Trick Action

The Trick Action system is a feature in the Sonic Riders series, which is used for refilling the Air Tank/Gravity gauge for Extreme Gear. A trick is performed when a character jumps off ramps or the sides of another characters' turbulence and performs different movements in air. The Trick Action system also has a ranking system that gives the player a certain rank after performing the tricks, with the type of rank depending on the number and quality of tricks.

Sonic Riders
In Sonic Riders (called Trick Actions in the game), to perform Trick Actions in gameplay, the player first has to press and hold down the jump button, then release it on a ramp to jump or simply reach the sides of the opponents' turbulence and then use arrow keys/control stick to perform spins in different directions (only on ramps). If the player holds the control stick down/down arrow key while releasing the jump button, it will propel the player high into the air allowing access to some shortcuts or bonus items located high above while holding the control stick up/up arrow key, it will propel the player further forward allowing access to reach distant shortcuts. The number of spins and how correctly the player lands determines how high the rank the player will achieve and how much Air the player will gain for the Air Tank.

Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity
In Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, tricks can only be performed in one direction. To perform Trick Action in gameplay, the player has to press the jump button on a ramp and use the control stick to rotate the playable character in any direction. Depending on the player timing for a jump, a rank is given to the player and Gravity Points are added to the Gravity gauge.

Sonic Free Riders
In Sonic Free Riders, due to the Kinect gameplay controls, the player must jump when on a ramp and move his/her body in specific directions (e.g turning the body 180 degrees). If the player crouches down long enough while approaching a ramp and jumps, the player will gain height, being able to access higher routes. Depending on the timing and the tricks performed, a rank is given to the player and the gauge is refilled.