an A rank because it is so close to the end and when you die your score goes back to zero.
13/14. Casino Park and Bingo Highway-Stages 5 and 6
The Casino stages rank last because of their cumbersome nature and poor controls. Both stages involve giant pinball ball tables and bingo slides. When you are on either of them, you can either complete them quickly or be stuck for 5 minutes if you keep missing the exit. While I can deal with a bad time, I cannot deal with the slippery controls on the pinball machines and the bingo slides because the bingo slides contain holes that will cause you to die, and the pinball machines can be easily overshot.
