Knuckles' Chaotix

Knuckles' Chaotix is the most distinctive platformer the 32X ever got, and at the same time one of the strangest offshoots of the entire Sonic universe. The main star is Knuckles, joined by a crew who later became known as Chaotix — the crocodile Vector, the bee Charmy, or the spider Espio. The key novelty is the elastic band: characters are always played in pairs, connected by a stretchy bond that stretches, tenses, and catapults. Pulling your partner back and releasing lets you launch high into the air; a sharp move can send your buddy flying over a chasm. The entire gameplay rests on this physics, and it takes a while to get used to, because ordinary running and jumping isn't enough on its own here. The reward is a kind of movement you won't experience in other platformers: a well-timed rebound flings you across half the level, with your partner trailing behind you like a stone from a slingshot.

Visually, it's one of the most colorful titles on the add-on. Levels burst with saturated hues, funfair-style environments layer into several planes, and the game pulls off rotation and transparency effects that the Mega Drive alone couldn't manage. The sound holds onto the brisk, melodic line typical of the series, and the structure is rounded out by special bonus stages with a view into space, which again show off the hardware's polygonal capabilities. The levels are sprawling, and which set you get changes depending on how you perform, giving the game a slightly experimental edge.

At the time, the game was received with mixed feelings: it was praised for its idea and its colorfulness, while criticism targeted the less gripping pace that the bond between characters inevitably brings, and the absence of the main blue hedgehog. As a showcase of unusual game mechanics, though, it has aged well and ranks among the most sought-after cartridges of the platform among collectors. Anyone who gives the band a chance for more than a few minutes will find a platformer that plays like nothing else. And in two-player mode, where each person controls one half of the pair, it turns into a comedy full of mutual flinging and giggling.