Spin Dash

A feature first implemented in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and used in all subsequent games. Holding Down and repeatedly pressing Jump will charge up a spindash, and releasing Down will send you zooming off at high speed to whatever direction you're facing. (In 3D games, the move is performed by holding B, since holding Down would cause the player to move downward.)

Spindash in Sonic 1

Sonic Jam

When Sonic 1 was ported to the Sega Saturn as part of the Sonic games compilation, Sonic Jam, the spindash was introduced into the game. This allowed the player to finish levels in much quicker time. It also causes a problem in Green Hill Zone, where it's possible to fall off the bottom of the screen when you spindash through a tunnel, causing Sonic to die.

ROM Hacks

In chronological order:

• Esrael ported the spindash code from Sonic 2 Beta.
• drx wrote his own spindash code.
• Hivebrain ported the spindash code from Sonic 2 (final version), as part of his Sonic 1 Plus ROM hack.