Dash Ring

The Dash Ring (ダッシュリング), or Speed Ring is a gimmick that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. They are the airborne counterparts of the Dash Panels, that give those that pass through them a boost of speed through midair.

Description
The Dash Rings are basically large rings, up to a couple of meters in diameter, whose primary function is to send the playable character flying through the air. In gameplay, as soon as the playable character enters the middle of a Dash Ring or touches its edges, they will automatically be shot directly forward through midair with a short burst of speed, with the direction of the burst depending on the Dash Ring's angle. However, the Dash Rings can only launch the playable characters in one direction.

Dash Rings can always be found floating in midair and serve primarily as a way for the player to move across grabs, get through small passages in the walls or even reach otherwise unreachable areas. As such, they are usually found at the edges of gaps, above Springs or platforms, or just beyond roads and Grind Rails that abruptly end.

Though Dash Rings can provide a necessary boost to proceed, they also serve to guide the player down certain pathways in automated sections of the levels. Commonly, the Dash Rings are aligned in tube-like formations, so when the player enters one of these Dash Rings, the playable character will automatically be guided through them sequentially to the intended location.

The Dash Rings' design has been changed frequently over the course of the series. In the initial games, they looked like metal rings with a glowing inner rim (often green) with three or two plates on the edges that show arrows pointing into them. These types of Dash Rings are referred to as Mechanical Rings. Even so, these rings' appearance would differ slightly between games. In Sonic Advance 2 though, the Dash Rings were given a more simplistic design, resembling thinner and smaller orange-red rings. This design was initially restricted to handheld games, but was later officially implemented in the main series in Sonic Unleashed. From then on, the Dash Rings would have this design as their standard.

Sonic Adventure
The Dash Rings first appeared in Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut. In this game, they look like Mechanical Rings with green-glowing inner rims and two arrow plates on the edges.

In gameplay, the Dash Rings only appear in Tails' Action Stages where they help increase his flying range by boosting him towards areas he cannot reach otherwise. However, they cannot keep Tails flying once he reaches his flying limit.

Sonic Advance series
In Sonic Advance 2 and Sonic Advance 3, the Dash Ring is referred to as the Boost Ring (ダッシュサークル). In these games, the Dash Rings were also given a completely new design, where they looked like simple orange-red rings, albeit with flat edges.

Sonic Heroes
In Sonic Heroes, the Dash Rings again look like Mechanical Rings, except they are slightly smaller than the ones in Sonic Adventure, have three black, rectangular plates on their edges and their inner rims glow yellow and green. Also, whenever the user passes through one, they will be surrounded by their respective aura.

In this game, the Dash Rings appear in almost every Stage. While every character in the game can use them, they are most frequently used by Fly Type characters to help them get through midair sections. They are also sometimes found around Grind Rails and small roads to give the player a speed boost.

Shadow the Hedgehog
In Shadow the Hedgehog, the Dash Rings look exactly as they did in Sonic Heroes. In this game, they only appear in the midair areas of Stages where Shadow is riding flying vehicles and when grinding to boost his speed.

Sonic Rush series
In Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure, the Dash Rings look like the orange-red rings from Sonic Advance 2 and 3, except their angle had been shifted slightly so their inner hole can be seen. In these games, they are usually placed so they lead the player to a Rainbow Ring. Also, in addition to giving a boost into midair, they allow the player to perform Trick Actions as soon as they pass through them.

Sonic Riders series
In the Sonic Riders series, Dash Rings (in Sonic Riders, they are called Accelerators) allows Extreme Gear with flight capabilities to fly through a series of these objects as a shortcut route. This is called Air Ride. These Dash Rings appear when taking off from a catapult ramp or in mid-air. They serve as a shortcut and also refill the player's Extreme Gear's Air Tank with Air (or in the case of Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, the Extreme Gear's GP Gauge is replenished with Gravity Points). The design of the Dash Rings for Sonic Riders and Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity is the same as that of Sonic Heroes while in Sonic Free Riders retains the appearance of the Dash Rings from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).

Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)
In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), the Dash Rings are referred to as Mechanical Rings. In terms of appearance, their design is similar to the one they had in Sonic Heroes, except their inner rims glow blue, the plates on their edges are more triangular, and their edges have outward curves.

In this game, the Dash Rings are only used by Tails, mostly Silver in multiplayer mode, and sometimes Rouge in the very hard mode. They are used to give Tails and Silver a boost through midair, but the former cannot keep flying after using this gimmick.

Sonic Unleashed
In both versions of Sonic Unleashed, Dash Rings, also named Boost Rings, were given the design of the orange-red rings (with round edges), thus marking the first appearance of this particular design for the Dash Rings on main home console games. Whenever the player passes through them in this game, they briefly shrink and leave some sparkles behind after using them.

Sonic Colors
In Sonic Colors, the Dash Rings retain the appearance of orange-red rings, though their design slightly differ between the versions of the game. In the Wii version they look like they did in Sonic Unleashed, and in the Nintendo DS version they look like they did in the Sonic Rush series.

Sonic Generations
In the console/PC version of Sonic Generations, two versions of the Dash Ring appears. The first are the modern red-orange rings which can be found in nearly all the game's normal Stages and occasionally appear in trails leading up to a Rainbow Ring.

The second version resembles those in Sonic Adventure (except smaller). These ones are only found in the Tails: Toxic Skies Challenge Act, where they help the player fly through the air with Classic Tails.

Sonic Lost World
In the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Lost World, the Dash Rings also appear. In this game, the once more look like the orange-red circular rings. Other than that, they have the standard functions of the normal Dash Ring.

Sonic Runners
In Sonic Runners, regular orange-red Dash Rings made an appearance. In this game, the player can use them to dash through long Ring- or Crystal lines.

Sonic Forces
In Sonic Forces, the Dash Rings make an appearance as common gimmicks in the stages. In this game, they retain the design of orange-red rings. Other than that, all they do is give the standard dash through midair.

Trivia

 * In the Wii U and PC versions of Sonic Lost World, there is a ring resembling the Dash Ring, but with three orange arrows in its center found in Hidden World Zone 2. When collected, it gives a significant boost in speed, akin to the Dash Rings in previous games.