Power Sneakers (power-up)

Power Sneakers (ハイスピード), also called Speed Shoes (スピードシューズ), Speed Up (スピードアップ), Super Shoes, Speed Boots (ハイスピード), Fleet Feet (ハイスピード), High Speed (ハイスピード) and High-Speed Shoes (ハイスピード), are a power-up that appear in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. They can usually be found inside Item Boxes that have singular shoes, which are identical to Sonic's iconic footwears, depicted on them, or in other particular objects. When the player obtains the Power Sneakers, the playable character's running speed and jumping height are temporarily increased.

The Power Sneakers first made their debut in Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), and have since then been one of the most recurring Item Box power-ups in the series since the earlier games. As such, they have been featured in almost every possible platforming installment in the series, while its features have remained untouched. Power Sneakers have also been featured in other modes of the games as well.

Overview


The Power Sneakers' primary function is to heighten the movements of the playable characters. When the player breaks open an Item Box containing the Power Sneaker, the playable character will automatically be able to accelerate and move around, both by walking or running, at a much faster pace and as well leap higher than normal for about fifteen to twenty seconds. The ensuing effect of the Power Sneakers also makes background music slightly faster for this moment until the Power Sneakers wears off, and the playable character returns to regular speed and jumping height.

Controlling the playable character after getting Power Sneakers can be tricky or even slippery depending on the game, since the increased speed requires that the player reacts in better time to the obstacles in the environment. As such, there is a higher chance that the player can end up crashing into other enemies or obstacles after having obtained the Power Sneakers. In games such as Knuckles' Chaotix, getting Power Sneakers can make it easier for the player to gain more speed for both characters, but it makes it extremely hard for the player to stop running or moving in mid-air, since the partner character can keep moving forward and pull the player with him.

While the Power Sneakers are usually obtained from Item Boxes, there have been cases where the Power Sneakers can be obtained through other means, such as opening objects different from monitors/item boxes or through gameplay features. In the Competition Mode of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Power Sneakers can be obtained from bubbles that float around on the race tracks by simply touching them. Also, in Sonic Adventure 2, if the player collects 80 Rings and runs through a Point Marker, he/she will automatically obtain the Power Sneakers. Additionally, in the console/PC version of Sonic Generations, the player also buy Power Sneakers for Classic Sonic from Skill Shop as a Skill that requires sixty Skill Points to be equipped and that which can be activated at any time in the acts by pressing /.

In certain spin-off games, Power Sneakers have been featured in slightly different portrayal. In Sonic Drift and Sonic Drift 2, the Red Monitor (ダッシュBOX) power-up gives a small forward dash by pressing up in the D-pad once the racer gets it. Also, in Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, the racers obtain either one or three sets of Power Sneakers from randomized item boxes on the racing tracks and use them when desired, though their function is the same as in the main games (the player also starts with them automatically to use during Ghost Race Trials). Additionally, in Sonic Labyrinth, there are shifting clusters of colorful triangles that grant a specific power-up according to its color and pattern; when there are two blue triangle, this power-up grants the player the Speed Boots (スピードブーツ), which increases Sonic's speed and allows him to spin more faster around the arena. In Sonic Forces: Speed Battle, the Power Sneakers can only be obtained at random from Item Boxes with Sonic the Hedgehog or Shadow the Hedgehog where they give the user a quick burst of speed for a short duration until they fall off the stage or run into an obstacle. While active, they surround the user with a coloured aura (blue/red for Sonic/Shadow respectively). The duration can be extended by levelling the users to level 2, 8 and 14.

Since Sonic Rush, Power Sneakers have become absent in several games through the series, with the Boost technique having virtually replaced it. In following games such as Sonic Generations and Sonic Lost World though, Power Sneakers have been featured in same ways as they were in previous titles.

Music
When obtaining Power Sneakers, the background music in the levels changes to a more fast-paced tune. In earlier games and all three Sonic Advance titles, the console itself has been able to speed up the music with built-in sound chip. Following audio example shows the impact at the music after getting the power-up:

With the exception of 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog, speed-up effect has not featured in Master System and Game Gear titles, as each game has featured its own speed-up tune, similar to Invincibility power-up. Sonic the Hedgehog CD introduced to waveform audio in the series, that plays music from the compact disc format. Because of this, the Power Sneakers functionality has their own separated fast paced music. This has been done in every game since after Genesis games. Sonic the Hedgehog 4, Sonic Generations and Sonic Forces are known to have have separated, faster mixes of Zone themes when the player is seen using Power Sneakers. In Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure, the player is able to hear a small high jingle as after that music then starts to speed up.

Rocket Shoes
Rocket Shoes are one type of shoes, which are featured along with Power Sneakers at monitors in Sonic Chaos and are later featured at Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble. They are basic red shoes with white straps, which also have two rocket motors behind them to boost the player to the high air for several seconds before they disappearance. These shoes only able to be used as Sonic and the player is able to control him in the air, when he's using Rocket Shoes.

Slow-Down Shoes
Slow-Down Shoes are another types of shoes, which have made only appearance in Competition Mode of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 along with Speed Up Shoes. When the player takes this grey shoes from the bubble at the center of race track, it decreases the regular speed to lower for several seconds until it disappears.

Propeller Shoes
Propeller Shoes have made only appearance in Sonic Triple Trouble, where only Sonic can use these to navigate more faster in underwater routes of Tidal Plant Zone. They are red and white colored turbine foot-wears.

Trivia

 * In earlier games such as Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic CD, Item Box icons of the Power Sneakers are seen to have missing white strap and gold buckle. The 2013 re-releases of Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 are known to fix this by adding a white strap.
 * Earlier 510 prototype of Sonic CD is known to feature different Power Sneakers theme, that is a tinny remix version of "You Can Do Anything" from the opening animation. This version of the Power Sneakers theme has changed more energetic in the final version.
 * The Power Sneakers power-up has not been listed for unknown reasons in US manual of Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
 * Since Sonic Adventure, Power Sneakers are known to have recurring speed-up music track known as "Hey You! It's Time to Speed Up!!!", which is remixed and renamed as "Hey You! It's Time to Speed Up Again!!!" in Sonic Adventure 2 and later used in Sonic Generations as speed-up music, when the game is seen to have optional, collected music track playing in-game's background.
 * In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), though the Power Sneakers are intended to be in the Action Stages, they mostly appear in the Town Missions and multiplayer.
 * In addition, Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) is one of the few games to have a unique soundtrack for the Power Sneakers, instead of playing fast remixes of the stage's theme.
 * The theme of the Power Sneakers in the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Lost World is a instrumental mix of "Reach for the Stars" from Sonic Colors.
 * Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode Metal replaces the regular Power Sneakers icon with Metal Sonic's foot. This is a rare occurrence in the games, as the Power Sneakers icon has featured Sonic's footwear even with other playable characters in the series.