Spin Dash

Sonic performing a Spin Dash, as seen in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

The Spin Dash, first mentioned as the Super Dash Attack in the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit) instruction manual, and known as a Turbo in Sonic the Comic, refers to the ability of Sonic and others to dash off from a standstill. Sonic rolls into a ball form and spins to rev up and gain momentum and takes off at great speed. If a badnik is hit while in this ball form when it is going at high speed or while revving up the spin dash it takes damage. The spin dash is faster and generally more powerful than the spin roll.

The move was first introduced in Sonic 2 and has appeared in most Sonic games that have been released since then. In side-scrolling games the move is performed by pressing and a jump button. Most 3D titles have the spin dash assigned to a single button.

Spin Dash in Most 2D Games

Knuckles, about to demonstrate the technique on a hapless Sparkle in Carnival Night Zone.

In Sonic 2, Sonic 3, and Sonic & Knuckles, the Spin Dash works the same way. It is used in all subsequent 2D games. Holding and pressing , , or will charge up a Spin Dash, and releasing will send Sonic zooming off at high speed in whatever direction he is facing. By repeatedly tapping the button the speed will increase. There are a few cool little tricks to be learned other than just blasting to the side.

Diagonal Blast: This trick takes expert timing. Charge up the Spin Dash by holding and pressing rapidly. Then, the split second after releasing , press and tap . If timed correctly, Sonic will blast off at an upward angle, which is useful in areas with varied terrain.

Spin Dash in Sonic 1

Sonic Jam

When Sonic 1 was ported to the Sega Saturn as part of the Sonic games compilation, Sonic Jam, the Spin Dash was introduced into the game. This allowed the player to finish levels in much quicker time. It also caused a problem in Green Hill Zone where it would be possible for Sonic to die falling off the bottom of the screen after Spin Dashing through a tunnel.

Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis

The Spin Dash is present in Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis and works much the same as in Sonic 2, though when charging up you are still vulnerable.

ROM Hacks

In chronological order:

• Esrael ported the Spin Dash code from Sonic 2 Beta.
• drx wrote his own Spin Dash code.
• Hivebrain ported the Spin Dash code from Sonic 2 (final version), as part of his Sonic 1 Plus ROM hack.
• Stealth ported the Spin Dash (along with the entire Knuckles object) from Knuckles in Sonic 2 as part of his Knuckles the Echidna in Sonic the Hedgehog ROM hack. This port of the Spin Dash was also included in Sonic Megamix.
• Cinossu wrote his own Spin Dash code, in the style of Sonic CD, for his ROM hack, Sonic the Hedgehog Extended Edition.

Nowadays, due to widespread ASM usage and the existence of a Spin Dash porting guide, most recent Sonic 1 hacks feature a Sonic 2-style Spin Dash.

Spin Dash in Sonic CD

The Spin Dash in Sonic CD works different than the one that appeared in Sonic 2 and later titles. Sonic still takes hits while in the ball form and the spin dash must be revved up by repeatedly pressing the button before being used or Sonic will stand up instead of using the move.

Spin Dash in 3D games

Since Sonic 3D Blast, the Spin Dash is performed by pressing a single button (usually when standing still) rather than pressing and jump, since pressing down would result in Sonic moving in the opposite direction as he was facing.