Switch

Switches (スイッチ), also known as Buttons and Ball Switches, are objects, that have appear multiple times in Sonic the Hedgehog series. As the player presses or touches the switch, it activates another object, which switch is connected to, usually making to work or opposite. It also is made to open hatches to proceed on the level or make something else to happen.

Originally since 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog, these objects are described as simple buttons, but upon the years, external form of switches has been fluctuated, even depending on the setting. Most of the switches are located on the solid ground, but they have also seen placed on walls or moving platforms. Many of these switches have also small puzzles for the player to solve.

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
First appearing in original 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog, switches are illustrated as simple grey buttons with blue or purple plate around of it. The first switch can be found Marble Zone Act 1, where the player has to push a rock into the hole, where the switch is located in order to make large crusher with spikes at the bottom move up, thus making the large hole available to enter in. Another one in Mable Zone act 2 is located on the, which makes green tube move down, which opens route to the lower section of the zone. In first act of Spring Yard Zone, blue and grey switch can be found on the open area with solid platform on side of it. By pressing the button and jumping to the platform makes it to move upward. Some switches also open doors and move light grey blocks to forward away, while the player has to race to the other side of the inside area before the block clogs the hole on the right side of the area.

In Labyrinth Zone, switches normally open doors (while some of them hiding under monitors), while one at the first act makes small platform appear above the underwater section, which leads to alternative section on the zone. Another one in the begging of third act makes small hole on the waterfall and it is located on the left side of waterfall tunnel. If the player doesn't find this, he/she will loop on the waterfall forever. In Scrap Brain Zone Act 1, Switches are able to alternate the revolving wheel's rolling direction, thus making able to move downward section of the zone. Some of them also open roofs for limited time. In the end of act 2, Doctor Robotnik presses switch to destroy bridge under Sonic's feet, which makes the hedgehog fall down, which is something that becomes tradition in later games. The last specific switch can be found at third act, which makes the large platform slide down. However it blocks the lower route, if the player isn't quick enough to move there.

Only certain switches appear in the 8-bit version of the game with same name, that can be found at Labyrinth Zone. This blue and grey colored switch can change a Super Ring monitor into one with extra life.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Switches are also seen in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, while they are not featured as much as in original Sonic the Hedgehog. These switches are now colored as white buttons, that can only be found at Metropolis Zone. When the player jumps and presses this button, it will make green platforms roll from the walls, which the player can use to get higher sections in the zone.

Sonic CD
Switches in Sonic CD are heavily mixed of original Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 designs. In Tidal Tempest, these switches are set on moving platforms, which by pressing down, will make door open across right side of the room, where the platform is located and after jumping off, the door closes. There are also switches in underwater sections, which can activate normally doors and hatches, but also small propellers on walls, that can blow the player along with the air stream. In Wacky Workbench and Metallic Madness, these switches open hatches to high-speed underground pipes.

Sonic Chaos
Switches in Sonic Chaos are traps, which activates lasers automatically. These laser cannons start shooting downward the player, who's on the switch, which is recommended to run forward while destroy enemies on the way and never stop until the player is on the more safe place. These dark blue and grey colored switches can be found at Electric Egg Zone.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
Switches made appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and its add-on continuation Sonic & Knuckles, where they are similar looking from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 now with small arrow pointing down. Some switches in Angel Island Zone Act 1 are able to open small tunnels, with that case making the water rise down. Some specific switches in Hydrocity Zone, that are colored grey buttons with grey bottom plates, can open floodgate and turn propellers on at underwater. However some of switches have also spikes, that pop up and go down, which in this case the player has to schedule to jumping to the switch. Switches in IceCap Zone (that can collapse floors) are seen frozen which the player will have to break the ice and then press the switch.

In Mushroom Hill Zone Act 1, there's one switch that opens and closes hidden passage to a multi-colored flashing giant ring, that transports to altar of the emeralds at Hidden Palace Zone. Pressing switches in Flying Battery Zone make drills move away and opens to the different route. Different looking, dark green and yellow colored switches in Lava Reef Zone are located on the ground and walls, which normally open rocky doors. Another different looking, blue switch at Death Egg Zone Act 2 reverses gravity on the zone.

There's recurring theme, where Knuckles the Echidna presses the switch on the safe place, it destroys the bridge under the player's feet in Angel Island Zone and Hydrocity Zone or shuts down the lighting, while rising the water and later reverses the direction of a gravity tube at Carnival Night Zone Act 2. Later in the last mentioned zone, another switch turns lighting back and reduce the water down. Later in Sky Sanctuary Zone, Knuckles helps them to go after Death Egg by pressing the switch at the other side of the ravine, creating a bridge to the player.

Sonic Triple Trouble
Switches are used once again in Sonic Triple Trouble, where none of them aren't actually usable for the player. Almost all of them are used by Knuckles, who after destroying boss in third act of the zone, presses the button on the safe place that has different effect. In Great Turquoise Zone and Meta Junglira Zone, it causes firestorm at the screen, while in Robotnik Winter Zone, it activates avalanche. Fang the Sniper also tries to activate switch at first Special Stage, that unfortunately shoots column of fire to him and then runs away.

Different type of switches are seen once again as traps in Atomic Destroyer Zone, which releases small Mecha Hiyoko badniks from hatches after pressing one.

Tails' Skypatrol
In Tails' Skypatrol, there are small switches lying around the ground. By flipping the orange switch on the connector by using Tails' Ring to touch it, the player is able to trigger a change in the surrounding structures.

Sonic 3D
Switches are also seen at Panic Puppet Zone in Sonic 3D. Here they are large switch connectors, that can alternate the propagation of conveyor belts, which are moving backward in the zone. Touching the switch can be tricky as the player to jump towards it and make to move the switch to other side, making conveyor belt to move forward, as the player can progress in the zone.

Sonic Blast
Switches in Sonic Blast are rare and hidden around every third act of the zone before the boss encounter. These blue round shaped buttons with grey plates are seen on walls or secret places, which the player has to find. If the player presses the button, it will open the passage way, that mostly has tons of rings available to collect.

Sonic Adventure
Switches have alternated design in Sonic Adventure, where these objects are more flatter buttons, that have white and red edges and blue background with five-pointed star in the middle. Mostly these switches create bridges, open doors and hatches. Some of switches also create linear ring lines, that can be used for performing Light Speed Dash to other side. Some switches also activate Rocket to being ready at the launcher. In the bank vault room, there's single switch, that activates large claws to collect all rings to the bank by waving the playable character while rising the ring down and making money mountain go bigger at the bank vault, which makes the player change to reach at the end of the action stage. There is particular switch at the end of Sky Deck, that changes the gravity and the whole direction of the Storage Bay stage. In Hot Shelter, it opens water tubes around, that rises water at the room.

Sonic Pocket Adventure
White switches make appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure, where they are only been seen at Gigantic Angel Zone. Switches are featured similarly like in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, by pressing the switch it makes platform roll out the wall, that helps the player to reach higher sections of the zone.

Sonic Adventure 2
There are numerous different switches introduced in Sonic Adventure 2. It also introduced to different looking traditional switch called Ball Switch, that is floating white ball, that has blue center with yellow five-pointed star in it. This kind of switch floats on the solid, round metallic plate with red edge. By simply touching it activates normally make linear lines of rings appear and adds missile on its own platform. It can also switch the trains at Pumpkin Hill and make water go down at Aquatic Mine.

There are also other variants of switches such as Gravity switches, that (hence the name) switches the gravity at the Crazy Gadget. Other ones are Hourglasses in Pyramid Cave and Death Chamber, that after flipping to other side, starts make ticking noise at the background, while the door or hatch has opened for limited time. When the ticking gets faster and finally stops, the door closes and the player has to start all over again. Time switches are featured at Cannon's Core, that similarly to Hourglass starts ticking, while it stops time at the stage, which freezes enemies, obstacles and other things around in place. During this time, the player has to move as fast as he/she could until the time starts running again. There are also Mystic Melody ruins, that make platforms, warp holes, rings and springs appear around by using Mystic Melody.

Sonic Heroes
Ball switches made appearance in Sonic Heroes, which can normally simply require the player to touch it, which can create a trail of rings appear for the player to use the Light Speed Dash on them. It can also open doors and switch laser gates off. There are numerous times, when the player has to set all of three playable characters from the team to three switches by using fly type of character in order to open some doors. Some of ball switches are seen in cages, which will open after defeating all enemies around the area or triggering another switch. There is also a type of  manual switch, that require the player to press the action button and push/pull on the handle. These switches are usually located on walls and are even cleverly hidden.

Another type of switch is a round target which is activated by hitting it with a character launched from a flight character's Thunder Shoot. If the team characters get too close to it, the target will rapidly spin around indicating that it cannot be hit.

Sonic Advance 3
Switches in Sonic Advance 3 are one of several major objects that are seen in the game. They can be placed on either the ground or the walls.

In this game, switches are either blue and red buttons, which the player has to use on numerous occasions during the game. Red switches activate certain flatten springs, and blue switches make moving platforms appear. However, in this game, the events triggered by pressing the switches does not stay in effect indefinitely. Instead, after the switched is pressed down, the event triggered will stay in effect for a short while before it disappears, and the switch will spring back up again. The player therefore has to press the switch again to trigger the desired events once more after they wear off.

Sonic Rush
Flat switches are featured in Night Carnival in Sonic Rush, which are set on either the floors or walls. Similar to the switches in Sonic Advance 3, once the switch is pressed, it activates certain nearby level gimmicks for a certain amount of time. Many of the gimmicks triggered by switches in this game included blue grind rails and green light spot lines that move forward or up.

Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
Ball switches made another appearance in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), where these variants retain their role from previous games. By simply touching it will create linear lines of rings, open laser gates, doors and hatches. Some of these ball switches are also on prison boxes, which can be opened after destroying all enemies around. Silver the Hedgehog is able to activate all more than one ball switch by performing Psycho Shock, that activates all switches at the same time.

Sonic Unleashed
Traditional switches made returning appearance in Sonic Unleashed, where these buttons have another slight look. Switches are now glowing blue plates with grey plate at the bottom of it. In the game, switches are used mostly in day stages, while some of them can be found at adventure fields as well. There are also larger switches known as Stomp Pedestals, that can be activated by doing stomp multiple times, after getting Stomping Shoes. In night stages, some switches are levers that Sonic must pull to unlock doors which Sonic can do only in his Werehog form. Others require something like a box to be placed on it to function.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4
Switches can also be found in Sonic the Hedgehog 4. Here, switches are shown to have different appearance in each zone, despite being like simple buttons. In Lost Labyrinth Zone, switches are located at both overworld and underwater sections, where it activates gates and hatches. At one point of the second act of the same zone, there's a complex puzzle, where the player has to push the correct switches on right time to create a correct pattern of pillars, that can make the player jump to the higher cliff. Similar to ones from Sonic the Hedgehog 2, switches at Mad Gear Zone make green platforms roll out from walls, which help the player to get higher sections, but some switches can normally open doors as well. These switches can also be targeted by the Homing Attack.

In Episode II, there are small red buttons at Oil Desert Zone Act 3, that are set below the platform with falling sand. These buttons switch the side, where sand goes, as the sand can interfere the player's progress, in which case the falling side has to switch to the alternative direction.

Sonic Colors
Switches in Nintendo Wii version of Sonic Colors are identical to ones from Sonic Unleashed. However in Tropical Resort, switches can also be found now on moving platforms at spinning chains. By pressing the switch down, it makes the chain spin around slowly until the player jumps off the switch. In most of game's levels, there are numerous switches on platforms that move up and down, if the player stands on the switch until it stops, if Sonic moves off on the switch. In Sweet Mountain and Asteroid Coaster, there are spinning laser blades, that can hurt Sonic by touching it. The player is able rotate these by pressing down the switch to create an open path unobstructed by the laser blades. It will stop rotating once Sonic moves off the switch. Some switches also make Wisp Capsules appear on certain places.

Sonic Generations
Switches make another appearance in console versions of Sonic Generations, where switches once again have an identical look from Sonic Unleashed'. In this game, there are slight differences: when activated, their color changes from blue to yellow. Mostly switches are used in this game to move structures or paths in a different direction in Chemical Plant and Planet Wisp, create rocky bridges and doors in Sky Sanctuary and make normally open doors or make them disappear. On one section of modern act of Sky Sanctuary, the player has to reach the switch room before the Egg Robo gets there first and closes the route, when the player has to try another route.

Sonic Lost World
In upcoming Sonic Lost World, switches recover their appearance closely from original Sonic the Hedgehog. They perform the same function as in previous games, and when pressed, they open up paths that allow the player to continue through the level. However, Sonic can now target switches with the Light Speed Attack.

Trivia

 * In Simo Wai's prototype of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, originally switches were supposed to activate small, rotating wrecking balls, that start rotating to the right direction endlessly. This is similar gimmick, which was supposted to be feature at Green Hill Zone in earlier version on Sonic the Hedgehog. However in that game, the switch isn't known to be exist to activate the wrecking ball.