Corkscrew loop

Corkscrew loops, also referred to as corkscrew speedways,^[1] are recurring level structures in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. As their name implies, they are corkscrew-shaped paths that loops around themselves, which create bridge over gaps and hollow areas for the player. The corkscrew loops first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. 

Description

Like the traditional Shuttle loops, the corkscrew loops only appear in the various games' Zones. In order for the player to pass through a corkscrew loop, they must have gained enough momentum to reach high speeds with their playable character in order to remain in contact with the surface of the corkscrew loop when passing through it. If the player has not gained enough speed or slows down while passing through a corkscrew loop, they will fall out of the loop and drop into the gap below it.

Corkscrew loops as first presented in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 are well-known level structures in Emerald Hill Zone, where they are frequently placed above lower pathways. The player can easily gain momentum to pass through these corkscrew loops by running or spinning through regular downhill shuttle loops that come before them.

Since their introduction, corkscrew loops have made numerous appearances in later games, such as in Sonic Chaos, where they are featured at Turquoise Hill Zone and Mecha Green Hill Zone. In the latter of these Zones, the corkscrew loops go downward into the chasms which have Bottomless pits below. They are also seen briefly in Hydrocity Zone Act 2 in Sonic the Hedgehog 3, where they go downward in a similar manner to those in Sonic Chaos, but are more automated. In Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure, Neo South Island Zone also features regular corkscrew loops.

Corkscrew loops mostly appear in the 2D and 2.5D games in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. However, they have also been featured in several 3D games as well, such az Speed Highway in Sonic Adventure and Radical Highway in Sonic Adventure 2. In these games, corkscrew loops are far larger than they are in the 2D and 2.5D games, and the player has to keep running through them to get to the other side, since these loops are usually set above bottomless pits.

In Sonic Advance 2, corkscrew loops are seen in Leaf Forest, where some sections of the loop's pathway can suddenly turn downward in a straight line and then proceed down the same route. In Sonic Advance 3, they are featured in Route 99, where some of them are placed over bottomless pits. They are regularly seen along with upward-facing corkscrew loops in Leaf Storm in Sonic Rush. In Sonic Rivals, the corkscrew Loop appears near the end of both acts from Death Yard Zone and in Sonic Rivals 2, it is featured in Sunset Forest Zone and Neon Palace Zone. Splash Hill Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I also has traditional corkscrew loops. Games such as Sonic Unleashed have Grind Rails in the form of corkscrew loops, and Tropical Resort in Sonic Colors also features large, automated corkscrew loops. Additionally, Green Hill in the console/PC version of Sonic Generations also has huge corkscrew loops, which are also featured in Speed Highway and even in Tropical Resort and Radical Highway in the Nintendo 3DS version of the same game.

Trivia

• A patent was filed by Sega in 1993 for the corkscrew loop in the Sonic the Hedgehog games, regarding it as "spiral loop graphics".^[2][3]

Gallery

Gallery
Corkscrew loop at Emerald Hill Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Downwards going corkscrew loop at Mecha Green Hill Zone in Sonic Chaos. Blaze running through wooden corkscrew loop at Leaf Storm. Huge corkscrew loop at Green Hill in Sonic Generations. Corkscrew loop at Tropical Resort in Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations. Add a photo to this gallery

References