Hint

Hints are helpful advice given to you during gameplay. The kind of advice given varies depending on the location. Sometime useful to the situation such as an obstical or new gameplay feature to useless well known information such as rings or containers.

Hint Orbs
First and only apperance in Sonic Adventure, the Hint Orbs were floating red and white sphere of light that hover just above the ground. On contact they will circle the character as it gives advice to the situation the hero has to overcome. Sometimes Knuckles will find a Hint Orb which will show him exactly where the piece of the Master Emerald is.

The Hint Orb is also Tikal the Echidna spiritual form. Evidence is that the voice of the Hint Orb is her own and when Perfect Chaos threatened to destroy the world again, she appeared to Sonic as a Hint Orb before her regular apperance.

Hint boxes
Floating computer monitors that give you information. Unlike Hint Orbs they stay in place but won't activate by touch, but to be talked to.

First apperaing in Sonic Adventure, but mostly the Adventure Field. You talk to them like you would with any person.

They appear again in Sonic Adventure 2 giving clues to Knuckles or Rouge on where the treasure is hiding. In 2-player Emerald Hunt game the use of Hint Boxes is limited.

While not an official apperances, Hint Box could of been inspired from "Cheat cards" seen in Sonic World from the game Sonic Jam. Also 3 large yellow version of the Hint Box appears in Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) (1 in each town stage) But they are for shopping than anything else.

Omochao
Omochao (オモチャオ) is a robotic Chao with a propeller on its head. Its name is a portmanteau of the Japanese word omocha, meaning "toy", and Chao. He replaces the Hint Orbs in Sonic Adventure 2 dispensing a variety of advice both informative and useless. Omochao also had other uses such as a throwing weapon to sometimes humourus results. Omochao can also be attack (whether it's accidentally misfiring or purposely) and will say quotes like "That hurt!" or "I'm not gonna help you any more!"

Hint Ring
First appearing in Sonic Heroes. On contact, the playing character or companion (or sometimes even a narrator) will tell advice for the situation.

The Hint Ring is a golden question mark with colourful orbs circling it vertically. However in Shadow the Hedgehog it was more of a white question mark in a rainbow bubble around it.