Wooden Container

The Wooden Container (木製コンテナ) is an object that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. As its name implies, it is a Container made of wood, which can be found in various levels throughout the Sonic series. It is perhaps best known as a very fragile object that can easily be destroyed by most forms of attack.

Description
The Wooden Containers possess a simple, cubic-shaped design. While they are always made of wood, their superficial appearance has varied since their introduction in Sonic Adventure 2. In gameplay, the Wooden Containers are the most basic of all Containers. They are also perhaps best known for being the most easily breakable version of all Containers, as the player can smash them with any kind of direct attack.

Wooden Containers typically serve as obstructions that the player will encounter along the paths in the various levels. They mostly lie on the ground, typically along walls and edges. They can also lie around in different formations that take the form of walls, pillars or rows that the player either has to get around or break through. In other cases, the Wooden Containers can also be used as stepping stones or stairs to reach higher areas. In some cases, the Wooden Containers might even hide items and gimmicks underneath them or inside them (usually Item Boxes like other breakable Containers do) which can be uncovered when the Wooden Containers are destroyed.

There have also been a few instances throughout the Sonic series where the Wooden Containers can be used by the playable character. In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) and Sonic Unleashed for example, the player can use them as weapons against enemies by throwing the Wooden Containers at them.

Sonic Adventure 2
The Wooden Containers made their first appearance in Sonic Adventure 2 and its remake Sonic Adventure 2: Battle where they serve as major gameplay objects. In this game, the Wooden Containers are simple brown crates with a black GUN logo on each side. In stages where Badniks are the primary enemies instead of GUN robots, however, they have a black Eggman Empire symbol on them instead.

In gameplay, the Wooden Containers can be broken with the Somersault, Punch Attack, Kick Attack, or Vulcan Gun. However, they are immune to attacks like the Spin Dash and Homing Attack. Breaking a Wooden Container in this game grants the player twenty points, except in Crazy Gadget where they score nothing because the Containers in that stage are an entirely different object (because of their reaction to Gravity Control Switches).

Wooden Containers are commonly placed in rows or other formations, and appear in every stage and in some boss arenas. Some of them also hide Item Boxes and other objects, while others block obligatory or secret pathways.

Sonic Heroes
In Sonic Heroes, the Wooden Containers were made more colorful in appearance. In this game, they are light brown crates with a red-framed black circle containing a white five-pointed star on each side.

In gameplay, the Wooden Containers can be destroyed with virtually any attack. Like in Sonic Adventure 2, they also sometimes hold Item Boxes inside them. However, the player does not gain any points from breaking them in this game. Because they usually block pathways, the Wooden Containers are often stacked in two-boxed towers, sometimes with different types of Containers added to their mix.

Shadow the Hedgehog
In Shadow the Hedgehog, the Wooden Containers are more diverse. In this game, the logo on the Wooden Containers vary, along with their colorations. Some have the GUN logo on them and are colored red-brown, others have a handgun symbol on them and are wood-colored, and then there are those that have the Eggman Empire decal on them and are colored red and yellow or green and yellow-green.

In gameplay, the Wooden Containers contain weapons that are released when the Wooden Containers are destroyed. This can be done with attacks like the Punch or Slide, or with weapons. Alternatively, the player can pick up Wooden Containers, carry them around, and throw them in order to destroy them. The assortment of weapons they release depend on the Wooden Containers' logo. For example, opening an Eggman Empire-marked Wooden Container will mostly release weapons associated with the Eggman Empire. Also, the GUN-marked Wooden Containers in particular only hold regular handguns. In addition, destroying a Wooden Container in this game will grant the player twenty dark points.

Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), the Wooden Containers returned to a uniform look. In this game, they are wood-colored crates with a red-framed blue circle containing a white five-pointed star on each side.

In gameplay, the Wooden Containers can be destroyed by pretty much any melee attack. Besides that, they are the second most common Containers in the game. Breaking a Wooden Container in this game grants the player twenty points. Normally, the Wooden Containers lie around within the Action Stages, although some of them can also be found in Town Stages, Town Missions, and during boss fights. If the player is using any playable character other than Silver, the Wooden Containers serve the same purpose they had in previous games. If the player is using Silver however, they can pick up the Wooden Containers with Psychokinesis, carry them around, and throw them as projectiles that deal damage when impacting enemies or breakable objects. Upon hitting something after being thrown however, the Wooden Containers will be destroyed.

There are several instances in the game where the Wooden Containers serve special roles. The Hotel's Festival of Rings Town Mission for example requires the player to break all Wooden Containers that contain Rings. Also, in the Town Mission Aristo's Challenge, the player must figure out how many Wooden Containers are set on top of each other and destroy the Wooden Container displaying the player's answer. Then there is the Town Mission called The Mathematician's Training which features Wooden Containers that have the numbers one to nine on them. In this Town Mission, the player must destroy a certain number of these Wooden Containers in a particular order. Also, in Shadow's version of Kingdom Valley, the Hover Craft sections have moving Wooden Containers that move up and down the surface. If the Hover Craft gets lifted up by one of these Wooden Containers, the player may flip and lose control of the vehicle.

Sonic Rivals 2
In Sonic Rivals 2, Wooden Containers appear as breakable obstacles in some of the Zones. In addition, the Wooden Container is featured as one of the collectible cards in the game. This card in particular depicts its appearance from Sonic Adventure 2. To collect it, the player has to successfully use twenty-five Power-Ups in gameplay.

Sonic Unleashed
In the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 and Wii/PlayStation 2 version of Sonic Unleashed, the Wooden Containers made a return appearance. In this game, their overall design sometimes depends on the continent they are located on, although the typical Wooden Container in this game is a simple wooden crate with no hallmarks on it.

In gameplay, the Wooden Containers easily break when hit by moves like the Slide, Foot Sweep, Stomp, Sonic Boost and Sonic the Werehog's various attacks. However, the player does not gain any points from breaking them in these games. They can be found in several stages and Entrance Stages where they are mostly set in rows or other formations, although they are not the most common objects. In the game's daytime levels, the Wooden Containers serve the same purpose they had in previous games. In the nighttime levels where Sonic the Werehog is playable on the other hand, the player can pick up Wooden Containers, carry them around, and throw them as projectiles that deal damage when impacting enemies or breakable objects. Upon hitting something after being thrown however, the Wooden Containers will be destroyed.

Sonic Colors
In the Wii version of Sonic Colors, the Wooden Containers appeared in gameplay again. In this game, they retain their standard appearance from Sonic Unleashed, meaning they appear as wooden crates with no hallmarks on them.

In gameplay, the Wooden Containers are easily broken with attacks like the Slide, Stomp and Boost, as well as the majority of the game's Color Power. Breaking a Wooden Container grants the player one hundred points. They are commonly placed in rows and can be found in several Acts, but are not very common.

Sonic Generations
In both the console/PC and Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations, the Wooden Containers appear in gameplay once more. In this game, most of them resemble wooden crates with no hallmarks on them. One exception to this is in City Escape on the console/PC version, which have Wooden Containers with the GUN logo emblazoned on them, like in Sonic Adventure 2. In addition, they are most common type of Containers in both versions of the game.

In the console/PC version of the game, the Wooden Container can be destroyed with virtually any kind of attack, such as the Slide, Boost, Stomp and Spin Dash. However, the player does not gain any points from breaking them in this game. In this version, they appear in both the stages and Challenge Acts. While they are not very common in the stages, they sometimes serve additional purposes in the Challenge Acts. In the Challenge Act Drill Baby Drill for example, the player has to make their through layers of Wooden Containers in order to reach the Goal Ring.

In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, the Wooden Containers are vulnerable to the same attacks as their console/PC counterparts are. In addition, the player can target and destroy them with the Homing Attack. However, the player does not gain any points from breaking them in this game. In this version, the Wooden Containers appear in the stages and missions.

Sonic Forces
In Sonic Forces, the Wooden Containers make another appearance in gameplay. In this game, they are designed like wooden crates with no hallmarkers on them.

In gameplay, like in previous games, the Wooden Containers are easily destroyed with most of the attacks in the player's arsenal. Breaking a Wooden Container in this game grants the player one hundred points. They are set individually in different locations and are mainly found in the stages, but are very uncommon.