Color Power

Color Powers (カラーパワー) are special powers used by Sonic the Hedgehog. They first appeared in Sonic Colors, and have since reappeared in Sonic Generations and Sonic Lost World. The Color Powers are the power of the Wisps' Hyper-go-on unleashed, which Sonic can harness by temporarily absorbing a Wisp, granting him new powers and abilities.

Color powers serve in gameplay as power-up gimmicks that are needed to either traverse the environment or performing unique attacks fitting a given situation. According to an interview with Takashi Iizuka, Color Powers are set to be features in all future games where they will fit.

Description
Color Powers are unique abilities for Sonic that are unleashed when he harnesses the power of a Wisp by temporarily absorbing it and tapping into its innate reserves Hyper-go-on, allowing him to use the Wisp to grant himself new abilities and/powers that he would otherwise not have, such as shooting himself forward as a laser, create fire explosions or even manipulate objects within the area. In gameplay, this allows the player to perform specialized and highly powerful attacks, traverse the environment and complete the Acts more easily, or a combination of both.

When using a Color Power, Sonic only needs to harness a fraction of the Wisps' total of Hyper-go-on. Color Powers can only be maintained for a short period of time in gameplay, however, and requires that the player collects more Wisps of the same type before the active Color Power runs out in order to maintain it (the only exception is Red Burst which can also be refilled by touching fire). After a Color Power runs out, the Wisps will pop back out of Sonic, unharmed.

Each type of absorbable Wisp, grants Sonic a different Color Power with its own unique abilities; the Yellow Wisps grant Sonic the Yellow Drill, the Green Wisps grant Sonic the Green Hover and so forth. Most Color Powers cause Sonic to physically transform into a form better suited for the Color Power's abilities, while others simply allows him to execute powerful attacks, such as the Boost or the Final Color Blaster.

When activating a Color Power in gameplay, an in-game announcer will say the second word of the Color Power, such as "Laser" for the Cyan Laser, and "Drill" for the Yellow Drill.

Combined Form
In the 2 Player mode in the Wii version of Sonic Colors in Eggman's Sonic Simulator, two players are able to combine the Acts Color Powers with each other by activating the two Color Powers at the same time when they are within a certain distance, to create a new special Color Power move, with the combined effects of both Color Powers. However, not all Color Powers are compatible, resulting in separate effects. The Color Powers that can be combined and their effects are:


 * Cyan Laser + Cyan Laser: Two lasers that shoot in a specified direction, spiraling around each other
 * Yellow Drill + Yellow Drill: Two drills that steer cooperatively, spiraling around one another with magnified power while attracting Rings.
 * Pink Spikes + Pink Spikes: Two spikeballs that are connected by a white beam of light, which destroys any enemy upon contact.
 * Yellow Drill + Cyan Laser: A drill that can turn into a laser before the Color Power ends.
 * Yellow Drill + Green Hover: A drill that can drill through air as well as it can water while attracting nearby Rings.
 * Orange Rocket + Cyan Laser: A rocket that can turn into a laser before the Color Power ends.
 * Yellow Drill + Orange Rocket: A drill that can rocket upward. This Color Power ends once above ground.
 * Green Hover + Green Hover: Creates a white beam between the two player which can be used it to knockout enemies when they come in contact with it.

Sonic Colors
The Color Powers first appeared in both versions of Sonic Colors and serve as the games' main gimmick. Each version of the game have its own unique Color Powers, such as the Blue Cube, Green Hover, Purple Frenzy and Pink Spikes on the Wii version, and the Red Burst and Violet Void on the Nintendo DS version.

To activate a Color Power (besides the Boost granted by the White Wisps) in the Wii version, the player has to shake the Wii remote, and on the DS version, the player has to press.

The player can obtain a Color Power by collecting a Wisp from a Wisp Capsule. The Color Powers' duration is determined by the remainder of energy in the player's Wisp/Boost Gauge. Activating the Color Power will cause the Wisp/Boost Gauge to be used, and once it is depleted, the Color Power will end, and the player will have to collect a new Wisp to activate a Color Power again. While the Color Power is in effect, collecting a new Wisp of the same kind will replenish the Wisp/Boost Gauge and extend the duration of the Color Power.

On the Wii version of Sonic Colors, when Super Sonic is enabled, the player is unable to perform any Color Powers. Touching any Wisp Capsule will free the Wisp contained in it but it will not enter Sonic's body (except for White Wisps) and grant Color Powers and will instead float upwards and disappear. However, to compensate for the lack of Color Powers when playing as Super Sonic, some of the Acts' designs are tweaked to enable Sonic to traverse them without resorting to Color Powers.

Sonic Generations
The Color Powers returned in all versions of Sonic Generations, though only in Planet Wisp on the console/PC version, and Tropical Resort on the Nintendo 3DS version. Also, the console/PC version only featured the Orange Rocket and the Pink Spikes, while the 3DS version featured only the Cyan Laser and the Red Burst.

To activate a Color Power in the console/PC version, the player has to press /, and on the 3DS version, the player has to press.

The player can obtain a Color Power by collecting a Wisp from a Wisp Capsule. In the console/PC version of Sonic Generations, the Color Powers' duration is determined by a set time limit rather than an energy gauge. While the Color Power is in effect, collecting a new Wisp of the same kind will extend the duration of the Color Power. On the 3DS version of Sonic Generations, however, the Color Power's duration are determined by the remainder of energy in the player's Boost Gauge. Once it is depleted, the Color Power will end, and the player will have to collect a new Wisp to activate a Color Power again. Also, like in Sonic Colors, while the Color Power is in effect, collecting a new Wisp of the same kind will replenish the Boost Gauge and extend the duration of the Color Power.

In the console/PC version of Sonic Generations, when playing as Super Sonic due to activating the Skill named "Super Sonic", the player is able to obtain a Wisp from a Wisp Capsule, unlike in Sonic Colors. Activating a Color Power as Super Sonic will then automatically de-activate the super transformation, returning Sonic to normal. The opposite does not work, however, since transforming into Super Sonic is not possible while using a Color Power.

Sonic Lost World
New Color Powers appear in Sonic Lost World, including the Indigo Asteroid, Crimson Eagle, Magenta Rhythm, Ivory Lightning, Gray Quake, and Black Bomb. Several Color Powers return as well, such as the Cyan Laser, Orange Rocket, Green Hover and Yellow Drill. All Color Powers are activated and controlled on the Wii U GamePad in the Wii U version, and several Color Powers in the 3DS version make use of the system's gyroscope.

Sonic Runners
In Sonic Runners, the Color Powers Cyan Laser, Yellow Drill and Indigo Asteroid are featured. For the first time, they can also be used by every playable character in game, and not only Sonic.

In gameplay, the player can either obtain Color Powers from Item Boxes in the stages where they are activated once obtaining them, or equip them before-handed and manually activate them in the stages by pressing their icon on the screen. If the player falls into a bottomless pit or takes damage without Rings, the player can resume the game by paying five Red Star Rings while automatically receiving one Color Power.