Spark Beetle

The Spark Beetle (スパークビートル, Supākubītoru^?) is a robot deployed by the military organization Guardian Units of Nations, and a part of the Beetle series. It appears as an enemy in Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Adventure 2: Battle and Shadow the Hedgehog.

Appearance

The Spark Beetle itself looks just like a Mono Beetle from its respective game, except that it can be seen equipped with an electromagnetic spheric field.

Attack pattern

The Spark Beetle does not attack the player directly, but instead waits for the player to come close, then shocks them with its electromagnetic field. Trying to directly attack the robot while the shield is up will result in the player sustaining damage, thus protecting from physical damage. The field itself, however, shifts between being turned on and off in an interval lasting a couple of seconds, leaving itself open and vulnerable when the shield switches off. This shield can as well be bypassed by other means (i.e. with Invincibility or the Light Speed Attack).

The Spark Beetles have some basic movements in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle; they will remain in one place while their shield is activated, and move slowly towards the player when the shield is deactivated.

Game appearances

Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle

The Spark Beetle first appeared in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, where it was deployed by G.U.N. In these games, the Spark Beetle's shield is shown to be somewhat ineffective, as the player can use Tails' Cyclone and Doctor Eggman's Egg Walker to outflank it. Regardless of whether or not the shield is up, simply using Lock-On Missiles and/or firing the Volkan Cannon at a Spark Beetle will destroy it. The shield also proves ineffective against Sonic's and Shadow's Light Speed Attack and Sonic's Magic Hands, both of which will cut right through the shield and destroy the robot inside. It awards the player one hundred points when destroyed. It appears in the following stages:

Shadow the Hedgehog

The Spark Beetles later returned in Shadow the Hedgehog where they were deployed by G.U.N. to fight in the war on their side. In this game, a Spark Beetle's shield can protect it from gunfire as well as regular attacks. Additionally, the shields are now electrical rings instead of the spherically shaped shields seen in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle.