All 30 cyberspace stages from Sonic Frontiers ranked from least to greatest. What are your favorites? Support the channel here, if you'd like: / bickuribox12
Fun fact: The homing dash actually was found during of the development by kishimoto but he left it because he thought it is going to be a fun move for the player to discover
Yeah that ain't gonna matter to a lot of people they'll still complain that they "shouldn't have to use glitches to go fast". Even then I also wouldn't class it as a glitch, moreso just an exploit because (from what I can see) it works because of how the air boost works. When Sonic air boosts he actually carries speed through that he had before air boosting which also makes air boost last longer. The air boost can also be used to cancel a lot of different things including the homing attack, which when homing in on an enemy, Sonic gains a lot of speed to reach the enemy quickly. You are simply cancelling the the homing attack with an air boost and, because of how the air boost carries momentum, the result is Sonic carrying a lot of speed
I love how each video starts of with a joke of the game glitching, it instantly makes me think, "Yes, this is going to be a good 20-40 minuets of my life."
@@sometf2player752 Fun fact: Kishimoto knew that the homing dash existed but kept in game as fun exploit. Wait what? Someone already said this in the comments? Damn
The best thing that cyberspace did was not resetting the music to the beginning whenever you restart. I love the music in these games and actually hearing the whole song instead of the first 20 seconds over and over makes the whole experience so much better.
Funny that you mentioned that. Idk if anyone else does this, but whenever im trying to beat my times in sonic games, i find it difficult to take quick glances at the time because it’ll throw me out of sync and off rhythm. (Especially doing speedruns on unleashed). So i just use the music as a timer.
Bickuri is such a refreshing content creator to watch. I'd never imagine a Sonictuber giving something like Forces or Frontiers Cyberspace the time of day, but here this guy comes making ranking videos for both. He really tries to enjoy them from every angle, and even when he finds stuff he doesn't like he doesn't blindly hate. It's a legitimate breath of fresh air, I hope you continue grow dude.
@@riniabraham5579yeah, forces wasn’t as terrible as some fans make it out to be. Although it is notorious for being very short and unintuitive for a game that took 5 years to develop. Also the story in that game had so much interesting potential that was terribly executed and just waisted
@@shrekslythegreat7741 the issue with forces is that it was mediocre. as far as i remember it was preceeded by sonic mania and breath of the wild and it was essentially competing with mario odyssey. to be worse than a predecessor and flanked by another 3D platformer which was itself a great game was definitely deflating to fans and the issues on top of the not amazing gameple just added insult to injury.
Funny story about 1-7. I liked the music so much that at my previous high school prom, I requested to play this song. And I got my wish. Everyone loved it.
I feel like 1-2 was almost an important reminder of how far I've come in life. I've been a Sonic fan since I was a kid, my first game was Sonic Heroes. And if 1-2 existed when I was a kid, I probably would have never touched Sonic again. If I would have played 1-2 a couple years ago, I probably would have finished the level and ignored the S-Rank thinking "It's too hard". But now. Now I welcome challenge. Now I get excited whenever something challenges my abilities and thought processes. I learned the Homing Dash, I learned the fastest way to the exit, and I conquered the stage. And that's how I view everything in life now, not just videogames. And 1-2 reminded me of just how far I've come
Once I learned of the Jump Stomp (or stomp bounce) and how it can be reset via a double jump or air boost, that's when the levels got more interesting. I might say that, in terms of platforming control, Frontiers feels closer to the Adventure games than most others. If the momentum and handling was improved, it could surpass the best controlling games in the series.
Agreed. A lot of people saw him as slow, but I personally really like the control this Sonic has when it comes to platforming. Yes more momentum and better turning would be great adjustments but I have a lot of fun even with this somewhat flawed control scheme.
I genuinely love these videos, not just for the excellent writing, but also because I don't think I've seen a single others person who feels the nearly exact same way I do when it comes to sonic games
the reason i love these vids is because i feel like it says things that nobody else says about this game or these levels that i WISH more people would say. like 3-6 being the best cyber space stage. the format of these vids are truly great
Dude I 100% agree with your placement of Enjoy This World. One thing I really love about the stage is how well the music works with it thematically. You have this nail-bitingly tense level with all these super tight jumps and dashes with instant death just one mistake away, but it's backed up with this cheery, upbeat song about how you always gotta keep going and just enjoy yourself. It creates such a good atmosphere and the whole thing is just **chef's kiss**
Absolute banger, I like getting new perspective on parts of Sonic games I didn't fully give a chance and wrote off, makes me wanna go back to them myself with the new mindset
I enjoyed Cyberspace, but I think the stages themselves could be so much more visually appealing if they mismatched different assets from different level themes together. You could mix the Green Hill assets with Digital City and reference either Forces or Starlight Zone. Combine City with Chemical Plant to explore what a new Eggman base could look like. I also think each island should've had a secret Cyberspace stage that uses assets from the islands themselves.
@@djroscurro9859 that'd require making more assets. I'm trying to imagine the idea without increasing dev time. Instead of Green Hill assets all sticking together, separate from the other level asset themes, all in their own boxes, what if sega mix and matched the contents of each box? They basically have 4 playsets but haven't thought to combine them.
Yeah, we *really* need jump momentum & instant jump turns back in the next 3D Sonic game. That said, we’re probably gonna get a lot more original levels next time thanks to the supposed increased budget.
@@Neoxon619 Yup, the most suspect thing to me is the fact SEGA didn’t inform Sonic Team about Increased budgets. Makes me think they won’t be part of that.
You know since the cyber space levels draw from Sonic’s memories it makes sense that it’s full of green hill and chemical plant. Cus he keeps coming back there he must know those places better then the back of his hand
I kinda wish they’d brought back Final Rush as a Cyberspace level, might’ve made for a good final challenge. Frontiers may not have leaning but rail-jumping in 3D is a lot of fun and the wide open layout of Final Rush would’ve allowed for some great shortcuts with homing dashes
I absolutely love that it seems like everybody has a vastly different, yet valid opinion on each level. Your #1 pick is my #29 pick, while one of the ones you didnt feel strongly on is my absolute favourite. And it seems we all have that one "1-2 level" that pushed us to make so many optimizations it became silly. That was mine with No Pain No Gain. The very first time save happens about 3 seconds in and the next makor skip happens about 5 seconds in. Every single imput in no pain no gain needs to be perfect or else you wont get the time you want in such a dense short level. It's great, and even if I'm sad you disliked it so much your opinions are so valid I can't complain. 4-3 will always be the best stage in my heart, with it's multiple paths and insane skips.
As much as I am annoyed that cyberspace both reusing level themes and designs from the previous games, I do appreciate whenever they create totally original stage designs because I feel like that's when the concept really shines. If we had more of those levels instead of 25% Adventure 2 stages and 30% Unleashed/Generation stages with controls not suited for them, I think Cyberspace would be held in higher regard than it is now.
The movement options in this game are crazy, if cyberspace is to return in the next game, they should have all the levels be original and take advantage of said movement options more, the few original stages in this game show a lot of potential.
"The structure is promising, but the contents aren't there yet." Pretty much describes this game as a whole for me. Also, I felt that "SUCK IT--" about the spikes, that is the sound of a man overcoming hours of pain.
Great video! I'd honestly love to see "Sonic Stages Ranked Worst to Best" as a series. I'd love to see your ranking for stages from Lost World or Adventure 2! I highly agree with 4-5 and 3-3 being that high, I think I play those stages specifically more times than I can count they're absolutely fun. Also I like that you mix the soundtrack names in as the official stage titles I think that helps differentiate them more since without the OST titles they're kind of just....numbers. LOL
Found this video after the new update. I thought the Cyberspace stages were just fine when I first played through all of them, but with the Cyberspace Rush, trying to get the best time I can, I’ve really grown to enjoy these stages. My personal favourites being the ones based on 3D sky sanctuary and Sky Rail
I really appreciate how you take the time to truly dissect each level of the game including the more boring ones. Emphasizing the best parts changes my perspective on them and encourages me to play through them again to fully realize their potential such as you did! I saw this in your Forces level-ranking video and I gotta say I do admire the ambition to find the light in all that's given!
I appreciate that the Homing Dash has the same history as the Rocket Jump. A super helpful quirk of the engine discovered by players and later approved by the developers.
I know everyone hates on Cyber Space, but I actually really dig it. It’s easily the second-weakest set of boost gameplay, and I’d still much rather play Unleashed or Generations, yet I still really dig the direction of merging together Adventure and modern stage directions and controls as a kind of special stag. Plus, the original levels are a massive improvement from Forces (which isn’t saying much, but still). 4-4, 3-6, and 2-6 were my speedrun addiction for the longest time after release. I just wish more of the S-ranks were as hard as 1-2, and that we had more original themes. At least we have mods for those.
I'm really glad we _don't_ have more S-ranks as hard as 1-2. Challenge is good and all, but when you have to be a borderline speedrunner to beat a time by just a fraction of a second, it's too hard. Maybe slightly below that level would be a good challenge.
I really appreciate the inclusion of cyberspace. Sure they often feel pretty slow and stiff, but they were a really good change of pace from the open zone in my opinion, and they're pretty replayable. I also wish some of the S ranks were a tad more challenging. Maybe not all 1-2 level, but a lot of them I can beat over 30 seconds quicker than the S rank without using the homing dash or anything.
honestly i never really minded the levels length for most of these, like yeah 4-8 is 30 seconds long but its still one of my favorite levels in the game because its just constant action every second and its just really fun, the only level that bothered me with its length was 4-2 since theres not really that much going on in it feel like my way of playing these games may be kinda different than how a lot of other people seem to play, cuz i'd always try and look for more and more movement tech (even besides homing dashes) to optimize my times further rather than just playing through the levels at my own pace and not touching them that much again finding out that jump stomping would reset your airboost so you could just do it over and over again was such a cool moment for me and it really enhanced levels like 2-2 and the 2D chemical plant levels with the moving platforms for me
3-6 was the only cyberspace stage where I actually said, "wait, there's still more?!" I find it hilarious they paired one of the happiest songs with one of the most challenging levels, so the lyrics come off as mildly infuriating / sarcastic lol. Still though, 3-6 is my favorite stage for genuinely surprising me. Also, whoever put that moving spike ball at the end is a sadist
I fully recommend using a momentum mod to make the controls more bearable ( I myself have been using "Showin's momentum tweaks"). Just the feature that jumps keeps your ground speed, make the levels so much more fluid!
Cyb was mid for me in day one, but as I keep playing It, gets better to the point that my opinion completely changed and I actually think it's pretty good tho, specially with modded controls. But I feel like Ouranos's levels could be better if they were fused, like making Rumble Rave and No Pain No Gain a single level or do the same with Ephermeal, Signs and Wishes In The Wind, with music and time of day changes (Rumble Rave and No Pain No Gain would also have a music change) for making It a lot more special. I'm not saying these levels suck balls, they're good, but I feel like they made 2 more levels for no reason.
Totally agree, 4-8 when connected to a larger level would’ve been a good quick time reaction section but as it’s own level it’s just kind of pathetic as it ends before it even starts
My "4-2" is definetly 4-3 Rumble Rave. The level is so wacky and weird in its design, yet that's the one thing that makes it unique. I love the amount of routes it has and even without the homing dashes, it is still a very fun stage to breeze through. Love your content, Bickuri!
Someone else who considers 3-6 to be the best cyberspace level? I fully agree with you on that. Also has what I feel is the best music track among those stages. Granted I like all of the stages (I'd even argue that they're _better_ than Generations' stages (maybe even Unleashed!), which says a lot as that's one of my favorite titles in the series), but 3-6 is the one I always go back to.
3-6 is directly copied from Sonic Unleashed Rooftop run. It’s alright but the Stiff 2D controls ruin it. The Double jump, huge Light speed dash hit boxes, and Air boost take away all of the challenge that was present in the Unleashed version.
usually a video like this isnt very interesting to me but when u do it its always so enjoyable listening to ur uniquie takes on things u always help open my eyes to gameplay i wouldve thought to be more forgetable
I wonder, with the nine new Cyber Space stages in the Final Horizon update, is this list gonna get redone? Granted, they are remixed versions of existing ones, but they got pretty crazy with new gimmicks. That remix of Genshi, I seriously thought they remade Honeycomb Highway at first.
First and foremost, I appreciate how you took the time out to analyze the skill/input required for every level. Sonic Unleashed is one of my favorites for this specific reason. Most folks complain about how difficult level design ruins a stage, but you fully embraced it, and created a list that I mostly agree with.
apparently the director confirmed that the homing dash wasnt intentional at first, but noticed it, and then left it in for poeple to use as a cool trick to beat stages faster
15:49 YES. This level was one of my favorites for nearly the same reasons. Just a FEW tweaks to how Sonic feels and plays in 2D and more time challenges for us to overcome and more stages like this become so fun. This level was awesome to continue replaying through.
I had a TON of fun with 3-6. I heard a lot of people moaning about this level but idk, I didn't struggle with it and thought the Frontiers controls actually lent themselves well to this dlc mission layout from Unleashed.
Tbh I never really liked them but when you put it like that I *did* enjoy being tested. The cyberspace stages that made me actually think and want to go faster did keep me entertained despite it being held back by forces physics, such as the green hill act 1 cyberspace stage and of course 1-2. It makes the package more tolerable when I'm not just *getting* S ranks for existing but I'm getting them for trying to go fast *and* platform.
18:56 This was the stage that I found out that Sonic can roll into a ball by pressing down. It has decent momentum gains when you roll down a slope, but only when the game doesn't try to plane switch you and halt all your speed.
Thank you so Much Loved Watching all these Videos from your Channel and, Thanks to you I've Learned to Appreciate Cyberspace without the Boost at All! (The Gamecube Controller's Z is Finnicky and the other Controllers aren't Better) Without it, the Dropdash becomes Key to Ensure you Slow down as Little as Possible It's all about Precision; Knowing when and where to Use it to Improve It may not be as Fast as Using the Boost, but I think the Technical Aspect more than makes up for it Especially fun on Cycle-Based Stages
Man I love watching this guy, it's like a new form of asmr when I listen to him. He should rank every stage in other modern Sonic games like Generations, Colours and maybe lost world?
Love these ranking videos and as ive said before on your other videos we need more. Youre so good. Gens levels classic levels whatever. Also i find once you know what to do 1-2 is very easy to consistently get under the S rank without using any cheats
Dude enjoy this world is also my favourite it's so much fun. I love speedrunning all of these levels well with a few exceptions. But I love speedrunning this one
Cyberspace is something that'll get more appreciation as time goes on. Hopefully the next game will improve upon them, but even as is they are enjoyable (except 3-5 f*cking hell).
I really do agree with the statement you made at 8:34. It feels like an eternity just running, waiting for something to happen. Those cars aren’t even MOVING and I feel like I, the fastest thing alive, is getting outpaced by them
I wonder if bickuribox would like ultrakill. It has a similar sense of speed and mastery over level design with lots of cool tech to discover, except it's a retrofps/movement shooter.
Just gonna clarify that the homing dash isn’t a glitch (an unintentional exception from intended code), but rather an exploit (an unintentional result of intentional code). An example of a glitch would be clipping through the floor (it happens sometimes in frontiers). But the homing dash is an intended speed increase from the homing attack, followed by an intended interrupt to that motion with the air boost, in the precise direction from the intended ability to air boost in any direction, leading to an unintended redirection of speed in whatever direction the player wants. Think of Smash Melee’s invisible ceiling glitch (a glitch) VS the grounded burst momentum from wavedashing (an exploit).
In my opinion, playing expert mode really changed my perspective on these levels cuz when I first played them on hard mode, they were okay but too easy with getting S rank(besides 1-2). But with the shortened time ranks on expert mode, it really feels like with most levels, you HAVE to optimize which route is best, not make a mistake, and feels way more satisfying completing.
After waychin this I'll prob steal it & make it MY CS Rank list, but more importantly I CAN'T BELEIVE U ALSO THINK UNLEASHED MIXED WITH COLORS CONTROLS WOULD BE PERFECT FOR CS I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY 1! Tho I'd change unleashed to its SD/Wii version rather the typical HD version mainly cus of how the boost there works
Genuinely surprised we have the same favorite, most people think its meh or hate it because of the challenge, thats what makes me love it though, hot take, but I enjoyed cyberspace most in 2D and 3-6 is the panicle of that 2D level design. also has my favorite cyberspace theme.
I have a feeling besides the fact that they were on an insane time crunch like literally every 3D console Sonic game to exist ever, they brought back the layouts of these stages to figure out which gameplay styles players preferred the most. .... At least I hope so... Because if I see Green Hill Zone another fucking time
25:18 i saw this in a choctopus video and you can still hit the balloon even if you bonk on the spikeball. Heck, it's faster since you hit the balloon immediately after being hit by the spike.
Fun fact: The homing dash actually was found during of the development by kishimoto but he left it because he thought it is going to be a fun move for the player to discover
Oh? Is that true?
Yeah that ain't gonna matter to a lot of people they'll still complain that they "shouldn't have to use glitches to go fast". Even then I also wouldn't class it as a glitch, moreso just an exploit because (from what I can see) it works because of how the air boost works. When Sonic air boosts he actually carries speed through that he had before air boosting which also makes air boost last longer. The air boost can also be used to cancel a lot of different things including the homing attack, which when homing in on an enemy, Sonic gains a lot of speed to reach the enemy quickly. You are simply cancelling the the homing attack with an air boost and, because of how the air boost carries momentum, the result is Sonic carrying a lot of speed
LOVE TO SEE IT! a developer knowing his playbase is always a nice treat.
@@unusedchannel20956 Yep! It was a happy accident that became a secret skill in the game!
@@SonicAndre2 Nice I need to learn this homing dash!
I love how each video starts of with a joke of the game glitching, it instantly makes me think, "Yes, this is going to be a good 20-40 minuets of my life."
well he used the homing dash witch is more of a exploit but yeah
@@sometf2player752 Fun fact: Kishimoto knew that the homing dash existed but kept in game as fun exploit. Wait what? Someone already said this in the comments? Damn
Agreed
He’s off to a better place...
@@MrNeedleM0use already knew
The best thing that cyberspace did was not resetting the music to the beginning whenever you restart. I love the music in these games and actually hearing the whole song instead of the first 20 seconds over and over makes the whole experience so much better.
Funny that you mentioned that. Idk if anyone else does this, but whenever im trying to beat my times in sonic games, i find it difficult to take quick glances at the time because it’ll throw me out of sync and off rhythm. (Especially doing speedruns on unleashed). So i just use the music as a timer.
@@ill_will23 this is the absolute definition of “work smarter not harder”
@QuagStar I actually find it to be one of my gripes with Cyberspace
@@alonsomoyano9278 why?
@@furious_pie466 Bc most, if not, all of Cyberspace has a catchy tune, so when I restart and it doesn’t, I feel uncomfortable
1-2 is simultaneously the most torturous and most rewarding stage of the whole game to me.
I've heard extreme difficulty made the S ranks higher. But they didn't change 1-2, they definitely knew it was hard enough as is.
@@riskyworksEven Hard mode, post patch 2 I think, changed the S Rank requirements.
Bickuri is such a refreshing content creator to watch. I'd never imagine a Sonictuber giving something like Forces or Frontiers Cyberspace the time of day, but here this guy comes making ranking videos for both. He really tries to enjoy them from every angle, and even when he finds stuff he doesn't like he doesn't blindly hate. It's a legitimate breath of fresh air, I hope you continue grow dude.
I never hated forces. It was my first Sonic game that I liked
@@riniabraham5579yeah, forces wasn’t as terrible as some fans make it out to be. Although it is notorious for being very short and unintuitive for a game that took 5 years to develop. Also the story in that game had so much interesting potential that was terribly executed and just waisted
@@shrekslythegreat7741 the issue with forces is that it was mediocre. as far as i remember it was preceeded by sonic mania and breath of the wild and it was essentially competing with mario odyssey. to be worse than a predecessor and flanked by another 3D platformer which was itself a great game was definitely deflating to fans and the issues on top of the not amazing gameple just added insult to injury.
@@shrekslythegreat7741 don’t you enjoy the running through the enemies it’s so fun
@@riniabraham5579 tbh it’s the lack of a homing attack for me
Funny story about 1-7. I liked the music so much that at my previous high school prom, I requested to play this song. And I got my wish. Everyone loved it.
good for you. i really wish for a chance to play Indefeatable at a function. i still kinda fantasise about it
I feel like 1-2 was almost an important reminder of how far I've come in life.
I've been a Sonic fan since I was a kid, my first game was Sonic Heroes. And if 1-2 existed when I was a kid, I probably would have never touched Sonic again. If I would have played 1-2 a couple years ago, I probably would have finished the level and ignored the S-Rank thinking "It's too hard".
But now. Now I welcome challenge. Now I get excited whenever something challenges my abilities and thought processes. I learned the Homing Dash, I learned the fastest way to the exit, and I conquered the stage. And that's how I view everything in life now, not just videogames. And 1-2 reminded me of just how far I've come
Once I learned of the Jump Stomp (or stomp bounce) and how it can be reset via a double jump or air boost, that's when the levels got more interesting. I might say that, in terms of platforming control, Frontiers feels closer to the Adventure games than most others. If the momentum and handling was improved, it could surpass the best controlling games in the series.
Agreed. A lot of people saw him as slow, but I personally really like the control this Sonic has when it comes to platforming. Yes more momentum and better turning would be great adjustments but I have a lot of fun even with this somewhat flawed control scheme.
It already has thanks to Update 2🎉
I genuinely love these videos, not just for the excellent writing, but also because I don't think I've seen a single others person who feels the nearly exact same way I do when it comes to sonic games
Well, now you've found another. (I also share a lot of opinions with bickuribox12)
So people who whine all the time?
@@frogc.🤨
the reason i love these vids is because i feel like it says things that nobody else says about this game or these levels that i WISH more people would say. like 3-6 being the best cyber space stage. the format of these vids are truly great
YOU AGAIN
Dude I 100% agree with your placement of Enjoy This World.
One thing I really love about the stage is how well the music works with it thematically. You have this nail-bitingly tense level with all these super tight jumps and dashes with instant death just one mistake away, but it's backed up with this cheery, upbeat song about how you always gotta keep going and just enjoy yourself. It creates such a good atmosphere and the whole thing is just **chef's kiss**
Absolute banger, I like getting new perspective on parts of Sonic games I didn't fully give a chance and wrote off, makes me wanna go back to them myself with the new mindset
HOW did a centipede type this
@@gonlegos many legs, more ways to hit the keyboard
I enjoyed Cyberspace, but I think the stages themselves could be so much more visually appealing if they mismatched different assets from different level themes together.
You could mix the Green Hill assets with Digital City and reference either Forces or Starlight Zone. Combine City with Chemical Plant to explore what a new Eggman base could look like.
I also think each island should've had a secret Cyberspace stage that uses assets from the islands themselves.
That's what I've been saying
Imagine if one of the 3d levels had the visuals of starlight carnival or night palace from secret rings
@@djroscurro9859 that'd require making more assets. I'm trying to imagine the idea without increasing dev time. Instead of Green Hill assets all sticking together, separate from the other level asset themes, all in their own boxes, what if sega mix and matched the contents of each box? They basically have 4 playsets but haven't thought to combine them.
@@slateoffate9812 Oh I know. But a man can dream
I love how the bar for sonic levels is so low that people are excited for 20 more seconds of gameplay from a level
Even though the homing dash is a glitch I love how sonic speed strats made it official
Yeah, we *really* need jump momentum & instant jump turns back in the next 3D Sonic game. That said, we’re probably gonna get a lot more original levels next time thanks to the supposed increased budget.
Wasn’t confirmed, Kishimoto said he had no idea Sega was increasing budgets. There’s a possibility the budget will increase but you know how SEGA is
@@Terminal_Apotos So the chances of a budget increase have gone up, but it’s not a lock just yet.
@@Neoxon619 Yup, the most suspect thing to me is the fact SEGA didn’t inform Sonic Team about Increased budgets. Makes me think they won’t be part of that.
You know since the cyber space levels draw from Sonic’s memories it makes sense that it’s full of green hill and chemical plant. Cus he keeps coming back there he must know those places better then the back of his hand
My jaw dropped seeing some of these crazy homing dash short cuts that Ive never seen before. My Lord.
Finding joy out of low points, especially out of Sonic games? I can't help but admire your commitment.
And wonder why many others don't do the same...
Because the game shouldn't have been released that way, and they paid full price for it
I kinda wish they’d brought back Final Rush as a Cyberspace level, might’ve made for a good final challenge. Frontiers may not have leaning but rail-jumping in 3D is a lot of fun and the wide open layout of Final Rush would’ve allowed for some great shortcuts with homing dashes
“Wife open layout?”
I absolutely love that it seems like everybody has a vastly different, yet valid opinion on each level. Your #1 pick is my #29 pick, while one of the ones you didnt feel strongly on is my absolute favourite.
And it seems we all have that one "1-2 level" that pushed us to make so many optimizations it became silly. That was mine with No Pain No Gain. The very first time save happens about 3 seconds in and the next makor skip happens about 5 seconds in. Every single imput in no pain no gain needs to be perfect or else you wont get the time you want in such a dense short level. It's great, and even if I'm sad you disliked it so much your opinions are so valid I can't complain. 4-3 will always be the best stage in my heart, with it's multiple paths and insane skips.
As much as I am annoyed that cyberspace both reusing level themes and designs from the previous games, I do appreciate whenever they create totally original stage designs because I feel like that's when the concept really shines. If we had more of those levels instead of 25% Adventure 2 stages and 30% Unleashed/Generation stages with controls not suited for them, I think Cyberspace would be held in higher regard than it is now.
The movement options in this game are crazy, if cyberspace is to return in the next game, they should have all the levels be original and take advantage of said movement options more, the few original stages in this game show a lot of potential.
Idk if Cyberspace will come back for story reasons, but I do hope (and think) the gameplay style does after some improvements.
"The structure is promising, but the contents aren't there yet." Pretty much describes this game as a whole for me.
Also, I felt that "SUCK IT--" about the spikes, that is the sound of a man overcoming hours of pain.
7:25 that bit there that got cut in this video, even down to the camera movement is akin to unleashed's dragon road act 1
Great video! I'd honestly love to see "Sonic Stages Ranked Worst to Best" as a series. I'd love to see your ranking for stages from Lost World or Adventure 2!
I highly agree with 4-5 and 3-3 being that high, I think I play those stages specifically more times than I can count they're absolutely fun.
Also I like that you mix the soundtrack names in as the official stage titles I think that helps differentiate them more since without the OST titles they're kind of just....numbers. LOL
Found this video after the new update. I thought the Cyberspace stages were just fine when I first played through all of them, but with the Cyberspace Rush, trying to get the best time I can, I’ve really grown to enjoy these stages. My personal favourites being the ones based on 3D sky sanctuary and Sky Rail
3-3 is awesome
definitely my personal favorite
Based 3-6 enjoyer. I've spent far too much time in that level optimizing my time. "Enjoy this world" is lodged in my brain permanently
I really appreciate how you take the time to truly dissect each level of the game including the more boring ones. Emphasizing the best parts changes my perspective on them and encourages me to play through them again to fully realize their potential such as you did! I saw this in your Forces level-ranking video and I gotta say I do admire the ambition to find the light in all that's given!
I appreciate that the Homing Dash has the same history as the Rocket Jump. A super helpful quirk of the engine discovered by players and later approved by the developers.
There will be one day when he says “Alright, See Ya.” for the last time and I’m just absolutely gonna cry my eyes out
I know everyone hates on Cyber Space, but I actually really dig it. It’s easily the second-weakest set of boost gameplay, and I’d still much rather play Unleashed or Generations, yet I still really dig the direction of merging together Adventure and modern stage directions and controls as a kind of special stag. Plus, the original levels are a massive improvement from Forces (which isn’t saying much, but still). 4-4, 3-6, and 2-6 were my speedrun addiction for the longest time after release. I just wish more of the S-ranks were as hard as 1-2, and that we had more original themes. At least we have mods for those.
I'm really glad we _don't_ have more S-ranks as hard as 1-2. Challenge is good and all, but when you have to be a borderline speedrunner to beat a time by just a fraction of a second, it's too hard. Maybe slightly below that level would be a good challenge.
I really appreciate the inclusion of cyberspace. Sure they often feel pretty slow and stiff, but they were a really good change of pace from the open zone in my opinion, and they're pretty replayable. I also wish some of the S ranks were a tad more challenging. Maybe not all 1-2 level, but a lot of them I can beat over 30 seconds quicker than the S rank without using the homing dash or anything.
@@ButtonMasherReal Extreme difficulty be like
honestly i never really minded the levels length for most of these, like yeah 4-8 is 30 seconds long but its still one of my favorite levels in the game because its just constant action every second and its just really fun, the only level that bothered me with its length was 4-2 since theres not really that much going on in it
feel like my way of playing these games may be kinda different than how a lot of other people seem to play, cuz i'd always try and look for more and more movement tech (even besides homing dashes) to optimize my times further rather than just playing through the levels at my own pace and not touching them that much again
finding out that jump stomping would reset your airboost so you could just do it over and over again was such a cool moment for me and it really enhanced levels like 2-2 and the 2D chemical plant levels with the moving platforms for me
3-6 was the only cyberspace stage where I actually said, "wait, there's still more?!" I find it hilarious they paired one of the happiest songs with one of the most challenging levels, so the lyrics come off as mildly infuriating / sarcastic lol. Still though, 3-6 is my favorite stage for genuinely surprising me.
Also, whoever put that moving spike ball at the end is a sadist
Yes unleashed can be a very hard game at times. Especially the bonus stages (3-6)
Glad to see a fellow 3-6 enjoyer
I fully recommend using a momentum mod to make the controls more bearable ( I myself have been using "Showin's momentum tweaks"). Just the feature that jumps keeps your ground speed, make the levels so much more fluid!
Cyb was mid for me in day one, but as I keep playing It, gets better to the point that my opinion completely changed and I actually think it's pretty good tho, specially with modded controls.
But I feel like Ouranos's levels could be better if they were fused, like making Rumble Rave and No Pain No Gain a single level or do the same with Ephermeal, Signs and Wishes In The Wind, with music and time of day changes (Rumble Rave and No Pain No Gain would also have a music change) for making It a lot more special. I'm not saying these levels suck balls, they're good, but I feel like they made 2 more levels for no reason.
Totally agree, 4-8 when connected to a larger level would’ve been a good quick time reaction section but as it’s own level it’s just kind of pathetic as it ends before it even starts
My "4-2" is definetly 4-3 Rumble Rave. The level is so wacky and weird in its design, yet that's the one thing that makes it unique. I love the amount of routes it has and even without the homing dashes, it is still a very fun stage to breeze through. Love your content, Bickuri!
I’m convinced you are the funniest UA-camr on the platform. Every joke in your script landed perfectly. Keep it up sir
Someone else who considers 3-6 to be the best cyberspace level? I fully agree with you on that. Also has what I feel is the best music track among those stages.
Granted I like all of the stages (I'd even argue that they're _better_ than Generations' stages (maybe even Unleashed!), which says a lot as that's one of my favorite titles in the series), but 3-6 is the one I always go back to.
3-6 is directly copied from Sonic Unleashed Rooftop run. It’s alright but the Stiff 2D controls ruin it. The Double jump, huge Light speed dash hit boxes, and Air boost take away all of the challenge that was present in the Unleashed version.
usually a video like this isnt very interesting to me but when u do it its always so enjoyable listening to ur uniquie takes on things u always help open my eyes to gameplay i wouldve thought to be more forgetable
I wonder, with the nine new Cyber Space stages in the Final Horizon update, is this list gonna get redone? Granted, they are remixed versions of existing ones, but they got pretty crazy with new gimmicks. That remix of Genshi, I seriously thought they remade Honeycomb Highway at first.
First and foremost, I appreciate how you took the time out to analyze the skill/input required for every level. Sonic Unleashed is one of my favorites for this specific reason. Most folks complain about how difficult level design ruins a stage, but you fully embraced it, and created a list that I mostly agree with.
So, during the entirety of "Deja Vu", you could say... Your brain is stimulated.
I'll see myself out.
Seeing this video actually made my day. I was having quite the stinker of a day and seeing this in my sub box made it all better. Much appreciated.
apparently the director confirmed that the homing dash wasnt intentional at first, but noticed it, and then left it in for poeple to use as a cool trick to beat stages faster
You always make us happy thank you man
The Ouranos Island cyberspace levels go hard and it makes me happy that Sonic Team can make me feel that way with boost levels again
I was just thinking yesterday how much I'd love to see a video like this from you
Okay seeing you blast through each level is amazing.
15:49 YES. This level was one of my favorites for nearly the same reasons. Just a FEW tweaks to how Sonic feels and plays in 2D and more time challenges for us to overcome and more stages like this become so fun. This level was awesome to continue replaying through.
I had a TON of fun with 3-6. I heard a lot of people moaning about this level but idk, I didn't struggle with it and thought the Frontiers controls actually lent themselves well to this dlc mission layout from Unleashed.
*“He’s Off To A Better Place”* -BickuriBox12
Would love to see these kinds of videos on some older games if youre interested, i think you have a unique perspective
Tbh I never really liked them but when you put it like that I *did* enjoy being tested. The cyberspace stages that made me actually think and want to go faster did keep me entertained despite it being held back by forces physics, such as the green hill act 1 cyberspace stage and of course 1-2. It makes the package more tolerable when I'm not just *getting* S ranks for existing but I'm getting them for trying to go fast *and* platform.
Eh not necessarily Forces physics, still bad physics but not the same as Forces
you'll love the extreme mode S rank then
I really enjoyed this ranking, and I wouldn’t mind seeing more videos like this.
18:56 This was the stage that I found out that Sonic can roll into a ball by pressing down. It has decent momentum gains when you roll down a slope, but only when the game doesn't try to plane switch you and halt all your speed.
Thank you so Much
Loved Watching all these Videos from your Channel and, Thanks to you
I've Learned to Appreciate Cyberspace without the Boost at All! (The Gamecube Controller's Z is Finnicky and the other Controllers aren't Better)
Without it, the Dropdash becomes Key to Ensure you Slow down as Little as Possible
It's all about Precision; Knowing when and where to Use it to Improve
It may not be as Fast as Using the Boost, but I think the Technical Aspect more than makes up for it
Especially fun on Cycle-Based Stages
Great video, looking forward to you covering the updates. At least I’m hoping you do
The sequel we didn't know we needed, but we got anyways.
4-5 is original. The basic concept is the same as that one DLC stage in unleashed, but the layout is nothing like it
Here's my suggestions for proper names for these stages:
1-1 - Green Isle
1-2 - Sanctum Stretch
1-3 - Astral Avenue
1-4 - Sunset Hill
1-5 - Chemical Factory
1-6 - Sprawling Hills
1-7 - City Sprint
2-1 - Bridge Heights
2-2 - Sanctuary Road
2-3 - Action Station
2-4 - Facility Highway
2-5 - Sky Climb
2-6 - Rail Spire
2-7 - Floating Runes
3-1 - Loop Rush
3-2 - Green Rock
3-3 - Sky Citadel
3-4 - Roundabout Railway
3-5 - Drifting Hills
3-6 - Ruin Run
3-7 - Chemical Chamber
4-1 - Metal Depot
4-2 - Manic Metro
4-3 - Chemical Core
4-4 - Skyline Heights
4-5 - Green Gorge
4-6 - Plant Pipes
4-7 - Nightside Run
4-8 - Obelisk Overhang
4-9 - Street Stunts
These are actually really good, well done
"It's got the Light Speed Path when it works" Basically Frontiers Cyber Space Levels.
i love your positivity in your critiques. the internet needs more of that. im so tired of hearing people bash things mindlessly.
1-1 is literally the 3d part of windmill isle from Sonic Unleashed and I still remember fondly more than Lost Valley
Man I love watching this guy, it's like a new form of asmr when I listen to him. He should rank every stage in other modern Sonic games like Generations, Colours and maybe lost world?
That unicycle joke had me in stitches. Good stuff.
Hey bickuri! I really enjoyed this video. Question, I had a video suggestion. What if you did a guitar cover of your favorite sonic song, flame core?
Impeccable taste sir, that has also been my favorite stage so far! (I'm on ouranous Island)
Love these ranking videos and as ive said before on your other videos we need more. Youre so good. Gens levels classic levels whatever. Also i find once you know what to do 1-2 is very easy to consistently get under the S rank without using any cheats
Dude enjoy this world is also my favourite it's so much fun. I love speedrunning all of these levels well with a few exceptions. But I love speedrunning this one
Well enjoy this world and transparent highway are the best by far
That was great video! Certainly an interesting #1 Level lol
I swear, you somehow find ways to make the most controversial parts of Sonic games the most enjoyable parts. I love these videos.
Dividing only 4 level themes over 30 stages is beyond crazy but a least most of the music is a bop so I don’t go completely insane.
I'd love to hear you talk about SA2's gameplay, you clearly appreciate it a lot
I love your videos so much
Cyberspace is something that'll get more appreciation as time goes on. Hopefully the next game will improve upon them, but even as is they are enjoyable (except 3-5 f*cking hell).
I really do agree with the statement you made at 8:34. It feels like an eternity just running, waiting for something to happen. Those cars aren’t even MOVING and I feel like I, the fastest thing alive, is getting outpaced by them
I wonder if bickuribox would like ultrakill. It has a similar sense of speed and mastery over level design with lots of cool tech to discover, except it's a retrofps/movement shooter.
4-6 has a really tough bottom route that took me a while to optimize. The S rank time was quite strict, especially with no homing dashes.
The homing dash is the sa1 spin dash of sonic frontiers
4:58 this aged like milk
17:19 love that fucked up spin he does
Just gonna clarify that the homing dash isn’t a glitch (an unintentional exception from intended code), but rather an exploit (an unintentional result of intentional code). An example of a glitch would be clipping through the floor (it happens sometimes in frontiers). But the homing dash is an intended speed increase from the homing attack, followed by an intended interrupt to that motion with the air boost, in the precise direction from the intended ability to air boost in any direction, leading to an unintended redirection of speed in whatever direction the player wants. Think of Smash Melee’s invisible ceiling glitch (a glitch) VS the grounded burst momentum from wavedashing (an exploit).
In my opinion, playing expert mode really changed my perspective on these levels cuz when I first played them on hard mode, they were okay but too easy with getting S rank(besides 1-2). But with the shortened time ranks on expert mode, it really feels like with most levels, you HAVE to optimize which route is best, not make a mistake, and feels way more satisfying completing.
Sonic videos like this are such a breath of fresh air
After waychin this I'll prob steal it & make it MY CS Rank list, but more importantly I CAN'T BELEIVE U ALSO THINK UNLEASHED MIXED WITH COLORS CONTROLS WOULD BE PERFECT FOR CS I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY 1! Tho I'd change unleashed to its SD/Wii version rather the typical HD version mainly cus of how the boost there works
where are you pulling these names for the stages from? Great video btw.
14:20 "forgetting to eat" quote of the day
1-6 Gets significantly better once you master Drop Dashing. Otherwise, great video as always. Definitely top 3 Sonictuber in my eyes.
Love these kind of videos! Maybe you could rank other stages from older games!
Imagine cyberspace but with minimal 2d and only original levels, no repeats. Would have been so good.
Your voice is extremely pleasant to listen to
Genuinely surprised we have the same favorite, most people think its meh or hate it because of the challenge, thats what makes me love it though, hot take, but I enjoyed cyberspace most in 2D and 3-6 is the panicle of that 2D level design. also has my favorite cyberspace theme.
Great video. Do you think you've ever cover some of the mods for Sonic Frontiers?
26:25 and lo and behold, they did just that and made the best cyberspace levels in this game
I have a feeling besides the fact that they were on an insane time crunch like literally every 3D console Sonic game to exist ever, they brought back the layouts of these stages to figure out which gameplay styles players preferred the most.
.... At least I hope so... Because if I see Green Hill Zone another fucking time
I 100% agree with the number 1 pick. I loved speedrunning that stage
25:18 i saw this in a choctopus video and you can still hit the balloon even if you bonk on the spikeball. Heck, it's faster since you hit the balloon immediately after being hit by the spike.
Excuse me, MrBox12
Love the Video as Always, but where did you get the Level names?
edit: Nevermind, Realized it was the Track Names