This article is about the obstacle. For other uses, see Bomb (disambiguation).

The bomb^[1] (爆弾^[2], bakudan^?), also formatted as Bomb^[3] and known as the Obstacle (障害物, Shōgai Butsu^?), is an obstacle that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Touching a bomb with a playable character will cause it to explode and damage and/or halt the player.

The bombs have made numerous appearances in almost every game in the series since their introduction. While the appearance of these obstacles has differed between many games, their purpose is similar to spikes and iron balls, which is to inflict environmental damage to the reckless player.

Description[]

The bombs are usually found in different Zones or Special Stages where they serve to complicate the player's progress. They are located in numerous places along the pathways where they either block the player's path or hide from view to take the player by surprise. They are often arranged in specific formations that makes it difficult for the player to pass through without touching them. Many bosses and different enemies have also been known to use bombs as their weapons.

Touching a bomb with a playable character, either when attacking or just moving into one, will cause it to explode instantly, with the following explosion inflicting damage on the unprotected player and/or slowing the player's movements down.

The bombs' appearance and size have varied between games. In some games, bombs and iron balls are closely similar in appearance and share numerous features; both obstacles have been known to be spiky, black or dark grey, and often appear in groups. In most cases however, bombs are small or medium-sized, whereas iron balls can be large and spinning around in one place. In recent games, both obstacles have been separated more clearly in terms of design.

Game appearances[]

Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)[]

In the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), the bombs have an identical look to the iron balls on the seesaws in Star Light Zone. During the boss battle in this Zone, Dr. Robotnik will drop bombs on seesaws from his Egg Spiker. These bombs will start flashing for several seconds after being dropped down, before exploding and releasing small, but harmful, red projectiles that will fly everywhere, similar to Badnik of the same name. The player can use these bombs to either send them flying back into the Egg Mobile by using seesaws, or to send Sonic up into the air to reach the Egg Mobile by using them to shift the seesaw.

In the 8-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), Dr. Robotnik is seen dropping bombs during his encounter with Sonic in Jungle Zone Act 3. These bombs keep moving around the vine until they explode, which leads to the doctor dropping another more to take their place.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog 2, its numerous ports and remasters, and the lock-on game Knuckles in Sonic 2, the Bomb^[3] (爆弾^[4], Bakudan^?) is featured most of the time in Special Stages, where the player has to avoid them. In these stages, the bombs are black spheres with white spikes around them and red center lines and orb on the middle of it. Touching one will cause them to explode, which will make the player lose 10 Rings and cause Sonic/Tails to fishtail for a second. Bombs in these stages are usually arranged in strings, but they can also be arranged as large Rings in midair, which the player has to jump through without touching them.

During the Egg Claw boss fight in Casino Night Zone Act 2, Robotnik will drop small spiky bombs from his Egg Mobile if the player run past him below, which will then explode and release two small projectiles.

Sonic the Hedgehog CD[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog CD, bombs can be encountered during some of the boss battle segments of the game, through their appearance differs between each boss battle.

The Egg Tilter in Collision Chaos Zone 3 can drop flashing blue bombs from the bottom hatch. These bombs does not damage the player when they make contact and explode, though they can change Sonic's flying course then trying to reach the boss in the pinball arena. Also, on the Egg Conveyer in Quartz Quadrant Zone 3, the doctor starts dropping black spiked bombs down on the player, which, after crashing to the ground, will separate into four smaller iron balls that can damage the player upon contact.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles and the lock-on game, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, bombs are once again featured. The large battleship at the end of Angel Island Zone Act 2 will drop flat bomb missiles from ship's bottom tubes down on the player, which the player can avoid by keeping on running straight forward.

In the boss encounter for Sonic and Tails in Lava Reef Zone Act 2, Egg Inferno can shoot magma-resistant mines into the air, which will then drop down nearby. These spiked mines however, will move with the lava flow towards the Egg Inferno, while the player has to avoid them by jumping from one platform to another. In order to defeat the Egg Inferno, the player must allow eight mines to crash into the Egg Inferno.

Eggrobo is seen dropping two different kinds of bombs that is only seen in Sonic & Knuckles alone during Knuckles' storyline: one at the beginning cutscene and near the end of the Launch Base Zone. Both of these bombs are seen to have Eggman's face on it.

Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble[]

Bombs in Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble are either exploding Badniks or items themselves being used by certain Badniks. In Tidal Plant Zone, there are also bombs being dropped onto the Conveyor Belts. During the battle against Knuckles, the echidna himself drops two bombs on the player, that impact to the ground after touching it. In the Special Stages, there are black floating bombs, which can momentarily stall the Tornado.

Sonic 3D Blast[]

In Sonic 3D Blast, there are numerous purple colored mines, with yellow and black stripe around them, set in few of the zones in the game, and can block some of pathways. If the player gets too close to them, they will explode and release small projectiles in their wave that will fly around the area.

Mines can also be found in the Special Stages of the game, though their appearance and effects differs between the versions of the game. In the Sega Mega Drive version of the game, the mines have slight different coloring for each Special Stage. While they do not blow up when the player touches them, they will cause the player to lose 10 Rings each time. If the player has no Rings in their possession when they makes contact with a mine, the player will lose in the Special Stage. In Sega Saturn version, they are similar to the bombs from the Special Stages in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, resembling the bombs from that game instead of mines, and will explode if the player touches them, causing the player to lose 10 Rings in each time.

Sonic Battle[]

In Sonic Battle, Bombs are black spiked orbs with a red light running along their middle. They appear exclusively in the Tails' Fly & Get mini game, where they make the player lose five points whenever their playable character touch one.

Sonic Heroes[]

In Sonic Heroes, the gimmick is referred to as the bomb^[1] (爆弾^[2], Bakudan^?) and are once again featured once in the Special Stages. In this game, they are black, floating orbs with yellow and red spikes around them. They are usually arranged in large string rows, often creating a wide fields of bombs. Some of the bombs also spin around the tube of the Special Stage as well.

In this game, touching the bombs will cause them to explode and set off a chain reaction that will set off other bombs nearby, though they will not damage the player. Instead, they will decrease the player's speed considerably and the playable character will fishtail for few seconds after the bombs have exploded. This can be a great hindrance to the player, as high-speed movements are essential to these Special Stages.

Sonic Rush series[]

In both Sonic Rush and Sonic Rush Adventure, bombs are variable obstacles that can be seen in few stages. In the underwater sections of Water Palace, water mines can be seen hanging on the bottom from a rope. The player can then grab onto the rope at the bottom of these water mines, which will then start pulling the player towards the surface. However after grabbing it, the player has five seconds to let it go before the mine explodes and damages the player.

In Sonic Rush Adventure, numerous enemies are carrying bombs as weapons. In the Johnny's Race levels and general sea routes, there are also a huge amount of water mines lying on water, which can damage the sea vessel that the player is currently riding upon contact. These mines, however, can be destroyed by attacking them with the vessel's means of offense.

Sonic Riders[]

In Sonic Riders, bombs appear in Wave and Jet's Missions in Mission Mode, where they appear as multi-colored spheres with spots all over it that constantly flash red. If the player touches them, they will slow down and lose some Air but will not lose Rings. In gameplay, the bombs are also indicated by a purple arrow pointing downwards, allowing the player to note where the bombs are in the course.

Sonic Unleashed[]

Bombs are featured as obstacles in both the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version and Wii/PlayStation 2 version of Sonic Unleashed. In these games, they appear as black-colored, spikey spheres with red round center and lines. If the player touches these bombs, they will take damage and Sonic will lose balance while running. Bombs are only featured at Day Stages of the game, where the player has to avoid them during Quick Step sections with Aero-Chasers and Interceptors. They also appear in several of the game's missions.

Sonic Colors[]

In the Wii version of Sonic Colors and its remaster Sonic Colors: Ultimate, the Bombs look and function the same way they did in Sonic Unleashed. In gameplay, the Bombs can be found in the underground sections of the Acts where the Yellow Drill is usable. Touching these underground Bombs while using the Yellow Drill will cause them to explode and inflict damage on the player. However even with zero Rings, the player does not die when making contact with a Bomb.

The game also features timer Bombs, which are similar to regular Bombs, but are cubic in shape. After touching these Bombs once, they will start to beep and flash for a few seconds, before they explode and inflict damage to player, if nearby. If other cubic timer Bombs are caught within the blast radius of another detonated cubic timer Bomb, they will automatically detonate as well.

Sonic Generations[]

In the console/PC version and Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations, the bombs make a few appearances, though their effects and appearance differ between the versions of the game.

In the console/PC version of the game, the bombs have the exact same appearance, functionality and effects as in Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors. They are mostly set around in both the classic and modern Acts, where the player has to dodge them in order to avoid damage. They are also featured in several of the game's Challenge Acts. There are also special bombs called Dimensional Bombs, which appear in the Death Egg Robot boss fight. They look like regular bombs, but feature countdown timers. These are used to stun the Death Egg Robot in order for Classic Sonic to damage it.^[5][6]

In Nintendo 3DS version of the game, bombs can be found at certain stages, as similar water mines with pulleys are featured again at Water Palace. Bombs are also featured in the game's Special Stages, where their appearance, functionality and effects are the same as in Sonic Heroes. The player must avoid the bombs to prevent Sonic from slowing down while trying to catch a Chaos Emerald.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II, bombs are once again featured as one of main obstacles in the Special Stages. In this game, their appearance is that of a black and grey colored balls with red spikes on them, while their functionalities and effects are the same as those they had in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Like in previous games, they are arranged in strings, ring formations and other different types of clusters.

Sonic Lost World[]

In Wii U version and PC version of Sonic Lost World, bombs are set underground in planetoid-shaped underground sections in Silent Forest Zone 4 when the player is utilizing the Yellow Drill. Once close, they start ticking for several seconds before they explode. Here, Bombs are surrounding the obstacles resembling ancient faces.

Sonic Mania[]

In Sonic Mania and its expansion Sonic Mania Plus, Bombs are obstacles that slow the player down in Special Stages, decreasing their Ring count. They are usually found in clusters.

Sonic Frontiers[]

In Sonic Frontiers, bombs are present as obstacles in Cyber Space stage 4-1. Here, their appearance and functionality is closely the same as in previous mainline games.

During the Open Zone gameplay, bombs are also present in Family Gathering and Koco Roundup quests.^[7][8] Here, they have altered appearance of black and red colored grenades in small sizes, as being dropped by Koco at certain intervals when Sonic gathers them closer to their destination. Each time Koco drops a bomb, it will glow for couple of seconds before exploding. Two quests have the bomb's functionality differ slightly: Family Gathering quest have bombs creating shockwaves around them after their explosion, while Koco Roundup quest consists of bombs creating a sand storm that makes it difficult for the player to see around the Open Zone field, as well potentially losing sight of Koco. Getting hit by exploding bomb and its shockwaves will make the player lose one of three health icons and losing them all will result of failing the quest.

Sonic Dream Team[]

Other game appearances[]

Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure[]

In Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure, bombs repeat their role in the Special Stages. In this game, they are identical in appearance to the bombs seen in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and are as well arranged in the same string and ring formations. When the player touches these bombs, they lose 10 Rings.

Sonic Dash[]

In Sonic Dash, the bombs made another appearance, where they serve as some of the main obstacles that the player has to avoid when they make their way through the level. In this game, their design is identical to that seen in Sonic Unleashed, Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, and like in previous games, touching the bombs will cause them to explode and make the playable character lose Rings. Doctor Eggman also uses them against Sonic during the game's boss battle.

Sonic Lost World (3Ds)[]

In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, there are water mines which are set in the underwater sections of Tropical Coast Zone 3. When the player gets close to one of them, the water mine will start counting down from five. After hitting zero, they will then explode and deal damage, but will explode earlier if the player touches them.

Sonic Runners[]

In Sonic Runners, Bombs are only seen briefly being used by Dr. Eggman, who drops one from Egg Mobile after the player has hit him enough times or misses him. This bomb will transport the player to the next segment of the game.

See also[]

• Mine (Sonic Boom)
• Explosive crate
• Bomb Block

References[]

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