Boost

The Sonic Boost (ソニックブースト), also known as the Super Boost (スーパーブースト) or just Boost (ブースト), is a move used in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is used by Sonic the Hedgehog and Shadow the Hedgehog, and is one of Sonic's signature techniques. When performing the Sonic Boost, the user envelops himself in a blue aura and accelerates to high speeds, turning himself into a highly destructive projectile.

The concept of such a technique was was first introduced in Sonic Heroes where any character could spam a short momentary "boost" of speed in the Special Stages. It was later in Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure that the technique was redeveloped for universal usage and dubbed the "Super Boost". Sonic and the Secret Rings and Sonic the Hedgehog would later develop a similar mechanism. It was finally in Sonic Unleashed that technique was fleshed out for the consoles, drawing much of its content and dynamic from its Rush Series counterparts.

Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure
The move first appeared as the Super Boost, a move utilized by Sonic the Hedgehog in Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure, and serves as the foundation for the Sonic Boost. In order for Sonic to perform the Super Boost, the player must fill up Sonic's Tension Gauge by performing Trick Actions, passing Star Posts or defeating enemies, as performing the Sonic Boost causes the Tension Gauge to be drained. To activate this move, the player must be holding /while Sonic is standing on the ground and can be performed for as long as there are at least a little bit of energy in the Tension Gauge. If the Tension Gauge is at maximum, Sonic has unlimited use of the Super Boost for a short time.

When using this move, Sonic envelopes himself in a blue and white aura, and launches himself forward at increased speed as a highly destructive projectile. This grants Sonic limited invincibility (he can still take damage from running into spikes but not on and other indestructible harmful obstacles and being crushed etc.), and allows him to destroy or damage any opponent in his path for as long as he has energy in his Tension Gauge. While Sonic is unable to activate this move while in midair, he can still keep it active when he jumps during the boost. This move will be canceled however if Sonic runs into a wall, his Tension Gauge is depleted or if the player releases /.

Note that in Sonic Rush Adventure, Super Boost is only activated with the.

Sonic Unleashed
The Sonic Boost officially appeared in Sonic Unleashed. To perform the Sonic Boost, the player must fill the Boost Bar in the bottom-left corner of the screen. The bar can be filled by collecting Rings, performing the Sonic Drift, or stringing together tricks and attacks (Wii/PS2 versions only). While performing the Sonic Boost, Sonic gains limited invincibility and increased speed, plowing through enemies and object/obstacles but he'll still get hurt from hazards such as spikes. The Sonic Boost is limited by the energy in the Boost Bar; in the Xbox 360/PS3 version, the Sonic Boost can be performed at almost any time, even if there is a little bit of energy in the bar. In the Wii/PS2 versions, the bar is divided into three sub-bars (collecting rings during a level can increase the sub-bars to a maximum of six) and can only be performed when at least one of the bars is completely full.

The move is done by holding down / in the Xbox 360/PS3 version, tapping on the PS2 version and by flicking the Wii remote on the Wii version.

This move can also be used to collect rings that are just out of reach, as the rings will be attracted to Sonic, much like the Lightning Shield. In the Xbox 360/PS3 there is also an Level Up Item found in Chun-nan called the Air Boost Shoes (in the Wii/PS2 versions, Sonic already has all the Level Up Items). This Level Up Item can only be reached by also getting the Wall Jump Shoes in Spagonia. With the Air Boost Shoes, Sonic will be able to use the Sonic Boost in the air, as opposed to doing an ineffective Homing Attack.

In the Wii/PS2 version, Sonic is unable to perform a continuing boost. Instead the boost gauge is divided in separate bars, using one bar each boost, unable to use the next one until it runs out. Getting 10 rings in order to gain a bar to perform Sonic Boost is possible.

Sonic Colors
This move reappears in Sonic Colors and looks similar to the Wii/PS2 versions of Sonic Unleashed, except that in Sonic Colors, the move contains the shock-wave effect from the Xbox 360/PS3 versions of Sonic Unleashed. In Sonic Colors, there is also the additional effect seen to either side of Sonic, which flashes in a multi-colored fashion. This effect is also seen when using Drift. Unlike in Sonic Unleashed, Sonic can only fill the Boost Bar by releasing White Wisps from Wisp Capsules or by defeating certain Egg Pawns and other robots designed by Eggman. It is done by holding or 1 button (when playing with holding the Wii Remote sideways).

The Nintendo DS variant of this game's Boost looks and acts exactly as the Sonic Rush duology's Super Boost, possibly due to the shared engine of the games. The Tension Meter here is named the Boost Meter.

Sonic Generations
The Sonic Boost also appears in Sonic Generations, the methods of using are the same as in Sonic Unleashed. To charge the Boost Bar, the player can defeat enemies, collect rings, drift, break objects or perform tricks in the air. If enough Trick Actions are performed, the Boost Bar can surpass its maximum capacity, allowing boost for a longer time than normal. The boost's pull radius (used for attracting rings) is a lot weaker than in Sonic Unleashed and the boost gauge depletes more quickly when moving on top of water.

In the 3DS version, the boost gauge works like the one from the console version, except that when it's completely full, the boost gauge turns from yellow to blue. From this point, Sonic can boost as much as he wants until the bar turns yellow again. This feature is similar to the one from the Tension Gauge.

In the rival battle against Shadow the Hedgehog on the console/PC version, Shadow is shown perform the Sonic Boost for the first time. Identical to Sonic, Shadow is spears ahead in a comet of his own aura gaining an immense velocity. The difference between the two hedgehogs' iterations is that while Sonic enters this state of increasing speed and continues to run, Shadow actually allows himself to simply hover above the ground in the torrent of increasing speed.

The effects of the Sonic Boost are displayed in the second iteration of the space fight between Sonic and Shadow. If Sonic is caught in his path without using the his own Sonic Boost, he will take damage. If they both are performing the Sonic Boost and they collide, the collision will cause them to be slightly repelled from one another.

Boost Mode
Boost Mode refers, in its most general sense, to a high-speed dash state which some characters are able to perform, most notably Sonic the Hedgehog. The mode is accompanied by after-images of the character to emphasize the eye-blistering velocities involved. It appears in Sonic Advance 2, Sonic Advance 3, Sonic Rush, Sonic Rush Adventure and the DS version of Sonic Colors.

Boost Mode can be performed by Sonic the Hedgehog, Amy Rose, Miles Tails Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Cream the Rabbit and Blaze the Cat.

In Sonic Advance 3, Boost Mode can only be achieved with Sonic on the team. When Sonic is not on the team, the other characters cannot boost at all, and as such do not have their increased running speeds. If Sonic is the partner character using your Partner Action will allow the player to instantly boost away at full speed as if they have run over an orange booster.

Super Sonic Boost
The Super Sonic Boost is the variation of the Sonic Boost that super transformed characters uses and is much more powerful than the Sonic Boost. Its name comes from the fact that it is Super Sonic's main form of attack against his foes and it is mostly used by him.

Fire Boost
The Fire Boost is Blaze the Cat's version of the Super Boost/Sonic Boost and is utilized by her in Sonic Rush and in Sonic Rush Adventure.

Burning Fire Boost
The Burning Fire Boost a variation of the Super Sonic Boost. It is used by Burning Blaze instead of the Super Sonic Boost.

Infinite Boost
In the DS version of Sonic Colors, if Sonic manages to collect all of the Special Rings in the game, he unlocks the Infinite Boost. When activated, Sonic can boost as much as he wants, even if the Boost Gauge is empty. The Infinite Boost also appears as an unlockable skill in Sonic Generations. However, the downside is that Sonic can't collect any rings, meaning one hit is instant death.

Speed Break
The Speed Break is a move in Sonic and the Secret Rings that gives Sonic a boost of speed that knocks enemies out of his way. It is unlocked when the 9th paragraph of the Lost Prologue is completed, and can be performed as long as Sonic has energy in his Soul Gauge.

Mach Speed
The blue gem Level Up Item for Sonic, which can be purchased in the local shop in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), gives Sonic a small boost of speed called Mach Speed when activated.

Sonic Boom
The Sonic Boom is Sonic the Hedgehog's signature move in Sonic Rivals and Sonic Rivals 2. It is a more wild and slightly uncontrollable version of the Sonic Boost.

Chaos Boost
In the Mario & Sonic series, Shadow uses a similar move to move forward quickly. The stance that he uses is the same as the stance in Sonic Generations when he is boosting and in Sonic Dash when he uses the Dash Boost.

Final Color Blaster
In the DS version of Sonic Colors the Wisp combine with Sonic to greatly boost his boost power to destroy the Nega-Wisp Armor.

Dash Boost
The Dash boost appears in Sonic Dash and functions nearly identically to the Sonic Boom in Sonic Rivals and Sonic Rivals 2.

Trivia

 * Sonic Colors (Wii version) is the only game that doesn't allow modification of the Boost Gauge. In Sonic Unleashed (360/PS3), the Boost (originally named Ring Energy) Gauge can be upgraded five times, lengthening the gauge and the decreasing the rate that it drains. In Sonic Generations (360/PS3/PC), the gauge (as well as Boosting and what fills the gauge) can be modified through Skills, as follows:
 * Auto-Gauge fills up the Boost Gauge automatically over time.
 * Blast Off allows a free Boost (one that doesn't initially drain the Gauge) when the Boost Button is pressed when "GO!" appears at the start of the Act.
 * Boost Gauge Up extends the length of the Boost Gauge (about 200% the capacity of the standard length)
 * Endless Boost works just like Super Sonic's Boost Gauge, as it never decreases. However, this is at the cost of not being able to obtain a single Ring, which makes it a high-risk/high-reward skill.
 * Gauge Rebooter has the player start with a full Boost Gauge upon losing a life and restarting at a checkpoint.
 * Ring Energy Bonus fills the Gauge faster when collecting Rings.
 * Smasher Bonus fills the Gauge faster when destroying enemies and breaking objects.
 * Trick Mastery allows tricks to be performed faster, thus filling (and overfilling) the gauge faster.
 * In earlier builds of Sonic Unleashed, the boost "aura" was originally colored white as it was initially intended to be wind resistance.
 * Shadow never used his Sonic Boost when grinding a rail in the rival battle with him in Sonic Generations
 * When using Sonic Boost in Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Generations, the player will notice a distortion effect, or fisheye effect. This "distortion" is probably used to indicate a sonic boom.
 * The magnetic force of the boost has been lowered significantly in Sonic Generations compared to Sonic Unleashed.
 * It is should be noted that when Sonic destroys the robots in the first cutscene of Sonic's story of Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) there is a blue aura surrounding him which is identical to the Sonic Boost.
 * This might infer that the idea of Sonic Boost was present in that time, but was not put in the gameplay.
 * In Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, Sonic's hands will clench when he boosts.
 * In Sonic Rush, if Sonic kept on boosting for too long, he appears to dash ahead and outside of his Boost field.
 * In the Special Stages of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II, Sonic (and Tails) can perform a boost similar to the Sonic Boost having similar accelerating and ring magnet properties but does not give them the invincibility.