Sonic Mania: Locating the 7 Chaos Emeralds

The independently made Sonic Mania is a return to form of the fan-favorite Sega mascot. The game provides players with the feelings of a classic Sonic game. Sonic’s return to a 2D space is a welcomed one, Mania expertly displays the momentum-based thrills one would expect in a Sonic game. The game provides the classic feel of Sonic music on top of a paralleled recreation of the classic style in its visuals. As a whole Sonic Mania emulates what made Sonic a great mascot and an even greater franchise. A wonderful return to form for returning players while a great place to start to experience Sonic at his greatest potential for new fans of the series.

The title also provides players with a resurgence of the favorite Sonic transformation, Super Sonic. This form can only be accessed after players collect all of the Chaos emerald while progressing the game’s story. These emeralds are found by completing difficult yet enjoyable mini-games. This guide will demonstrate how to collect all of the chaos emerald and the most efficient way to collect them in Sonic Mania.

How to Find the Emeralds in Sonic Mania

The chaos emeralds are locked behind a UFO chasing mini-game that is labeled in maps by a larger than average ring symbol hidden in levels. These rings are cleverly hidden in most of the levels of Sonic Mania and can be difficult to discover. Thankfully there are 32 different special rings placed in the 12 levels of Sonic Mania. 

Each of these rings is hidden through the levels of Sonic Mania. To discover them replaying a level’s varying paths is the best way to find these rings. But to get the Chaos emerald a player must be skilled enough to catch the UFO that carries the Emerald in question.

How to Beat the UFO Mini-Game in Sonic Mania

This mini-game requires players to catch up and retrieve a chaos emerald from the clutches of one of Dr. Eggman’s UFO machines. This requires players to collect small blue orbs to boost Sonic’s speed, in order to catch up to the machine.

When you tackle these mini-games be sure to collect as many blue orbs as you can. These orbs are the best way to catch up to the UFO and are essential to collecting all of the emeralds. However, it is important to note that the mini-game is placed on a timer that is connected to the number of rings a player has collected during the course of mini-game. These rings are as, if not more, important as the speed-boosting orbs found throughout the mini-games arena.

As you engage in these missions be sure to focus on collecting a solid amount of rings to give your self enough time to complete the trial. A good amount of rings would be between 30-60. This will provide players a solid amount of time to complete the task at hand without fear of the timer running out. Be wary of the various obstacles in Sonic’s path, including spikes or bombs, these will knock away your rings and lower your provided time limit.

To complete the game all you need to do is get Sonic close enough to the UFO to trigger the cut scene which signals the end of the mission. This sounds rather easy, but in reality, this mini-game is very frustrating. Controlling 3D Sonic is more difficult than it seems and will provide some trouble compared to the ease of use of his 2D counterpart.  Once you get the controlling of Sonic down pat, then the trouble lies in multi managing your ring supply and your blue orb surplus. The rings are by far the most important to collect, but the UFO’s rapid pace cannot be caught without the blue orbs.

As player’s collect orbs, if the meter is filled up all the way, Sonic will begin to run faster and faster. If filled up a second-time Sonic will sprint at an extremely fast rate and the blue orbs will begin to flash gold. This is the fastest that this 3D Sonic can travel and it can make up some lost ground between the player and the machine. Keep in mind, however, that Sonic becomes all but uncontrollable given the speed and the nature of the mini-games control scheme. So stay focused and hunt down the thieving machinery.

The Easiest Way to Get the Chaos Emeralds in Sonic Mania

It is without question that some players may lose to some of these mini-games. They are rather difficult and can be extremely frustrating. The way in which 3D Sonic moves can be tricky to master and may lead to some crushing losses. If a player does happen to lose, no need to worry, you have actually started the easiest method for collecting these chaos emeralds.

The easiest way to collect these items is to beat the game outright, and finish the main campaign. After beating the game, load up Green Hill Zone 1 and find the hidden ring in this level. This is by far the easiest of the rings to find and will cause no player trouble. Complete the given UFO mini-game and then immediately load out of the level.

After you exit the level, re-enter the Green Hill Zone and go to the ring once more. This will provide players another of the UFO mini-games that holds a different emerald. For the mini-games are not level locked after a player defeats the final boss, and can be farmed freely. The game will simply provide the next mini-game given which emeralds that player does not have and allow players to complete that emerald’s mission.

This is by far the easiest way to collect all of the chaos emeralds within Sonic Mania. Now just rinse and repeat until you have collected all of the emeralds. Now you will be able to unlock a secret ending and have the ability to use the powerful Super Sonic.

Sonic Mania is available on PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PC.