- For other uses, see Spikes (disambiguation).
The Spikes[3] (ヤドリン[4] Yadorin?, lit. "Yadrin"[1]), is an enemy that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a mass-produced, hermit crab-based Badnik created by Dr. Eggman.
Appearance[]
The Spikeses resemble a hermit crab with two claws, and are roughly as large as Sonic.[5] They have a pink shell with five spikes on it each, a yellow head, and two large eyes on thin eyestalks. They also have a pair of gray wheels on their shells to move back and forth with. Originally, they had the basic black eyes with white sclera, but during the Lost Hex incident they got cyan eyes.
During the second part of the Death Egg mk.II incident, the Spikeses had a more modernized and technological design. In addition to a getting a more realistic gastropod shell, they received three rows of spikes on they shell. Their head also became smaller, their eyes lost their eyestalks, and they got four extra legs in exchange for their wheels. Additionally, their body became pink with a white underbelly and their shell became blue with pink outlines.
Game appearances[]
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)[]
In the 16-bit version of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, the Spikeses[3] (ヤドリン[4] Yadorin?, lit. "Yadrin"[1]) are found in Spring Yard Zone. In gameplay, the Spikeses will walk back and forth, usually on platforms with iron balls. These Badniks can be a small threat, since any attacked launched on them from above will cause the player to take damage, thereby making the Spikes nearly invulnerable. The Spikeses are best defeated with a Spin Attack to the sides. Also, upon their destruction, they release an Animal and reward the player with 100 points.
In the 8-bit version of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, the Spikeses appear as enemies again. In this game, they can be encountered in Bridge Zone. in gameplay, they act like their 16-bit counterparts; they walk slowly back and forth without attempting to hurt Sonic. Again, the best way to defeat them is to roll into them with the Spin Attack. While they do not release an Animal upon their destruction though, they do reward the player with 100 points.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II[]
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A Spikes in White Park Zone, from Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II.
In Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode II, the Spikeses appeared with a new design, accordingly to fit in colder climates. In this game, they appear exclusively in White Park Zone.
In gameplay, unlike in earlier games, the Spikeses cannot be defeated with a Spin Attack or Spin Dash because spikes cover its whole shell. There are three ways to destroy it: crushing it with a snowball, rolling over it with the Rolling Combo, or go near them which will cause them to go inside their shell along with their spikes, allowing the player to destroy it. Also, upon their destruction, they will reward the player 100 points and release an Animal. If a Spikeses is destroyed by a snowball though, the player will not be awarded with any points.
Sonic Lost World[]
In Wii U version and PC version of Sonic Lost World, the Spikeses appear as enemies. During the games' events, Dr. Eggman's Badniks, including the Spikeses, got hijacked by the Deadly Six.
The Spikeses appear in Tropical Coast Zone 4. In gameplay, only two of them appear in the Zone, both of whom are moving on ceilings. If the player runs below them, they will fire their spikes from their shells which can inflict damage.
Other game appearances[]
Sonic Jump (2012)[]
In the 2012 version of Sonic Jump, the Spikeses can be found in Jungle Zone. They behave like they did in their previous appearances, moving back and forth on platforms, but can also fall down on the player from above in several sections. They can be defeated easily by hitting them with a Spin Jump from below.
Sonic Dash[]
In Sonic Dash, the Spikeses returned with new tank treads for movement. They have their design from Sonic Lost World, but prior to the 4.12.0 update, they had the color palette of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II. In gameplay, they only stand in stationary positions without attacking, often appearing in rows to cover all three lanes in the Zone, or lined up one after another on a single lane. The Spikeses can only damage the playable character if the latter runs into them without attacking. Regardless, the player can easily destroy the Spikeses by hitting them with a Spin Attack or Dash Boost. Alternatively, the player can avoid them by either jumping over them or switching lanes. As the player starts to run faster, dodging or destroying Spikes might become harder.
Personality[]
While built to serve as work drones, Spikes badniks possess a degree of sentience and personality traits. These traits include fawning over Dr. Eggman and celebrating his birthday on their own volition.[6]
Powers and abilities[]
Despite being far less advanced than other Badniks like those in the E-Series, the Spikeses' design allows them to perform tasks flawlessly.[7] As their name implies, the Spikeses have a shell covered in spikes that can skewer opponents coming in from above. During the Lost Hex incident, they could also launch their spikes from their shells.
In other media[]
Books and comics[]
Sonic the Comic[]
A Spikes, from Sonic the Comic #44. Art by Richard Elson.
In the Sonic the Comic series published by Fleetway Editions, the Spikeses are a part of Dr. Robotnik's Badnik army and are among the first generation of Badniks the doctor produced. Depending on the artist, the Spikes' coloration would be altered slightly each times.
The Official Sonic the Hedgehog Yearbook[]
A Spikes and Crabmeat in the The Official Sonic the Hedgehog Yearbook (1993).
In The Official Sonic the Hedgehog Yearbook from 1993, a Spikes makes a brief appearance along with a Crabmeat in the Spring Yard Zone. Both Badniks were quickly destroyed by Sonic.
IDW Publishing[]
A Spikes, from Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special.
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing, a Spikes would help the other Badniks throw a birthday party for Dr. Eggman, which he did not enjoy. The Spikes even presented Eggman with a heartfelt gift, but was disappointed to see it fail to cheer Eggman up.[6]
Merchandise[]
The toy company TOMY has released a Spikes action figurine during the release of Sonic & Knuckles. The series includes twenty-one Sonic figurines and these figurines came in packs of four under the Sonic & Knuckles label. They were also released individually under a Sonic the Hedgehog label.
Trivia[]
- The Spikes' Japanese name, Yadrin, is derived from the Japanese word for hermit crab, yadokari. Its Western name was left uncertain at first, as it was not listed in the instruction manuals for neither the original Sonic the Hedgehog nor the 8-bit version. The earliest known source for the western name "Spikes" came from the "Robotnik's Badniks" list featured in the Stay Sonic guide book.[8] It is later used as its name in the comics, Sonic the Hedgehog Classic Style Guide,[9] and Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia.
- Many magazine screenshots of pre-release versions show Spikeses in Marble Zone. Using Debug Mode in the final version of the game reveals that they would originally appear in said Zone.
- According to the Stay Sonic book, the Spikes is a "weird blend" of the Moto Bug and the Crabmeat.[8] However, due to this book being related to the early Sonic canon, this information is most likely non-canonical.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 One of artworks showcasing Jaws and Yadrin from the Sonic World feature of Sonic Jam.
- ↑ Sega . Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode II official website. Badniks: Spikes. Sega. Archived from the original on May 24, 2019.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Flynn, Ian; Sega (8 December 2021). "Sonic The Hedgehog (16-bit)". Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia. Dark Horse Books. p. 12. ISBN 978-1506719276. "Spikes - It crawls around and is only vulnerable to rolling attacks"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Mega Drive) Japanese instruction booklet, p. 40.
- ↑ Jonod (3 November 2014). A Not so Little Look at: Sonic The Hedgehog 2014 Classic Style Guide. Sonic Stadium. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved on 13 March 2022.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special, "Dr. Eggman's Birthday"
- ↑ "Dr. Eggman in... My Greatest Invention". Sonic the Hedgehog: Rival Edition. Tomy. 2017.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Pattenden, Mike (January 4, 1993). "Robotnik's Badniks". Stay Sonic. Fantail. p. 35. ISBN 978-0140903904. "Less of a hermit crab and more of a harm-it crab, Spikes is a weird blend of Moto Bug and Crabmeat and lurks on rooftops in the Spring Yard Zone. Although its pink shell is easily recognized, it spiky rear and fearsome fore-claws make it one of the Zone's least desirable pets – unless you're a mad scientist, of course. It enjoys hanging its fore-claws over the edges of building for an unwary animals who may be jumping upwards. It can only be damaged by a hit to the head."
- ↑ Additional Characters list in the Sonic the Hedgehog Classic Style Guide.
| Playable characters | Sonic | |
| Non-playable characters | Eggman · Animals (Flicky, Pocky, Pecky, Cucky, Ricky, Picky, Rocky) | |
| Zones | Green Hill Zone · Bridge Zone · Jungle Zone · Labyrinth Zone · Scrap Brain Zone · Sky Base Zone · Special Stages | |
| Enemies | Ball Hog · Bomb · Burrobot · Buzz Bomber · Caterkiller · Chopper · Crabmeat · Jaws · Moto Bug · Newtron · Orbinaut (Uni Uni, Unidasu) · Spikes | |
| Bosses | Green Hill Zone boss · Bridge Zone boss · Jungle Zone boss · Labyrinth Zone boss · Sky Base Zone boss | |
| Moves/techniques | Crouch · Spin Attack · Spin Jump | |
| Gimmicks and obstacles | Bomb · Bumper · Capsule · Conveyor Belt · Crusher · Electrical emitter · Fireball · Flipper · Giant spear · Goal Plate · Iron ball · Seesaw · Spikes · Spring · Switch | |
| Items | Air bubble · Chaos Emerald · Item Box (1-Up, Continue Monitor, Marker, Invincible, Shield, Super Ring, Power Sneakers) · Ring | |
| Other | Continue · Egg Mobile · Game Over · Life · South Island · Time Over · Teleporter · Totem pole · Water | |
| Playable characters | Sonic | Tails | Knuckles | Amy | Blaze | Rouge | Silver | |
|---|---|---|
| Non-playable characters | Eggman | Animals (Flicky, Pocky, Cucky, Picky, Pecky) | |
| Zones | Green Hill Zone | Mountain Zone | Jungle Zone | Blue Sky Zone | Mechanical Zone | |
| Enemies | Batbrain | Bomb | Bubbles | Buzzer | Caterkiller | Crabmeat | Moto Bug | Spikes | Spinner | |
| Gimmicks and obstacles | Goal Plate | Saw | Spikes | Spring | |
| Items | Item Box (Bomb, Magnetic Shield, Ring Time, Shield) | Red Star Ring | Ring | |
| Other | Banking | Egg Mobile | Rank | |
| V·T·E | Category | ||
V·T·E · {{Dash 2 info}} · Category