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The Crawl[1] (ガードン[2],Gādon?, lit. "Guardon") is an enemy that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a mass-produced, crab-based Badnik created by Dr. Eggman. Usually found in casino-themed Zones, the Crawls are armed with bumper shields and pincers.
The typical Crawls have rotund, gray torsos with a vent on their bellies and a neckless red or orange head with insectoid mandibles and two cartoonish black eyes. Possessing short limbs, they each also have a yellow crab-like pincer on one arm while the other wields a Bumper with a red background, blue center and a yellow/white star in it.
Several changes were made to the Crawls' design in Sonic Rivals 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 4 and Sonic Generations, but their overall appearance has remained consistent.
Game appearances
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)
The first appearance of this Badnik was in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit), where it served as an enemy. This time around, this Badnik is referred to as Crawl[1] (ガードン[2],Gādon?, lit. "Guardon"). In this game, they appear as the only enemies in Casino Night Zone.
In gameplay, Crawls crawl slowly (hence their name) back and forth on routes. If the playable character tries to attack them from the front or above, the Crawls will hide under their shields which can bounce the playable character backwards while leaving the Crawls unharmed. The only way to destroy a Crawl is by hitting them with a Spin Attack from behind. Also, upon their destruction, they release an Animal.
In Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball, a single Crawl appears behind two Cluckers on the pinball table of the fourth Bonus Stage, named "Clucker's Defense". In this Bonus Stage, the player has to destroy the Crawl using pinballs. Each hit earns the player 1,000 points.
To destroy this Crawl, the player must hit its sides with the pinballs until its shield is destroyed, then whack it from the front. As long as it has its shield up, the player cannot hit it from the front as it will simply bounce the balls back. Oddly enough, this Crawl does not have an animal inside it.
In the Wii U/PC version of the game, Crawls appear in Frozen Factory Zone 3, Silent Forest Zone 4 and Lava Mountain Zone 3. Like in earlier games, the player cannot attack the Crawls from the front, so they must hit them from behind where they have no protection. In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Crawls appear in Sky Road Zone 1 and 2. In this version, the Crawls are capable of firing projectile waves at the player, similar to the Somersault. Crawls will also spin around once while their shields and claws are relaxed. If the player can intercept a Crawl's projectile wave with the Somersault at the right time, the attack gets canceled out and the Crawl will be stunned at the same time, leaving it open to attacks. Also, upon their destruction in any version of Sonic Lost World, the Crawls release an Animal.
Powers and abilities
Crawls can defend themselves using their shields, which can bounce back the player as if they are hitting a Bumper. These Badniks do not have any conventional attacks though, and instead rely on walking slowly into their opponents. However, their fatal flaw are their rear which have no form of protection.
As seen during the Lost Hexincident, Crawls have the ability to create projectile waves similar to those created by the Somersault.
In other media
Sonic the Hedgehog Yearbook 1992
A Crawl appeared briefly in one panel in the beginning of the Sonic the Hedgehog Yearbook 1992' story "Sticky Problems", where it watches Robotnik boil his "Special Instant Glue" to use against Sonic, from far away with a Buzz Bomber.
In the Sonic the Comic series published by Fleetway Editions, the Crawls are a part of Dr. Robotnik's Badnik army, although they only appeared a few times during the series' run. Depending on the artist, the Crawls' design would be altered slightly between each appearance.
There are alternative sprites in the Simon Wai prototype of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit) that exist inside of the game's coding. These sprites depict the Crawl in different position and holding its shield in the lateral directions, which it does not do this in final version. Its pincer is also depicted as gray.
The Crawls' pincers are also miscolored gray in the mini-game of Sonic the Hedgehog Spinball.
