The reintroduction of Sonic Generations, now titled Sonic X Shadow Generations, places Shadow in the spotlight. Although Shadow may not have as many levels as Sonic, he boasts a more expansive hub world to traverse.
This hub world encourages players to explore each level to uncover keys. The game revisits Chaos Island from Sonic Frontiers, filled with plenty of treasures and challenges that will push you to earn that coveted S Rank. Let’s jump right in!
How to Achieve an S Rank in Chaos Island
Securing an S Rank in a Sonic game is a true achievement, and this holds true for Shadow as well. However, Chaos Island presents a challenge since falling off the map even a single time will eliminate your chances of achieving an S Rank. Let’s explore the best strategies for tackling both Acts.
S Rank for Chaos Island Act 1
Chaos Island Act 1 offers a fully 3D experience and features numerous optional pathways that can significantly reduce your completion time. The key here is to master the Doom Morph abilities, so refine your precision in timing.
While using Doom Morph, you can grab onto Morph Balls suspended in the air. Holding onto these lets Shadow swing off with a bit of momentum, but if you release early, he will shoot himself toward the tentacle direction. This tactic helps you reach higher platforms by timing your release correctly.
Throughout this level, you’ll encounter areas filled with corruption. If you touch solid ground while in Doom Morph, you’ll revert to your regular form, so remain within the corrupted areas. Boosting while in Doom Morph will give you extra speed, so use this to dart between the corrupt zones.
While navigating the downward slope of corruption, save a boost for the end. This extra speed will help you reach the airborne Morph Balls linked to the corruption walls, allowing you to bypass the lower path entirely.
Upon reaching the interior section, prepare to charge your Doom Spears as soon as you hop onto the grind rail. Activating the two switches at the end will unveil a handle you can reach using a Homing Attack, allowing you to skip directly to the top tier and save valuable time. Don’t hesitate to use Chaos Control to halt the moving platforms.
When nearing the goal, precisely time your launches off the Morph Balls to propel yourself straight toward the finish line instead of running over.
After completing Act 1, you’ll need to clock in a time below 3 minutes and 10 seconds and a score of at least 40,000 to achieve an A Rank. A Perfect Clear will elevate that to an S Rank.
S Rank for Chaos Island Act 2
The second Act of Chaos Island is entirely side-scrolling, yet Doom Morph remains crucial in this segment as well.
Just like in the first Act, keep utilizing Doom Morph whenever possible, as it significantly boosts your speed compared to running as Shadow and usually leads to faster routes.
In Act 2, you won’t find instances that necessitate holding Morph Balls to grapple. Instead, simply tap the button to dash towards them instantly.
For sections with moving platforms that change direction based on your jumps, consider using Chaos Control to freeze the hazardous spike balls. While this won’t prevent them from harming you, it certainly simplifies navigation around them.
Many tunnels in this Act can only be accessed through Doom Morph, so be sure to use them whenever they appear.
Act 2 is relatively brief. Completing it with a time of under 2 minutes and 30 seconds and a score of at least 40,000 will guarantee an A Rank. Achieving a Perfect Clear will bump this up to an S Rank.
Locations of All Collection Box Keys in Chaos Island
In Chaos Island, there are three keys hidden in each Act of Shadow Generations, totaling six keys across the area. These keys unlock Collection Boxes located in White Space, Shadow’s hub area. Here’s a guide to find them all in Chaos Island.
Keys in Chaos Island Act 1
In Act 1, you will find three Collection Box Keys: Music, Shadow’s History, and Artwork. These keys are hidden in challenging spots, so here are their precise locations:
- The first key is located at the beginning of the level. After springing up in the ruins on the right, launch yourself using the Morph Balls until you reach the lower platforms where the key is hidden.
- The second key is located after you launch yourself from the downward slope of corruption. Grapple onto the Morph Ball and propel yourself upwards to claim the key.
- The final key can be found after you pull yourself up using a handle activated by hitting certain switches with your Doom Spear. This section leads to moving platforms where the key is situated.
Keys in Chaos Island Act 2
Act 2 also features three Collection Box Keys: Music, Shadow’s History, and Artwork. Here’s where to find them:
- The first key is located at the start of the level. After launching into the second side-scrolling section, grapple onto the Morph Wall on the ceiling and follow the corruption to collect the key.
- The second key can be found in a secluded corner. After entering Doom Morph, jump across the adjacent walls and follow the corruption on the left side to discover the key.
- The final key is found after you propel yourself off a grind rail and grapple onto a higher Morph Ball. Once there, jump to the ceiling and follow it right and up to retrieve the key.
Now that you’ve collected the last key, you’ve wrapped up everything there is to accomplish on Chaos Island.
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