Bonus Stages in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles, and the lock-on game Sonic 3 & Knuckles are Bonus Stage minigames that the player can visit separate from the main game in hope to gain more points or win certain items. Upon hitting a Star Post with a certain number of Rings on hand, a Star Circle will appear that allows the player to play one of three different minigames.

Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles both contain individual Bonus Stages. Sonic 3 & Knuckles contains all three of these stages, which are still accessible by passing the Star Post with a certain number of Rings.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3[]

Gumball Machine[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and the lock-on game Sonic 3 & Knuckles, when the player passes a Star Post in with 50 or more Rings, they can enter the Gumball Machine.^[1] In these stages, the player is in a tall corridor with bumper walls from Metropolis Zone on both sides and a giant gumball machine at the very top. The player must use these bumpers to spring themselves upwards, which turns the crank on the machine and dispenses a random Gumball that begins falling downwards until it goes past the death barrier or the player collects it. Hitting a bumper will make it disappear, however, and though there is a floor with red Springs on the bottom that is destroyed after one use, unless the player collects a Catapult Ball, which restores the floor for an additional use. The gumball machine also begins sliding downwards once the bumpers below it are removed, making it more difficult to successfully turn the crank without risking falling into the pit. If the player does manage to fall, they will not lose a life, but the Bonus Stage will end immediately.

It is possible to initiate a super transformation in this Bonus Stage by jumping at the right time, just when the stage loads, but only in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 alone.

Collecting Gumballs in the Gumball Machine will reward the player with various goodies. The Gumballs that can be found here in this Bonus Stage are as follows:

Sprite	Name	Description
	1-Up Ball (1UPボール[2], 1 UP bōru?)	Awards the player an extra life
	Aqua Ball (アクアボール[2], Akuabōru?)	Awards the player a Water Shield
	Bumper Ball (バンバーボール[2], Banpābōru?)	Bounces the player off it upon contact. Useful for reaching greater heights
	Catapult Ball (カタバルトボール[2], Katabarutobōru?)	Can replace the red Springs at the bottom. Does not appear in Sonic & Knuckles.
	Clear Ball (ィクリアーボール[2], Ikuriābōru?)	Does nothing
	Flame Ball (フレイムボール[2], Fureimubōru?)	Awards the player a Flame Shield.
	Ring Ball (リングボール[2], Ringubōru?)	Awards the player 10, 20, 40 or 80 extra Rings.
	Thunder Ball (サンダーボール[2], Sandābōru?)	Awards the player a Lightning Shield

Music[]

Sonic & Knuckles[]

Slot Machine Stage[]

In Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic 3 & Knuckles, when the player passes a Star Post with 20-34 Rings, the player can access the Slot Machine Stage^[3] (スロットマシン^[4], Surottomashin^?, lit. "Slot Machine"). This Bonus Stage functions like a combination of the Special Stages in Sonic the Hedgehog and Casino Night Zone from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, as the camera rotates while the player navigates a large arena to reach a colorful-looking slot machine in the middle, with several bumpers and Jump Stands set around the machine.

The slot machine has the traditional three wheels with golden arrows pointing to the middle. Instead of parallel bars, it has a glass dome that the player must enter to activate the slot machine. It functions the same way as it did in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, except the formations are somewhat different and expanded upon. Also, there are now icons with Knuckles added to the slot machine wheels. Getting Rings makes the machine glow and spin around the arena faster, and touching the outer edges of the arena for too long turns them into GOAL blocks which send the player out of the Bonus Stage.

If a player enters this Bonus Stage with 50 or more Rings, collecting one standing Ring in the stage gives a Continue. This only works the first time as losing rings then getting the player's Ring count to 50 again will not grant another continue.

The results from the various combinations on the slot machine are listed below:

Formation	Title	Result
	3x Sonic	30 Rings
	3x Tails	20 Rings
	3x Knuckles	25 Rings
	3x Robotnik	Lose 100 or all Rings, whichever is less
	Jackpot + 2x Robotnik
	2x Jackpot + Robotnik
	3x Ring	10 Rings
	1x Bar	2 Rings
	2x Bar	4 Rings
	3x Bar	8 Rings
	3x Jackpot	100 Rings
	Jackpot + 2x Sonic	x2 original amount	60 Rings
	Jackpot + 2x Tails		40 Rings
	Jackpot + 2x Knuckles		45 Rings
	Jackpot + 2x Ring		20 Rings
	Jackpot + 2x Bar		8 Rings
	2x Jackpot + Sonic	x4 original amount	120 Rings
	2x Jackpot + Tails		80 Rings
	2x Jackpot + Knuckles		100 Rings
	2x Jackpot + Ring		40 Rings
	2x Jackpot + Bar		8 Rings

Music[]

Glowing Sphere Stage[]

In Sonic & Knuckles, when the player passes a Star Post with 35 Rings or more (35-49 Rings when playing Sonic 3 & Knuckles), they can enter the Glowing Spheres Stage^[5] (ローリングジャンプ^[6], Rōringujanpu^?, lit. "Rolling Jump"). In these stages, the character automatically gravitates towards and orbits around numerous magnetic spheres scattered about the level. This Bonus Stage also features triangular bumpers and Flippers on the sides, and regular Bumpers.

The player must use their momentum given by the glowing spheres to propel themselves upwards. Occasionally, they will come across small lightning balls that, when hit, become Gumballs that slowly start floating upwards. The player must hurry forward in this Bonus Stage, however, because there is a swirling field of energy that slowly rises upwards, and touching it instantly ends this Bonus Stage. Conversely, if the player gets far enough up, they will end the Bonus Stage as well.

Collecting Gumballs in the Glowing Sphere Bonus Stage will reward the player with various goodies. The Gumballs that can be found here in this Bonus Stage are as follows:

Sprite	Name	Description
	1-Up Ball (1UPボール[7], 1 UP bōru?)	Awards the player an Extra Life
	Aqua Ball (アクアボール[7], Akuabōru?)	Awards the player a Water Shield
	Bumper Ball (バンバーボール[7], Banpābōru?)	Bounces the player off it upon contact, being useful for reaching greater heights.
	Clear Ball (ィクリアーボール[7], ~Ikuriābōru?)	Does nothing
	Flame Ball (フレイムボール[7], Fureimubōru?)	Awards the player a Flame Shield
	Ring Ball (リングボール[7], Ringubōru?)	Awards the player 10, 20, 40 or 80 extra Rings
	Thunder Ball (サンダーボール[7], Sandābōru?)	Awards the player a Lightning Shield

Music[]

Trivia[]

• If the player enters a Bonus Stage while their character is in their Super/Hyper State, their transformation ends upon playing the Bonus Stage. This can be useful for if the player wishes to end their transformation for any reason (such as conserving their Rings if they are running low because of the transformation).
• The background music used in the Gumball Machine Stages was later reused as the music for Cosmic Casino Zone Act 1 in Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure, while the music for Slot Machine Stages was reused for Act 2 of the same zone.
• If the player plays a Gumball Machine Stage through the Level Select in Sonic 3 & Knuckles and collects gumballs until they fall down, restarting the Stage, the title card will appear as "Doilus Stage" as an easter egg.

See also[]

• Bonus Stage (disambiguation)

References[]