The Swing’m Spikez[1] (ツインハンマー Tsuin Hanmā?, lit. "Twin Hammer") is a sub-boss that appears in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles. It is encountered at the end of Launch Base Zone Act 1 and takes six hits to be defeated. When playing as Sonic and/or Tails the player faces a single Swing’m Spikez, but when playing as Knuckles, the player will face twin Swing’m Spikez.
Swing’m Spikez are circular robots created by Dr. Robotnik, which have two swinging iron balls as their main weapons, each of which are attached with two smaller balls. The three known ones were stored in yellow metallic crates in Launch Base Zone.
Overview
Sonic and Tails' Version
Inside the final tower section of Launch Base Zone Act 1, Dr. Robotnik is carrying a yellow crate below the Egg Mobile when he notices Sonic and Tails, and escapes upwardly. After exiting the tower section, Knuckles throws a bomb into the tower that causes it to crumble. After Sonic and Tails get out of the tower, they follow Robotnik into another building, where the doctor releases the Swing’m Spikez from the crate and escapes from the arena.
From the beginning, Swing’m Spikez will follow the player while rotating its iron balls. It will sometimes take a short pause and then repeat the same pattern. This is usually the best chance for the player to hit it. However, once the player does a Spin Jump, Swing’m Spikez tries to retreat further away so it cannot get hit. The player therefore has to be close enough to reach Swing’m Spikez before it retreats to a safe distance.
Swing’m Spikez requires six hits to be destroyed. Hitting Swing’m Spikez three times will destroy one of its iron ball attachments, and hitting it three more times will destroy the other iron ball and Swing’m Spikez itself.
Knuckles' Version
Knuckles's fight against two Swing’m Spikez.
In Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, Knuckles enters from a different section due to him destroying the tower section earlier. After going above the ruins of tower, the player will scale the walls to find a hole far above, leading to another part of the base. There, Knuckles ends in a pit where he is faced by two Swing’m Spikez, making it more difficult to proceed.
During the battle. Knuckles' reduced jump height makes it impossible to reach the Swing’m Spikez when they are high up, so the player must wait until the robots are very low before he can land a hit. The player can also climb to reach the Swing’m Spikez easier. Both Swing’m Spikez take six hits each to be defeated, and after destroying them, the floor crumbles away and Knuckles drops to a lower level where the Signpost appears.
Trivia
- The battle can be made easier if one has a Lightning Shield as Sonic, as it enables a Double Jump.
- Later in Launch Base Zone Act 2, several yellow metallic crates (which might possibly contain Swing’m Spikez) are seen as platforms where pulleys are attached to.
Gallery
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References
Template:Sonic 3 & Knuckles info