Freeze

Freeze, also referred to as frozen, is a recurring game mechanic in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It refers to a state wherein the playable characters are rendered immobilized in a layer of ice.

Description
When afflicted with freeze, the playable characters are encased in a sheet of ice, making them unable to move. This can have several consequences for the player, such as lowering time bonuses, damaging the player directly, or leaving the playable characters vulnerable to attack from nearby enemies. However, the player will always break free of the ice, either manually or by waiting for the ice to break on its own. In rare cases, enemies or bosses can be frozen too.

How freezing can be inflicted and the additional effects it might have differ between games.

Sonic the Hedgehog CD
In Sonic the Hedgehog CD, there are grey icy exhausts in Wacky Workbench that fire cold flames endlessly from the wide exhaust. Touching the blue flame will turn the playable character into a round-shaped ice block, with the character being frozen in a comical pose. This ice block will then drop down to the ground, and after breaking due the crash, the player will take damage. However, it is possible to press to jump at the right time without taking damage.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles
In Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and its extension Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, getting frozen will trap the player's character in a block of ice. After a few seconds of remaining frozen, the playable characters will thaw out and take damage in the process. If the player plays as Sonic and has Tails following him during gameplay, Tails can help Sonic out of the ice block by smashing it before he takes damage.

Freezing Machines exist in the IceCap Zone which can freeze the player's character. The game(s) also feature Doctor Robotnik’s Freeze-O-Matic, a boss whose icy breath attacks can freeze the playable characters like the Freezing Machine.

Sonic 3D Blast
In Sonic 3D Blast, getting frozen will trap Sonic in an ice cube which can slide along the ground. To release Sonic from an ice cube, press four times. While the player does not lose Rings from being frozen, Sonic's collective Flickies can fly away. If the player collides with a Badnik as a sliding ice cube however, they will still take damage.

There are Freezing Machines in Diamond Dust Zone that are capable of freezing Sonic. It should be noted however, that there are the certain automated section of Diamond Dust Zone Act 1 where a frozen Sonic can slide down pathways. The boss in Diamond Dust Zone Act 3 also possesses the ability to freeze Sonic like the Freezing Machine.

Sonic Adventure
In Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut, getting frozen will trap the playable characters in a block of ice for a short while. Being frozen does not damage the characters in any way however. To break free of the ice, the player must move the control stick.

In gameplay, Ice Balls and Satellites can release puffs of cold air that will freeze the playable characters if touched. If the latter is grabbed during the boss fight with Chaos 6, the player can throw them into Chaos 6 to freeze its liquid body and make it vulnerable to attacks.

Sonic Advance 2
In Sonic Advance 2, getting frozen will temporarily trap the playable character in a thin coating of ice. Being frozen does not damage the characters in any way however.

In gameplay, the final boss in True Area 53 can inflict freeze on Super Sonic, which it does by firing a bright beam. While freeze cannot hurt Super Sonic, it leaves him vulnerable to being swallowed by the final boss and having his Rings extracted from him.

Sonic Advance 3
In Sonic Advance 3, the freeze mechanic works just like it did in Sonic Advance 2. Unlike in other games, however, getting frozen here is used to the player's advantage.

In gameplay, the playable characters can only get frozen by entering the high-tech cannon-like devices in Twinkle Snow. Upon utilizing this type of gimmick, the playable character will get launched to other locations, similar to a Spring, while being frozen at same time. The characters will then thaw out after they land on solid ground.

Sonic Riders
In Sonic Riders, Ice Factory has many robots spread across its track that use freezing guns to freezing everything, including the player.

Sonic Rivals
In Sonic Rivals, getting frozen will trap the characters in an ice block and render them immobile temporarily. However, it does not damage the characters.

Playable characters can inflict freeze on opponents by using the Ice Power-Up. When used by the lead character, the Power-Up will be dropped as a trap, and when used by the rear character, the Power-Up will take the form a ball and chase down the leading player.

Amongst the game's bosses, the Egg Falcon can drop bombs which can freeze up platforms temporarily. Touching these platforms will instantly freeze the characters. The Egg Kong can as well fire missiles that can freeze the characters should they hit. Crystal Mountain Zone also has few trees that, when hit, will drop blocks of ice which will freeze the playable characters.

Sonic Rivals 2
In Sonic Rivals 2, freeze works just like it did in Sonic Rivals. In this game, the only way to inflict freeze is through the use of the Ice Power-Up.

Sonic Rush Adventure
In Sonic Rush Adventure, getting frozen will trap the playable characters in a chunky block of ice. The player can either wait a couple of seconds for the ice to thaw or break free on their own by pressing repeatedly. When breaking free however, the player will take damage.

In gameplay, the freeze mechanic only appears during the boss fight with the Ghost Whale. Here, the player will get frozen if they touch the water pools inside the Ghost Whale after entering its belly.

Sonic Unleashed
In Sonic Unleashed, the freeze mechanic only occurs in the nighttime stages, meaning only Sonic the Werehog can get afflicted by it. When getting frozen in this game, Sonic will be encased in a spiky block of ice and his Health Gauge will decrease considerably. To break out of the ice prematurely, the player must move the control stick. In gameplay, ice nozzles in Cool Edge that blow chilling winds, the attacks of Dark Moray and the Egg Blizzards, the nitrogen capsules during the Dark Moray boss fight, and the Egg Dragoon's ice cannon can freeze Sonic.

By grabing an Egg Blizzard in the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of the game, the player can use it to inflict freeze on normal enemies as well by pressing /, thereby immobilizing them and making them easier to attack. During Dark Moray's boss fight, the player can also freeze Dark Moray by throwing nitrogen capsules into it.

Sonic and the Black Knight
In Sonic and the Black Knight, the blue Fish-Ones can fire energy bombs capable of freezing the playable characters if they hit. If this occurs, the player must move their Wii Remote in order to break free.

When equipped, the Ice Broach, Fiery Quaff and Hot Fiery Quaff can decrease the possibility of the playable characters getting frozen when attacked by blue Fish-Ones.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
In Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, the Ice Cannon can be used to freeze opposing racers. If a character can hit an opponent with two or more snowballs from the Ice Cannon in succession or all of them at once, it will leave the opponent temporarily frozen.

Sonic Lost World
In the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Lost World, getting frozen will trap Sonic in a large block of ice while he recoils slightly. If Sonic stays frozen for too long, he will eventually take damage. To break free of the ice, the player must move the control stick.

In gameplay, the player can only get frozen in Frozen Factory. Here, there are Freezing Machines that spew icy exhausts which can freeze the player. Frozen Factory Zone 3 in particular features a hostile snowball following Sonic which will freeze the player if they attack it without stunning it first.