Stardust Speedway: The Race Against Metal Sonic

A neon highway suspended in the night, a frantic race against a robotic double, and two legends making their debut at once: Stardust Speedway is one of the highlights of Sonic CD. A visit to the stage of Metal Sonic's first appearance.

🤖 The great rival of this level has his own profile: (re)discover Metal Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog's Android Rival.

A Zone in Sonic CD

Stardust Speedway is a zone in Sonic the Hedgehog CD (1993, on Mega-CD). It is Round 6 of 7 — the penultimate zone of the game, just before Metallic Madness — located on Little Planet. True to its name as a circuit, it is the largest level in the game, full of verticality, ramps, and ultra-fast loops.

🪐 The setting for all of Sonic CD is Little Planet: (re)read Little Planet and the Time Stones.

The Race Against Metal Sonic

The big scene in Stardust Speedway is not a classic fight: it's a race. Sonic must beat Metal Sonic — who makes his very first appearance in the series here — by crossing the finish line before him. Eggman flies over the track in his Egg Mobile and fires a deadly laser (fatal regardless of the number of rings) if you fall behind. At the finish line, a wall closes: Sonic passes, Metal Sonic crashes into it. Just behind awaits Amy Rose, held captive, whom Sonic frees.

The Great Rival

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The Metal Sonic blanket, a tribute to Sonic's robotic double.

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💗 Amy Rose also debuts in Sonic CD — (re)discover the story of Amy Rose.

Time Travel

Like all of Sonic CD, the first two parts of the zone utilize time travel: by dashing past a "Past" or "Future" sign, Sonic is transported to an alternate version of the level (Past, Present, Good or Bad Future), with different scenery and music. To achieve the "Good Future," you must destroy Metal Sonic's hologram projector and Eggman's robot generator in the past.

A Legendary Soundtrack

Sonic CD has two entirely different soundtracks depending on the region: a Japanese/European version (Naofumi Hataya and Masafumi Ogata) and a North American version (Spencer Nilsen and his team, album "Sonic Boom"). The Stardust Speedway "Bad Future" theme from the JP version is one of the most iconic tracks in the saga.

🎵 (Re)discover great Sonic themes in our top most memorable tracks.

Its Reappearances

Stardust Speedway has made a strong comeback. In Sonic Generations (2011), it is the arena for the first rival battle: Classic Sonic faces Metal Sonic again in a race (Bad Future), to a remix of the Japanese theme. In Sonic Mania (2017), the zone becomes playable again, with a Metal Sonic boss in Act 2 (and, in Mania Plus, a colossal Giga Metal powered by the Phantom Ruby).

Summary Table

FAQ

• Which game features Stardust Speedway?
  In Sonic CD (1993), it is the 6th zone out of 7, on Little Planet.
• Is the boss a combat?
  No: it's a race against Metal Sonic. You must reach the finish line before him; Eggman's laser kills instantly if you fall behind.
• Is this Metal Sonic's first appearance?
  Yes: Metal Sonic (and Amy Rose) make their debut in Sonic CD, in Stardust Speedway.
• Why two different music scores?
  Sonic CD has two distinct soundtracks: a Japanese/European one and a North American one, entirely re-written.
• Has the zone reappeared since?
  Yes, in Sonic Generations (2011, rival battle) and Sonic Mania (2017, playable zone with Metal Sonic boss).

🧸 Add Sonic's rival to your collection with our Sonic figurines.

🔎 To go further: Metallic Madness, Palmtree Panic and Wacky Workbench.