The Perfect Bonus^[1] is a gameplay mechanic that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a special scoring category that grants the player unique bonuses if they complete special requirements in the respective games.

Game appearances

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, its numerous ports and remasters, and the lock-on game Knuckles in Sonic 2, the Perfect Bonus can be earned in Zone Acts where the score tally upon clearing the Act is used (ie. all Zones before Sky Chase Zone under normal circumstances). In order to clear an Act with a Perfect Bonus, the player must have collected every single Ring in the Act and not lose any of them aside from the character's Super State (though if the player loses a few Rings and recollects them, they are still elligble for the Perfect Bonus). This does not include any Rings earned from the following:

• Super Ring monitors.
• Slot machines.
• Rings placed with Debug Mode's object placement function.
• (Knuckles in Sonic 2 and Sonic Origins remaster only): Rings retained after completing a Special Stage.
• (2013 and Sonic Origins remasters only): S monitors.

Upon clearing an Act under these conditions, the player gains an additional 50,000 points, the equivalent of an extra life.

The following table is a list of the required number of Rings to get a Perfect Bonus for each Act in the game.

The player can also obtain Perfect Bonus in the Special Stages. To achieve this, the player must be using two controllers and using Sonic and Tails together, as some Rings are in different locations that Sonic or Tails alone cannot reach. While the player is collecting the Rings, they must make sure that Sonic and Tails do not crash into any of the bombs or they will lose Rings.

The following table is a list of the required number of Rings to get a Perfect Bonus for each Special Stage in the game.

Sonic 3 & Knuckles

In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles and the lock-on game Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Perfect Bonuses only appear in the games' Special Stages. To obtain a Perfect Bonus, the player must collect every single Ring in their Special Stage, including Rings that must be transformed by enclosing blue Spheres within a box of red Spheres, upon which the player is notified that they have gotten a Perfect Bonus. Afterwards, whether they successfully complete the Special Stage or not by collecting its Chaos/Super Emerald, the player will be given a Perfect Bonus category in the score tallying that grants 50,000 points (and an extra life), much like the Perfect Bonus in Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

The following table is a list of the required number of Rings to get a Perfect Bonus for each Special Stage in the games.

Blue Sphere

In Blue Sphere, the conditions for obtaining a Perfect Bonus remains the same from Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Instead of getting bonus points or an extra life though, the player skips ten levels instead of one. In addition, the bonus depends on the success of the level. In Sonic Origins, New Blue Spheres mode also retains the same requirements for getting a Perfect Bonus.

Sonic Adventure 2

In Sonic Adventure 2 and its Battle port, if the player successfully collects the designated number of Rings^{[note 1]} in Mission 1, 4, and 5 for each stage (except Route 101 and Route 280), the player is automatically awarded A-Rank as the Perfect Bonus, regardless of the score.

In the result screen, a white label with red "Perfect!" text will appear on the Rings section, on top of the numbers.

Sonic X Shadow Generations

Sonic Generations

In the console/PC version of Sonic Generations, the Perfect Bonus functions differently from its previous appearances. In this game, the player receives it whenever they complete an Act without losing a life. Gaining the Perfect Bonus increases the player's Rank by one after the score finishes tallying up all the points the player has earned in the Act, which is marked by the words "Perfect Bonus" appearing on the screen. This is the only way for the player to receive an S Rank for the Act, as they can only get an A Rank at the highest on their own.

Shadow Generations

Unlike Sonic Generations, the Perfect Bonus is absent in Shadow Generations, meaning that the highest Rank the player can get on their own is now S-Rank.

Sonic Mania

In Sonic Mania, and its expansion Sonic Mania Plus, the Perfect is awarded during the Bonus Stages, which are based on their counterparts from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles. It is given under the same conditions as in Sonic 3 & Knuckles and Blue Sphere (collecting every Ring from the Bonus Stage, including Rings that must be transformed by enclosing blue Spheres within a box of red Spheres). Clearing a Bonus Stage with a "Perfect" score will award a gold Medallion instead of a silver Medallion.

Sonic Superstars

In Sonic Superstars, the Perfect Bonus is awarded during the game's Bonus Stage. It is given for collecting every Ring from all three layers of the Stage. Upon clearing the Stage, the player will gain additional 10,000 points.

Gallery

Screenshots

Gallery
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit) Sonic 3 & Knuckles Blue Sphere Sonic Generations (console/PC) Sonic Mania Sonic Superstars

Notes

References