Crouch

The crouch^[1] is a move in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a technique used to gain more speed while grinding.

Description

When performing the crouch, the user assumes a lower position while grinding along a Grind Rail to gain a small boost of speed. How this position is assumed differs between games. In gameplay, the crouch is useful for maximizing the player's grinding speed when their acceleration starts to falter at any time while grinding.

Game appearances

Sonic Adventure 2

Appearing alongside grinding in Sonic Adventure 2, crouching is used exclusively by Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog, Amy Rose and Metal Sonic. In this game, the user will simply assume a lower position which causes a small jet stream to form in front of the user.

In gameplay, crouch lets the player Grind Step at a faster rate. It is also necessary for grinding along looped and vertical Grind Rails. Using crouch when crossing a quirk while riding on a downward Grind Rail, however, causes the playable characters to lose balance, putting them at risk of falling off the Grind Rail. In addition, not all characters will achieve the same rate of speed from crouching: in Multiplayer mode, Shadow has a slight speed advantage over Sonic when using crouch, while Metal Sonic is the fastest of them all while using this move. To use crouch in gameplay, the player has to press / while grinding.

Sonic Heroes

In Sonic Heroes, crouching can be used by all four playable teams' characters. However, the move's execution is significantly changed. In this game, characters will start their crouch by doing a 180° spin on top of the Grind Rail for acceleration, either turning to face left from a right-facing position or turning around to have their backs in the direction the character is moving.

In gameplay, the ccrouch can be performed repeatedly by pressing // while grinding. Holding // will still maintain the characters' crouch position and allow for faster Grind Rail travel for a significant time. Using crouch rapidly even allows the player to travel up vertical Grind Rails.

Fly Formation characters have a unique version of the crouch: instead of doing a trick, they will lean forward with the bottom character (which they hold onto) on the Grind Rail and use their flight to accelerate along the rail.

Shadow the Hedgehog

In Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow is the only character that can use crouch. In this game, the 180° spin from Sonic Heroes now has a hop above the Grind Rail added to it. Curiously, this hop bounces Shadow high enough off the Grind Rail to miss the Rings that appear along the Grind Rails. Also, the crouch position is only assumed until the player presses the action button again, and does not need to be actively maintained. Staying in this position also no longer has any effect on the grinding acceleration or maximum speed. To use the crouch in gameplay, the player has to press // while grinding.

Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)

In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), the crouch works almost like how it did in Shadow the Hedgehog. In this game, only Sonic, Shadow, Blaze, Tails, and E-123 Omega can use it. However, when using it, they just rotate 180° above the rail while grinding.

In this game, the player can only use crouch repeatedly after a specific amount of time has passed. The crouch also only grants an initial boost of speed and cannot be used to increase maximum speed or acceleration. Additionally, although Silver can grind in the Multiplayer mode of the game, he cannot Crouch properly. To use crouch in gameplay, the player must press / while grinding.

Sonic Storybook series

Sonic and the Secret Rings

In Sonic and the Secret Rings, the crouch is used only by Sonic, although the move goes by unnamed in the manual. When performing the crouch, Sonic performs a small trick on the Grind Edge. To perform the crouch in gameplay, the player has to press while grinding.

Sonic and the Black Knight

In Sonic and the Black Knight, the crouch is used only by Sonic again. Like before, the move is not mentioned in the manual. When performing the crouch in this game, Sonic does a 180° spin on top of the Grind Rail while continuing to look forward. To perform the crouch in gameplay, the player must press while grinding.

References

1. ↑ Sonic Adventure 2 (2012), "How to Play" pg. 8: While grinding, press Jump to jump, Action to crouch (speed up), and use the left stick/Movement keys to balance yourself.

See also

• Crouch (Sonic Unleashed)