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Major Shortcuts Guide

Techniques/Shortcuts - Major Shortcuts Guide

Submitted by SkyLights

Before I begin, there's a few techniques you might want to know about before you read this.

--Techniques--

Tricking: Spam a/b while in the air or R while on a rail to increase your tension gauge. Nothing much to say about that, except that you gain a short boost from tricking three times on a rail.

R-Tricking: Something that's in the manual. However, here's a better breakdown.

-Up+R: Boosts Sonic/Blaze upwards with a complete loss of horizontal speed. This effect can be used to good advantage in places like Leaf Storm 2. Blaze can do this much better.

-Up+Left/Right+R: Boosts Sonic/Blaze upwards while keeping all speed. Blaze, once again, can do this better.

-Up+Left/Right+R: Gives Sonic/Blaze a complete loss of vertical speed, and gives them a quick boost of horizontal speed. Blaze can use this technique better than Sonic, and also, if you time the trick just right near the edge of a cliff, you can keep the speed when you land on the ground.

Rush-Jumping: It's just like it sounds. You boost and jump at the same time. Note that you can do this backwards as well. It's a great idea to perform this upwards off of slopes and such to reach places that are normally unacessable.

Sonic R: Sonic can do this at any time he's not tricking. While in the air, press R, and he will get a complete loss of vertical speed, and force all of his current speed in the direction he's facing. Really nifty technique.

Blaze R: Blaze can do this at any time she's not tricking. While in the air, press R, and Blaze will begin hovering, cutting her descent rather quickly, and continue hovering for a short time.

Keeping that in mind, if you've ever used it before out of competition, you've probably just held R down and that was it. It's much more effective just to tap the R button, as it will give you much more air time and let you cover a greater distance, as seen in Crowbar's Leaf Storm 2 and Water Palace 1 videos.

Spindash: "Oh, since we have the boost ability now, that makes the spindash useless, right?" Nope. The spindash is faster at destroying enemies; the boost makes them fly around a bunch of times before they die. Other than that, it is kind of useless now... Except if you consider one other thing.

Spindash-Rush: The combined powers of the spindash and the boost make things a little interesting. Get into a spindash, then press the boost buttons to move while spindashing! It only has one time-attackable use though, which is a pity. I'll explain it later.

Space-Jumping: Only Blaze can do this. Like the above, this is a glitch. Basically, you get to something you can "hang" off of; for example, the cranes in Huge Crisis. Jump, start hovering, smack into the crane with R still being held, then jump off with R still being held. The effect is that you jump like you were on the moon, and fall with the hovering effect in full swing. Also like the above, this only has one time attackable use... but it's still pretty cool 8D

Anyways, onto the major shortcuts!

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--Shortcuts--

-Leaf Storm 1-

-Just watch the videos. I'm lazy for this part since I detest this level greatly. :P

Difficulty: Moderate
-I do know one thing not in the video though. After the third checkpoint, the player will go down a slope, hit a trampoline, and then hit a rainbow ring to launch him up past a rail. It's possible to just skip hitting the trampoline and hit the rail if you jump off of the previous slope and hit the rainbow ring, while avoiding the bottom of the wall that's there. (okay that's not a massive time cutting trick, but hey)

-Leaf Storm 2-

-Watch the vid. 8D

Difficulty: Somewhat Moderate
-After the first checkpoint and after the rope swing that smacks you into a spring after a second or two (which you can jump off of btw), you eventually come to two successive loops, with the second one leading down vertically into a spring. Jump off of this vertical decline to the flat platform right in front of the spring, and jump again past the decline and the 90 degree incline to hit an enemy and go up the cylinder corkscrew faster than normal.

Difficulty:Somewhat Moderate
-Before the final larger-than-normal loop, there is a rail with a loop and a vertical incline that leads to the aformentioned large loop. Jump off of the rail loop at the right angle and R-trick towards the large loop to cut off a little time.

-Water Palace 1-

-Watch the vid. 8D!

Difficulty:Somewhat Moderate
-There's only one shortcut that's not shown in the video. Sonic only. Eventually, you come to a water slide (which you should be skipping) that leads to a slope that leads the player on a route underwater via a 45 degree downward slope, which eventually makes you hit checkpoint number two.

Make sure you're rushing when you hit the spring after it. Hold forward, and hit the turbine. DO NOT R-TRICK INTO IT. If the circumstances are right, you should go up the turbine shaft, and start going through the tube to the right very low. So low, that you can land on it. Boost on out of there. (I have a feeling someone's gonna beat my record now :( )

-Water Palace 2-

Difficulty: Moderately Difficult
-Right near the beginning, after the first loop, you come to a series of springs that you can trick off of normally and fill your tension gauge with. Skip it by jumping off the wall and through the middle of the shaft. "But I need all that boost ahh!" Not really. :P It's possible to manage without it.

Difficulty: Easy
-This shortcut begins at the first water-pressurized booster in the level. Boost upwards, and get on top of the rail up there via an R-trick. After the invincibility box, you come to a rail that slopes downward. Get on it, slowly, and then rush-jump upwards and hit the spring that sends you flying at the first checkpoint.

Difficulty: Easy
-Right after that shortcut, you come to a downward slope that sends you into a water slide. Turns out that you can rush-jump upwards at the top of that slope, and then hold right to jump over a wall. Nifty shortcut. 8D

Difficulty: Moderate
-After the last checkpoint, you come to a large loop that sends you on a vertical decline into a water slide. Jump off of this vertical decline and R-trick at the right time to make it to the ledge before the last loop in the stage. Blaze is such a haxxor at this, that she can just hover over that loop.

Difficulty: Moderate
-Easy to get stuck on is the last part of the stage, where you are forced to slow down a little or a lot, depending on what your experience is with the level. The way to enter this part is what makes it difficult though, so here's my suggestion: don't use any R-tricks on the spring that leads to this part at all. You can just jump over the moving block and onto the second platform, then rush-jump off to the goal ring on the third platform.

-Mirage Road 1-

Difficulty: Moderately Difficult
-Ah, a fun little level this is. The first trick is by far the hardest trick to pull of in the level. You'll eventually come to a part where you can take a lower path or a higher one. You'll want the lower one, for either Sonic or Blaze. After the weird 3D gear thing, you come to a hump in the ground with an enemy to the right of it.

Right above you is the upper path, and these settings make for some of the most perfect boost-jumping grounds ever, letting you skip fighting in the enemy rooms entirely. Boost off of the right side of the hump at about a 70-80 degree angle and hold right. It gets easier with practice.

Difficulty: Moderately Difficult
-After that, you eventually come to an invincibility box. This is a very important invincibility box. So right fromt the invincibility box, you need to jump upwards, and land past the 90 degree incline and into a hole with a spring to the right. Skip the spring and dive downward to a pathway with a 3D gear thing in it. After going through a ride on that, jump through two rails, and go through two more gear things and into a fight room. Spindash through the first five enemies, and then the big enemy will drop down. The trick is to still be invincible. Let it land on you, and it will be destroyed in not three, but one hit. Practice with Sonic before you attempt with Blaze.

-Mirage Road 2-

Difficulty: Moderate
-The first trick here comes almost immediately. Jump off the first 90 degree decline you come to; it should be right before a ramp. This will send you flying to the higher path, hopefully hitting the spring up there. Continue on a little ways while hitting the max tension gauge box, and you should come to another 90 degree decline leading into a spring. Rush jump upwards, making sure you don't hit the wall, and you will be flying over a ton of crap.

Difficulty: REALLY, REALLY EASY.
-There's a glitch that I could mention, but it's too good for me to tell just anyone. 8D Whenever I can, I'll try to make a video of it.

Difficulty: Easy
-When you get to the part with the rolling platform that eventually blows up, stick to the left at all times before the wheel comes off so that the platform will go farther and get to the water part quicker.

-Night Carnival 1-

Difficulty: Somewhat Moderate
-I personally think this level is kind of plain... But anyway, the first major shortcut comes after the first checkpoint, and after the corkscrew handlebar. After hitting a switch, a rail appears that you can grind on. Go through that, through a loop, and rush into the spring while holding forward. Before you hit the first balloon as either character, Up+Right+R trick over the balloons and into the enemies.

Difficulty: Somewhat Moderate
-After the second checkpoint, there's a jack-in-the-box type spring, and a loop afterwards. Blast upwards off of the 90 degree decline that comes straight afterwards, and you'll be able to land on a platform and then jump through a hole when you get to the end of it, which essentially lets you skip a whole bunch of crap.

Difficulty: Moderate
-Blaze only. After the first chased-by-rock-sequence (hopefully you're boosting at the end of it), you'll hit a spring and hopefully hit the top rainbow ring; it should send you flying to the right. Before you hit the ground, use the up+right+R-trick and you should land on the platform straight above the swings.

Difficulty: Easy
-After the last checkpoint. you should go down a slope. Jump off, and hit the ground to the right. Yes, that's it.

Difficulty: Moderate
-Before you come to the last set of swings, there's a downward 45 degree slope that leads straight into one. If you rush jump upwards to the left at the top of this slope, and then immediately hold left afterwards with an R move sometime soon afterwards, you should get on the top of a pillar, and be able to rush-jump off into the right.

-Night Carnival 2-

-This level has so much crap in it, that a guide is useless for it. It needs a video.

-Huge Crisis 1-

Difficulty: Somewhat Moderate
-Now, I already have a guide specially for this level, but half of it is useless now because of two shortcuts. (Infact, this isn't my favorite level anymore because of these two shortcuts.) The first one comes right before the first enemy room on the higher route. Rush-jump upwards off of the rail there and head to the right, and you'll overcome a wall and land on a platform, and eventually fall through a hole in the ground and put you much farther in the level than normal.

Difficulty: Somewhat Moderate
-The second ungodly shortcut comes after the first set of boost rings over a gap, which you normally get to via the jet booster on the deck of the carrier. Holding right after that will send you into an invincibility box and let you plow through a few enemies, and then you'll hit a spring. Here's where the trick comes in. Rush-jump off of the tip of that slope up on top of the wall to the right. From there, rush-jump blindly to the right with an R move to slow your descent a bit, and you'll land past a crane, which, like the previous shortcut, enables you to skip an entire section of the level. Man, these shortcuts suck. >:(

-Huge Crisis 2-

Difficulty: Hard
-The main overall record killer in this level are the three pistons that come on Sonic's route. You as the player need to go fast enough through all of the sections in between and land on top of the first two pistons as soon as you see them in order to go sub 1:40 on this level. It's hard not to show this without a good video available.

Difficulty: Easy
-Blaze only. In fact, this is the only time-attackable use for the Space-Jumping technique that I've discovered. After the second section of pistons that you encounter, you should come to a split in the path where you can Up+R into a crane or skip that. Go into the crane and continue along that route for now. The third crane you come to, space jump off of. Yes, you skip a ton of crap with this shortcut, and it is rather easy to pull off.

-Altitude Limit 1

Difficulty: Moderately Easy
-My favorite zone. 8D This level is mostly just pure skill too, but there is one thing I can mention that cuts off a load of time. Whenever you are directed into a parachute booster, skip it if possible. The second one you come to is impossible to skip, so if that case comes up, get hit while you're falling so that you'll travel much faster than you would if you were still attatched to a parachute.

-Altitude Limit 2-

Difficulty: Moderately Easy
-Blaze only. The second spring you come to, Up+Right+R to completely skip the parachute sequence. Too bad Sonic can't do that...

Difficulty: Really Easy
-Note for all glider sequences: stay as far right as possible.

Difficulty: Moderately Difficult
-The only use of the Spindash Rush is on the last parachute sequence, and it's only useful with Sonic. Purposely get hit by the spikes while you're on the parachute, and then start charging the spindash facing right. Boost to the right, charge in midair, and let go when you get to the bottom of wall that is blocking you from further proceeding right.

-Dead Line 1-

-Ah, such a cool name... Watch the vid 8D

Difficulty: (this isn't really a shortcut)
-Actually, I do two things different from the video. Firstly, I do not do the near-impossible rocket trick at the beginning; I have found it much more successful to hit the ground before the see-saw and take the lower route, then switch off to the higher route the first chance I get. Personally, I don't see much of a time difference doing this.

Difficulty: Easy
-The second trick I do differently than the video is after the first checkpoint. After the green running-walls, you come to the see-saw. Jump over it, and land inside the loop after it. Rush to the left. There you have it; two seconds saved.

-Dead Line 2-

-This is mostly a skill-based level with no major shortcuts.

Difficulty: Hard
-There's one exception, and neither I nor Crowbar have figured it out yet. If you take the bottom route during the first half and stay on the bottom screen, you'll eventually come to a fight sequence. The shortcut is, apparently, just running through this sequence and skipping the entire fight. Yes, it's possible. Crowbar said that it might be related to the way you come off of the green running platform before that part, and I agree with that.

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Hopefully, this guide has given you some new knowledge. Good luck with your time attacking endeavors in Sonic Rush, hope to see you on the charts! :D (So I can beat you 8D)
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