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'''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' (ソニック バトル) is an isometric fighting game with RPG elements. It is the second fighting game in the Sonic series, following ''[[Sonic the Fighters]]''.
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'''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' (ソニック バトル) is an isometric fighting game with RPG elements. It is the second fighting game in the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series, following ''[[Sonic the Fighters]]''.
  
 
==Gameplay==
 
==Gameplay==

Revision as of 13:58, 27 July 2021

n/a

Sonic Battle title.png
Sonic Battle
System(s): Game Boy Advance
Publisher: Sega (JP), THQ (NA/EU)
Developer:
Peripherals supported: Game Link Cable
Genre: Fighting
Number of players: 1-4
Release Date RRP Code Rating
Game Boy Advance
US
2004-01-12 $? AGB-P-ASBE
AGB-ASBE-USA
ESRB: Everyone
Game Boy Advance
UK
2004-02-27[1] £? AGB-P-BSBP
AGB-ASBP-UKV
PEGI: 7+
Game Boy Advance
DE
2004-02-27[2] €? AGB-P-BSBP
USK: 0
Game Boy Advance
JP
2003-12-04[3] ¥4,980 (5,229)[3] AGB-P-BSBJ
AGB-ASBJ-JPN
CERO: Free
Game Boy Advance
AU
200x $? ?
OFLC: G8

Sonic Battle (ソニック バトル) is an isometric fighting game with RPG elements. It is the second fighting game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, following Sonic the Fighters.

Gameplay

Battles are fought in 3D arenas with up to 4 players. Each character has a set of attacks and abilities. The majority of attacks are performed with the B button, including the combos (1st, 2nd, and 3rd Attack), Air Attack, Upper Attack (used to knock opponents straight up), Heavy Attack (used to knock opponents away), and Aim Attack (used to home in on an opponent after the Heavy Attack). The A button is used to jump, and the L button lets the player block attacks, or replenish health if the button is held.

The playable characters also have unique special moves, the three types being Shot, Power, and Set. Shot moves are projectiles which can damage an opponent from a distance. Power moves can deal damage quickly in a single move. Trap moves generally involve using a type of bomb to surprise-attack the enemy. However, only a limited number of special moves can be selected. Shot, Power, and Trap must be allocated to three slots: Ground, Air, and Defend. The special move you set to Ground will be used when you press R on the ground. The move you set to Air will be used when you press R in mid-air. The last slot, Defend, has a different function; When you set a certain type of special move to Defend, then every time an enemy uses the same type of special to attack you, you'll automatically block it.

Each player has a health bar and an "Ichikoro Gauge". When health is completely depleted, the player is KO'd and loses one life (in a survival match) or the one who KO'd them gets a point (in a KO match). The Ground, Air, and Defend settings are chosen at the beginning of the match, and every time the player respawns. As a player takes damage, blocks attacks, or heals, the Ichikoro Gauge fills up. When it is full, the next special move the player does will instantly KO anyone it hits. However, if they chose to defend against that type of special, or successfully block, their Ichikoro Gauge will be filled instantly. Players healing damage will also slowly fill up their Ichikoro Gauge, but are still vulnerable to attacks.

Characters

Character Image Manual description
Playable
Emerl Emerl battle giant.png Emerl is capable of strengthening himself by acquiring his opponent's moves. Collect as many moves as possible and customise Emerl's fighting skills!Media:SonicBattle GBA US manual.pdf[4]
Sonic the Hedgehog Sonic battle 2.png Sonic is a hedgehog who runs at supersonic speed. Check out his excellent balance of attack, defense moves and ability to run at super-sonic speeds. Knock-out opponents using a snappy dance-inspired move!Media:SonicBattle GBA US manual.pdf[4]
Miles "Tails" Prower Tails battle.png "Tails" has invented a number of unique combined moves. Create a variety of combos with his consecutive attacks and inventions.Media:SonicBattle GBA US manual.pdf[4]
Knuckles the Echidna Knuckles battle.png Knuckles is an enthusiastic fighter who can knock down his oppenents with only a single hit. Keep punching opponents to defeat them quickly!Media:SonicBattle GBA US manual.pdf[5]
Amy Rose Amy battle.png Amy is a cheerful and energetic girl who attacks opponents with her Piko Piko Hammer. You may win a battle simply by swinging it around.Media:SonicBattle GBA US manual.pdf[5]
Shadow the Hedgehog Shadow battle.png Shadow can move from place to place without detection. He will vanish and attack, and then appear again. Watch out for his ultimate speed!Media:SonicBattle GBA US manual.pdf[5]
Cream the Rabbit Cream battle02.png Cream has a constant companion in her best friend, Cheese. Joining hands, Cream and Cheese not only work well together, but also give each other courage!Media:SonicBattle GBA US manual.pdf[6]
Rouge the Bat Battle Rouge.png Rouge is the "world's greatest thief." There's no doubt that her battle style will rock your world!Media:SonicBattle GBA US manual.pdf[6]
Unlockable
E-102 γ E102-sb.png
Chaos Chaos battle giant.png
Non-playable
Phi E-121 Phi.png
Guard Robo
Dr. Eggman

Battling with Emerl

Emerl, the Gizoid, forms the basis for Sonic Battle's story.

The main gimmick of the game is called the Skill Capture system. Emerl can imitate the actions and attacks of every other character. He starts out with slow, incomplete captures of Sonic's abilities, which serve as the default moves. As the game is played, the abilities of other characters are recorded as Skill Cards. After each fight, certain skills are captured this way, one card per character per fight (so if Emerl fought Tails, he would get a Tails data card, and if he fought Sonic, he would get a Sonic data card.) The capturable actions consist of not only the attacks and special moves each character performs, but their individual abilities in running, jumping, mid-air actions, and the like. These can be allocated to their corresponding slots in Emerl's ability list, and doing so gives Emerl the new moves to use in battle. (Note: What the charaters do ingame does not determine what the Skill Card will be.) Sometimes you will get a rare skill such as one of the skills on the third page of Emerl's skill-edit list (ex: fight pose, color 1, attack support). There are 309 skill cards to collect in all, though the rarest can't be acquired by fighting combatants in normal battles. Emerl's ultimate battle cards can only be earned through Tails' virtual training in the final chapter of Story Mode. Secret character-centric abilities can only be obtained via passwords.

However, all these abilities cannot be used simultaneously. A limit is placed on the amount of non-default Skill Cards that can be used, in the form of skill points. Each card has a certain number of stars shown on the corner, and for each star, five skill points must be available to use on it. The total number of required skill points of all the allocated Skill Cards cannot exceed the current maximum of skill points Emerl has accumulated. Like the Skill Cards themselves, the skill point maximum is increased slightly with each battle, to a maximum of 500.

Since Emerl is powered by the Chaos Emeralds, there are cutscenes in the Story Mode episodes in which the Emeralds are used to enhance Emerl's abilities. Each Emerald raises the skill point maximum by 10, a rather large amount considering that most of the time, individual battles raise it by 1-5 (depending on performance). The player can choose to replay a Story Mode episode after it's been completed, but the Skill Card/Point data is still saved. Oddly enough, the skill point maximum is raised at the Chaos Emerald cutscene every time the player reaches them. This means the same Story Mode episode can be repeated to raise Emerl's skill points faster than normal.

Mini-games

In addition to the principal Story Mode with overworld exploration and battle arena fights, there are a number of other game modes available in Sonic Battle for single or multiplayer (by connecting the Game Boy Advance with up to 3 others via a link cable). These include "Battle", "Challenge", and "Training" modes, where one can specify the specific characters, opponents, and arenas to spar in, as well as a selection of 2D mini games largely unrelated to the fighting motif. These include:

Sonic battle soniclash!.png
Soniclash!
The only minigame to be available for play at the start of the game, Soniclash! sees players bounce around a pinball-like arena, rolled up in a Spin Dash. Multiplayer only. Players: Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow
Sonic battle flying get.png
Tails' Fly & Get
Unlocked by beating Tails' episode in Story Mode. Fly & Get is an aerial ring-collection game which inspired a later Sonic Cafe mobile phone release, Tails no Flying Get. Multiplayer only. Players: Tails, Cream, Gamma, Rouge
Sonic battle mine hunt.png
Knuckles' Mine Hunt
Unlocked by beating Knuckles' episode in Story Mode. Here Knuckles plays a game of minesweeper. Due to a design oversight, there is no way to exit the minigame once it is started. However, no data is lost by turning off the system while playing Mine Hunt. Unlike the other minigames, this is for one player only, although you can transfer it to another Game Boy Advance with no cartridge inserted.
Sonic battle treasure island.png
Amy's Treasure Island (called Treasure Hunt occasionally)
Unlocked by beating Amy's episode in Story Mode. Players race to find 3 Emeralds in a 3D field. Multiplayer only. Players: Amy, Cream, Knuckles, Rouge
Sonic battle speed demon.png
Shadow's Speed Demon
Unlocked by beating Shadow's episode in Story Mode. Players race across a highway to the finish. Multiplayer only. Players: Shadow, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles

Chronology

Despite being released before Sonic Heroes, the events of Sonic Battle take place after it. In Sonic Battle Rouge mentions E-123 Omega, who she first met in Sonic Heroes. Shadow the Hedgehog is also present, following his apparent death at the end of Sonic Adventure 2 and his return in Sonic Heroes.

Secret Combo Cards

Combo Cards representing each character can be obtained by entering a code in the Sonic Team building in the Central City area during Emerl's story.

  • Sonic: 75619
  • Tails: OTrOI
  • Knuckles: yU3Da
  • Amy: alogK
  • Cream: ZAhan
  • Shadow: ArmIa
  • Rouge: AhnVo
  • Gamma: tSueT
  • Chaos: EkiTa

Note: Shadow's card code is an anagram of Maria. Knuckles' code is a reference to Takashi Yuda, his designer, and his first game Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Chaos' code is almost an anagram of Tikal, but with an "E" instead of an "L"

History

Legacy

Manuals

Sonic Retro emblem.svg Main article: Sonic Battle/Manuals

Also released on

Sound test

NOTE: This game's Sound Test does not feature corresponding titles.

# Title Usage
0 Title Title Screen
1 Main Menu Main Menu/Mode Select Screen, Mini Games Select Screen
2 Character Select Episode Select (Story Mode), Link Setup, Character Select (Challenge Mode)
3 Challenge Challenge Mode Demo
4 VS Result Results (Battle & Challenge Mode)
5 Record Continue (Story Mode), Training Mode Setup Screen, Battle Record
6 Congratulations Challenge Mode Clear
7  ???  ???
8  ???  ???
9 Sonic Stage Emerald Beach
10 Tails Stage Tails' Lab
11 Knuckles Stage Chao Ruins
12 Amy Stage Amy's Room
13 Shadow Stage Battle Highway
14 Rouge Stage Club Rouge
15 E-102γ (Gamma) Stage Metal Depot
16 Cream Stage Library
17 Chaos Stage A Crater (Holy Summit (Arena))
18 Chaos Stage B Blackboard Eraser
19 Eggman & Emerl Stage Final Boss (Death Egg (Arena))
20 E-121Φ (Phi) Stage Colosseum
21 Demo 1 Comedy Demo/Story Demo 1
22 Demo 2 Shadow Demo/History Demo/Story Demo 2
23 Demo 3 Confrontation Demo/Story Demo 3
24 Demo 4 Eggman Demo/Story Demo 4
25 Demo 5 Emerl Demo/Story Demo 5
26 Battle Start Character Introduction Demo
27 Battle Result 1 Card Capture Demo
28 Battle Result 2 Rare Card Capture Demo
29 New Character Character Unlock Demo
30 Skill Edit Emerl Customization Menu
31 Ending A Staff Roll (all stories except Emerl), Staff Roll 2 (Emerl Story)
32 Ending B Staff Roll 1 (Emerl Story)
33 Emerald Town Emerald Town (Overworld)
34 Night Babylon Night Babylon (Overworld)
35 Holy Summit Holy Summit (Overworld)
36 Central City Central City (Overworld)
37 Gimme Shelter Gimme Shelter (Overworld)
38 Death Egg Death Egg (Overworld)
39 Green Hill Stage Green Hill

Production credits

Programming
  • System & COM Programmer: Yoshihiko Toyoshima
  • Story Mode Programmer: Takahiro Hamano
  • Battle Mode Programmer: Tomoyuki Hayashi
  • Mini Game Programmers: Nobuo Nakagawa, Yoshihiko Toyoshima
Art
  • Chief Animator: Yasuda Denneikoushi
  • Character Animators: Sachi Nakamura, Asao Furukawa, Hiroaki Ishige, Ryuta Kawasaki, Kentaro Sakamoto
  • Map Designer: Toru Kawaguchi
  • Advertise Designers: Takeshi Ichimura, Miho Hyakutake, Takao Kawase
  • Minigame Designer: Takao Kawase
  • Illustrator: Hisanobu Kometani
  • Design Coordinator: Yuji Uekawa
  • Character Design Support: Jupiter Corp., Hiroshi Tanigawa, Tomoki Miyazaki, Arito Chujo, Noriko Shibuya, Norichika Meguro, Masaru Kuribayashi
  • Special Thanks: Yasuko Maruyama
Sound

Sega Corporation

  • Executive Management: Hideki Okamura, Masanao Maeda, Toshihiro Nagoshi, Yukio Sugino
  • Marketing Dept.: Mitsuru Takahashi, Naoko Ooka, Mariko Takeda
  • Public Relations: Yasushi Nagumo, Youko Nagasawa
  • International Business & Product Development: Tatsuyuki Miyazaki, Yusuke Suai
Sega Logistics Service Co., Ltd.
  • Product Management: Junichi Shimizu
  • Product Support: Akira Nishikawa, Akira Terasawa, Kazuhiko Morii
  • Product Test: Yutaka Kawasaki, Daisuke Izichi, Satoshi Yamane, Junko Ota, Sou Ishida
  • Package & Manual Production: Yoshihiro Sakuta, Satoru Ishigami, Kazuaki Jikuhara, Hisakazu Nakagawa, Asako Miyajima
  • Customer Support: Kazunori Yagi, Shoko Goto

Sega of America, Inc.

Product Development & Quality Assurance
  • Director of Product Development: Osamu Shibamiya
  • Localization Producer: Jason Kuo
  • Test Director: Deborah Kirkham
  • Project Lead: Shawn Dobbins
Entertainment Product Marketing
  • Executive Vice President: Shinobu Toyoda
  • Product Manager: Heather Hall
  • Senior Media Specialist: Teri Higgins
  • Creative Services Manager: Arianne McCarthy
  • Public Relations Manager: Bret Blount
  • Special Thanks: Yosuke Moriya, Lori Von Rueden, Klayton Vorlick

Sega Europe, Ltd.

  • President and COO: Naoya Tsurumi
  • Executive Vice President, Sales & Marketing: Mike Sherlock
  • Executive Vice President, Product Development: Jin Shimazaki
  • Localization Producer: Akiko Uchida
  • Senior Producer: Matt O'Driscoll
  • Technical Producer: Elliott Martin
  • European Marketing Director: Matthew Woodley
  • European Marketing Manager: Gary Knight
  • European Product Manager: Mat Quaek
  • Sega Europe QA: Darius Sadeghian, David Smith, Roy Boateng, Chris Geiles
  • Executive Producer: Hisao Oguchi
  • Presented by: Sega
Source: In-game credits

Resources

Transcript of Gerald's Journal - The deceased Professor's notes, gradually unlocked while clearing the game a second time.

Artwork

Story mode art

Concept art

Wallpaper

Official wallpapers available from the Japanese Sonic Battle website:

Physical scans

Segaretro-round.svg Reception »
Game Boy Advance, US
SonicBattle GBA US Box Back.jpgNospine-small.pngSbattle-box-us.jpg
Cover
Game Boy Advance, UK
Sbat eu boxart back.jpgNospine-small.pngSbat eu boxart.jpg
Cover
Game Boy Advance, FR

Game Boy Advance, DE

Game Boy Advance, ES

Game Boy Advance, JP
Sbat jp boxart.jpg
Cover
Game Boy Advance, JP (alt/bootleg?)

Battle gba jp cart2.jpg
Cart
Game Boy Advance, AU (US version)
SB GBA AU us front.jpg
Cover

Technical information

ROM dump status

System Hash Size Build Date Source Comments
Game Boy Advance
 ?
CRC32 9ec9d86f
MD5 100579ef01225c620560f88e65ca423a
SHA-1 8cf4fbbe73f6b1907ab9997caab4c4e7d9708937
16MB Cartridge (US)
Game Boy Advance
CRC32 d0f65125
MD5 7194f25da6be4548f7e0c80f73e3f628
SHA-1 29f19b564020bd4667c33827b39adae7ade74679
16MB Cartridge (EU)
Game Boy Advance
CRC32 7305ac30
MD5 1c694783acdfd013bdd980a4d8f8f546
SHA-1 ec68166a437895953bbbce256ebefaebb77c0156
16MB Cartridge (JP)

External links

  • Sega of Japan catalogue pages: Game Boy Advance (archive)
  • Nintendo catalogue pages: JP, US (archive)

References


Sonic Battle
Sonic Battle title.png

Main page
Comparisons
Credits


Manuals
Promotional material
Magazine articles
Reception


Development
Hidden content
Bugs
Technical information

Sonic the Hedgehog games for the following systems
Game Boy Advance
 2001  Sonic Advance | Tiny Chao Garden     2002  Sonic Advance 2     2003  Sonic Pinball Party | Sonic Battle     2004  Sonic Advance 3 | Sonic X: A Super Sonic Hero     2005  Sonic Advance & Sonic Pinball Party | Sonic Advance & ChuChu Rocket! | Sonic Advance & Sonic Battle | Sonic Battle & ChuChu Rocket! | Sonic Pinball Party & Sonic Battle | Sonic Pinball Party & Columns Crown     2006  Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis    
 Demos  Sonic Advance 3