The Fireball is an Item Box power-up that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a Projectile Item used primarily to attack rivals.
Description
The Fireball takes the form of a ball of flame that is launched by the user, both as an icon and on the tracks.
Overview
Knuckles launching a Fireball, from Sonic Forces: Speed Battle.
In gameplay, the Fireball can only be obtained at random from Item Boxes by Knuckles, Sonic (also as Super Sonic), Vector, and Zavok. As with most other Items, Metal Sonic can also use the Fireball if he uses the Steal Item to steal it from the aforementioned users.
Once obtained, the player can utilize the Fireball by pressing its icon on the bottom of the HUD. Also when obtaining the Fireball in Zavok's case, there is a chance of obtaining two Fireballs to use in the Projectile Item slot on the HUD from a single Item Box from when said character is unlocked. When used, the user sets loose the Fireball, which will travel down the lane it was deployed on in front of the user until it hits either a rival character or obstacle, or it wears off. Rival characters that make contact with the Fireball will take damage, causing them to lose Rings and slow down momentarily. To avoid the Fireball, the playable character has to either step out of its lane or jump over it.
The Fireball can also be upgraded by leveling most user up to level 6 and 12 respectively. For each upgrade for most characters, the player will get the chance to obtain more Fireballs to use in the Projectile Item slot from a single Item Box; for the first upgrade, there is a chance of getting two Fireballs, and for the second upgrade, there is a chance of getting three Fireballs. In Zavok's case however, he has a chance of getting three Fireballs after the first upgrade, and is guaranteed to get at least two Fireballs after the second upgrade.
Super Sonic's Fireball is upgraded differently. His Fireball is upgraded when leveling him up to level 2, 6 and 10 respectively. Also, the Fireball's upgrades are slightly different; for the first upgrade, there is a chance of getting two Fireballs, for the second upgrade, there is a chance of getting three Fireballs, and for the third upgrade, the player is guaranteed to get at least two Fireballs.