Wisp


 * For the Badnik, see Whisp.

Wisps (ウィスプ) are an alien race that appeared in Sonic Colors that were stolen from their home planet by Dr. Eggman (whom they refer to as Baldy Nosehair), to power his interstellar amusement park. They can give Sonic different special powers to help him in the game's levels; the type of power depends on the Wisp's color. Their Hyper-go-on energy can be used once Sonic collects a Wisp Capsule. When Sonic uses a Color Power, a voice will tell the player which Wisp they are using by shouting things such as "Laser!", "Drill!", and "Hover!" etc. Overall, the Wisps seem to be rather playful and friendly, spending most of their time with others and playing. They are also rather similar, both in appearance and in motion, to underwater cephalopods such as squid.

DS and Wii versions
The power of the Wisps vary between the DS and the Wii versions of Sonic Colors, with the Wii version having eight Wisps and the DS version having six. The Wii exclusive wisps are Frenzy, Spikes, Cube and Hover, while the DS exclusives are Void and Burst.

Yacker


Yacker is a specific White Wisp, who is different from all of the other Wisps. Unlike other White Wisps, he has a blue curl on his head between his antennae. Yacker plays a major part in the storyline of Sonic Colors by befriending Sonic and Tails. He cannot speak English, but makes an audible chattering noise and can understand English very well. He could only be understood by Sonic and Tails through the Miles Electric. In the DS version, the Mother-Wisp is his mother.

Co-Op
In Co-Op mode, if both players with the same Wisp use their Color Powers at the same time, a special move occurs. For example, when two Pink Spikes are used, a laser beam will appear between the two players that destroys any Badniks that touch it. The Green Hover has a similar effect.

Another example is that when two Yellow Drills are used, the players will spin around each other, the resultant Drill is magnified in power, and the players will gain a magnetic effect that attracts rings, similar to the Lightning Shield in previous Sonic games. The Cyan Laser and Orange Rocket have similar effects in which the reach of the power-ups are doubled.

Sonic Generations
In Sonic Generations, Wisps appear in both Acts of Planet Wisp/Tropical Resort, which is the last stage. On the console and PC versions, the only playable Wisps are the Orange Wisps (Modern Sonic only) and Pink Wisps (Classic Sonic only). The Orange Wisps require the player to hold the Y/triangle button to charge it up and send it rocketing higher. The Pink Wisps are used pressing and holding X/square button to charge up the Spin Dash. In the 3DS version, the only Wisps that are playable are the Cyan Wisps (Modern Sonic only) and the Red Wisps (Classic Sonic only). Both Wisps are used in almost the exact same way as they were in the original DS version.

Sonic Lost World
Wisps will be returning in Sonic Lost World. So far, only the Cyan Wisp is confirmed. There also is what seems to be a new Wisp shown in the gameplay of Windy Hill. This Wisp is purple with a round head, and has a ring around its body. The wisp appears to give abilities similar to that of the Violet wisp where it pulls in enemies. However, anything Sonic comes across is collected in an orbit around him.

Trivia

 * In the Wii version, the Wisps are only referred to by their true name in the Hint Rings and once by Tails in a cutscene: everyone else simply refers to them as aliens.
 * The Red and the Violet Wisps are not shown in the announcement trailer. This is most likely due to the fact that those two Wisps are only exclusive to the DS version.
 * On the cover of the Wii version of Sonic Colors, the Blue, Green, Purple, and Pink Wisps are shown. On the DS cover they are replaced with the version exclusive Red Wisp and Violet Wisp.
 * Despite being only exclusive to the Wii version, the Blue, Green and Pink Wisps appear in a few cutscenes from the DS version and in the final cutscene in the Wii version Red Wisps and Violet Wisps are seen.
 * Once Sonic transforms into the Purple Frenzy, he is able to attract rings.
 * According to Cubot, the Wisps "smell good", despite the fact that he's a robot and unable to smell.
 * The Purple Wisp is the only Wisp that doesn't appear in the Sonic Simulator.
 * Since White Wisps spawn from badniks occasionally, it can be assumed that the White Wisps captured by Eggman were used as a power source for some of the enemy robots.
 * The Violet Wisp is not present in the Sonic Colors comic adaptation in Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 219..
 * According to Doctor Eggman in a deleted voice clip, the Wisps' Hyper-Go-On power is even more powerful than the Chaos Energy. As Chaos Energy and Hyper-Go-On have never been compared, this has never been officially confirmed.
 * The Red Burst bears some resemblance to the fiery head in the Sonic Battle logo.
 * In Sonic Colors, certain Wisps allow Sonic to use abilities similar to past abilities that he was able to do in past games on his own. For example, the Green Wisp allows Sonic to do the Light Speed Dash, and the Pink Wisp allows Sonic to perform the Spin Dash.
 * The Wisps reappeared in Sonic Generations in the Planet Wisp stage, but only the Orange and Pink Wisps are usable in PS3/Xbox/PC Version, while the 3DS uses Tropical Resort and the Cyan Laser and Red Burst. Also, in the PS3/Xbox/PC version, White Wisps make cameos at the beginning of both Classic and Modern Planet Wisp.
 * The Blue Cube is similar to the P-switch from the Mario franchise, as both change collectibles (rings or coins) into walkable surfaces (cubes or blocks) and vice-versa.
 * The only time they talk English is in the cutscene "A New Sonic Legend Begins" when Yacker is telling other Wisps about Sonic (DS version only). However, this might be in Wisp language translated into English for the player, as Tails is not there.
 * The Purple and Violet Wisps are the only Wisps without eyes.