Random Game O' the Day: Knuckles Chaotix

[digitalpress]

Well wouldja look at that? The DP Random Sidekick and Game Title Generator (tm) has chosen the less-than-often-talked-about entry in the Sonic series, "Knuckles Chaotix" for the 32X.

I really wanted to like this game. I like the way it looks and the way it sounds... but when I play it, it only makes me want to play a traditional Sonic game even more. The "anchor slingshot" controls is an interesting twist and probably something that's very rewarding to master but I don't think I'll ever get there.

What do you think? Write your own mini-review here!

DP Guide sez:

Knuckles Chaotix (32X, by Sega) $20/R3 +
a.k.a. Chaotix
A somewhat different kind of game set in the Sonic universe where Knuckles pulls some characters around with a rubberband. You will either love it or hate it. There's a beta floating around called "Sonic Crackers" that plays an awful lot like this game, it's probably an early working title of Chaotix. Action/Platform/Scrolling Screen. Released 1995. #84503.

[digitalpress]

Well wouldja look at that? The DP Random Sidekick and Game Title Generator (tm) has chosen the less-than-often-talked-about entry in the Sonic series, "Knuckles Chaotix" for the 32X.

I really wanted to like this game. I like the way it looks and the way it sounds... but when I play it, it only makes me want to play a traditional Sonic game even more. The "anchor slingshot" controls is an interesting twist and probably something that's very rewarding to master but I don't think I'll ever get there.

What do you think? Write your own mini-review here!

DP Guide sez:

Knuckles Chaotix (32X, by Sega) $20/R3 +
a.k.a. Chaotix
A somewhat different kind of game set in the Sonic universe where Knuckles pulls some characters around with a rubberband. You will either love it or hate it. There's a beta floating around called "Sonic Crackers" that plays an awful lot like this game, it's probably an early working title of Chaotix. Action/Platform/Scrolling Screen. Released 1995. #84503.

[Gamereviewgod]

Wish I knew......2 32X's, 5 copies of the game....never got past the title screen. :angry: Damned things just lock on me.

[Gamereviewgod]

Wish I knew......2 32X's, 5 copies of the game....never got past the title screen. :angry: Damned things just lock on me.

[Epicenter]

Odd. Try opening the 32x, removing the 2 white cables from their sockets, and putting them back in. These tend to come loose. Also make sure you have that spacer thingy between the MD and 32x units to keep it from shaking around too much.

[Epicenter]

Odd. Try opening the 32x, removing the 2 white cables from their sockets, and putting them back in. These tend to come loose. Also make sure you have that spacer thingy between the MD and 32x units to keep it from shaking around too much.

[Epicenter]

As for the game, it's great fun .. you must play it with a friend for the true experience. You need to cooperate to get through the stages, find all the secrets, clear zones in the best time, etc. It's just so damn much fun to grab your friend and throw him into the air like a basketball, or grab onto an object and hold yourself still while your friend swings around and smashes your enemies (my friend refers to this as 'the Sonic Yo-Yo game'.) ;)

Great music, too .. very nice hardware effects like scaling/stretching provided by the 32x as well. Definitely a sleeper classsic.

[Epicenter]

As for the game, it's great fun .. you must play it with a friend for the true experience. You need to cooperate to get through the stages, find all the secrets, clear zones in the best time, etc. It's just so damn much fun to grab your friend and throw him into the air like a basketball, or grab onto an object and hold yourself still while your friend swings around and smashes your enemies (my friend refers to this as 'the Sonic Yo-Yo game'.) ;)

Great music, too .. very nice hardware effects like scaling/stretching provided by the 32x as well. Definitely a sleeper classsic.

[Bratwurst]

I LOVE this one. For me this game had a lot of mystique since you could never emulate it until very recently, and I got my 32X just before that. For all the praise I'm about to shower on it I'll still admit the level design could have been refined.

Some things I learned about the rubber band through messing around is that you can infinitely sling-shot yourself vertically in the air if you time an up/down motion on the d-pad just right. The elastic physics were very well done in that respect.

If you pay enough attention there are polygonal structures in the 2D backgrounds, lending a pretty cool perspective to the parallax scrolling. One of them is even an elevator lift you can ride.

There are hidden graphics in the rom of Amy dancing for the sound test screen.

<img src=http://www.angelfire.com/apes/madmeat/amy.txt>

I am also looking for a cart with a good label to replace my current copy. :(

[Bratwurst]

I LOVE this one. For me this game had a lot of mystique since you could never emulate it until very recently, and I got my 32X just before that. For all the praise I'm about to shower on it I'll still admit the level design could have been refined.

Some things I learned about the rubber band through messing around is that you can infinitely sling-shot yourself vertically in the air if you time an up/down motion on the d-pad just right. The elastic physics were very well done in that respect.

If you pay enough attention there are polygonal structures in the 2D backgrounds, lending a pretty cool perspective to the parallax scrolling. One of them is even an elevator lift you can ride.

There are hidden graphics in the rom of Amy dancing for the sound test screen.

<img src=http://www.angelfire.com/apes/madmeat/amy.txt>

I am also looking for a cart with a good label to replace my current copy. :(

[Cafeman]

I admit I enjoyed the game for a while. The 3D platforming bonus rounds were really interesting and took some skill to beat each of them. Who didn't love seeing that big red Mecha Sonic robot at the end?!

Knuckles Chaotix's blinding color palette truly shamed the traditional Genesis game's 64 color limit. Seeing the bold, brilliant hues was half the experience to me.

But the unknown characters, the lack of fun in the rubber-band concept, the pointless scaling (press a button. Knuckles spins & scales in then out. Big Deal!), and a total absense of the Sonic The Hedgehog "magic" kind of caused me to outgrow the game quickly.

[Cafeman]

I admit I enjoyed the game for a while. The 3D platforming bonus rounds were really interesting and took some skill to beat each of them. Who didn't love seeing that big red Mecha Sonic robot at the end?!

Knuckles Chaotix's blinding color palette truly shamed the traditional Genesis game's 64 color limit. Seeing the bold, brilliant hues was half the experience to me.

But the unknown characters, the lack of fun in the rubber-band concept, the pointless scaling (press a button. Knuckles spins & scales in then out. Big Deal!), and a total absense of the Sonic The Hedgehog "magic" kind of caused me to outgrow the game quickly.

[ClubNinja]

the pointless scaling (press a button. Knuckles spins & scales in then out. Big Deal!)

While the scaling isn't entirely necessary, this action isn't pointless. That's how you swap your "lead" character - in this example, Knuckles becomes the character tagging along and control shifts to his partner. Or, you might be thinking of the "unstuck" action - which allows you to sort of "recenter" your character if he's stuck in an odd spot. This will cost rings though... I think it's 5 or 10. The scaling was just added to flash that up a little bit, methinks.

I will agree that the rubber-band concept (while well-executed) is pretty annoying at best. That, paired with the unusually uninspired level design, makes this game not so much of a classic Sonic-related title.

However, if you take the game as a unique entity, then it's really pretty solid. Great colors, great bonus stages, interesting play concept, semi-random level orders. It's one of the best that the 32X has to offer.

Now, if only I could get my hands on that Sonic Crackers proto for less than the cost of my soul ;)

[ClubNinja]

the pointless scaling (press a button. Knuckles spins & scales in then out. Big Deal!)

While the scaling isn't entirely necessary, this action isn't pointless. That's how you swap your "lead" character - in this example, Knuckles becomes the character tagging along and control shifts to his partner. Or, you might be thinking of the "unstuck" action - which allows you to sort of "recenter" your character if he's stuck in an odd spot. This will cost rings though... I think it's 5 or 10. The scaling was just added to flash that up a little bit, methinks.

I will agree that the rubber-band concept (while well-executed) is pretty annoying at best. That, paired with the unusually uninspired level design, makes this game not so much of a classic Sonic-related title.

However, if you take the game as a unique entity, then it's really pretty solid. Great colors, great bonus stages, interesting play concept, semi-random level orders. It's one of the best that the 32X has to offer.

Now, if only I could get my hands on that Sonic Crackers proto for less than the cost of my soul ;)

[DarkSol]

Now, if only I could get my hands on that Sonic Crackers proto for less than the cost of my soul ;)

Well, who wouldn't want that proto? Unfortunately, Genesis protos are HARD to come by. Honestly, I think thats the only proto I've even heard of for the Genesis.

Funny you should mention Crackers, I remember playing it and thinking... "Man, this must be what they based Chaotix on." Turns out I was right.

[DarkSol]

Now, if only I could get my hands on that Sonic Crackers proto for less than the cost of my soul ;)

Well, who wouldn't want that proto? Unfortunately, Genesis protos are HARD to come by. Honestly, I think thats the only proto I've even heard of for the Genesis.

Funny you should mention Crackers, I remember playing it and thinking... "Man, this must be what they based Chaotix on." Turns out I was right.

[ManekiNeko]

I had the prototype a long, long time ago. I didn't think that much of it, although it was fun to drop Tails onto spikes. Sometimes he would spin around in a daze on contact with the spikes... the animation was utterly hilarious.
I also had an early prototype of Pengo, which wasn't like the Pengo we're all familiar with but rather a clone of Bomberman which used ice crystals instead of bombs. When the crystals froze over, they'd turn into blocks which you could shove into enemies or your opponents. Shoving them into other ice blocks resulted into a deadly chain reaction which was tough to avoid. A full version of the game was released in Europe, and it wasn't bad... they'd even included a port of the original arcade game to satisfy anyone who wasn't comfortable playing the highly revised sequel.

JR

[ManekiNeko]

I had the prototype a long, long time ago. I didn't think that much of it, although it was fun to drop Tails onto spikes. Sometimes he would spin around in a daze on contact with the spikes... the animation was utterly hilarious.
I also had an early prototype of Pengo, which wasn't like the Pengo we're all familiar with but rather a clone of Bomberman which used ice crystals instead of bombs. When the crystals froze over, they'd turn into blocks which you could shove into enemies or your opponents. Shoving them into other ice blocks resulted into a deadly chain reaction which was tough to avoid. A full version of the game was released in Europe, and it wasn't bad... they'd even included a port of the original arcade game to satisfy anyone who wasn't comfortable playing the highly revised sequel.

JR

[ClubNinja]

I had the prototype a long, long time ago.

*Sniff*... I was actually trying to score it about two years ago; but at a grand, I figured there were more essential things than Sonic Crackers. Poo.

[ClubNinja]

I had the prototype a long, long time ago.

*Sniff*... I was actually trying to score it about two years ago; but at a grand, I figured there were more essential things than Sonic Crackers. Poo.

[le geek]

I got Knuckles Chaotix when it was released and I really like it. I never got into the genesis Sonic games though, so the changes were welcome in my book. The amount of color on screen is crazy. The different abilities of all the characters are a nice touch as well. The tethered gameplay is neat when you get the hang of it, but the real the star of the game in my book is the 3D bonus levels. They get really wild as you progress eventually running outside as well as inside the "tubes"...

Cheers,
Ben

[kainemaxwell]

I tried playing it down at Epcot and didn't quite get it.

[ubersaurus]

I really liked KC. I played it at my aunts all the time when it came out, and the rubber band gameplay was definitely a cool concept. I kinda wished at the time it was a straight sonic-style game, but I've grown to appreciate it more for what it was.

[ManekiNeko]

I had the prototype a long, long time ago.

*Sniff*... I was actually trying to score it about two years ago; but at a grand, I figured there were more essential things than Sonic Crackers. Poo.

What the fuck?! A GRAND!?!?
(sobs uncontrollably)

JR

[Zebbe]

Has anyone beaten the fourth bonus stage? It seems impossible to me. I would really appreciate some help.

EDIT: Never mind, I beat it.

[Kevincal]

Knuckles Chaotix is surely lacking when compared to Sonic 1-S&K's... The game just plain seems unfinished. Where are all the enemies? lol... The slingshot effect is ANNOYING! I found myself just holding my partner so I could jump around like a normal Sonic game... Ya sure, the graphics are pretty and the sound does the job, but where it matters most, the play mechanics, it's lacking... Not to mention the game is very short. It is a decent game with all of that said though. I'd give it an 80%

[mailman187666]

I liked Knuckle Chaotix since it came out. I was able to get good at the slingshot controls and be able to play without too much frustration, but I would have much rather played a normal sonic or knuckles game. I'd say its a game I would not want to sell and keep in my collection, but as for picking it up and playing it again, I have no clue when that will ever be.

[Slate]

In case nobody noticed this is a 4 year old thread :)

[parker619]

hmm so it is but maybe we should do something like this as a sticky like game of the week and someone chooses a game from any format like nes megadrive etc and people play that game of the week and tell people the progress made in the game and when and if they complete the game???

[Kevincal]

In case nobody noticed this is a 4 year old thread :)

Seeing as this is about a classic game on a classic game forum, I don't think it matters. :)

[8bitgamer]

Here's what I wrote about the game for The All Game Guide back in the day:

Arguably the worst game in the Sonic the Hedgehog family, Knuckles' Chaotix was created by the original Sonic team and has roughly the same type of spinning, dashing, jumping gameplay elements found in the original game. It has all sorts of nifty effects (including scaling and rotation), it's very colorful, and it sounds great. Players zip through loops, speed over collapsing bridges, dodge a variety of obstacles, cruise down roller coaster tracks through a vertical maze, all while picking up a number of power-ups. So, what's the problem? Sensing that the series needed a fresh element, the designers incorporated into the action an ill-advised bungee cord, which forces players to be tethered to a computer- or human-controlled partner. The connection enables players to throw their partner and gain powerful bursts of speed, but it kills much of the fun by making the gameplay unnecessarily clumsy and cumbersome.

[Kevincal]

That about sums it up. :)

[Cryomancer]

Well, I LOVE Chaotix myself. It's pretty much my favorite Sonic game (other than say, s3&k), despite not having Sonic in it. I got this game back when the 32x cost like 90 bucks at toys r us. I bought it with birthday money (looking back, maybe the system and the game togehter cost me 90...I'm not sure, was a long time ago), and never regretted it.

The sad part of this story is that I somehow kept my 32x but lost both the cart and half of that damn two-part cable you need to hook it up to a model 1 genesis. How I ever would have let Chaotix dissapear from my grasp I cannot recall or understand. I can only assume that I someday get a time machine, and go back and steal it from myself. The GOOD part of this story is that thanks to DP, I got a new, complete copy of the game! And a nice sega CD to go with it. And thanks to a store in Madison, I got that cable back! I think I might just have to finally go hook up the Sega Cluster today thanks to this thread, I've been putting it off ever since I moved the TV around...

Thanks for reminding me to play one of my favorite games.

[8bitgamer]

Well, I LOVE Chaotix myself. It's pretty much my favorite Sonic game (other than say, s3&k), despite not having Sonic in it. I got this game back when the 32x cost like 90 bucks at toys r us. I bought it with birthday money (looking back, maybe the system and the game togehter cost me 90...I'm not sure, was a long time ago), and never regretted it.

The sad part of this story is that I somehow kept my 32x but lost both the cart and half of that damn two-part cable you need to hook it up to a model 1 genesis. How I ever would have let Chaotix dissapear from my grasp I cannot recall or understand. I can only assume that I someday get a time machine, and go back and steal it from myself. The GOOD part of this story is that thanks to DP, I got a new, complete copy of the game! And a nice sega CD to go with it. And thanks to a store in Madison, I got that cable back! I think I might just have to finally go hook up the Sega Cluster today thanks to this thread, I've been putting it off ever since I moved the TV around...

Thanks for reminding me to play one of my favorite games.

That's one of the things that keeps gaming interesting. One man's ET is another man's Chronotrigger.

[T2KFreeker]

Hmm, been awhile since I have posted, so I guess posting in a thread about one of my faves would be appropriate. I remember when this game came out and I had my 32-X and was starved for games. I searched everywhere for this game and was lucky enough to track one down. I personally think it is brilliant. Other than the technical issues with the cart, the game itself is awesome. It's sad that it is considered by so many to be the bastard cousin in the Sonic series because there were alot of great things going on here and the game is quite rewarding to finish. The final boss is massive for it's time and actually has some great animations going for it. My favorite 32-X game right there with Black Thorne.

[Zebbe]

Finally beat this game and got the good ending. I think the game is horrible. Glad it isn't a true Sonic game.