Horizontal Bar

Horizontal Bars are gimmicks that appear in the game Sonic Generations. They are used to launch Sonic higher into the air in order to reach shortcuts or send him flying across gaps that otherwise cannot be spanned.

Description
Horizontal Bars are usually seen in two-dimensional sections, held in place by a pole in the background. In order to grab a Horizontal Bar, Sonic must either jump into it or use his Homing Attack. Once he has grasped it, a circle will appear around the bar. This circle is mainly yellow, with a blue section in the front. As Sonic swings around the bar, the circle lights up according to Sonic's alignment with the bar, similarly to a Plan Position Indicator radar display. The player must press the A/X button when the part of the circle that is lit up is in the blue section. If the player presses the button at the correct time, Sonic will be launched forward and upward; however, if the player presses the button too early or too late, Sonic will be launched forward and downward with much less speed.

The only time Horizontal Bars appear in three-dimensional sections is in the Challenge Act "Cream: Helping Hand". They function exactly the same, but the circle that appears is slightly harder to read due to the camera angle.