This article is about the stage in Sonic Heroes. For the recreation in Shadow Generations, see Rail Canyon (Shadow Generations). For other uses, see Rail Canyon (disambiguation).

<< Previous stage

—

Sonic Heroes Rail Canyon

—

Next stage >>

Expert Race Rail Canyon

—

Next stage >>

Rail Canyon (レイルキャニオン, Reiru Kyanion^?) is the seventh stage in Sonic Heroes. It consists of a mostly barren canyon with various sets of Grind Rails that lead up to the Bullet Station, one of Doctor Eggman's bases. In gameplay, most of the stage is spent grinding and dodging armored trains. This stage, alongside Bullet Station, returns in Shadow Generations.

Description[]

As the name suggests, Rail Canyon is a canyon-filled stage with a large number of Grind Rails, which most of the level is spent grinding upon. This stage is quite long, and for the majority of it, there is no solid ground. Completing this stage leads to Bullet Station.

There are rock formations in this stage that resemble the Jack o' Lantern rock formations from Pumpkin Hill in Sonic Adventure 2. There are also a few formations that resemble witches' hats.

Story[]

After defeating an army of robots in Robot Carnival, Team Sonic goes on to destroy Dr. Eggman's base before sundown to meet their three-day deadline. Team Dark must find the entrance to Eggman's base to interrogate the doctor. Team Rose must go beyond the Rails to find Froggy and Chocola, and Team Chaotix must infiltrate the terminal station as ordered by their client.

Gameplay[]

Overview[]

Team Sonic[]

Mission 1[]

• Get to the terminal station!

Mission 2[]

• Get to the goal ring within 5 minutes!

Team Dark[]

Mission 1[]

• Find the entrance to Eggman's base!

Mission 2[]

• Defeat 100 enemies!

Team Rose[]

Mission 1[]

• Go beyond the rails!

Mission 2[]

• Collect 200 rings!

Team Chaotix[]

Mission 1[]

• Infiltrate the terminal station!

Mission 2[]

• Infiltrate the terminal station within 6 minutes!

Super Hard Mode[]

Team Sonic's starting point remains the same here. However, the rail boosters make them go fast. After getting the first Checkpoint with a level up, five resting Egg Pawns {one with a Bazooka, two Bazookas with spiked shields and two Egg Guns with metal shields} are to be destroyed with Knuckles and/or Sonic. The player must switch to Tails to reach the Pulley to go up the platform with a caged 10-Ring Item Box and a floating grilled platform with a switch inside a wooden barrel that activates a Ring Trail. After using Light Speed Dash on the trail of Rings, a Cannon Flapper and two Needle Flappers should be destroyed {latter Flappers require timing}. Either rail {right or left} can be used to activate the Track Switches to go to the next set of rails with a Spring on each end launching the team to take the three-railed path with a Iron Ball in the middle with Rainbow Rings at each end. Before the rail loop, the player must take the right red rail {left blue rail and right middle rail each end with a Booster to the next on} to grind to the next section. Before the Wide Spring {awards 5 Rings} that leads to a Item Balloon containing a Barrier before the second Checkpoint, there's a Steel Container with a 5-Ring Item Box to the right. After the Checkpoint, 6 Flappers {2 red, 2 Needle and 2 Cannon} must be destroyed to disarm the lasers to activate the switch to the pole to go up. Another switch up there opens the door to reveal a Solid Laser Flapper that must be defeated. The team then advances to the rails with the Armored Train approaching and stopping in front of them with another one on the left where the player must wait for the right moment to go to the set of three rails on the left carefully with an Egg Pawn on each rail and to the roundabout. Tails must carefully fly over the constantly moving Armored Train to the yellow rail above it or over it and three Solid Laser Flappers must be taken out to unlock the case with the pole's switch inside. Up there, three Egg Pawns {2 Lances and a Gun with a smooth shield} must be eliminated and carefully approach the Ring Trail {hold movement upward} to Light Speed Dash to the next area {a railed platform can be reached while still holding upward movement to defeat the red Egg Flapper and getting one of the third Checkpoints}. If the player doesn't reach the top path, then a couple of lance-wielding Egg Pawns with spiked shields must be destroyed. There is more than one switch to disarm the laser fence; two others are each located on the gear parts both to right and left while in Fly Formation. Three Cannon Flappers must be Thunder Shooted and the player flies to one of the third Checkpoints {the other can be passed for an advantageous level-up}. After the Wide Spring {10 Rings awarded}, the player goes on rails fast to a loop and another set of rails leading to an optional area with Egg Pawns and items and the route with the Rhinoliners. The player must be careful jumping to different rails due to the rail boosters launching the team super-fast. Below the Rainbow Rings is the fourth Checkpoint {skipped if still taking the Rainbow Ring path}. Either of the yellow rails on the right and left take the team to more sets of rails and to the train station with two Cannon Flappers. Two sides each have a cased switch guarded by an lance-wielding Egg Pawn with a spiked shield {right side has a 10-Ring Item Box in a Wooden Container} where each switch must be activated to unlock another case with a switch inside on the right to raise the pole to advance to the next area with the fifth Checkpoint. Like Team Dark, the fan's current is invisibly blocked whereas enemies must be destroyed to unlock the case with a switch to enable the current. The player must defeat a spiked-shielded Egg Bazooka, three more but with lances, then wait for the perfect moment to do a Homing Attack on the Needle Flapper, the red and Cannon Flapper and to the Dash Ring back to the fan with the unlocked case to activate the fan's current. Up there, the player must fly to the railed platform with boosters and Track Switch and carefully navigate through the rails with the Armored Trains {the last two of these will collide with the team if the player hasn't gone fast enough}. After activating a Track Switch, two Egg Flappers must be Homing Attacked to the last Checkpoint on the grilled platform with grind rails on each side. Rhinoliners launch Iron Balls while grinding to the broken rails to a platform. Three spiked-shielded Egg Pawns with lances must be defeated before using Tails' Thunder Shoot on the Target Switch to raise up the pole {caged 1-Up is flying above} and go up to the last sets of rails. The first left blue rail on the left must be taken to advance to looping rails with Track Switches on them leading the player to the terminal station. Floating Iron Balls must be avoided and three Rhinoliners appear on the middle rail set with the Goal Ring behind them.

Ranking[]

Other game appearances[]

Shadow Generations[]

Main article: Rail Canyon (Shadow Generations)

In Shadow Generations, a past version of Rail Canyon from the time where Neo Metal Sonic rebelled against Dr. Eggman got transported to White Space as a side-effect of the Time Eater's time-traveling, where it was drained of color and life.

Rail Canyon is the second area Shadow the Hedgehog travels to when trying to stop Black Doom from pursuing his plans for world domination. By speeding through Rail Canyon, Shadow was able to fix space, thereby restoring Rail Canyon from its lifeless state. When the Time Eater later got destroyed by both Classic Sonic and Modern Sonic, Rail Canyon was seemingly returned to its rightful place in the timeline.

In other media[]

Books and comics[]

Archie Comics[]

Main article: Rail Canyon Zone (Archie)

In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, Rail Canyon appears as "Rail Canyon Zone", where it serves as an outpost for the Eggman Empire.

Trivia[]

• This stage has used more Grind Rails than any other Sonic level, though Final Rush from Sonic Adventure 2 is a close second.
• During the Team Chaotix mission, if the player uses the Leaf Swirl to go through the laser security, then switches to Charmy or Vector, it is possible to get to the Warp Flower without activating the switches.
• This is the only stage in the game where Team Chaotix shares the same objective as every other team.
• On the Team Chaotix variant of the stage using other teams, there aren't any objects placed on the level, other than the global and decoration layouts. This makes it impossible for players to reach further parts of the stage and complete the level. Although the Team Chaotix edit is considered to be the 7th level of the game, it is the 50th level according to the game files and 36th in the executable.
• In Super Hard Mode, the rail boosters in this stage launch Team Sonic at an extremely fast speed on the Grind Rails, which may make jumping to a parallel Grind Rail slightly more difficult.
  • Also in said mode, the first lighted Grind Rail's switch is placed underneath the platform after the first Checkpoint if the player were to look either carefully on that platform {with the camera facing the ground}, or under while flying.
  • The Armored Train in that mode at the roundabout keeps going in circles despite no one-thirds of a rail being underneath it.
• The fan in Team Dark's version, Team Rose's {if going past the Goal Ring} and Super Hard Mode has its current blocked off by an invisible barrier despite it still rotating and making noise when the switch isn't activated {no switch in Team Rose's version}.

Music[]

Name	Artist(s)	Length	Music track
"STAGE 07 : RAIL CANYON"	Jun Senoue	2:40
Beta	Jun Senoue	2:43

Videos[]

Notes[]

References[]