Water

Water is an element that has appeared in various games, acting both as power ups and attacks for the player, as well as acting as hazards common among Coastal and Underwater themed stages where they cause various hazards which the player has to overcome. Having an Aqua Shield will protect the player from certain hazards brought on by water.

Drowning
The primary hazard water often presents is drowning the player. The player will ussually have some time to survive underwater, but will need to either have an Aqua Bubble with them or find Air Bubbles in order to survive.

Slow Movement
When being submerged unerwater, the player's movements will becomes sluggish, often making the way the character jumps and builds speed diffrent.

Instant Death
Upon being introduced into 3D, most Sonic games up until Sonic Colors made it so that coming into most bodies of water would instantly kill the player, although drowing was till possible in shallow water such as the pools of water found in the Chao Gardens.



Surface Running
Starting with Sonic the Hedgehog 3, several games have provided the player with the ability to run across water surfaces if they are running with a high enough speed, allowing them to often bypass obstacles that they would have to face if they went underwater. In games like Sonic Unleashed, running over water is mandatory to progress in stages such as Cool Edge, as going underwater will result in instant deaths.

Attacks and Powers
In a number of games, Water has been incorporated as a special power or gimmick that the player can use in conjunction with their attacks for more potency or as a separate power/powerup to enhance the player's performance.

Game Appearances
In Sonic the Hedgehog, water is first seen in the Labyrinth zone, where the concept of drowing and air bubbles is first introduced.



In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, the boss of the Chemical Plant, Water Eggman, uses hazardous water to harm the player by dropping it on the player. The Mega Mack is also a water-like substance in this level that acts exactly like water, drowing and slowing down the player. Water in it's regular form also appears in zones such as Aquatic Ruin.

In Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, underwater sections as well as air bubbles appear in several zones, including Angel Island and Hydrocity. The game also introduces the Aqua Sheild, a power-up that provides the player with two main functions. The first is that it grants the player the ability to bounce

In the Sonic Adventure series , most bodies of water, such as those found in Emerald Coast , will instantly kill the player if they traverse too deep. However, in areas such as Ice Cap or the Chao Garden ponds, it is possible to walk around submerged in the water without dying, the teh standard drowning hazard is still present. Big the Cat can also swim in his version of Emerald Coast using the Life Belt.

In Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, certain items, such as the Water Ring , will provide the character using the item with the ability to infuse their attacks with the power of water.



In Sonic Colors, for the first time in a 3D game since Sonic Adventure 2, the player could openly traverse waters without instantly dying, although this is only possible in 2D. Air bubbles also return in this game. The main method to traverse such areas is to continously jump in order to move around, something first introduced in this game. Drill Wisps can also be used to traverse waters at high speeds.

In Sonic Generations, the Aqua Shield returns, and it is usable by Sonic the Hedgehog in all firsts acts of the zones.

In Sonic Lost World, the player can once again go underwater, this time in 3D, though this is only possible by using the Drill Wisp. This marks the first time in a 3D game since Sonic Adventure's Ice Cap where the player can traverse waters in a 3D perspective.