Goal (obstacle)

!, also called as Goal (ゴール) or EXIT, are orb or cubed shaped objects, that can be found in Special Stages or Bonus Stages and are mostly set on rows at the small wells. If the player touches these blocks, the player then transports to the next act in the zone or or returns to same zone, where Giant Ring has been hidden.

Description
These flashy objects are first seen in original Sonic the Hedgehog, where they are called simply and misinterpreted as Goal. When the player touches these blocks, he / she will not earn Chaos Emerald, as the player's real goal is get Chaos Emerald without touching Goal blocks. These same blocks later return in Slot Machine themed Bonus Stage in Sonic & Knuckles. If the player keeps spinning on pad too long, it will after few color flashing transform to Goal block and thus normally transports back to the regular zone.

Slightly different looking, but identically functional cubes are seen at Bonus Stages of Knuckles' Chaotix, where they are now called as EXIT. When the player falls to one of these flashy cubes, it normally transports back to the place where the player found the Giant Ring of Bonus Stage. Years later Goal blocks return in Special Stages of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, where they are now changed more sligtly to have "!" instead of Goal. Despite that, they work exactly like in original Sonic the Hedgehog, as the player should avoid them as a goal to get collect the Chaos Emerald.

Trivia

 * As mentioned early, Goal blocks are misleadingly thought to guide back to next zone especially in original Sonic the Hedgehog, where without the player's knowing, that the original goal is to gain Chaos Emerald.
 * Red spheres in Special Stages of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles works similar way.