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The Crawlton[1] (ザキーン[2],Zakīn?) is an enemy that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a mass-produced, centipede-based Badnik created by Dr. Eggman that hides underground to rapidly ambush its targets from unexpected places.
Being Badniks based on centipedes, the Crawltons in their first appearance consisted of eight round segments, including their heads. They were mostly dark blue with a yellow underbelly, and each body segment had a yellow spike on both sides. Their heads had a pair of black eyes, a pointy antenna and screw on each side, and sharp mandibles with a mouth between them. They also a grey plate on each side of their head which connected with their antennae.
In Sonic Lost World, Crawltons have purple armor, cyan eyes instead of black eyes, and the gray plates on the sides of their heads being replaced with yellow caps. While sharing the same overall design, the Crawltons have slight differences between each version of Sonic Lost World, with the ones in the Wii U and PCversion having significantly more segments and longer reach than they had in their debut, while the ones in the Nintendo 3DSversion have only six segments (including their head), with the fifth one having an orange weak spot.
In Sonic Superstars, Crawltons have a similar appearance as they did during Sonic the Hedgehog 2, with the major difference being their more purplish color scheme and cartoony eyes.
Game appearances[]
Sonic the Hedgehog 2[]
The first appearance of Crawltons was in the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, where they served as enemies that were exclusively encountered in Mystic Cave Zone.
In gameplay, the Crawltons hide within the walls and wait until the playable character comes close. When that happens, they attack quickly by extending their heads towards the playable character, causing damage upon touch. However, the Crawltons can only extend their heads a limited distance. Because of their attack method, Crawltons can easily ambush the player. Before they attack however, their body parts can be spotted inside the walls, allowing the player to predict when they will strike. Otherwise, the player can avoid them by just running past the Crawltons before they attack. To defeat a Crawlton, the player must use the Spin Jump on its head after it reveals itself, as its spikes will ensure the player will take damage should they attack anywhere else. Upon their destruction, they release an Animal.
In the Wii U/PC version of the game, the Crawltons appear in Desert Ruins Zone 1 and Tropical Coast Zone 2, where they serve as normal enemies, and will most of the time attack the player in groups. In gameplay, they burrow across the sands with their heads above the surface and will pop out the sand in a swift motion to damage the player. Additionally, the Crawltons have a noticeably longer attack range than in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Despite this, the Crawltons can still be destroyed by directly attacking their heads, which upon their destruction will make them release an Animal.
In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, Crawltons appear in Frozen Factory Zone 1, 3, and the Hard Mode version of Frozen Factory Zone Extra. In gameplay, they are larger enemies that can take multiple hits before being defeated and are sometimes required to be destroyed in order for the player to progress through a Zone, similar to Sandworms. In battle, they hide in a shadow on the ground from where they will pop out of to attack the player, before then retracting back into the ground to repeat their attack pattern. To defeat a Crawlton, the player must stun it with a Somersault before attacking its weak spot with a Homing Attack three times (or less with a charged-up Focused Homing Attack) in order to destroy it. However, before the last hit, the Crawlton will overheat and start swinging their body around to make it harder to stun them (though this can be circumvented if the player destroys them with a Focused Homing Attack). Additionally, Crawltons can be instantly destroyed by the Snowstalker crushing them regardless on how many hits they previously took. Like with other stronger Badniks, the Crawltons will release three Animals upon their destruction.
Crawltons reappear in Sonic Superstars, where they can be encountered in Speed Jungle Zone during Act Sonic, as well as Act 2 of the same Zone for Trip's story. In gameplay, the Crawltons function very similarly to how they did back in their debut in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, as they attempt to sneak attack the player by lunging at them before retreating back into their holes. However, before a Crawlton attacks the player, their head can be seen peeking out of the hole they inhabit, making avoiding their attack or destroying them much easier to do. The only way to destroy a Crawlton is to Spin Jump onto their head, as attempting to attack their segments will result in the player getting damaged. Upon destruction, a Crawlton releases an Animal and awards the player with 100 points.
Powers and abilities[]
The Crawltons are efficient burrowers that can swiftly dig through sand. They also possess quite flexible bodies that lets them launch effective surprise attacks over long distances, and a lethal bite attack. During the Nintendo 3DSversion of the Lost Hexincident, the Crawltons were far more dangerous Badniks which could only be destroyed via several Homing Attacks or a Focused Homing Attack to their normally protected weak spot. Additionally, when low on health, the Crawltons could also swing their bodies around in an attempt to damage their foes in the surrounding area.
This Crawlton was longer than its game counterpart and looked similar to Caterkiller. In addition, the Crawlton was able to fly, like the Catakiller, Jr..
In the Sonic the Comic series published by Fleetway Editions, the Crawltons are a part of Dr. Robotnik's Badnik army. Depending on the artist, the Crawltons' design would be altered slightly various times. They were sort of recurring Badnik types early on in the comics, but appeared more scarcely as time went on.
