In episode #371, @exodus spends some hard-earned credits to get everyone on the panel to play Knuckles’ Chaotix with their partner. I floated the idea of doing a forum game club for this, but then kinda forgot about it until it was brought up again in the latest episode. So what better time than Valentine’s day to do this?
Simply put, let’s see if we can play the 32X flagship classic Knuckles’ Chaotix with our significant others alongside the Insert Credit panel. If you lack a significant other, maybe you can do it with a significant friend? Or maybe a significant self. No one is stopping you from playing this on your own! However, I enjoy the co-op angle on this task, since I’ve never fully played through the game that way, so I think it’d be the most interesting if we tried our best to play it that way.
First up, some important information:
#1 HOW TO PLAY KNUCKLES’ CHAOTIX IN 2 PLAYER
You would think this is as simple as the second controller possessing Tails in the other classic Sonic games, but not quite! The gist of it is that Knuckles’ Chaotix needs you to actively select the 2 player option from the file select screen, however it will not allow you to do this on initial setup. This means that you CANNOT use the default “no save” option if you want to play 2 player.
So, essentially, simply pick one of the three empty save files (preferably with automatic save, I never tried this with manual), then have player 1 go through the opening segment (about 4 minutes of playtime if you skip the bonus level), once you hit this screen, go left to exit to the title screen.
Now, re-enter the file select and your file should now have a save on it.
Simply start the file and you should be able to pick 2 player mode.
Phew!
#2 HOW TO PLAY KNUCKLES’ CHAOTIX
If you’re unfamiliar with this game, you could just hop straight in and mess around. It’s a bit different from Sonic tradition, but not impossible to parse. However, if you feel stumped, here are some pointers.
First off, Knuckles’ Chaotix revolves around a rubber band mechanic which ties two characters together. This can be used in all kinds of ways to physics your way across the worlds. You can bounce, drag, rebound and just in general fling yourself all over the place. You’ll need to learn how to use this, or you’re NOT gonna be able to get through some situations. The game has a somewhat lengthy optional tutorial that I still highly recommend following if you’re new. You’ll be surprised what you can do!
Secondly, the game has 7 playable characters with their own attributes. These include 5 main characters (Knuckles, Mighty, Espio, Charmy and Vector) and 2 claw game duds (Heavy and Bomb) which will mostly be a detriment. Watch out for those! Overarchingly, the characters play like Sonic would. Knuckles can glide and climb. Mighty is basically a straight Sonic copy but with wall jumps. Espio can run on walls and ceilings. Charmy can fly indefinitely. Vector can climb and do a little air dash. Conversely, Heavy is as the name implies, heavy, while Bomb will easily explode at anything and hurt you. Oof!
Thirdly, this game is heavily randomized. Presumably because it’s fun. It’s set in an amusement park, after all! While you get to pick your main character, the partners are won in a crane game. HOWEVER, when playing in 2 player mode this can be sidestepped. So if you don’t wanna gamble for the sake of it, simply ignore the Combi Catcher. But if you do, the controls are simple, move left or right and press down to catch. Watch out so your target doesn’t move out of the way before you snatch it! Don’t stress, you’ve got ten full seconds to work within.
In the same vein, the levels are also randomized. Instead of the usual act-divided zone set-up, we gamble on this as well. At the far end of the hub world is a bumper you hit to stop a roulette wheel. There are five zones, each with five acts. Once you beat an act, the next time you land on that zone it will play the following act. When all acts in a zone have been beaten, the zone will be blacked out on the wheel. Meaning that you’ll always play a new level until you’ve gotten through all of them. Your current zone progress can be viewed on the big screen before the Combi Catcher.
There is more to Knuckles’ Chaotix than this, but I feel that’s for you to find out. Wouldn’t be much of a game club otherwise. Have fun, everyone!