Soul Kingdom Faux Paradox: Chaos Galaxy

"Not really known for any chaos, but for the powers of Chaos itself. It was once rumored to be the planet of the "heart" of the universe."

Roxas's Galaxy Map description of the Chaos Galaxy.

"So, Nobodies, let's get to work. If we're going to restore Sonic's memory, we need to know more than nothing. And I remember Siccon talking about living with a black hedgehog in the forest at the time he first met the Soul Princes. Does anyone in this room know much about him? He is probably our best bet at taking down the Sin here…"

"Other than Sonic calling him "Shadow", I don't remember him being willing to talk about himself too much. Sonic and Shadow, it definitely seemed like they had a history." "Then we have our mission. Shadow and Sonic's connection might trigger some memories. Let's see what we can learn."

SKSKSK

Cut to gameplay on a Sonic Frontiers style Open Zone on Terra V, better known as Mobius. Rings, loops, boosters, grind rails, this area has it all. Siccon is recommended for this section, but Drayke actually doesn't do that bad of a job here, a reference to how Rayman Origins and Legends had a real sense of momentum. Like the open worlds in the other Galaxies, this Open Zone was visited for the first time in the Color Series, but it looks noticeably different now that the Villain Alliance's fingerprints are gone… more natural beauty, less Darkness influence. I think this would be a good time to talk about Soul Kingdom's structure gameplay wise…

Just like in the Color Series visit to this planet, when you land on the location, the story starts at A, and then you can choose if you want to explore C first, or try and get into B, or maybe investigate D. And the options you didn't choose? Don't worry, those other options are still open for you to go back and play through. You'll need to!

Back to gameplay.

After exploring some space wreckage, (from the Space Colony ARK from Sonic Adventure 2) Connor makes a comment. "I know we need to stay focused, but after seeing the tech on this thing, I'm pretty sure Clockwerk got the tech to build his robot body from Le Paradox's time blimp after it wrecked in Egypt. I'll talk to Bentley about it later…" On the ARK, the Nobodies investigate the room where Shadow originally made his breakout from the facility. "This is… I've heard the stories about Chaos attacking Station Square. This destination is worse." In that room is data leading them back 5 decades. The next place they visit is Maria Robotnik's Room on the facility. Siccon comments, "I didn't know Shadow had any friends before me. These two were CLOSE."

The next area is off the ARK, and by following Darkness remnants the Nobodies learn about the aliens called the Black Arms. Combat focused Storytime scene that's a playable section from the 2005 Shadow the Hedgehog game. Luigi comments, "Note to self. If those things ever come to the Mushroom Galaxy, get the Toads to shelter quick…" And the last area to visit is a Eggman Empire data storage facility, where the Nobodies find info on Shadow's tech and abilities, including references to the Chaos Emeralds. "Eggman of the Villain Alliance had a hand in breaking Shadow out, calling him "The Ultimate Life Form"? And are the Chaos Emeralds mentioned here the same ones from the meteor shower?There's so much we don't know…" The Nobodies hear the sound of someone speeding by outside. "…and there he is. Once we restore Sonic's memory, we can ask him all we want."

SKSKSK

The Nobodies race after Sonic in a gameplay section that's a reference to the high speed sections from Sonic 06. It starts out that way, but Luigi also has some classic Mario series platforming, combined with using the Beatle item from Zelda Skyward Sword. Kaden gets through a shooting section, and Drayke does a Rayman 2 style grapple to end us off at the boss arena. Siccon yells, "Sonic! It's been a while since I last saw you, but you're in danger." In an otherworldly sounding voice, the Sin says, "Oh really?" "Who are you?" "We are not your Friend. We are not your Enemy. We are your Salvation!"

With that, the Zelda style boss intro says,

Avaritia - Sin of Greed

This boss fight is similar to the Wyvern Titan from Sonic Frontiers. It consists of a long chase through the Open Zone where the Titan will launch a barrage of missiles towards Siccon; these missiles, in addition to various sets of spikes that occasionally appear, can be dodged using the Quick Step. Eventually, the hedgehog will hide behind a rock and narrowly avoid being vaporized by the robot. This leads to the second phase of the battle. It's Nobody vs. Somebody, as Siccon tries to break Sonic out of his possession using the gathered information about Shadow, "I know you're still in there!!" with Aaron breaking out the Master Cycle to keep pace and provide support using crafted potions, including Molotov cocktails.

After the fight, the Sin flies out of Sonic's heart, and heads towards Soul Kingdom. "What…happened? The last thing I remember was leaving Soul Kingdom." "We'll fill you in back on the Phonix. A lot's happened, and it'll be good to have the Soul Prince of Wind back… we missed you, Sonic."

End Chapter