Ring
From Sonic Retro
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Rings (リング) are collectable items found in most Sonic the Hedgehog games. Typically large, golden and accompanied with a distinct collection sound, they are perhaps the most recognisable element of a Sonic game other than Sonic himself.
Contents
Typical functions
Points
Perhaps the primary reason for collecting rings in the original Sonic the Hedgehog is for points. If Sonic finishes a zone with rings in hand, the number collected will be multiplied to create a "ring bonus", which is added to the player's score. The concept of arcade-style "scoring" has become less widespread in more modern video games, however most Sonic games continue to reward the player in some way for finishing a level with rings.
Damage control
If a character is holding at least one ring, this acts as a hit point, preventing death at the hands of enemies or obstacles. In the original game, if Sonic is hit by something dangerous (while not protected with a shield), he will drop all of his rings, causing them to scatter across the screen. During this brief period, it is possible to recollect any scattered rings before they disappear, thus as long as Sonic can keep collecting, he will not die (although this does not apply to drowning, being crushed or falling into a pit).
Most Sonic action games use a system wherein getting hit causes the ring count to drop to 0, however some games differ - provided you have 40 or more rings in Sonic Unleashed only half will be lost when hit; a set loss of 10 rings occurs in some games such as Sonic Blast and Shadow the Hedgehog; while Tails loses varying numbers depending on the severity of the hit in Tails Adventures.
Accessing new levels
Collecting 50 rings in the Sonic the Hedgehog causes a giant ring to appear at the end of the act, in turn allowing Sonic to access the Special Stage (and a further 50 rings in said stage grants Sonic a continue). Most Sonic games since have used rings to access either Special Stages or Bonus Stages, either mid-way through or at the end of a level.
Extra lives
Collecting 100 rings in most Sonic games grants the current character an extra life. This is repeated for 200 rings and 300 rings (although not all games continue the pattern for 400, 500, 600 etc.). This system was first seen with the coins in Super Mario Bros., though was copied in Sonic and has appeared in most of his games since.
Becoming "Super"
Rings also serve as fuel for characters' super transformations. In the older games, one of the conditions for attaining Super Sonic was to collect 50 rings and tap jump twice. Once in his golden form, Sonic's ring count falls steadily, and he reverts to his normal blue self once it reaches zero. The decreasing ring count is a general feature across many player-controlled super forms.
Currency
Starting with games such as Sonic R, where rings can be exchanged for unlocking shortcuts, rings have been used as a form of currency. This can also include unlocking new items or movesets.
Energy
Collected rings can be used to pay for using special moves during gameplay, like Eggman's rocket attack in Sonic R, or the racer's signature moves in Sonic Drift 2. In Sonic Unleashed, collecting rings fills up the Ring Energy gauge as well as the ring count itself; Ring Energy powers the Sonic Boost move. Sonic Heroes also uses rings to fill up a gauge, in this case the Team Blast gauge.
Rings are essential to perform the Light speed dash in Sonic Adventure, however here the rings are collected during the move (as Sonic travels down a line of rings), rather than being a requirement before performing it.
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Other uses
The great ubiquity of the rings as the series' generic 'collectible item' has seen them serve a variety of additional minor purposes over the years, including:
- Extra Lives: Originally, Sonic received an extra life for getting 100 rings, and another extra life for 200 rings. In later games, extra lives are also awarded at 300, 400 and further multiples. However, in Sonic Unleashed, only the first 100 rings provide an extra life, and even then, only in the PS3/XBOX 360 version.
- Currency: From Sonic Adventure onwards, characters have frequently been able to exchange rings for items in various overworld boutiques. Rings functioned as slot-machine prizes as far back as Casino Night Zone.
- Badnik power: In both Chaotix and Sonic Advance 3, Eggman's robots would sometimes disgorge a ring instead of an animal captive when destroyed. In the former case, the rings were Eggman's artificial Dark Rings, and not collectible. In Tails Adventures, Battle Kukku troops would sometimes drop rings when defeated.
- Move assists: Some of Sonic's upgraded moves, like the , see him fly along a chain of rings to get a speed boost or access otherwise unreachable areas.
- Move costs: Collected rings can be used to pay for using special moves during gameplay, like Eggman's rocket attack in Sonic R, or the racer's signature moves in Sonic Drift 2. In Sonic Unleashed, collecting rings fills up the Ring Energy gauge as well as the ring count itself; Ring Energy powers the Sonic Boost move. Sonic Heroes also uses rings to fill up a gauge, in this case the Team Blast gauge.
- Bonded rings: 'Chaotix featured a pair of very unusual rings as a central gameplay element, which bound the player character and partner character together with an energy called "Ring Power". In Tails Skypatrol, the flying fox has a similar ring which he uses to throw at enemies.
- Dummy rings: Tails and Rouge use fake rings as an anti-badnik explosive in Sonic Heroes. In Sonic 06, Tails uses a monitor full of fake rings.
- Ring Gates: Rings can also be used to unlock certain barriers which need rings to open.
In other media
Rings seem to have a higher purpose in the Archie comics. In one issue Sonic is able to use a ring to teleport himself, in another he uses one as a sort of fortune teller.
In both the Sonic the Hedgehog animated series and Sonic X, Sonic used rings to give himself a power boost.
Trivia
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- In Sonic and the Black Knight, rings seem to be hoarded by the Grand Kingdom's fairies, as it is golden, glowing fairy clouds that Sonic collects in-game. Nonetheless the HUD counter shows a picture of a ring, and rings explode out of the hedgehog when he takes a hit. Rings can, however, be seen in their normal form during the Legacy missions.
- Rings almost never appear in isolation, instead being found in clusters, like the standard 3-ring horizontal line in Sonic 1, or in circular arrangements in Sonic '06.
- In the opening of Sonic Colors, right before Sonic turns into the rocket, you can see some rings around him as a cube. Apparently, this is the only time rings have appeared in a CG cutscene.
- In the games for the Genesis, 32X and Sega CD, the ring collection sound effect alternates between the left and right speaker every time a ring is collected.
See also
References