Pole

Pole
A released Pole, from Sonic Heroes.
Appearances
First appearance	Tails' Skypatrol
Game appearances	Tails' Skypatrol Sonic Heroes Shadow the Hedgehog Sonic Unleashed Sonic Unleashed (Xbox 360/PlayStation 3) Sonic Unleashed (Wii/PlayStation 2)
Statistics and overview
User(s)	Amy Rose Espio the Chameleon Miles "Tails" Prower Shadow the Hedgehog Dark Shadow Hero Shadow Sonic the Hedgehog Sonic the Werehog
Purpose	Transportation
Description	A pole used for traversing the levels.

The Pole (ポール, Pōru^?) is a gimmick that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a long pole that the player can use to reach new areas.

Description

Like its name implies, this gimmick is a long pole, which its exact length tends to differ. While some of them can be found standing right-side up on the ground, there are also instances where the Poles are either upturned or horizontal.

In gameplay, the Poles are used to help the player proceed through the levels. By interacting with them, the player is able to move along them to other areas in the levels which could be otherwise unreachable, though the usage of the Poles when interacting with them differs between games.

Game appearances

Tails' Skypatrol

In Tails' Skypatrol, Poles are blue with a sphere marked with a yellow arrow on their base. They are always aligned vertically and are present in every level of the game.

To use the Pole in gameplay, Tails must throw the Boomering into it. This will prompt Tails to close in on the Pole and be swung up or down the Pole, before being flung far and away. The arrows on the Pole indicate which direction Tails will be slung into.

Sonic Heroes

An inactive Pole, from Sonic Heroes.

In Sonic Heroes, Poles are red and white-striped with an orange, beak-like arrow as head and a base. In this game, they are always vertical. The are first encountered in Grand Metropolis.

The Pole is one of the gimmicks that can be utilized by Speed Type characters. When using a Pole, the Speed Type character will grab onto the Pole and start swinging around it while the user's teammates hang onto the user's feet. They will then spin around the Pole until they reach its head, upon where the user will release their grip, causing the entire team to be flung to another location. To use the Pole in gameplay, the player just has to use the Speed Type character's Tornado Jump or Rocket Accel (or Jump Dash if the player has collected three blue Power Cores) on the Pole. The rest will then occur automatically.

Some Poles are retracted into the ground, meaning the player cannot utilize them. To raise them, the player has to use a nearby Switch. Also, there are some cases where a Pole will throw the player towards another Pole; when that happens, the playable characters will automatically start using that Pole as well.

Shadow the Hedgehog

A horizontal Pole, from Shadow the Hedgehog.

In Shadow the Hedgehog, Poles are more simple in appearance and are placed both horizontally and vertically. When using a Pole in this game, Shadow simply climbs along its surface.

To use the Pole in gameplay, the player must jump onto it, upon where Shadow will automatically take hold of it. With vertical bars, the player must move the left analog stick up and down to climb and left and right to rotate around them. With a horizontal bar, the player must move left and right on the analog stick to shuttle along it.

Sonic Unleashed

Sonic the Werehog bending a pole, from the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of Sonic Unleashed.

In both the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version and the Wii/PlayStation 2 version of Sonic Unleashed, the most common Poles can only be used by Sonic the Werehog who climbs up along them to reach otherwise unreachable areas. Some Poles are covered in spikes, which make Sonic lose his grip when touched.

To make Sonic climb regular Poles in the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of Sonic Unleashed, the player has to use Grab when near one to make Sonic stick to it. The player can then move the control stick backward or forward to make Sonic climb or slide down. By using Grab repeatedly, the player can make Sonic climb faster. In the Wii/PlayStation 2 version of the game, the player has to hold the Grab button when near a Pole to make Sonic hang onto it, and release it to let go. On these versions, the player just has to move the control stick up and down on the Classic and GameCube controllers to make Sonic climb or slide down. With the Wii Remote however, the player has to shake the Wii Remote and Nunchuck alternatively to climb, and release the Grab button to descend.

Another type of Pole also appears in the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of the game. When near these poles, the player can repeatedly use Grab to bend the pole and then launch Sonic to another location.

Variants

Corner Pole

Corner Poles are gimmicks that, when touched, will make the player do a quick swing around them and then launch them forward, granting points while doing so. They first appeared in Sonic and the Black Knight.

Trivia

Team Dark using an inactive Pole after using their Chaos Inferno.

• In Sonic Heroes, if the player plays as Team Dark and activates their Team Blast Chaos Inferno while a Pole raises up, the player can still use the Pole as normal as if it was fully formed. After Team Dark jumps off from the Pole, it will then rise.

Gallery

Sprites

Tails' Skypatrol

Models

Sonic Heroes

See also

• Spring Pole

References

Navigation templates to Pole

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Tails' Skypatrol

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Main article · Manuals

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Sonic Heroes

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Main article · Scripts (Team Sonic, Team Dark, Team Rose, Team Chaotix, Last) · Staff · Manuals · Glitches · Beta elements · Gallery · Pre-releases (E3 version, demo)

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Shadow the Hedgehog (game)

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*Only playable in the GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions · **Only playable in Battle Mode
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Sonic Unleashed (Xbox 360/PlayStation 3)

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Sonic Unleashed (Wii/PlayStation 2)

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Main article | Script | Credits | Glitches | Beta elements | Gallery