Zone Maps & Secrets [ENG]

Complete maps for all Zones and Special Stages with walkthroughs on secrets, shortcuts and other points of interest

Introduction

The maps featured in this guide are from Sonic Retro[info.sonicretro.org], so credit goes there along with the user(s) who ripped & uploaded them.

I've written this guide for two reasons... Firstly, I thought it would be useful to have these maps quickly to hand in the Steam overlay, particularly for the tougher Special Stages in order to have a quick glance at the overall layout and avoid tumbling blindly into a goal.

Secondly, this game gets a lot of flak for various reasons - some of them valid - but others I feel are less fair, one of which being the level design. I'm hoping these maps and the accompanying annotations will help people appreciate that there are plenty of alternate routes, secrets and shortcuts in Sonic 4 Episode I to reward exploration and skilled gameplay, just as in the classic Mega Drive titles.

Splash Hill Zone

Act 1

[full size][info.sonicretro.org]

• Look out for springs hidden under breakable rocks - there's one half way through the act leading to 2 Super Ring boxes
  
  
• Take the high road at the first tunnels of the zone for an Extra Life

Act 2

[full size][info.sonicretro.org]

• There are breakable walls in this act similar to in Sonic 1 but a bit harder to spot... spin dash or use the homing attack to break through
  
  
• Use the first 2 swinging vine sections to stay on the top route and this skip most of the other vine sections for the level (and pick up some extra goodies)
  
  
• Jump and catch the vine as soon as you enter the final cave (after the long corkscrew with the Starpost). Use homing attacks on the 4 Bubbles bots to clear the spikes and bypass a slow section beneath
  
  
• Following on from above, hit the spring at full speed but do not homing attack the Buzz Bomber! Instead, when the opposite wall comes into view use the homing attack to hit the breakable section to access a hidden route to a spring the other side. This nets you an Extra Life and bypasses another tricky vine section. If you miss the breakable wall, you can use the accelerator below the corkscrew to try again.

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Act 3

[full size][info.sonicretro.org]

• There are several Emerald Hill-style windowed passages to look out for in this Act, each containing Extra Life boxes
  
  
• If you take the platform & spring after the first loop you can get on the high route, collect the shield, and then use the zipline that takes you through a passage. From here it's a short accent with springs until you reach a Super Ring box - the secret passage and Extra Life is above to the left
  
  
• Alternatively, on the low route, there's another Extra Life and 2 Super Ring boxes hidden behind a waterfall. You can either access these by jumping the spring where you can just about see a ledge poking out (shown below), or by falling through the waterfall from above (easy to miss as you have a lot of speed)

Casino Street Zone

Act 1

[full size][info.sonicretro.org]

• There's a Shield box above the first pinball area
  
  
• Jump the gap after the gravity-defying-wall-climb to get on the high route; if you stay high from here on out, you can net a lot of extra rings and avoid pretty much all hazards - good for getting the special stage
  
  
• Double back at the first Starpost and jump over the floor spring. If you jump along the tops of the huge columns you'll find some extra rings and Super Ring box
  
  
• There's an Extra Life on the bottom route which requires some bouncing finesse... personally I'd just stick to the high route

Act 2

[full size][info.sonicretro.org]

• There's 2 routes throughout most of this Act, only converging for the card stack gimmick sections and the tricky platforming at the end
  
  
• Predictably, the high route sports more of the spinning bonus cards overall, but the low route has plenty too. These are great for stocking up on lives
  
  
• After the first card stack gimmick, time your jumps over the spinning platforms to stay on the high route, which is significantly faster. At the end of this section you can hit some Bubbles bots up high to reach a different card stack - this one takes you past the somewhat annoying falling section where you're liable to lose some rings, but at the cost of skipping an Extra Life
  
  
• When you reach the section with the Carnival Night-style moving drums, take the secret passage at the top right to access a hidden card stack. Again, this is much quicker than the other two routes.

Act 3

[full size][info.sonicretro.org]

• After you burst through the first multi-coloured barrier, bounce off the Crawl bot and hit the spring with the homing attack. This route is a bit quicker and less tedious than the pinball route to the left.
  
  
• A little further on there's a cannon where the route leads diagonally left - fire straight upwards to get some rings and 2 Super Ring boxes
  
  
• Next is probably the biggest, most hidden skip in the game (so much so that it isn't on the Sonic Retro map! Edit: map now updated to include) When you reach the open area with the cannon on a podium, launch left towards the rings, bouncing off the bumpers and use homing attacks to chain from the Shield box to the spring. You'll only get one shot of this - once the Shield box is broken you can no longer use the shortcut! At the top, grab the 2 super ring boxes on the right, then jump into the wall on the left behind the green balloon to find the secret passage.
  
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJTNtq_DCCk
  
  This short cannon route skips a huge section of level, including a tricky cannon bit and a long Spring Yard Zone-style block section, bringing you out by another Shield box before the final part of the Act.
  
  
• After the final multi-coloured barrier, there's an Extra Life and a spring on a platform low down on the other side of the chasm. If you miss the shot, keep holding right to catch the platform, or alternatively drop down from above before taking the second cannon.

Lost Labyrinth Zone

Act 1

[full size][info.sonicretro.org]

• At the first falling boulder, you can fall down and gap and head right for a Shield box. Be careful - the next 2 gaps will be a death drop!
  
  
• The Extra Life above the first boulder track is pretty hard to get, but Super Sonic can reach it by jumping from the right hand ledge
  
  
• Immediately following the boulder chase, when you run to the right jump over the spring and hit homing attack at the highest point of your jump - if down correctly, you'll leap the death drop and access a secret lower route. This route has an Extra Life, and skips some platforming and potentially 3 boulder balancing sections.

Act 2

[full size][info.sonicretro.org]

• Super Sonic lights up the entire screen on this Act, removing the primary gimmick/challenge
  
  
• On the first minecart, jump both gaps to reach the higher route and an Extra Life box. You can hold backwards to slow down before each jump, or alternatively Super Sonic can make it back up from the bottom route and jump the gap
  
  
• Once on the top route, the game is pretty keen to throw you back down below... You gotta go fast after you life the fuse otherwise the two explosive blocks that form a bridge will blow up and you'll have to fall down. Beyond here and up the ramp, do not light the torch or you'll block off the passage to the right! Go through and hit the spring to take a substantial shortcut that skips the infamous torch puzzle!

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Act 3

[full size][info.sonicretro.org]

• After the first water slide, immediately go right and chain homing attacks on the Jaws bots to reach an Extra Life above, then jump as far to the left (over the spikes) as you can and do a homing attack at the top of the jump. If done correctly, you'll land on top of the Super Ring box. Use it to jump up and to the left to find a secret room with five more Super Ring boxes!
  
  
• In a homage to the original Labyrinth Zone Act 3, the sinking blocks between 4 extending spikes in the latter half of the level is actually a shortcut... use this for a faster underwater run

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Act 4 - Boss

[full size][info.sonicretro.org]

• No secrets here, but I've included the map in case anyone's struggling with the timed ascent and wants to study it

Mad Gear Zone

Act 1

[full size][info.sonicretro.org]

• This is a long Act with two routes running through the majority of it - the top route is faster and tends to be a bit easier too, but there isn't too much in it
  
  
• Don't miss the Invincibility box above the second row of conveyor belts near the beginning
  
  
• About half way through the routes converge briefly at the tricky section with 3 pneumatic platforms with spikes on the ceiling and gaps in between. If you can manage to safely get across here it takes you to a different fast travel tube and avoids a particularly nasty section the other side

Act 2

[full size][info.sonicretro.org]

• There are lots of interconnected routes through this Act, and grabbing shields can be useful in order to hang onto rings and use Super Sonic
  
  
• At the second group of gears, fall down beneath them to the right for an Extra Life
  
  
• After the point above, jump through the breakable floor barriers to take the upper route, then grab the Shield box to the left after the vertical spring pads
  
  
• Following the long horizontal gear run, taking the lower route down the drop with the Slicer bots will lead to a Super Ring and another Shield box. I'd recommend ignoring the platform and just dropping straight down!
  
  
• The routes converge to a downwards gear between Asterons - once the cog hits the bottom you'll have a small time window to head up through 3 timed doors to get on the top route again. This path is quicker and easier than the two below, and has a super secret Extra Life up high after the loops that only Super Sonic can reach (not on the map!)
  
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3nZpBSlpzM
  
  
• After the ascent at the very end of the zone, jump the accelerator to the left to get another Extra Life

Act 3

[full size][info.sonicretro.org]

• This Act is relatively linear as it's mostly designed around the big-wall-of-death sections, but there are still a couple of secrets & shortcuts to be found
  
  
• Following the first wall chase and tube fast travel, fall down the far right of the chasm for a Shield box
  
  
• After the second wall chase, once you get the shield and fall through the breakable floor, fall down to the left and get on the lower of the two cog run gimmicks. This path is less dangerous and features two Extra Lift boxes, although there is a somewhat blind leap of faith over a death drop...!
  
  
• On the final push to the end, spin dash quickly from the Starpost and immediately homing attack the spring at the top to access a secret, safer route along the top. This way gives an Invincibility box, as well as an Extra Life that you won't be under time pressure to grab

Special Stages

• You can select Retry from the pause menu at any time - a bit cheesy, but useful if you're about to fly into a goal
  
  
• Try to collect Time power-ups where they are en route, but don't worry about getting every single one - if you're moving at a good pace you'll have enough time
  
  
• Personal preference, but I don't find the 'tilt' function too useful... practice learning how to rotate the arena to keep Sonic moving and only touch the side tactically on 'safe' blocks (i.e. standard walls and jump blocks - stay away from bouncy star blocks!)

Special Stage 1

[full size][info.sonicretro.org]

Special Stage 2

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Special Stage 3

[full size][info.sonicretro.org]

Special Stage 4

[full size][info.sonicretro.org]

Special Stage 5

[full size][info.sonicretro.org]

Special Stage 6

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Special Stage 7

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Thanks & Credits

Thanks for reading – hope this guide is helpful and let me know any comments/suggestions, or other secrets that aren't on the maps that I've missed! 😊

Again, all credit goes to Sonic Retro & users for the map images. All other screenshots, videos and walkthroughs are original.