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Difference between revisions of "Shield"

From Sonic Retro

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(''Sonic 1'' and ''Sonic 2'')
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Image:S1SMS shield got.png|''Sonic 1'' (Master System) shield.
 
Image:S1SMS shield got.png|''Sonic 1'' (Master System) shield.
 
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Interestingly enough, there are no shields at all in ''[[Sonic 2 (8-bit)]]'' and subsequent games (''[[Sonic Chaos]]'' and ''[[Sonic Triple Trouble]])''.
  
 
===''[[Sonic 3 & Knuckles]]''===
 
===''[[Sonic 3 & Knuckles]]''===

Revision as of 00:18, 30 June 2009

A shield (referred to as barrier in Japan) is a power-up that protects the player from harm. When the player runs into an enemy or trap, they fall backwards and the shield is lost. Shields offer limited protection in the same way as rings do, although shields can't be re-collected after they are lost.

Shields can be obtained though breaking monitors, or the gumball machine bonus stage in Sonic 3.

Types of shield

Sonic 1 and Sonic 2

  • The original shield is a simple blue sphere, with no additional advantages.

Interestingly enough, there are no shields at all in Sonic 2 (8-bit) and subsequent games (Sonic Chaos and Sonic Triple Trouble).

Sonic 3 & Knuckles

These shields protect against most projectile attacks. Sonic is able to perform special attacks by pressing jump twice, whereas Tails and Knuckles cannot.

  • Water shield (or aqua barrier): this shield protects the player from drowning, and as such is particularly useful in Hydrocity Zone and most Sonic 3 levels which contain water sections, as opposed to Sonic & Knuckles levels, in which there isn't a single drop of water. Pressing jump twice lets Sonic perform a bounce attack, rapidly smashing down on the floor and then rebounding at height. The water shield also appeared in Sonic R, but without significant differences; it lacked the bounce technique, and allowed the character to walk on water rather than survive under it. The shield would also disappear once you touched back on dry land afterwards.
  • Fire shield (or flame barrier): protects the player from flames. Pressing jump twice turns Sonic into a fireball which briefly zooms forward. Falling into water, however, will destroy it, unless the player is in a Super or Hyper form. This shield also appears in Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island, but minus the fireball ability.
  • Lightning shield (or thunder barrier): protects the player from electric damage and attracts nearby rings. Pressing jump twice lets Sonic perform a double-jump. As with the fire shield, water destroys this barrier if the player isn't in a Super or Hyper form. The shield also appears in Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Advances 1, 2 & 3, Sonic R, and Sonic Rush.

Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island

  • The standard blue shield, which, contrary to it's usual "everything-breaks-it" properties in all previous games, actually renders Sonic impervious to electric damage in this game, specificly the electrified floors in Gene Gadget Zone.
  • The fire shield, which protects the player against fire and lava (especially useful in Volcano Valley Zone).
  • The gold shield, which lets the player perform homing attacks on nearby enemies.

Sonic Adventure and beyond

  • A green version of the standard blue shield.
  • The magnet shield, a blue shiny shield which is the same as above except that it also attracts rings.