How to Get Chaos Emeralds in Sonic Mania
Sonic Mania, like any Sonic the Hedgehog game worth its salt, features the famous Chaos Emeralds. Seven powerful gems that when collected, allow Sonic to turn into Super Sonic, an invincible super fast golden version of Sonic.
Getting the Chaos Emeralds usually aren’t easy though, as they are hidden away in special stages that get progressively harder as you get closer to get all seven.
In order to enter the special stage to get the Chaos Emeralds, you’ll need to locate a big ring hidden away somewhere in each act. You don’t need to do it in order, but you can’t use a big ring more than once. If you recall Sonic 3 & Knuckles, they are hidden in a similar fashion. Usually on a off-beaten path behind a false wall. Jump in to begin the special stage.
Sonic Mania features a special stage similar to that of Sonic CD for those that are familiar. You’ll need to run along a course filled with blue spheres, rings, and traps. Your goal is to collect as many Blue Spheres as you can until you reach the maximum mach speed (measured by a bar up top), and become fast enough to catch the UFO that is holding the Chaos Emerald.
Rings are important, too. If you take too long to catch the UFO, you’ll start depleting rings. Keep collecting them to be allowed to stay.
The trick to catching the UFO is to try and stay on the path as much as possible, while avoiding traps that slow you down. Once you have the max mach speed, you might need look for shortcuts that will close the distance between you and the UFO. In some courses, it might actually be impossible to catch the UFO without using the shortcuts, so keep an eye out.
Once you get close enough Sonic will catch the UFO and the Chaos Emerald will be yours. Do that seven times, and you’ll unlock Super Sonic. Congratulations!
