Tension Gauge

Tension Guage is a guage that appears in the left side of the HUD which shows the amount of energy the player currently has in order to use the Super Boost (as Sonic) or Fire Boost (as Blaze). It first appeared in Sonic Rush, then later in the sequel Sonic Rush Adventure, DS version of Sonic Colors and 3DS version of Sonic Generations.



Sonic Rush
In Sonic Rush, the Tension Guage had 4 levels indicating its capacity: white (empty), blue, yellow, red (full). It is replenished by performing Mid-Air Trick Actions, defeating enemies or by touching item boxes that replenish the Tension Guage. Once the guage is filled the guage will flash orange and the star on top of the guage would continuously spin indicating that the player can use Sonic Boost/Fire Boost freely. Once the star eventually stops spinning, the guage may deplete when the player uses Sonic Boost for a long period. The guage also depletes if the player takes damage.

Sonic Rush Adventure
The Tension Guage in Sonic Rush Adventure works exactly as it did in Sonic Rush. When the player performs Mid-Air Trick Actions, a number will appear on-screen that keeps track of the number of Mid-Air Trick Actions. The more trick actions the player performs, the higher the number will count. Once the player performs a Combo Finisher (by pressing A button); the higher the number of trick actions, the greater the capacity of the guage will fill.