Sonic Advance

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Terminology and tactics

Super Spin Dash

When the character is standing still, press and hold the D-pad down, then tap A two times. Release the D-pad to blast off in a burst of speed. Amy can't do this movement.

Quickstop

Often, after jumping or bouncing in a spring you keep a little momentum but when you land you need to Spin Dash to gain momentum. If you press down to Spin Dash when you land, you roll a little before stopping and lose time. Quickstopping is useful in these cases. To Quickstop tap B button (with Sonic you have to tap it two times) at the very moment that you land to do an attack movement, stopping faster and advancing a little. Once you are stopped you can Spin Dash. There is a faster way to Quickstop with Knuckles: after jumping press A just before landing. This technique is not useful if you play as Amy.

Ramp Jump

When floors are not level, the angle of the floor affects the angle of the jump. If you are moving up hill, then a ramp jump gives you much more height than usual. Similarly, if you are travelling down hill, your jump is lower than the regular one. These are referred to as uphill and downhill ramp jumps respectively. The angle of a Ramp Jump is different if you jump while running than if you jump while rolling. Ramp Jumps are especially useful on Egg Rocket Zone Act 1.

Loop jump

A variation on the ramp jump, which takes place inside a loop. When you make a jump from the bottom-right or top-left of a loop (assuming entry from the left), you can catch the next corner of the loop and be propelled off at much faster speeds. Loop jumping at the top left is the most efficient and worthwhile jump to do.

Corner Avoidance

Sometimes, when you go fast across a stage you find corners that stop you. You can avoid many of them just by tapping the opposite direction of your advance before touching a corner.

Pause Abuse

Pausing the game is useful to get good times on certain stages. For example, the boss at the end of Casino Paradise Zone Act 2 can be defeated faster using Pause Abuse.

Jump Dash Boost

As Sonic, if you jump a little and jump dash fast just before the beginning of a slope, you gain extra momentum. This technique is very useful on Neo Green Hill Zone Act 1.

Superglide

As Knuckles, if you jump and glide in a certain angle before contacting an enemy or item box, your glide is higher and larger. Supergliding is useful on Angel Island Zone Act 1, Angel Island Zone Act 2 and Egg Rocket Zone Act 1.

Superflight

The same as above but playing as Tails and flying.

Hammer Bounce

To make your jumps higher and faster as Amy on a spring, just hit it with the Piko Piko hammer. Hamer Bounce is useful on Neo Green Hill Zone Act 2, Secret Base Zone Act 2, Ice Mountain Zone Act 1, Casino Paradise Zone Act 2 and Egg Rocket Zone Act 1.