Goal (obstacle)

!, also called Goal (ゴール) or EXIT, are objects shaped like either flashing orbs or cubes, that can be found in Special Stages or Bonus Stages and are mostly set on rows at the small wells. If the player touches these blocks, the player is then transported to the next act in the Zone or is returned to same Zone, where Giant Ring has been hidden.

Description
The "!" objects are first seen in original Sonic the Hedgehog, where they are simply called "Goal". When the player touches these blocks, he/she will not earn the Chaos Emerald, as the player's real goal is get Chaos Emerald without touching Goal blocks. These same blocks later returned in the slot machine themed Bonus Stage in Sonic & Knuckles. When hitting the colored blocks (blue > green > yellow > red > Goal block), they will eventually transform into a Goal block that transports the player back to the regular Zone.

Slightly different looking, but identically functional, cubes are seen in the Bonus Stages of Knuckles' Chaotix, where they are called EXIT. When the player falls onto one of these cubes, he/she will normally be transported back to the place where the player found the Giant Ring for the Bonus Stage.

The Goal blocks returned later in the Special Stages of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, where they have been changed slightly to have "!" written on them instead of "Goal". Despite that, they work exactly like in the original Sonic the Hedgehog, as the player must avoid them in order to collect the Chaos Emerald.

Trivia

 * Goal blocks are misleadingly thought to guide back to next Zone, especially in original Sonic the Hedgehog, where without the player's knowing, that the original goal is to gain Chaos Emerald.
 * Red Spheres in Special Stages of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles work in a similar way.