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While grinding, pressing the Circle will make me do a 180° to gain a burst of speed.


Shadow, PS2 port of Shadow the Hedgehog

The crouch[1][2] is a move that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is an action 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[]

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Shadow crouching on a Grind Rail, from the 2012 remaster of Sonic Adventure 2.

In Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, the technique is rereferred to as crouch.[1][3] Appearing alongside grinding, 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 beneath the user's feet.

In gameplay, crouching allows the player to 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 DreamcastB/SNNBGAMECUBEDISCO while grinding.

Sonic Heroes[]

Tsonic win 2016-07-18 22-20-27-048

Sonic crouching on a Grind Rail, from Sonic Heroes.

In Sonic Heroes, crouching can be used by all four playable teams' characters, though 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, crouching can be performed repeatedly by pressing Square/SNNBGAMECUBEDISCO/XboxX while grinding. Holding Square/SNNBGAMECUBEDISCO/XboxX 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.

When in Fly Formation, characters will perform 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 degree 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 Gamecube X Button/Circle/XboxB while grinding.

Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)[]

Crouch (2006)

Shadow crouching on a Grind Rail, from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).

In Sonic the Hedgehog (2006), the crouch works almost like how it did in Shadow the Hedgehog. In this game, while Grinding and Crouching is available to all playable characters, only Sonic, Shadow, Blaze, Tails, and Omega encounter grind rails. When using it, the player character rotates 180 degrees 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, his Crouching animation does not play properly due to a typo in his animation list. To use crouch in gameplay, the player must press XboxX/Square 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 Snnwii2buttondisco 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 degree spin on top of the Grind Rail while continuing to look forward. To perform the crouch in gameplay, the player must press WiiDSA while grinding.

Sonic Unleashed[]

Sonic Forces[]

Crouch Grinding in Forces

Sonic crouching on a Grind Rail, from Sonic Forces.

In Sonic Forces, the crouch is used by Sonic (including Super Sonic), the Avatar and Shadow. When performing the crouch, the user will simply assume a lower position, similar to Sonic Adventure 2. To perform the crouch in gameplay, the player must press Circle/B button/Switch a while grinding. Additionally, the player is able to Boost while crouching. Unlike previous games, however, performing the crouch will not make the user go faster.

Trivia[]

  • So far, Sonic Forces is the only game, with a Boost mechanic, that the player can crouch on Grind Rails.
    • Additionally, it is the only game where crouching on rails doesn't accelerate the player. This is possibly due to the Boost mechanic being more promenent.

See also[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Sonic Adventure 2 (Dreamcast) United States instruction booklet, pg. 6.
  2. Sonic Team USA (19 November 2012), Sonic Adventure 2. PC. Sega. Area/Level: How to Play, pg. 8.
  3. Sonic Adventure 2: Battle (Nintendo GameCube) United States instruction booklet, pg. 12.
Navigation templates to Crouch (grinding)


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