Meteorite

The Meteorite^[1] is an obstacle/gimmick in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. They are extraterrestrial rocks which can either damage the player or be used to the player's advantage under special circumstances.

Description

Meteorites, like the objects in real-life, are rough boulders of extraterrestrial origin which are found floating around in space or falling from the sky. In gameplay, they can typically be found floating around in the playable environments where the player can interact with them. Under certain circumstances, the Meteorites can used by the player for special purposes, which differ between games. In other cases, they have been known to harm the player.

Game appearances

Sonic Drift 2

First appearing in Sonic Drift 2, Meteorites can be found flying above the race track of Milky Way. When racers are sent into mid-air, there is a chance that they can get smashed by a Meteorite, causing them to spin out and lose ground.^[2]

Sonic Adventure 2

In Sonic Adventure 2, and its remake Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, the Meteorites appear in Meteor Herd and Mad Space, and during Sonic and Shadow's final battle. In this game, the Meteorites are either falling down from space, floating in midair, or connected to some asteroids. They will also damage the player upon touch. In some cases, they can also destroy breakable objects.

In Meteor Herd, a special form of Meteorite appears, which is referred to as "Meteorech".^[3] These Meteorites float on plaforms for Knuckles to sent them flying with a punch. In addition, by running into the Meteorechs and punching them at the same time, the Meteorechs will fly farther. If sent flying into indestructible doors or Containers, the Meteorechs will burst them open. Also, after being sent flying, the Meteorechs will respawn in the same spot the player found them when the player turns their back on them.

Shadow the Hedgehog

In Shadow the Hedgehog, Meteorites appear in the Stages onboard the Space Colony ARK, where they float around in space. In this game, when touched, the Meteorites will create a massive explosion that cause damage to the unprotected player. However, they can be intercepted in midair with attacks or guns to avoid the explosion they produce.

Sonic Colors

In the Wii version of Sonic Colors, the Meteorites can be found in Asteroid Coaster where they float around in asteroid belts in space. In gameplay, the player can use them to cross otherwise impossible gaps by Homing Attacking across the string of Meteorites that appears.

During the boss battle against the Frigate Skullian, the boss can open portals that will deposit multiple Meteorites at Sonic. Touching them will cause the player to take damage, so they are best avoided with ground movements or by Homing Attacking them.

Sonic Generations

In the console/PC version of Sonic Generations, the Meteorites appear exclusively during the rival battle against Shadow. Like in Sonic Adventure 2, the Meteorites here come in two variants: blue and purple. The blue variant of Meteorites is encountered normally along the rival battle's course. When breaking them with the Boost, they will fill the Boost Gauge. However, they can halt the player if they simply run into them. In addition, they are completely absent in the battle's Hard Mode. The purple variant of Meteorites is only encountered when Sonic has gathered enough Energy Cores for a special attack. When boosting into these Meteorites, they will split into three shards and fly into Shadow, slowing him down.

In the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations, Meteorites appear in Tropical Resort Act 2, during the Grind Rail section that comes before the Goal Ring. During said section, several inflamed Meteorites will fall from the sky and ram into the Grind Rails. In order to avoid them, the player must stay away from the red circles that appear on the Grind Rails (which mark where a Meteorite will land) by using the Grind Step. If the player gets hit by one of the Meteorites, they will fall off of the Grind Rail and lose a life.

Sonic Forces

In Sonic Forces, Meteorites appear exclusively in Egg Gate. In this game, they are pale beige in color and almost spherical in shape. In gameplay, they are found along the trajectory of some Springs. When Sonic is sent flying by these Springs, he will smash through the Meteorites in his path. However, they do not affect Sonic or his trajectory negatively.

Trivia

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  In the Dreamcast version of Sonic Adventure 2, Meteorites have purple air streams stemming from them. In later versions, this effect was removed.

References