is "another story" just an alternate ending?

[Cloudy Chair]

I started playing another story because I didn't know there was another option to play the game but is it just an extended version of the ending? I don't understand what another story is

[sweetlitlbumblb]

It's the better ending (it has a better final boss)

[Mez Koo]

Its an alternate ending with a cinematic final boss rather than just a button prompt in space. Both have the same result so it doesn't matter which is canon.

[mdesaleah]

Alternate Ending. But calling it just "an ending" is misleading. It completely redoes the final island. So even though the island on you explore is the same, everything on it is changed, and you get different gameplay.

Its probably recommended that you do the Normal Ending first. Just go back to your main game save (Another Story has its own separate save), and continue from there. Get the emeralds like you normally do, but ignore the portal to the new ending.

Another Story is much more difficult, and is better once you know what normally happens in the story.

[mdesaleah]

Originally posted by Mez Koo:

Its an alternate ending with a cinematic final boss rather than just a button prompt in space. Both have the same result so it doesn't matter which is canon.

The "button prompt only" version happens if you play the game on Normal.

Starting the default final boss while on Hard Mode gives you an actual section with dialogue and something to fight.

Switch to Hard Mode before collecting the 6th Emerald on Ouranos, and you'll get the full original ending.

[Mez Koo]

That's just a minigame with a monologue, the ending button prompt is that same.

[mdesaleah]

Originally posted by Mez Koo:

That's just a minigame with a monologue, the ending button prompt is that same.

Yeah, but playing on Normal skips the entire "Ikaruga" section and just cuts to the qte.

How difficult that part is probably depends on someone's experience with that genre. I did it second try, but I've heard some people taking many many tries. So I get why its locked behind Hard Mode.

[Mez Koo]

Originally posted by mdesaleah:

Originally posted by Mez Koo:

That's just a minigame with a monologue, the ending button prompt is that same.

Yeah, but playing on Normal skips the entire "Ikaruga" section and just cuts to the qte.

How difficult that part is probably depends on someone's experience with that genre. I did it second try, but I've heard some people taking many many tries. So I get why its locked behind Hard Mode.

I understand what you're saying but again that's basically a mini game, not a final boss.

[mdesaleah]

Originally posted by Mez Koo:

Originally posted by mdesaleah:

Yeah, but playing on Normal skips the entire "Ikaruga" section and just cuts to the qte.

How difficult that part is probably depends on someone's experience with that genre. I did it second try, but I've heard some people taking many many tries. So I get why its locked behind Hard Mode.

I understand what you're saying but again that's basically a mini game, not a final boss.

Disagree.

But it is a very out there final boss idea, and was a result of time constraints. Not that time constraints are a total hindrance since they can often lead to creative solutions and ideas

Other games have done this type of thing before, so if you play games like Nier/Drakengard or more indie games, being experimental like that isn’t as sudden.

[Mez Koo]

Originally posted by mdesaleah:

Originally posted by Mez Koo:

I understand what you're saying but again that's basically a mini game, not a final boss.

Disagree.

But it is a very out there final boss idea, and was a result of time constraints. Not that time constraints are a total hindrance since they can often lead to creative solutions and ideas

Other games have done this type of thing before, so if you play games like Nier/Drakengard or more indie games, being experimental like that isn’t as sudden.

We're not talking about other things, we're talking about sonic where we've had death egg, final weapon, perfect chaos, Finalhazard, metal overlord, devil doom, solaris, dark gaia, time eater, and even the three versions of nega-wisp armor felt final. To be fair we got the 3 other titans which more than make up for it but while cool and interesting the space battle is just kind of "there" and doesn't deliver the same cinematic show down we came to expect which "another story" delivers.

[mdesaleah]

Originally posted by Mez Koo:

Originally posted by mdesaleah:

Disagree.

But it is a very out there final boss idea, and was a result of time constraints. Not that time constraints are a total hindrance since they can often lead to creative solutions and ideas

Other games have done this type of thing before, so if you play games like Nier/Drakengard or more indie games, being experimental like that isn’t as sudden.

We're not talking about other things, we're talking about sonic where we've had death egg, final weapon, perfect chaos, Finalhazard, metal overlord, devil doom, solaris, dark gaia, time eater, and even the three versions of nega-wisp armor felt final. To be fair we got the 3 other titans which more than make up for it but while cool and interesting the space battle is just kind of "there" and doesn't deliver the same cinematic show down we came to expect which "another story" delivers.

The End feels more like a finale boss for the story, not really for gameplay.

Its why I think of it more as a creative ending that an indie game would do. Instead of the more typical final boss that was probably more expected.

Either way, Another Story gives that alternate final boss that leans more into the other titans. So we got both.

[CrowRising]

A headcanon I've adopted after hearing because it makes a lot of sense is that the normal ending is one of Sage's simulations predicting a possible outcome, and Another Story is what actually happened. Another Story makes a lot of sense to be the actual outcome because Sonic's big thing throughout the game is beating the odds no matter how slim they may be, and he's shown in past games that he's willing to do that even if that means teaming up with Eggman. A potential team up between the two even gets teased earlier in the story via Sage's melancholy.