Metal Harbor

Metal Harbor is the fourth stage in the Hero storyline of Sonic Adventure 2 and is the second playable by Sonic. It represents Sonic's escape from GUN's military facility and his search for Shadow.

Plot

Sonic is pacing back and forth on his prison cell, obviously bored and anxious in getting out, tapping his foot as he usually does. Suddenly Amy drops from a shaft above and does some random behaviour typical of her. Sonic is surprised to see her and asks how she got in. Amy explains that she caught a ride with Tails and asks him how he ended up there as well. Sonic says he’s framed, now seemingly more relaxed and flexing his legs around. Amy wonders aloud if Shadow was involved and Sonic is interested and asks her where she saw him. Amy tries to blackmail Sonic into telling him if he marries her and Sonic turns his backs on her, more interested in staying in prison than marrying her. Amy gives up too easily and sets him free anyway, complaining a bit, but tells Sonic where she found Shadow as well. Amy notices some doodles on the cell walls and asks Sonic if he did that but then notices he’s far gone to find Shadow. She leaves as well, complaining.

Level layout

Appearance

Metal Harbour as it's name hints, is harbour themed, with the ocean setting the bottomless pit, large iron platforms where vessels await, seagulls flying past and giant fuel tanks and towers.

The major gimmick of this level is the large quantity of loops and ramps, along with the countdown missile launch pad towards the end of the level.

Other level specific objects include fuel tanks, red indestructible GUN containers, small ramps that move, yellow rails that can be grinded on and yellow caps that Sonic can pick up scattered across the level.

Walkthrough

Sonic first starts a quick succession of platforms and loops and after a jump plate, there’s a platform section. Here the way divides into two, one on the bottom and the other above the ceilings. At the end there’ll be trail of rings leading to another platform or the first Point Marker.

After some springs there’s the platform that the trail of rings lead to, and after a trail of Mono Beetles there’s another platform. Here and taking the upreel will take Sonic to a level above, where the Light Shoes upgrade is. Past a trail of rings there’s a vessel and on top of one of the garages at the end there’s a Mystic Melody, which will make a path appear leading to a faraway platform. Back at the vessel, at the end there’s a trail of rings but there’s also small ledge below with a rocket, and both will take Sonic to the platform with the second Point Marker.

Here there’s a loop, two summersaults each with an upreel, then another loop and a path. After the third summersault there’s a trail of Beetles leading to a platform where the third Point Marker is. Taking the rocket will lead to a missile launch site, and the countdown (15 seconds) before it takes off begins, and naturally Sonic has to take the large missile to reach another section. It’s relatively easy to go up the path and catch the first handrail (400), but it should be noted there’s another one above that awards more points (1500), by using the Beetles next to this handrail, then up the structure and finally a row of springs to the second handrail.

Either way, Sonic catches a ride with the missile and drops from above to a “road surf” section along a tunnel filled with item boxes, then there’s a loop, launching Sonic to the Goal platform.

Other versions

Metal Harbor shares its theme level objects with Eggman’s Weapons Bed, which makes since they are both set in GUN’s base harbour area.

Enemies

Type	Series
GUN military force	Beetle series: Mono Beetle, Bomb Beetle (Hard Mode), Spring Beetle (Hard Mode), Gold Beetle Hawk series: Gun Hawk (Hard Mode), Gum Hawk (Hard Mode) Fighter series: Blue Eagle

Locations

Animals

Animal	Number	Location
	4	Beginning: over the second ceiling after the second jump plate. Second Point Marker: After the springs, circling the light. Second Point Marker: To the left after taking the second upreel. Second Point Marker: On top of a fuel tank, after the loop and on the same platform as the yellow rails.
	3	Beginning: After the second jump plate. First Point Marker: On the vessel, to the left and past the fuel tanks by the extra-life. Second Point Marker: Past the third summersault.
	3	First Point Marker: In one of the caps Sonic can pick up on the vessel, to the left and past the fuel tanks by the extra-life. (x2) First Point Marker: In one of the caps Sonic can pick up on the vessel, near the control tower.*
	3	Beginning: By the right after the dash panels and before the first jump plate. First Point Marker: On the platform before the trail of Beetles. First Point Marker: On the vessel, to the right and the back of the airplane runaway.
	2	Second Point Marker: After the loop and close to the dash panels. Third Point Marker: On the launch site bottom level, close to the springs.
Random	6	Beginning: In a pipe, below the second ceiling after the second jump plate. First Point Marker: In one of the caps Sonic can pick up on the platform after the trail of Beetles. First Point Marker: In one of the caps Sonic can pick up on the vessel, to the end of it and to the right near the fuel tanks. First Point Marker: In the cap Sonic can pick on the platform with the first summersault. First Point Marker: In the cap Sonic can pick before the second summersault. Third Point Marker: On a cap Sonic can pick up, close to the Point Marker
Total	20 (21)

*Absent in Hard Mode.

• The level specific animal (third Chao container) is a Phoenixm.

Big the Cat

Big can be seen at the last checkpoint before taking the rocket to the launch pad. He is on the fuel tank past the Chao Box, fishing.

Chao containers

• First Point Marker: A bit to the back, there’s a beetle to the right leading to a fuel tank.
• First Point Marker: On the middle garage at the end of the vessel.
• Third Point Marker: On the same platform as the Point Marker, close by.

Gold Beetle

The Gold Beetle can be found at the left of the Beetle string before the upgrade platform.

Lost Chao

After the first Point Marker, run until you get at the end of the vessel, here there's three garages to the left, and above the middle one there's a Mystic Melody. Activate it and jump through the path of platforms that appear naearby to reach the faraway platform.

Upgrade

Sonic's Light Shoes upgrade can be found in this level. It’s above the upreel after the trail of Beetles beyond the first Point Marker.

Trivia

• At least in the Dreamcast version, the game's counter considers there to be only 20 animals on the level, even though, as listed above, there's actually 21. After the twenthieth animal, the game will give an extra life and the number will blink red like usual; when the twenty-first is subsequently collected, an additional life is awarded and the number twenty will blink red again as well. The problem is solved in Hard Mode however, with one of the animals being absent.