Orbs (Sonic Unleashed)

The OrbsMedia:SonicUnleashed PS2 US manual.pdf are Dark Gaia fragments of energy that can be found and collected by the Werehog in the Night Stages of the PS2/Wii versions of Sonic Unleashed, and exist as a result of Dark Gaia being scattered all around the world at the beginning of the game. They appear in three variants:

• Red Orbs are converted into Dark Gaia Force when you finish a level;
• Blue Orbs fill the Werehog's Unleash Gauge when collected;
• Green Orbs fill the Werehog's Health Bar when collected, just like Rings, but don't add to the ring count.

1 Red Orb = 20 Dark Gaia Force

1 Green Orb correspond to 5 Rings

Overview

When Orbs spawn, they first float around the place where they appeared from for a few seconds, and then fly in the direction of the Werehog, being absorbed by him.

All varieties of Orbs can be spawned by beating Dark Gaia's enemies and bossesMedia:SonicUnleashed PS2 US manual.pdf at night, each enemy emitting a specific combination of Orbs:

	Nightmare — Red Orbs = 2 — Blue Orbs = 1
	Red Nightmare — Red Orbs = 3 — Blue Orbs = 2
	Deep Nightmare — Red Orbs = 4 — Blue Orbs = 3
	Red Deep Nightmare — Red Orbs = 5 — Blue Orbs = 4
	Dark Fright — Red Orbs = 1 — Blue Orbs = 1
	Red Fright — Red Orbs = 2 — Blue Orbs = 2
	Killer Bee — Red Orbs = 1 — Blue Orbs = 2
	Red Killer Bee — Red Orbs = 2 — Blue Orbs = 3
	Little Rex — Red Orbs = 1 — Blue Orbs = 1
	Red Rex — Red Orbs = 2 — Blue Orbs = 2
	Dark Bat — Green Orbs = 1
	Dark Bat Sniper — Red Orbs = 1 — Green Orbs = 2
	Thunder Bat — Red Orbs = 2 — Green Orbs = 3
	Dark Master — Red Orbs = 3 — Green Orbs = 1
	Fright Master — Red Orbs = 4 — Green Orbs = 2
	Fire Master — Red Orbs = 5 — Green Orbs = 3
	Lightning Master — Red Orbs = 6 — Green Orbs = 4
	Titan — Red Orbs = 10 — Green Orbs = 5
	Red Titan — Red Orbs = 15 — Green Orbs = 5
	Big Mother — Red Orbs = 10 — Green Orbs = 10
	Spike — No Orbs

The amount of Orbs emitted by an enemy will be multiplied by a factor, rounding down, if you beat it during a Were-Wallop comboMedia:SonicUnleashed PS2 US manual.pdf (x1,5 during a yellow combo, after one Were-Wallop; x2 during a green combo, after two Were-Wallops).

All night bosses — the Dark Gaia Phoenix, the Dark Moray, the Dark Guardian and the Egg Dragoon — release 50 Red Orbs (equivalent to 1000 Dark Gaia Force).

The Eggman Robots that appear in the Night Stages — Egg Typhoons, Egg Blizzards and Egg Flames — release Orbs as well:

	Egg Typhoon — Red Orbs = 1 — Blue Orbs = 1
	Egg Blizzard — Red Orbs = 2 — Blue Orbs = 2
	Egg Flame — Red Orbs = 3 — Blue Orbs = 3

Red and Blue Orbs can also be spawned by collecting the respective Item CapsulesMedia:SonicUnleashed PS2 US manual.pdf (which countain variable amounts of Orbs) or breaking objects, such as jars and ice (which contain one Orb each), but not wooden boxes.

	Red Orbs Item Capsule from the PS2/Wii version of Sonic Unleashed.
	Blue Orbs Item Capsule from the PS2/Wii version of Sonic Unleashed.

Once you collect a Red Orbs Item Capsule in a Night Stage and finish the level, that specific item will turn into a Blue Orbs Item Capsule for the next times you play that level.

Orb distribution information

The Orb distributions of the Dark Gaia's enemies and bosses allow for a number of direct conclusions to be taken about their nature and sub-group characteristics:

• All creatures but the Dark Bat and Spike possess Red Orbs, and the Dark Bat is the only creature that cannot attack the Werehog;
  • Spike is the only creature that doesn't unleash Orbs at all, but is also the only one that appears in some Gaia Gates;
• All enemies but Spike and the bosses possess either Blue Orbs or Green Orbs, but none possess both varieties at the same time;

• All enemies with elemental variants — the Thunder Bat, the Lightning Master and the Fire Master — have Green Orbs;
  • No enemy with Blue Orbs have elemental variants;
• All enemies with Blue Orbs have Red variants;
  • All creatures without any type of variants lack Blue Orbs;
• All mini-boss enemies — the Titan, the Red Titan and Big Mother — possess Green Orbs;

Orb Result/Dark Gaia Force

“	Get Strong Faster Night foes keep getting stronger, and Sonic needs to keep up if he hopes to win. Pots and other objects can contain Orbs, so remember to smash all you can!	„
— Secret Document 12 - "Earning EXP as a Werehog", PS2/Wii versions of Sonic Unleashed

At the end of a Night Stage, you are brought to the Orb Result ScreenMedia:SonicUnleashed PS2 US manual.pdf, where the Red Orbs you collected during the level are converted into Dark Gaia Force (also called EXP) and stored to a maximum of 72,000 EXP. Reaching certain amounts of stored Dark Gaia Force causes upgrades the Werehog's stats – Attack Power, Health Bar and Unleash Gauge, up to 4 times each (ranging from level 1 to level 5) – and teaches him new techniques, expanding his range of attacks:

Were-Hammer (0 Dark Gaia Force)

Were-Claw (1000 Dark Gaia Force)

Combo Level Up (2500 Dark Gaia Force)

Were-Wallop (7500 Dark Gaia Force)

Beatdown (12500 Dark Gaia Force)

Earthshaker (36000 Dark Gaia Force)

Descriptions in the Orb Result

“	This emergency evasion tactic will push back any foe it connects with.	„
— Were-Hammer description from the Orb Result

“	Pierce any defense with this technique. Hit foes just right and you can dizzy them!	„
— Were-Claw description from the Orb Result

“	Dark Gaia's energy gathers around Sonic. Sonic can now chain together more attacks!	„
— Combo Level Up description from the Orb Result

“	Send baddies skyward, then kick off a combo. This move makes a perfect opener.	„
— Were-Wallop description from the Orb Result

“	The shockwaves emitted when you grab and pound the target to the ground will do additional damage to nearby foes.	„
— Beatdown description from the Orb Result

“	The Werehog's final finisher, the Earthshaker, can deal massive damage to a broad area.	„
— Earthshaker description from the Orb Result

Reviving with Green Orbs

When an enemy attacks the Werehog and empties his Health Bar, a small animation will play, where numerous Green Orbs spawn around the Werehog and restore the entire Health Bar, reviving him. This consumes a 1-up. You must have at least a 1-up left for this to happen, otherwise you just lose the level.