2.1:Emblem guide

This is a guide on how to obtain all emblems in SRB2 v2.1. There are 160 emblems in total. It is suggested that you attempt to find them on your own before using this document, as you can only find things for the first time once. Use this document at your own discretion.

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General Record Attack advice

Time

The best character to use varies from level to level. Due to his speed, Sonic has an advantage in mostly horizontal and straightforward levels with few time-consuming obstacles, e.g., Deep Sea Zone Act 2. However, Tails is often the better choice in open levels where he can fly around time-consuming obstacles or skip parts of the level completely, e.g., Arid Canyon Zone Act 1. While Knuckles can also skip many obstacles, his climbing ability is too slow to save much time, so he is rarely the optimal character for speedrunning.
- The key to playing as Sonic is to thok as efficiently as possible. Well-timed thoks allow you to cut corners and skip platforms. However, be careful to avoid overshooting and use the backpedal key to control your speed after thokking.
- The key to playing as Tails is to fly without losing too much speed. Flying directly upwards will cause you to lose most of your horizontal speed, so only use the jump key if necessary.
Try to find the quickest route through the stage. If you fell short of the time requirement despite a good run, try to take other paths and see if they are faster. In the more open levels, try to look for shortcuts.
Don't abort a run just because you made a mistake, such as getting hit or missing a jump. Achieving a "perfect" run can be very difficult and is rarely worth the effort, since the time requirements for the emblems are loose enough to allow for small mistakes as long as they don't cost you too much time.
Practice difficult sections of the stage until you can get through them efficiently. If you are playing as Sonic and are having problems with a difficult section that Tails can skip, consider using Tails for the run instead. Even if Sonic might be faster in a flawless run, Tails will usually also be able to get the emblem.
Super Sneakers can vastly improve your run if you are skilled enough to control your character at high speeds. Most Super Sneakers monitors are worth getting, even if they might seem too far out of the way at first. If used properly, the speed gain is so enormous that it will usually make up for a slight detour.

Rings

The ring emblems are usually fairly straightforward and don't require full exploration of the stage. In some stages, you may need to backtrack and go through several paths to collect enough rings.
Try to equip yourself with a shield at all times to avoid losing your rings if you get hit, preferably an Attraction Shield. If you have no Attraction Shield or if you need to go underwater, look for a different shield. The next-best option is a Force Shield, since it protects you from two hits.
The best character for ring runs is usually Tails, since he can reach most areas in a level. In levels with Knuckles-exclusive paths, Knuckles may be a better choice.

Score

100 points are awarded for every ring that is brought to the end sign. Therefore it often makes sense to try for the ring emblem and the score emblem in the same run.
50,000 points are awarded for getting a perfect bonus, i.e., collecting and keeping every ring in a stage. While this is not required for any of the score emblems, it can be useful when you're struggling to get enough points from other sources.
Extra life monitors become score monitors in Record Attack. Most of them award 1,000 points, while the ones that are harder to find award 10,000 points. Most score emblems can be gotten by finding a few 10,000 point monitors and collecting enough rings to fill out the remaining points.
100 points are awarded for every enemy that you kill. If you kill several enemies in one chain, for example by bouncing off them without touching the floor, the score per enemy increases. 200 points are awarded for the second consecutive enemy, 500 for third, 1,000 from the fourth to the fourteenth, and 10,000 from the fifteenth onwards. A chain is considered broken once you touch the floor or, as Knuckles, attach to a wall.
- Spindashing or spinning in place doesn't allow you to start a score chain, since you are continuously touching the floor.
- While you are invincible, all enemies you kill will be added to the same chain, even if you touch the floor. In levels with many enemies, try to plan out a route that allows you to kill as many enemies as possible before your invincibility expires.
- All enemies killed from an Armageddon Shield blast count towards the same chain. Detonating an Armageddon Shield in an area with many enemies can allow you to quickly rack up points.
- None of the score emblems require you to lure enemies together in a group to kill them all at once. While this might be an easier albeit tedious alternative in some levels, there's always a faster way to gain the necessary points.
In the shorter stages, the time bonus may be useful. 100,000 points are awarded for finishing the stage in less than 30 seconds, 50,000 for finishing it in less than 45 seconds, and 10,000 for finishing it in less than a minute.

General NiGHTS Mode advice

Time

Drill dash as much as possible to gain speed, except in sections that require careful maneuvring. As long as you fly through enough hoops, you are unlikely to deplete your drill meter.
Once you have enough spheres to break the capsule, stop collecting items entirely and try to break the capsule and finish the level as fast as possible.
Avoid damaging obstacles at all costs. While the time penalty is only relevant for the countdown and not the general level time, you will still lose time from being stopped and spinning out.

A rank

Try to keep a continuous link throughout the stage, since this vastly increases the score per item. Breaking a link of more than 10 will cause you to lose a total of 450 points on the next 9 items you collect.
Search for power-ups, since they are often helpful for increasing your score. If you get a Super Paraloop, try to make large paraloops to attract nearby items, but be careful not to break your link while doing so. The Link Freeze power-up is often placed near the Ideya Capture, allowing you to keep your link while breaking it.
After the capsule is broken, all items except power-ups will respawn every time you pass the Ideya Drone. This allows you to make multiple laps around the map, which is often necessary to get the A rank. If you reach the Ideya Drone with leftover time but not enough for another lap, try to collect items close to the Ideya Drone in the remaining time.
All item scores are doubled once the Ideya Capture is broken, so try to reach and break it as fast as possible. Afterwards, take your time and try to collect as many items as possible. It may be useful to ignore certain power-ups, especially Super Paraloops, on the first lap and only use them on the second lap when items give you more points.
50 points are awarded for every sphere you bring back to the Ideya Drone, giving you an additional score boost at the end.

Main stages

Greenflower Zone Act 1

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	Go get your feet wet to find this, the first emblem. Yes, it's very deep.	Jump into the lake in the last area of the level. To the left is an underwater cave that contains a red spring. When standing in front of the spring, look to your right and you will see a small corner that contains the emblem.
	There are many rings, but this one's not what you think. There lies the emblem.	After leaving the small starting area, you will see a ring-shaped formation of rings floating in the sky to your left. The emblem is in the center of it. The easiest way to get it is to fly up as Tails.
	Right next to a lake, a ledge has been constructed. Near there is the goal.	In the last area of the level, there is a ledge between the lake and the end sign that contains the emblem. To reach it, jump into the lake and take the spring in the underwater cave to your left. You will reach the top of the cliff. From there, you can jump down to the ledge with the emblem.
	Streams come to an end where they can no longer fall. But if you went up...	This emblem can only be collected as Tails. The first river that you encounter in the level leads into a cave to your right. Inside the cave, there is a large hole in the ceiling. Fly up there to reach the emblem.
	This one's in plain sight. Why haven't you claimed it? Surely you saw it.	To the left of the first Star Post is an area with two circular platforms. The emblem is on one of them.
	125,000 points	Despite GFZ1 being the first stage in the game, this is one of the hardest score emblems. 100,000 points can be easily gotten by finishing the stage in less than 30 seconds. For the remaining 25,000 points, you must build up an enemy chain of at least 16 enemies (31,800 points). There is an invincibility monitor under the first bridge that you come across in the level. Jump into the river and spindash towards the center of the bridge to get it. From there, there are several paths you can take which allow you to kill 16 enemies in 20 seconds. The following is one possibility: Charge the spindash so that you are facing towards the waterfall from which the river originates. After getting the invincibility, jump up the small step in the river and you will find the area with the first Star Post to your left. Kill the three Crawlas in front of the Star Post and move forward to the area with the large bridge. There are five Crawlas in front of the bridge that can be killed without taking a large detour. In the corridor after the bridge there are ten more Crawlas. If you killed the previous Crawlas without wasting too much time, you will have enough time to kill at least eight of them. During the whole process, use the strafe keys to move towards Crawlas that are slightly out of the way without changing the direction you are facing. If you don't manage to get enough points from the enemy chain while still finishing the level in under 30 seconds, you can also collect all 285 rings in the stage to get a perfect bonus. This will give you 78,500 points. The extra life in the cave near the exit will give you another 10,000 points. To get the remaining 36,500 points, you will need a chain of 17 enemies (or a chain of 16 enemies and another of 7 enemies) to get the remaining points. Since the time bonus is no longer relevant, you can take your time to lure the Crawlas in the opening area together and then use the invincibility monitor to kill them.
	Clear in 0:20.00	Run through the level as Sonic and thok in long straights to save time. Skip the U-turn at the beginning by jumping to the opening to the left of the first bridge.
	200 rings	There's an Attraction Shield on top of the cliff at the lake area with the two bridges. Simply run around the level with the shield and pop all ring monitors you come across, and you will gain enough rings easily.

Greenflower Zone Act 2

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	Near the giant lake lies a cave with a 1-Up. An emblem's there, too!.	After entering the large valley near the end, look to your left. About a third of the way up the outer wall of the room is a small cave whose entrance is split by a column. The emblem is inside that cave. To reach it as Sonic, you can either thok to it from the high cliff in the center of the room or use one of the underwater springs in the lake.
	Near the final lake, a higher lake falls on in. Three platforms await.	In the large valley near the end, there is a giant waterfall that feeds the lake. In the area on top of the waterfall are three floating platforms, the highest of which contains the emblem. Tails and Knuckles can reach the area by flying or climbing up there, but Sonic must take a different route: In the area with the second Star Post, right before the cave that leads to the valley, is a waterfall that feeds a small pool with two SDURFs in it. Jump into that pool to find a spring that you can use to reach the top of the waterfall. From there, follow the river against the current until you reach the area with the emblem.
	Near the level's start, a bridge crosses a river. What's the river's source?.	At the end of the starting area, you will cross a shallow pool of water via a wooden bridge. The emblem is on top of the waterfall that feeds this pool. Climb or fly up to reach it.
	Near the level's end, another bridge crosses a lake. What could be under...?	In the large valley near the end, take the lower path and enter the cave with the third Star Post. After making your way through that cave, you will reach another outdoor area with a grassy bridge that crosses a pool of water. The emblem is in the pool, underneath the bridge.
	An ivied tunnel Has a corner that's sunlit Go reach for the sky!	When entering the cave with the second Star Post, there will be a hole in the ceiling to your right with three platforms beneath it. As Tails or Knuckles, fly or climb up that hole. The emblem floats in the air slightly below the ceiling.
	150,000 points	There's an Invincibility Monitor in the cave after the first Star Post, which you can use to chain together the Crawlas between the cave and the starting area. The best choice for doing this is Sonic, since he can reach more Crawlas before the invincibility expires. A chain of 28 enemies will give you 151,800 points, enough for the emblem. If you missed a few enemies, you can get the remaining points by collecting rings. Of the 339 rings in the stage, 96 are hard or impossible to collect as Sonic, but the remaining 243 are fairly straightforward. If you are having trouble chaining enough enemies together, try luring the ones in the starting area into one place before using the invincibility monitor.
	Clear in 0:40.00	At the beginning of the level, jump into the first pool of water to your right and use the spring to propel yourself up to the high ledge right next to it. Use the diagonal yellow spring on the other end of this ledge to propel yourself over the wall in front of you and to your right, leading to the area with the first Star Post. At the path split near the end of the level, take the upper path, which is much shorter.
	200 rings	Ride the moving platform at the end of the starting area to get an Attraction Shield. There are three ring monitors next to the spade emblem, as well as eight ring monitors in the hidden cave. The hidden cave is hard to reach as Sonic, so consider using Tails or Knuckles instead.

Greenflower Zone Act 3

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	Clear in 0:30.00	The key to beating this boss as fast as possible is to hit him so rapidly that he has no chance to attack. Try to get close to Eggman before you jump up to him. If you jump at him from afar, the rebound will propel you back across the arena, giving him enough time to charge his attack. If you keep jumping at Eggman from the same direction, you will eventually trap him in a corner where he cannot retreat, making it easier to hit him.

Techno Hill Zone Act 1

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	Three pipes reside near where our heroes' paths split off. You'll have to look up!	Right before the first factory area, where Knuckles' path splits off, there are three white beams hanging overhead. The emblem is on the last of these beams.
	Climbing yields great range. Yet, on a path for climbers, flying is the key.	This emblem is located on Knuckles' path but can only be gotten as Tails. Since the conveyor belt at the start of the path is too tall to fly up as Tails, you must enter the path from its exit. In the area with the large slime lake, look to the right of the island in the center to find an area with an Attraction Shield. From there you can enter a cave that leads to a room with a large wall to your left. If you look up towards the ceiling, you will see the emblem floating above the wall.
	That's sure lots of slime. Say, do you ever wonder what's dumping it all?	At the path split after the first factory area, take the left path and follow it until you get to the slime river that leads into the large slime lake. Fly or climb up the slimefall that feeds the river to find the emblem hovering slightly above the top of it.
	Spinning through small gaps can slip you into a cave. In that cave's first stretch...	Enter the underground tunnel near the end. After spindashing through the hole in the wall, you will land in a cave filled with slime. Underneath the slime is a small platform with an emblem, which is too deep down to reach with a normal jump. Instead, use the diagonal springs near the exit of the cave to propel yourself under the slime and towards the emblem. Alternatively, you can swim through the slime as Tails. To do this, start flying and then press the spin button to lower yourself under the slime.
	The slime lake is deep, but reaching the floor takes height. Scream "Geronimo!"...	In the large slime lake after the first factory area, there are barrels floating in the slime to your left. Next to these barrels, there is a huge crater under the slime. At the very bottom of the crater is a platform with the emblem. There are several ways to reach it, depending on the character you are using. As Tails, you can simply start flying and then press the spin button to dive under the slime and towards the emblem. As Knuckles, you can climb to the top of the wall above the cave with the ring monitor. From there, jump down into the crater and you will have enough downward momentum to reach the emblem. As Sonic, you need to carry a Whirlwind Shield to the top of the cliff next to the crater (there is one on a pipe sticking out from the cliff). Get on top of the large slime generator in the lake by using the gas jet of one of the pipe protruding from it. Use the Spring Shell on top of the generator to reach the grassy ledge in front of you. From there, use another Spring Shell to reach another ledge and a third Spring Shell on that ledge to reach the top of the cliff. Use a Whirlwind jump to get on top of the factory wall. Then, jump down into the crater with another Whirlwind jump and will have enough downward momentum to reach the emblem.
	75,000 points	While this emblem doesn't require enemy chaining or a time bonus, it's still fairly demanding. There are 597 rings and 6 extra lives in the stage. Three of these extra lives give 10,000 points. All three are hidden inside slime pools, so you need to dive into the slime from high-up places to reach them. The most straightforward way to get the emblem is to pop all three 10,000 point monitors and collect at least 450 rings, which will also be enough to get the rings emblem. Knuckles or Tails are recommended for this emblem because they can both access Knuckles' path and they also have an easier time gaining enough height to reach the 10,000 point monitors.
	Clear in 1:15.00	Both Sonic and Tails work well for this emblem. Sonic can beat the stage slightly faster, but he has to do more platforming than Tails. Avoid falling into the slime, since it will cost you a lot of time. At the path split after the first factory building, take the right path. At the second path split, both the factory path and the underground tunnel work.
	300 rings	There are 597 rings in this stage, so getting 300 is fairly easy. Tails or Knuckles are recommended for this emblem since they can access Knuckles' path, which contains a lot of rings. The only Attraction Shield is located at the end of Knuckles' path, where it leads into the large slime lake area. Keep in mind that it shorts out in the slime, so if you want to collect rings hidden in the slime, you should do it before or after you use the Attraction Shield.

Techno Hill Zone Act 2

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	Near the first checkpoint, a bridge crosses a slime pool. (Sensing a pattern?)	Near the beginning of the level, just before the room with the sideways-moving blocks, you will pass under a bridge with a pool of slime under it. The emblem is at the bottom of the pool. To gain enough downward momentum to reach it, you must jump down from the bridge, which you will reach after passing the room with the sideways-moving blocks.
	Behind the windows, near crushers, ever smashing, a conveyor belt.	At the first path split, take the left path with the conveyor belt. If you look through the windows to your left before reaching the crushers, you will see a slime-filled corridor that leads to a platform with an extra life and the emblem. To reach it, continue to the end of the conveyor belt, where you will find a Spring Shell. Jump on the Spring Shell's back and then dive into the slime pool. The wall to the left of the conveyor belt has an opening below the slime that you can dive through, allowing you to enter the corridor with the emblem.
	A pipe drops onto a half-outdoors conveyor. But is it empty?	Take the lower path at the second path split. After passing a conveyor belt with two crushers, you will come across a conveyor belt leading into an outside area to your right. Go left to the start of the conveyor belt to see a pipe in the ceiling above it. Fly up through that pipe as Tails to reach the emblem.
	There is a hallway that a button floods with slime. Go through it again!	When entering the large factory near the end, you come across a button in the slime that you need to press to make the slime rise up. After doing so, instead of continuing forward, go back through the corridor behind you, which is now flooded. At the end of it, you will reach a small area where the slime doesn't extend to the ceiling. The emblem is to your right in this area.
	Jumping on turtles will send you springing skyward. Now, do that six times.	In the large factory building near the end, after having pressed the button to reach the top of the dam, turn right. On the far side of the room you will see an area with a series of small floating blocks that contain Spring Shells. Go to this area. At the floor level, there is another Spring Shell. You must bounce up this chain of Spring Shells to reach a ledge with the emblem. Alternatively, you can simply fly up there as Tails.
	100,000 points	Like the THZ1 score emblem, this emblem requires you to collect most rings in the stage and pop most 10,000 point monitors. There are 737 rings and 9 extra lives in this stage. Four of these extra lives award 10,000 points. If you collect the 600 rings required for the rings emblem and pop all four 10,000 point monitors, you will have just enough points to meet the score requirement.
	Clear in 2:00.00	Tails is recommended since he can skip several parts of the stage. At the beginning, you can swim through the slime pools by pressing the spin button while flying to lower yourself into the slime. In the area before the room with the sideways-moving blocks, you can fly up to the bridge crossing the room above you. At the second path split, take the lower path. In the outdoor area, you can fly over the wall on the far side of the room to reach the entrance to the large factory building directly. In the factory building itself, you can fly up to the platform next to the elevator immediately instead of passing through the rest of the room.
	600 rings	There are 737 rings in this stage, so you will have to collect most of them. Backtrack through paths you didn't take to collect the rings there as well. There are three Attraction Shields in this level, which are distributed fairly evenly across the stage, so if you lose an Attraction Shield, for example because you had to dive into the slime, look out for another one. Many of the slime pools in this stage contain hidden ring monitors, and sometimes you have to jump down from fairly high places to reach them, so Tails or Knuckles are recommended since they can gain height easily.

Techno Hill Zone Act 3

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	Clear in 0:40.00	At the start of the boss fight, Eggman will pass in front of you and to your left. The key to beating him quickly is to hit him before leaves your sight, so that he will turn around and move to the other side, where you can hit him again. Use your strafe keys to move left and right so that you always face strictly forward and Eggman always remains in your sight. If you time your jumps well, you can hit him five times and start the pinch phase in only about 10 seconds. Keep in mind that he speeds up after every hit, so each time you need to move a little more quickly to the left/right in order to catch him. The pinch phase is straightforward. Simply stand in one place and wait until he bounces towards you to hit him. If you manage to hit him every time he comes near you, you should beat him quickly enough to meet the time requirement.

Deep Sea Zone Act 1

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	Climb up two maze walls. Break the roof, then a corner. There, glide, but stay dry.	This emblem is hidden in Knuckles' route. In the part where you have to climb through a maze on the wall, you will come across a point where you can climb either to your left or upwards. Climb to your left and continue until you reach a ledge. In the center of the ledge there is a small part protruding from the wall. The ceiling above this part is breakable, so climb through it to enter a passage leading to a room with an extra life and two ring monitors. There are four pillars next to the wall in this room. The bottom of the second pillar from the left is breakable and leads through a cave into an area with several waterfalls. In front of you, behind the bars, you should see a ledge with the emblem. To reach it, you must glide around the bars while avoiding the waterfalls, which will push you down into the water.
	Follow the left path. A square green button lurks deep. Weight it down, somehow.	Take the left path at the beginning and then the upper route in the following room. You will eventually reach the entrance to a waterslide with a gargoyle on each side. Push one of these gargoyles into the waterslide and then follow it to reach a large cave where the water periodically rises and falls. Look for a square green button in the water and push the gargoyle onto it. Parts of the floor will lower, revealing a secret passage containing the emblem.
	A certain path holds many gargoyle puzzles. Victors reach a "V".	Take the left path at the beginning and then the lower route with the gargoyle puzzles in the next room. At the end of it, you will come across a V-shaped statue with an emblem floating on top of it. As Tails or Knuckles, you can also take the upper path at the beginning and follow it until you reach the large semicircular room, where you can fly or climb up to the statue at the top of the room.
	A caved-in hallway? The floor falls; the path goes down. But those rocks looked weak...	Take the upper path at the beginning and follow it until you get to the corridor with the crumbling floor. Jump to the other side of the corridor before the floor crumbles. To your right, next to the Attraction Shield and the two ring monitors, are several gray rocks. Jump over these rocks (or break them as Knuckles) to find an emblem behind them.
	The end is quite dry. Some rocks dam the water in. Knuckles can fix that...	At the end of the level, below the entrance to the building with the end sign, you should see another entrance blocked off by gray rocks. As Knuckles, you can break these rocks, which will flood the room and reveal a passage that leads to the emblem.
	75,000 points	There are 762 rings in this stage, which alone are enough to meet the score requirement. Additionally, 5 of the 13 extra lives give 10,000 points. Since four of the 10,000 point monitors and many rings can only be accessed as Knuckles, he is recommended for this run. Three of the 10,000 point monitors are located in a secret area that is very difficult to access, so it is recommended that you skip them and get your points from the other two 10,000 point monitors and at least 550 rings. There are many mandatory underwater sections in this stage and the only Attraction Shield is located between two of them, so you can't rely on an Attraction Shield for most of this stage. You should still carry a shield to protect yourself against hits though, preferably an Elemental Shield.
	Clear in 2:00.00	This stage has several fairly vertical sections that require heavy platforming as Sonic, so Tails is recommended for this run. At the path split in the first room, it is recommended that you take the upper path. Tails' flight lasts just long enough that you can fly right up to the exit in the top right corner of the room without having to stop in between. At the start of the corridor that leads into the large semicircular room, there is a Super Sneakers Monitor in plain sight which you should use.
	400 rings	There are 762 rings in this stage overall. Some of them are only accessible as Knuckles, but there are enough other rings to get the emblem as Tails or Sonic as well. The only Attraction Shield in the level is located on the upper path, on the crumbling bridge. Use it to easily collect the rings floating beneath the bridge. Since the Attraction Shield is located between two mandatory underwater sections, you can't rely on it for the rest of this stage. You should still carry a shield to protect yourself against hits though, preferably an Elemental Shield. On waterslides, use the strafe keys to align yourself with rows of rings.

Deep Sea Zone Act 2

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	A waterfall lands near a starpost in a cave. It's dark up there, but...	Take the left path at the beginning and follow it until you get to the second Star Post in the waterslide area. To your left you should see a waterfall. Fly or climb up next to that waterfall until you reach an opening to a tunnel that the river feeding the waterfall comes out of (as Tails you will have to start from one of the higher waterslides before the Star Post to reach it before Tails gets tired). Land on the edge of the basin attached to the opening and then fly or glide into the tunnel to find the emblem at the back of it. Note that the river has a strong current that will push you out of the tunnel, so avoid making contact with the water as much as possible.
	So many blocks here! Take five; bathe in the fountain. Hmm? A hidden path...?	In the room before the bustable block maze on the right path, jump into the well in the center as Knuckles. At the bottom of the well, part of the wall to your left is bustable and reveals a hidden passage when destroyed. At the end of the passage is a row of red springs leading up to an area with bustable blocks. Walk through the blocks and look to your right for a staircase, which contains the emblem.
	An ornate dragon faces a secret passage. Knuckles! Don't get crushed!	This emblem is located at the end of Knuckles' secret path, in front of the bustable bars that lead into the waterslide maze section.
	In the current maze hides a dark room of columns. Find it, then look up.	At the path split in the waterslide maze near the end, take the right path and jump off to your left as soon as possible. You will reach a room full of stalactites hanging from the ceiling. The emblem floats near the ceiling between the stalactites to your right.
	That same dragon's eye hides another secret room. There, solve its riddle.	After the underwater slide and the room with the platforms floating in the water, you will reach a room with a Star Post and a green dragon symbol on the floor. The eye of the dragon is a red button that you can push to open a door to your left. You will reach a pool of water with four gargoyles next to it. To your right is a corridor blocked by a large crusher. The emblem is behind this corridor, but the crusher prevents you from reaching it normally. Instead, push the gargoyles into the diagonal yellow springs in the water. They will land in a corner next to the crusher, forming a stack. Push this stack under the crusher to prevent it from reaching the floor. This allows you to walk through the corridor safely and reach the emblem after passing under another, much shorter crusher.
	50,000 points	There are 576 rings and 8 extra lives in this stage. Three of the extra lives give 10,000 points. Some rings are only accessible as Knuckles, but there are still more than enough to get the emblem with Tails as well. Many rings and one of the 10,000 point monitors are hidden in the block maze on the right path. You can get the rings easily by bringing an Attraction Shield into the room, which can be found on the left path. Another Attraction Shield is located in the area with the waterslide maze near the end, which makes it easier to collect the rings on the waterslides. Keep in mind that the underwater slide in the middle of the stage is one-way; you can't backtrack after passing through it. The underwater slide has several hazards which can be tricky to avoid, so make sure to bring a shield into it.
	Clear in 2:30.00	Most of this stage is fairly horizontal, so Sonic is recommended for this run. Take the left path at the beginning, since it's shorter. In the first room after the path split, there is a Super Sneakers Monitor in the small temple structure to the right. While it initially takes a small detour to get to it, it allows you to save a lot of time in the waterslide section right afterwards. In the waterslide section, every time you hit the water, jump immediately, since you're much faster in the air than on the waterslide. Once you reach the large cave, jump down to your left and onto the large ramp to skip a small section of the waterslide. In the underwater section in the second half of the stage, in the room before the section with the ceiling crusher, there is a Super Sneakers Monitor on one of the platforms. Use these Super Sneakers to get through the ceiling crusher section faster; with the right timing, you will only need to stop once or twice. In the waterslide maze near the end of the level, take the right path, which is shorter.
	250 rings	There are 576 rings in this stage, so this is a fairly low requirement. Some rings are only accessible as Knuckles, but there are still more than enough to get the emblem with Tails as well. Many rings are hidden in the block maze on the right path. You can get the rings easily by bringing an Attraction Shield into the room, which can be found on the left path. Another Attraction Shield is located in the area with the waterslide maze near the end, which makes it easier to collect the rings on the waterslides. Keep in mind that the underwater slide in the middle of the stage is one-way; you can't backtrack after passing through it. There are 335 rings before the underwater slide, 5 on it, and 236 after it. The underwater slide has several hazards which can be tricky to avoid, so make sure to bring a shield into it.

Deep Sea Zone Act 3

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	Clear in 1:30.00	The initial phase is very straightforward. In the pinch phase, try to identify and hit the real Eggman as quickly as possible. If you manage to hit him every time he comes out of a tube, you should meet the time requirement. You can even fall into the water a few times as long as you recover quickly.

Castle Eggman Zone Act 1

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	A drain feeds the lake. Water rushes quickly through. Go against the flow.	In the large lake where the first path split merges, there is an underwater tunnel between the entrances to the cave and Knuckles' path, flanked by two torches. The emblem is at the end of that tunnel, but the water has a strong current that will push you backwards. There are two ways to reach it: As Knuckles, you can glide against the current. If you hit the floor, immediately jump and glide again to prevent being pushed back too much. As Sonic, you can slowly walk against the current. Take a running start so that you enter the tunnel at full underwater walking speed. Continue walking forward without jumping, since this will push you back immediately. At the right turn of the tunnel, strafe to your right instead of turning to avoid being pushed back.
	The left starting path goes atop a large wood deck. Checked underneath yet?	Take the left path at the beginning and head back down underneath the bridge that you entered from. The emblem is behind the very last pillar to your left.
	At last, the castle! Hold up! Don't just barge right in! What's the facade hold...?	Fly to the top of the castle in the final room and enter it through one of the windows. You will reach a hallway that contains the emblem.
	The final approach! A tower holds the emblem near a ring arrow.	Near the end, before you reach the gate that leads to the final room, you will come across a platform containing an arrow of rings. To the left of it is a tower with three Robo-Hoods. Fly or climb up to it to find the emblem.
	The right starting path hides this near a canopy, high, where two trees meet.	Take the right path at the start and follow it until you reach a section where you have to jump across two tree branches over a death pit. From the second branch, fly or climb to the top of the room and look to your left to see a ledge with a ring monitor and the emblem.
	50,000 points	This emblem is fairly straightforward. There are 497 rings and five extra lives in this stage. Two of the extra lives give 10,000 points. If you pop both, you will still need 300 rings, which are enough for the rings emblem as well.
	Clear in 2:00.00	This stage is fairly straightforward. Both Sonic and Tails can meet the time requirement fairly easily if you don't make any major mistakes. Sonic is slightly faster, but Tails can skip some platforming and doesn't have to wait around for the spinning chains. At the path split at the start, take the left path. There's a Super Sneakers Monitor at the start of the room where you have to walk across a wooden beam over a death pit. You don't need it for the time requirement, but it can help if you need to lose a few seconds. In order to save some time while popping the monitor, you can jump onto it from the staircase that leads into the room and then bounce off it to land directly on the beam.
	200 rings	There are 497 rings in this stage, so this is one of the easier ring emblems. The only Attraction Shield is located on the left path at the start, next to one of the tree trunks. Two ring monitors are hidden in the large lake, where your Attraction Shield will short out, but these are not necessary to get the emblem. To avoid getting hit by Robo-Hood fire, never stay in one place for too long in their vicinity.

Castle Eggman Zone Act 2

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	Find a trick bookcase that hides a darkened hallway. There, climb a tower.	Enter the library in the third courtyard. After the Star Post, you will enter a hallway with bookcases to both sides. The third bookcase to the right is a secret door that will swing open if you push against it, revealing a dark corridor. At the end of the corridor you will enter a tower with a spinning chain in the center. Use it to throw yourself up to a rim surrounding the tower. From there, you can reach another spinning chain. Use it to propel yourself up to a third spinning chain floating above it, which in turn allows you reach another rim with red springs. These springs lead up to a central platform at the top of the tower, which contains the emblem.
	Down in the dungeon, a cracked wall hides secret paths. Echidnas only!	This emblem is located in the second of Knuckles' secret rooms, on the platform below the one with the extra lives.
	A room you can flood! A brown grate's near its exit. Knuckles can break it...	This emblem is located at the end of Knuckles' secret path, between the two ring monitors behind the crumbling floor.
	Some of these bookshelves are not flush against the walls. Wonder why that is?	Take the dungeon path at the path split in the third courtyard and follow it until you enter a section of the library. Take the diagonal yellow spring to your left and turn left immediately afterwards to reach a Star Post. In the right corner of the corridor in front of you, there is a diagonal bookcase. If you fly over climb over that bookcase, you will find the emblem behind it.
	The ending's towers are hiding a small alcove. Check around outside.	In the large outdoor room at the end of the level, fly or climb up as Tails or Knuckles to the corner of the room with a Super Ring Monitor in a little alcove, which is itself within a small tower. From here, fly or climb up the wall next to the monitor until you reach a hidden higher platform within the tower, which contains the emblem.
	400,000 points	After the first path split rejoins, turn left at the next path split following the room filled with crates. You will reach a dining room containing many Robo-Hoods and CastleBot FaceStabbers. You can get over 300,000 points if you carry an Armageddon Shield into this room and detonate it. To make sure that the blast destroys all enemies in the room, lure the FaceStabbers into the center of the room before detonating the shield, but be careful to avoid the Robo-Hood shots while doing so. There are two Armageddon Shields in the stage that are accessible as all characters. The first one is in the room with the suspended platforms after the first Star Post. The second one can be found in the room with the paintings at the start of the dungeon path, which splits off in the third courtyard right after the dining room. After getting 300,000 or more points from the Armageddon Shield blast, the remaining points can be gotten from rings and 10,000 point monitors. All 16 extra lives in this stage give 10,000 points.
	Clear in 3:30.00	This time requirement is generous enough that all three characters can meet it fairly comfortably if you don't make any major mistakes. Tails is recommended since he can skip a lot of time-consuming platforming sections. At the first path split, you should take the upper path that leads through the cannonball room, especially if you're playing as Sonic, since it contains a Whirlwind Shield, which allows you to get through platforming sections faster, and a Super Sneakers Monitor. In the second half, it's easiest to go through the library and stay on the lower path.
	600 rings	There are 1,247 rings in this level. It's a good idea to use Knuckles since there are several areas only he can access. Beware of bottomless pits and other hazards and keep a shield at all times to protect yourself from Robo-Hood fire. To prevent getting hit by Robo-Hoods, never stay in one place too long while in their vicinity. If the Robo-Hood fire is making it too hard to collect rings safely, you can try killing all nearby Robo-Hoods before collecting the rings. When killing Robo-Hoods, keep in mind that they turn slightly sideways just before they fire an arrow. There are two Attraction Shields in this level: One is located in the second courtyard where the first path split starts and the second one is located in the storage room right after the first path split rejoins.

Castle Eggman Zone Act 3

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	Clear in 2:00.00	There aren't a lot of opportunities to save time during this boss. In the initial phase, make sure you hit Eggman every time he lifts his cage. In the pinch phase, you won't have enough time to propel yourself from the spinning chains three times, so you need to hit Eggman twice the first time. Try to gain as much height as possible with the chain so you can hit him directly from above and bounce back off. If you're using Sonic, you can then use your thok to hit him a second time. If you timed your thok correctly, the rebound will propel you back to the chain on the outer ring, which you can then use again to hit Eggman for the last time.

Arid Canyon Zone Act 1

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	A rather large gap must be crossed by way of tram. At its end, jump left.	At the second path split, take the left path and follow it until you get to the chair lift. Step on the chair lift and look down to your left to see a thin ledge with a Special Stage Token. Jump down to this ledge and walk along to it to find a red spring that leads to a platform with the emblem.
	Crushers that go up! Mind your step; if they're triggered, they'll block this emblem.	Take the left path at the second path split. Near the end, you will enter a cave where parts of the floor crush up towards the ceiling after a few seconds. The emblem is in this cave, but as soon as the crushers come up, it will be blocked. The easiest way to get it is to fly into the cave as Tails without touching the floor, which will prevent the crushers from being triggered.
	There's an oil lake that you can sink deep into. Drain it, and explore.	Take the forward path at the second path split and follow it until you enter a cave with an oil pit and a large machine in front of you. In the center of the machine is a crate with an Eggman logo. From the small ledges to your right you can jump to the machine and push back the crate. This will cause the machine to start draining the oil in the pit, revealing a secret passage. Enter the passage and follow it. After walking over a wooden bridge with a partially crumbling floor, the emblem will be right in front of you.
	Not far from the start, if you climb toward the sky, the cliffs hide something.	At the point where the first path split merges, fly or climb up to the bridge crossing your path overhead and turn around. On a high cliff across the pit you should see an emblem. Fly or climb up there to reach it.
	Right by the exit, an emblem lies on a cliff. Ride ropes to reach it.	This emblem is located on a ledge to the left of the end sign. Take the rope pulleys in the final area and jump off to the ledge at the end.
	50,000 points	There are 762 rings in this stage, which are more than enough for the score requirement. Additionally, 4 of the 8 extra lives give 10,000 points.
	Clear in 2:00.00	Tails is by far the best character to use here because he can skip large parts of the stage entirely. If you stick to the following route, you should be able to reach the exit in significantly less than two minutes: At the first path split, choose the left path. After walking back outside, you will see a ledge with a Super Sneakers Monitor in front of you. Fly up to that ledge and pop the monitor and then fly up again. If you fly up to the very top of the cliff faces in front of you, you will land in the middle of the left path of the second path split, having skipped a large part of the level. Note that Tails' flight doesn't last long enough to fly up to the very top in one go, so you need to land and restart your flight on the fenced ledge midway up. After you have made it to the very top, continue to your right. You will reach another outdoor room with crumbling brown rocks to your left. If you look past these rocks, you can see the ropes of the chair lift in the distance. Fly towards these ropes and then over them and into the cave behind them. If you did all of this quickly enough, the Super Sneakers will still be in effect and you will cross the pit very quickly. Once you've landed in the cave, fly up to the fenced ledge in front of you and exit the cave to your left. After passing through another outdoor room, you will reach the cave where rocks rise up out of the floor if you enter it. If you fly through this cave without touching the floor, the rocks won't rise up and you can pass through it easily. In the final area with the rope pulleys, you can bypass the pulleys entirely by flying across the ledges attached to the cliffsides of the valley.
	300 rings	There are 762 rings in this stage, so collecting enough rings is fairly easy. In order to keep them, beware of death pits and always watch out for BASHes and Minuses, which can catch you off guard if you're not careful. If you're entering a new area and you're not sure it's safe, it's a good idea to spindash in place for a while and wait for potential enemies to approach. Always wear a shield, preferably an Attraction Shield. There are two in this stage: The first one is located on the forward path of the second path split, shortly after the Super Sneakers Monitor. The second one is located on the left path of the second path split, shortly after the chair lift. Tails is recommended for this emblem since he can move around the stage very easily and reach high-up ledges which may contain rings.

Red Volcano Zone Act 1

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	Look around the room, just before you clear the stage; something's hidden there!	In the final room, fly or climb on top of the orange rock to the right of the end sign.
	Ever look upwards when you're traversing across collapsing platforms?	If you take the upper path at the beginning, you will come across two rooms with crumbling platforms. In the second room, fly up towards the ceiling from the second crumbling platform where the room makes a U-turn, next to the small lavafall. The emblem is in a dent in the ceiling right next to it.
	Check out a corner of a lake of magma near spinning jets of flame.	In the room with the spinning flamethrowers, between the two rows of upside-down springs, there is an opening in the wall to your left. Behind the rocks that hang from the ceiling is a ledge with the emblem.
	Where once a bridge stood, now magma falls from above. The bridge dropped something...	Near the end of the level, you will come across a lava river that leads to a cliff with a broken bridge. After jumping down across the crumbling platforms to the left of the bridge, turn around to see an emblem floating above the lava between the broken bridge and the large lavafall next to it.
	A lake of magma ebbs and flows unendingly. Wait for its nadir.	Take the lower path at the beginning and follow it until you reach a room where the surface of the lava periodically rises and falls. Near the end of a room is a safe platform with an Unidus on it. A lower ledge is attached to this platform on the left side. Drop down to it while the lava is at its lowest point to get the emblem.
	30,000 points	This score emblem is relatively straightforward. By finding two 10,000 point monitors and collecting the 100 rings needed for the ring emblem, you can get the score emblem in the same run. Of the 13 extra life monitors in this stage, 6 give 10,000 points (three of these are located in the secret outdoor area).
	Clear in 2:00.00	All three characters can beat this stage in under two minutes, but Tails is recommended because he can skip most of the obstacles. Take the upper path at the path split since it's much shorter. In the room with the crumbling platforms that makes a U-turn, you can skip a few platforms by flying under the rocks hanging from the ceiling to the right of the entrance.
	100 rings	There are 431 rings in this stage, so collecting 100 rings is easy – the hard part is keeping them. Get a shield as soon as possible and avoid getting hit by the Unidus enemies. Tails can be very useful for this task, because the Unidus can only throw its spikeballs horizontally, so he can simply fly over them. There is one Attraction Shield in this stage, which is located at the start of the lower path. If you collect some point monitors on your way, you can get the score emblem easily in the same run.

Egg Rock Zone Act 1

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	Vanishing platforms, then collapsing ones herald a last-second jump.	In the room with the crumbling red-striped platforms on the right path, there is a ledge with the emblem below the rocks to your left. Stand on the second platform and let it crumble, then jump off shortly before you fall into the pit.
	What is this red stuff? You can't breathe it in, but look! It can't reach up there...	Take the right path at the beginning and follow it until you reach a room in reverse gravity where you press a button that causes red fog to descend from the ceiling. As Tails, press fly to the bottom of the room. The emblem is hidden below a square platform in the center of the room.
	The team's paths diverge. Should Tails run the crusher path? No! Fly outside it!	At the character-specific split on the left path, take Tails' path. After you pass over the crusher gauntlet for the first time, fly behind the lavafalls to your left. Continue flying along the corridor, avoiding two more lavafalls, until you reach an alcove with the emblem.
	Don't jump too high here! No conveyor will catch you; you'd fall to your death.	In the room with the stacked conveyor belts on the left path, go right instead of left at the first split. Pass the crusher and turn left to find an emblem near the edge of the conveyor belt.
	Conveyors! Magma! What an intense room this is! But, what brought you here?	After exiting the 2D section on the right path via a zoom tube, turn around and go back into the room with the zoom tube exit, where you will be flipped into reverse gravity. The emblem is just below the exit of the zoom tube.
	25,000 points	As with all ERZ Record Attack emblems, a big part of the challenge is actually finishing the stage in one run without dying. Tails is recommended since he can skip some of the most challenging platforming segments, but even as him the stage is still difficult. There are 620 rings and 8 extra lives in this stage, which are more than enough to reach the required score, so you should focus less on exploring and more on staying alive and protecting your rings. Three of the extra lives give 10,000 points. They can be useful because unlike rings their points remain even if you get hit, but they are located in fairly dangerous places, so getting them is still risky.
	Clear in 2:00.00	Both Sonic and Tails can meet the time requirement comfortably, but Tails is recommended because the stage is easier as him than as Sonic. Take the left path at the initial path split since it's much shorter. Allow yourself to get hit at the start of the laser gauntlet to get through it faster. In the room with the conveyor belts and the switching gravity, you can fly to the exit if you keep pressing the jump button during the flight; you will switch back and forth between normal and reverse gravity, always staying at roughly the same height. In the outer space section at the end, you have just barely enough time to fly up to the exit without suffocating, but you need to stop on one of the beams midway up and restart your flight.
	150 rings	There are 620 rings in this stage, so as with RVZ1 the hard part is not collecting the rings but keeping them. Tails is recommended since the stage is easiest as him. You don't need to go through both paths to collect enough rings, so decide on one path and ignore the other one. The left path is shorter and therefore easier to clear, but it also has less rings, so you will have to collect most of them. There are two Attraction Shields in the stage, both of which are located on the left path: The first one can be found in the very first room of the left path, in plain sight from the entrance. The second one is located at the end of Knuckles' path. It can be reached as Sonic or Tails by spindashing through a bustable wall.

Egg Rock Zone Act 2

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	Walk on the ceiling; resist the urge to flip back! Find the cyan path...	Instead of taking the zoom tube that leads up to the upside-down area with the cyan force field on the left path, fly or climb up to the platform above it to find an invincibility monitor. While you are invincible, jump through the red laser wall to reach a platform with the emblem.
	X marks the spot? Nope! Try standing further away when the timer flips.	In the second room of the section where the gravity switches back and forth on the left path, you will come across a red X on the floor that you have to stand on and wait to be be flipped. Instead of doing this, walk forward to the edge of the platform. After being flipped, you will land on a platform with the emblem.
	There is more than one elevator inside the elevator shaft...	Take the right path at the first Star Post and follow it until you get to the elevator that you have to supply with electricity. In the elevator shaft, fly or climb upwards until you reach the platform with the exit that the elevator will move up to. The emblem is on top of that platform.
	Gears with missing teeth can hide a clever secret! Think Green Hill Zone boss.	Near the end of the stage, you will come across a conveyor belt that leads into a set of two rotating gears with one missing tooth each. Instead of simply passing through them, circle around the left to find the emblem in a corner.
	Just before you reach the defective cargo bay, fly under a bridge.	After the 2D section on the left path, you will come across a room with a large bridge and an extra life surrounded by a circle of Eggman monitors to your left. The emblem is an alcove under the bridge on the far side of the room.
	60,000 points	There are 712 rings and 18 extra lives in this stage. 10 of the extra lives give 10,000 points. As with ERZ1, many of these extra lives are dangerous or difficult to get, but unless you want to collect and keep 600 rings, which will require you to go through both paths, you will need to pop some of them. Two of the 10,000 point monitors are located in the disco room, which is a fairly risky detour, so you should probably focus on the other 8. Taking the right path is recommended, since it's shorter and contains more 10,000 point monitors.
	Clear in 5:00.00	The time requirement is very generous; the real challenge is actually beating the stage in one run without dying. Tails is recommended since he can skip many difficult platforming sections. You can save time at the start by simply flying up to the door in front of you to open it. Take the right path at the path split, since it's much shorter.
	250 rings	There are 712 rings in this stage, more than enough to get the emblem without going through both paths. Both the left and the right path have enough rings to get the emblem, but the right path is shorter, so it may be the better choice. There are two Attraction Shields in the stage, one of which is located in the disco room, so it can't be used in the rest of the stage. The other one is located on the right path, behind a crate and some Eggman Monitors right after exiting the big circular room for the first time.

Egg Rock Zone Act 3

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	14,000 points	Beating Metal Sonic will automatically give you 1,000 points. The remaining points can be gotten from the ring bonus and the guard bonus. There are two possible combinations that add up to 13,000 points: If you don't get hit at all during the boss fight, this will give you 10,000 points, so you need to collect 30 rings as well. If you collect and keep 80 rings or more and carry a shield, you can get hit once during the boss fight. Additionally, there are two extra lives in this stages that both award 1,000 points.
	Clear in 3:30.00	The race portion of the map can beaten fairly quickly as Tails because he can skip several portions of the stage, most notably the room with the conveyor belts near the beginning and the room where you have to jump across square platforms over a death pit. After the drop near the beginning, you can fly into the hole in the wall in front of you to get a Super Sneakers Monitor. In the initial phase of the boss fight, you can hit Metal Sonic up to three times before he starts attacking. This allows you to get to the pinch phase after only two attacks.
	100 rings	After the drop near the beginning, there's an Attraction Shield hiding behind the first pillar next to the rightmost wall. Use it to get as many rings as you can while still completing the race in time. In the boss section, you can only get hit once or you will lose your rings. If you manage to get this emblem, you will automatically earn the score emblem as well.

Egg Rock Core Zone

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	Clear in 1:40.00	The most time-consuming part of this boss fight is luring Brak Eggman into the lava to disable his shield. Try to hit him as often as possible before the shield re-activates and use the strafe keys to avoid his attacks while still staying close to him. It's possible to hit Brak Eggman up to six or seven times before the shield re-activates, which means you will only need to lure him into the lava twice. Since the behavior of this boss is partially randomized, you may need a few attempts until you get a favorable combination of attacks.

Secret levels

Pipe Towers Zone

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	A pipe in the roof eternally drops water. Something's stuck up there.	In the room after the first Star Post, there is a pipe hanging from the ceiling that drops water into a pool below. Fly up into that pipe to find the emblem.
	Pushing a red switch raises the water level; from there, can't miss it.	After pressing the red button in the rising water room of the second section and riding the platforms to the top, you should see the emblem floating near the ceiling in the corner to your left.
	A high-up passage hides near the second checkpoint. Climb in; then, climb more.	After entering the room with the waterfall and the three mushrooms in the third section, turn to your left and jump behind the pipe. In the corner is a red spring that leads up to a hole in the wall. Walk through the hole to enter a room with a ? block. As Knuckles, climb up the wall behind you to reach the emblem at the very top.
	The underground room with platforms that fall and rise only LOOKS empty...	In the underground section, go forward at the path split. On the far side of the room with the moving platforms, you can see a pipe hanging down from the ceiling and very narrow pillar extending from the pit. As Tails or Knuckles, if you fly or climb around that pillar, you will see an opening in the wall to your right, leading into a small cave with the emblem. To reach it as Sonic, you need to jump down on the rim of the pipe from the exit of the room. Then, walk around the pipe and jump down to the pillar. From there, turn around to see the hole and jump towards it.
	This one's straightforward. What comes to mind when I say: "WELCOME TO WARP ZONE!"?	In the final room, fly or climb up to the outer rim surrounding the room and walk behind the castle containing the end sign. Drop down in the corner to the left of the castle to find the emblem.
	75,000 points	The scores for enemy chains are different in Mario mode: You get 100 points for the first enemy, 200 for the second, 400 for the third, 800 for the fourth, 1,000 for the fifth, 2,000 for the sixth, 4,000 for the seventh, 8,000 for the eighth, and an extra life for every subsequent enemy. In Record Attack, these extra lives are replaced by 10,000 points. This allows you to get more points with relatively small enemy chains than in regular stages. There are two ? blocks containing invincibility in this level. If you use them both efficiently, you can get a large portion of the required score from enemy chains alone. The rest can be gotten from 422 coins and three 10,000 point monitors. Note that there are three one-way pipes in this level; if you fall through one, you can't backtrack to previous sections.
	Clear in 1:40.00	This is one of the stricter time requirements in the game. Tails is recommended since he can fly to the top of many of the more vertical rooms quickly. In the large room after the starting area, look for a ledge in front of and to the left of you, next to a crumbling orange platform. Fly up to that ledge and take the red spring to get to the top of the room quickly.
	300 rings	There are 422 coins in this stage, so you will need to explore the level fairly thoroughly to get 300. Note that there are three one-way pipes in this level; if you fall through one, you can't backtrack to previous sections. There are 163 coins in the first section, 85 in the second, 65 in the third and 109 in the last. The only Attraction Shield is located at the start of the second section, in a secret room that can be reached with a red spring hidden behind a pipe. Keep in mind that many coins are hidden in ? blocks, so always hit them when you come across them.

Aerial Garden Zone

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	A central tower, one with many waterfalls, hides a secret room.	The large waterfall in the center of the second room is open on one side. Jump into the water, find the right side and walk through the opening to find a room containing the emblem.
	Hidden off the path lies a skyscraper tower. A lake's at the top.	In the section with the scrolling platforms near the end, there is a large waterfall in the left corner. Fly or climb up this waterfall and then continue forward through the water until you reach a slightly lower underwater area covered with seaweed. There are three pillars in this area; the emblem is behind the one that is closest to where you entered from.
	Find all four buttons that sink when you stand on them. They'll open a door...	The section of the map that used to be the second act of AGZ in Mystic Realm contains six large square buttons, four of which need to be pressed to open a gate to a room containing this emblem. The buttons are in the following locations: At the end of the large second room of the level, take the regular (non-Knuckles) path. You will enter a room with a large fountain and a building entrance. This is the beginning of the AGZ2 section. A button is located on top of the fountain. At the second path split of the AGZ2 section (the one with an Attraction Shield directly in front of you), take the left path. You will eventually enter a room with many narrow beams floating in the air. After reaching the red spring leading to the exit of that room, look across the pit to your left to see a platform with a button. Jump across the beams to reach it. At the same path split, take the right path. You will eventually enter a room with many small floating platforms moving up and down. Look across the pit to your left from the entrance to see a platform with a button. Jump across the floating platforms to reach it. After the second path split of the AGZ2 section merges, you will enter a long corridor with a Star Post and a Super Sneakers Monitor. Follow that corridor until you reach an outdoor room with a very tall building. Walk around the building to find a red spring on the backside, which leads up to a ledge with a button. After pressing all four buttons, a chime sound will play. Go back to the start of the corridor where the second path split merges. Behind the Star Post is a gate that has now opened. Walk through it to enter a room with the emblem, five extra lives and twelve ring monitors.
	Much like the last one, you'll need to find some switches. Only two, this time.	This emblem is behind a gate that is opened by the remaining two buttons of the AGZ2 section. One button is on either path of the second path split in this section: On the left path, make your way through the first outdoor room and look to the right of the exit to see a platform with a yellow spring. Use this spring to get on top of the narrow L-shaped beam floating next to the exit. From there, continue across several beams to reach a platform containing a button. On the right path, make your way through the first outdoor room. At the exit, turn around to see a small peg with a yellow spring. Take the spring to reach a platform in front of you containing a button. After pressing both buttons, a chime sound will play. Go back to the start of the path split, turn around and walk through the room with the four waterfalls. On the other side, you will see the emblem behind the gate which has now opened.
	The inner sanctum! Teleport to its switches; then, check near the goal.	At the end of what used to be AGZ2 in Mystic Realm, you will reach an outdoor room with a very tall building. Inside this building, there are four orange platforms which teleport you to different rooms where you must complete platforming challenges. This used to be the third act of AGZ. At the end of each room, you will find a button as well as a teleporter leading you back into the building. After pressing all four buttons, the floor in the center of the building will turn into a platform that rises when stood upon. Ride this platform to the top of the building. In each corner of the building you will see a button. Press all four buttons and then jump down again and continue through the level. When you reach the last Star Post, instead of turning left, continue forward. After walking down a staircase, you will enter a room with a large pit to your right. To your left is a doorway which is normally blocked but was opened by the buttons you pressed earlier. Walk through the doorway to enter a room with several pillars holding gargoyles. Each gargoyle points in the direction of an invisible floor that you can walk across to reach the next pillar. After making your way through this room, you will enter a corridor leading to an outdoor shrine containing the emblem. This shrine used to be Inner Sanctum Zone in Mystic Realm, whereas the section leading up to it used to contain the Mystic Shrine that allowed you to access it.
	300,000 points	There aren't enough enemies per room to achieve large score chains, so the 300,000 points have to be gotten from rings and point monitors. There are 1921 rings and 29 extra lives in this stage. 15 of these extra lives are 10,000 point monitors, so together with 1500 rings they would be enough for the score requirement. It is highly recommended that you unlock the room with the heart emblem, since it contains 120 rings and five 10,000 point monitors, which are already 62,000 points in total. Tails is recommended for this stage since he can navigate around the stage easily, unlike Sonic, and can access all paths, unlike Knuckles.
	Clear in 4:00.00	Tails can easily clear the level in three minutes since he can simply fly to the exit in most rooms. In the AGZ2 section, take the right path at the second path split and enter Knuckles' path as Tails. If you fly up the large vertical room efficiently, this is actually quicker than any of the other paths.
	1200 rings	There are 1,921 rings in this stage. It's highly recommended that you get this emblem in the same run as the score emblem since both are very time-consuming. Many of the rings in this stage are located in hidden areas, some of which require you to press buttons in other areas to open them. There are six Attraction Shields in the level, so if you lose one, there are enough other ones you can get. Always look out for enemies, especially BASHes, when entering a new room, since they can easily knock you into a pit if they hit you from behind. Tails is recommended for this emblem since he can navigate around the stage easily, unlike Sonic, and can access all paths, unlike Knuckles.

Azure Temple Zone

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	For those who can swim, a long tunnel hides rewards. Do mind the Buzzes!	Shortly after the first Star Post on the upper path of the second path split, you will enter a room with floating blocks that move up and down over a death pit. The far left corner of the room contains the entrance to a passage with many AquaBuzzes floating above a death pit. There are several ledges throughout the passage that act as safe spots. You must fly through this passage as Tails while avoiding the AquaBuzzes, since hitting them will cause you cancel your flight and fall into the pit. If you manage to carry an Elemental Shield to this passage, you can traverse it easily, since you can destroy the AquaBuzzes without breathing their air. At the end of the passage, fly up and enter an opening to your left to reach a room containing several monitors and the emblem in an alcove to your right. The floor in the alcove will crumble, leading you back into the room with the floating platforms.
	So many skylights! A markedly large one hides behind a starpost...	At the point where the second path split rejoins, turn around and walk down the hallway behind you. You will enter a large room with an opening in the ceiling. An emblem floats in the center near the ceiling.
	When you reach gauntlets of diagonal fire, check out the corners.	Shortly after the first Star Post on the lower path of the second path split, you will come across two hallways where Trapgoyles shoot downwards diagonally from beams near the ceiling. When entering the second of these hallways, instead of turning left, look in the corner to your right. Behind one of the pegs with a gargoyle on top, there is a small hole in the wall. Spindash through that hole to enter a hidden passage. In that passage, you will come across a death pit with a fence behind it. The passage continues to the right of the death pit, so turn right while jumping over it. You will reach an outdoor room. Walk to the other side of the room to find the emblem next to a window.
	A room of currents; most of them are marked by spikes. This one? A corner.	In the last room of the action path of the third path split, after passing over a fan that extends almost to the ceiling, you will land on a safe platform. From there, jump over the fan in front of you and then turn right immediately and move towards the corner. You will see a few bubbles rising up from a fan near the bottom of the pit. Let the fan propel you up to a hidden room with an extra life. To your right is an alcove with the emblem. The floor in the alcove will crumble, leading you back into the fan room.
	The only way to hit all those targets at once is with a radial blast.	At the end of the puzzle path of the third split, before entering the final outdoor area of the level, turn left to enter a room with many crystals and a closed door. There is a nuclear symbol on the floor, indicating that you must use the blast of an Armageddon Shield to activate the crystals and open the door. There are three Armageddon Shields in the level, all near the start of the second path split. The easiest one to find is located on the upper path in the room where the path splits, directly after the room makes a U-turn. You must carry one of these Armageddon Shields through the rest of the level without getting hit at all, so that you can use it to activate the crystal. This will require you to carefully study the firing patterns of the Trapgoyle gauntlets. At the third path split, take the puzzle path, which is much easier than the action path.
	425,000 points	There are 906 rings and 14 extra lives in this stage. All of the extra lives except the one in the final area give you 10,000 points. Since the entire stage is underwater, you can't carry an Attraction Shield. In order to explore the stage safely, you should acquire and keep an Elemental Shield. Holding an Elemental Shield also allows you to kill AquaBuzzes without grabbing their air bubbles. If you fly or glide through many of them at once, you can chain them for a very high score. There are three areas in the level that contain especially many AquaBuzzes: Knuckles' path, the passage leading up to the star emblem and one of the rooms on the lower path of the second path split. You can also try carrying an Armageddon Shield into one of these rooms and detonating it. To reach the score requirement, you should chain all or most of the AquaBuzzes in at least one of these rooms.
	Clear in 4:00.00	This is one of the most difficult time emblems in the game because the stage is long and difficult and you have to stop for air every 20–30 seconds. Compared to ERZ2 and AGZ, this time requirement is fairly strict. Knuckles is not suitable for this run because his path is too long, but both Sonic and Tails are viable options. Sonic is faster overall while Tails can skip some of the more conventional platforming segments, particularly in the right path at the beginning. Neither character has a significant advantage in the fire gauntlets and the fan section near the end, however. At the first path split, the right path is recommended since it contains a Super Sneakers Monitor. When playing as Tails, try flying as much as possible while the Super Sneakers are in effect, because the speed difference between walking and flying is particular dramatic underwater. At the final path split, take the action path with the fans, which can be completed much faster than the puzzle path.
	300 rings	There are 921 rings in this stage, so you won't have to backtrack through paths you didn't take to get the required 300 rings (although you may want to take both paths at the first path split, since they're both fairly easy as Tails or Knuckles). The main challenge is getting through the entire stage without dying and keeping all your rings. Keep yourself equipped with a shield at all times, preferably an Elemental Shield since it will remove the need to look for air bubbles and allow you to kill AquaBuzzes safely. Since the entire stage is underwater, you can't carry an Attraction Shield. The fire gauntlets of the second path split will be especially challenging since you can't afford to get hit more than once there, so you will need to memorize their patterns and practice getting through them unharmed. If you're confident about refreshing your air supply in time but not so confident about not getting hit more than once, you may want to switch to a Force Shield for this section. Unless you need more rings, choose the puzzle path at the third path split since it's much less dangerous than the action path.

NiGHTS levels

Floral Field Zone

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	(n/a)	Shortly before the capsule, you will pass a small pillar with a large sunflower on top. Head down between this pillar and the ledge to its right to find the emblem near the floor.
	125,000 points	Do as many laps as possible in the time limit. If you keep a continuous link, you should have enough points after four laps.
	Clear in 0:40.00	This should be fairly easy if you drill dash through the entire stage and line yourself up with items in your path. The sphere requirement is fairly low, so you shouldn't need to worry about getting enough spheres to break the Ideya Capture.

Toxic Plateau Zone

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	(n/a)	Shortly after passing through the vertical glass tube near the start, you will pass over a pool of slime. Fly down into it to find the emblem near the floor.
	150,000 points	You have enough time for three laps, which should be enough to get the required points. On the second lap, take the path that you didn't take on the first lap at the path split in the factory. Leave the Super Paraloop near the start of the stage for the second lap, when the score multiplier has started and you get twice as many points per item.
	Clear in 0:50.00	This time requirement is very strict and will require you to plan your path to the capsule carefully. Drill dash throughout the entire stage. Don't paraloop the first circle of rings and spheres. Once you reach a circle of rings, angle yourself downward so that you hit the bumpers in the glass tube. At the path split in the factory, take the upper path but don't paraloop the circle of rings and spheres there. When you drop down back onto the main path, make sure to get three spheres from each group of four, and then align yourself with one of the two rows of spheres and rings afterwards. You should reach the capsule with at least 60 spheres. Afterwards, finish the rest of the stage as quickly as possible and make sure you hit the bumpers in the tunnel near the end.

Flooded Cove Zone

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	(n/a)	After exiting the first underwater room, fly up and to your left to find the emblem near the ceiling.
	100,000 points	You have enough time to complete two laps around the stage, although you don't need a full two laps to reach 100,000 points. If your time is starting to run out during the second lap and you already have enough points, stop collecting items and simply dash to the exit as quickly as possible.
	Clear in 1:30.00	Try to collect all the spheres in the first underwater area. This will allow you to skip some of the harder-to-reach spheres in the temple section afterwards and still reach the capsule with 80 spheres. The rest of the stage is fairly straightforward; try to follow the vertical turns of the path without bumping into walls and drill dash throughout.

Cavern Fortress Zone

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	(n/a)	In the section just after the capsule where you go in circles around a four-tiered building, instead of taking the bumper at the bottom, fly over it to your left. As soon as possible, fly up to the next tier and turn right to reach the emblem.
	125,000 points	You have enough time to complete three laps around the stage, although in the third lap you might not have enough time to collect all the items. If you don't have enough points after the second lap, you can either try to get the remaining points in the section after the Ideya Drone and then backtrack, or you can go for a full third lap. Once you have enough points, stop collecting items and simply dash to the exit as quickly as possible.
	Clear in 1:15.00	Paraloop the circle that reveals the Nightopian Helper near the start. You should have enough time to collect it as well, but if you're confident you can collect all the items in the fenced gauntlets afterwards without it, you can save a little bit of time by leaving it. Take the time to paraloop the three shelves with spheres after the gauntlets, since you will need the spheres. If you collected most of the spheres up until this point, you should have enough by the time you get to the moving bookcases. Be careful with the moving pillars near the end of the track; you can lose a lot of time if you get stuck in them. You can afford to reduce your speed slightly in order to make it through them safely.

Dusty Wasteland Zone

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	(n/a)	After passing the dried-up lake and the two high walls next to it, you will come across a fence and a staircase. After flying up the staircase, fly up towards the ceiling to find the emblem.
	45,000 points	You won't have enough points after the first lap. You have just enough time for a hurried second lap, but only if you collect the Extra Time power-up shortly before the capsule. The second lap should bring you enough points, but if you don't have enough time for it, you can also get the remaining points in the area around the Ideya Drone. Keep in mind that you get a score bonus for every sphere you bring to the Ideya Drone, so if you're a few points short at the end, the bonus might make up the difference.
	Clear in 1:05.00	You can't afford to miss a lot of spheres if you want to meet the sphere requirement without backtracking. Collect the Nightopian Helper near the start, since it will allow to sweep up some spheres that would otherwise require precise alignment. Do a paraloop at the roundabout in the cave area to collect the spheres around the central pillar. If you get to the capsule with enough spheres and without having lost significant time anywhere, you should be able to meet the time requirement.

Magma Caves Zone

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	(n/a)	In the room with the spinning flame jets, instead of going down, keep flying forward and you will reach the emblem.
	100,000 points	You need to complete two full laps to gain enough points for this emblem. There is just enough time for two laps, so you can't afford to lose many seconds to hazards. You should use the Super Paraloop in the first lap to get spheres for the Ideya Capture in the flamethrower room, but you can leave the Link Freeze for the second lap.
	Clear in 1:20.00	You can't afford to get hit more than once or twice, so practice your timing at the lavafalls near the start and the lava wave in the capsule room. You need to collect most of the spheres before the capsule, so use the Super Paraloop to get all the spheres in the flamethrower room. Make sure you hit all the bumpers in the large room after the capsule, but don't bump into the lava or the rocks. Avoid the backwards bumper at the end of the corridor that leads back to the Ideya Drone.

Egg Satellite Zone

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	(n/a)	Before encountering the spinning laser fan, fly straight up to find the emblem.
	90,000 points	As with Magma Caves Zone, the time limit is fairly strict, so you can't afford to lose much time to hazards. Make sure you collect the Extra Time power-up since you will need the additional time to gain more points after the first lap. There is no need to complete two full laps around the stage. After finishing the first lap, fly around the area with the Ideya Drone and collect the items there for additional points. If you are still missing some points when the timer is up, finish the stage anyway since the sphere bonus will add a few points.
	Clear in 2:00.00	The main challenge here is to avoid getting hit. If you don't get hit and collect enough spheres to break the capsule right away, you should be able to meet the time requirement. Use the Super Paraloop near the start to collect most or all of the spheres in the room with the moving lasers. The section after the capsule has some obstacles that can steal a lot of your time. Don't go too fast here, since you need a lot of precision to avoid them. If you go fast in the less dangerous sections, you can afford to go slightly slower to avoid these obstacles.

Black Hole Zone

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	(n/a)	Instead of entering the building with the Ideya Capture, fly under it and into the bottom-right corner to find the emblem.
	90,000 points	Completing two full laps around this stage is possible but exceedingly difficult and not necessary to get an A rank. As with Egg Satellite Zone, after you've completed the first lap, collect items near the Ideya Drone to get the remaining points. The section with the damaging walls and floors right after the capsule is especially lucrative, so you might want to try to go through it a second time. You will need to collect the Extra Time to have enough time left over after completing the first lap.
	Clear in 2:30.00	As with Egg Satellite Zone, the main challenge here is to avoid getting hit. Of course, the obstacles in this level are much more difficult to avoid, so you will need a lot of practice to get through them smoothly. If you manage not to get hit at all and reach the capsule with enough spheres to break it right away, you should be able to get the time emblem.

Spring Hill Zone

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	(n/a)	This emblem is in the corridor of the castle building, above the wooden beams near the ceiling.
	100,000 points	There are five 10,000 point monitors hidden in the stage that you can collect in 3D mode before transforming into Super Sonic. On the NiGHTS track itself, you have enough time to do two loops around the stage, which should be enough to get the remaining 50,000 points.
	Clear in 1:00.00	Do not transform into Super Sonic. Instead, plan a path through the level in 3D mode that allows you collect 80 rings, break the capsule and return to the Ideya Drone in less than a minute.

Extra emblems

Emblem	Game info/hints	Description
	Complete 1P Mode	Complete the Single Player campaign with any character, with or without Chaos Emeralds.
	Complete 1P Mode with all emeralds	Complete the Single Player campaign with any character after collecting all Chaos Emeralds.
	Perfect Bonus on a non-secret stage	A perfect bonus is obtained by collecting every ring in a level and carrying them all to the end sign. The easiest level to achieve this in is GFZ1, which contains 285 rings.
	Complete SRB1 Remake	Complete the SRB1 Remake.
	Show your mastery of NiGHTS!	Beat Black Hole Zone, which itself is unlocked after getting an A rank in every Special Stage.

Spoilers end here.

2.1:Emblem guide

General Record Attack advice

Time

Rings

Score

General NiGHTS Mode advice

Time

A rank

Main stages

Secret levels

NiGHTS levels

Extra emblems

Navigation menu