The Continue^[1] (コンティニュー^[2], Kontinyū^?) is a game mechanic that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It refers to the video game feature where, after losing all their lives, the player is given another chance to try and complete the level and continue their progress without having to start the game over from the beginning. Originating from arcade games, many Sonic the Hedgehog games also feature a Continue option, displayed before or after the player receives a Game Over. If the player has at least one Continue, they are given ten seconds to decide whether they want to use it. If they do, the game subsequently replenishes the player's life counter to the game's default, resets their Score to zero, and starts again from the beginning of the level they lost their last life on. The only exception to this was in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, where using up a Continue sends the player back to the latest Star Post they touched in the Act.

In earlier Sonic games, the player had to earn Continues before they could be used. This was often accomplished through the Special Stages, with the player having to collect a certain number of Rings, points, or other objects. Completing the objective would cause the Continue jingle to play, and at the results screen, a flashing chibi-fied version of the player character would symbolize the newly-earned Continue. Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Tails Skypatrol, Sonic Labyrinth, and most Sonic games since Sonic Adventure give the player infinite Continues, allowing them to retry a level as many times as they wish.

Requirements in games

Sonic the Hedgehog

• 16-bit: Collecting more than 50 Rings in a Special Stage earns the player a Continue.
• 8-bit: If the player finds and breaks floating monitors with "CONT" written on them during the Special Stages, the player will earn a Continue after clearing the Special Stage.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

• 8-bit: If the player finds one of the six Chaos Emeralds and completes the act, the player will earn a Continue. The player also earns a Continue if the Bonus Panel at the end of each act shows Tails on the plate. Near the end of Crystal Egg Zone Act 2, a monitor can be found behind a foreground wall that awards a Continue when broken.
• 16-bit: If the player earns at least 10,000 points in the end of a standard Act, they will earn a Continue.

Sonic Chaos

• If the player is playing as Tails, they will start the game with three Continues. If Tails appears on the end-of-act Bonus Plate while playing as Sonic, or Sonic appears while playing as Tails, the player earns a Continue. Also, collecting a Chaos Emerald at the end of each Special Stage will earn the player a continue. To finish, the player also gains a Continue every 50,000 points when playing as Sonic, or every 30,000 with Tails.

Sonic Spinball (8-bit)

• By breaking open the Treasure Boxes in the Bonus Stages, you're awarded a prize, with one of those prizes being a continue.
• Their are also monitors in stages which depict a blue dot with the letter "C". Breaking it awards a continue.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles

• If the player manages to collect 50 Rings in a Special Stage, they will earn a Continue.
• In Sonic & Knuckles and the lock-on game Sonic 3 & Knuckles, if the player enters the slot machine-type Bonus Stage and collects more than 50 Rings (or collects a Ring when having 50 or more Rings), they will earn a Continue.

Sonic Triple Trouble

• The player starts the game with one Continue, and will earn another one every 50,000 points. If Knuckles' picture appears on the end-of-act Bonus Panel, the player will earn another Continue.

Sonic 3D Blast

• In regular Zones, the player has to collect ten floating icons called Sonic Medals to earn one Continue. They are usually located above springs. Certain Sonic Medals cannot be reached if the player does not have enough Flickies following Sonic. Sonic Medals appear from Green Grove Zone to Volcano Valley Zone.

Sonic Blast

• The player earns a Continue if a picture of a Chaos Emerald appears on the end-of-act Bonus Panel.

Sonic Advance

• Floating Chao can be found in each Special Stage of the game. By collecting it and clearing the Special Stage, the player will earn a continue. The Chao's placement can sometimes be tricky, such as being set behind or in the middle of a set of bombs, which can require some skills from the player to get them.

Sonic Mania

• When the player completes one of the Special Stages, receiving a total score of at least 10,000 points grants a Continue. In order to do this, the player must collect a huge amount of Rings prior to catching the UFO. Alternatively, they can receive a high enough Mach Bonus by collecting enough Blue Spheres.
• If the player has the Encore DLC, they can also get a Continue for every 10,000 points scored in the Pinball Stage.

Other game appearances

Sonic Pocket Adventure

• In each of the game's Special Stages, there is a single flashing flower located somewhere on the tubular route. Collecting it will earn the player a Continue.

Jingles

Trivia

• Similarly to how Continue icons appear in the results screen of earlier games, games like Sonic the Hedgehog CD (after Special Stage) and Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I (after completing a Zone) show chibi-versions of the playable character should the player score enough points for an extra life. Misleadingly, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I uses the exact same Continue sprite from the Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit), but this was changed to Sonic/Tails or Metal Sonic 1-Up icons in Episode II.
• In Sonic the Hedgehog CD and Sonic Mania, when the playable character gets shrunk by passing through a shrink ray in Metallic Madness Zone 2, the character's appearance is similar to the chibi Continue icon.
• In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, there is a leftover animation from the Continue screen in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
• The Continue screen jingle in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is also used in during the results screen in Competition Mode of the game. Additionally, it would also be used as the title screen theme for Blue Sphere, albeit slowed down.
• The Game Over screen in the Wii U/PC version of Sonic Lost World is heavily reminiscent of the Continue screen from the original Sonic the Hedgehog.
• If the player lets the countdown get to 1 in Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, he will do his evil laugh.
• In Sonic Mania, Knuckles' continue animation is based from his losing animation from Sonic the Fighters, which is also used in the cutscene when he encounters the Heavy King.
  • Likewise, in Sonic Origins Plus, Amy's continue animation is also based from her losing animation from Sonic the Fighters. However, since Anniversary Mode disables the lives system, this can only be seen by playing as Amy in Classic Mode via Level Select.
• The Continue Screen Jingle from Sonic Adventure appears in the sound test for Sonic Adventure 2, however since there is no actual Continue Screen in the game the jingle is unused.

Gallery

Gallery
Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit) Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit) Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit) Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit) Sonic Chaos Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble Tails' Skypatrol Sonic Mania

References