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The Giant Ring,[1][2][3][4] also known as the Big Ring[5] (大きなリング[6][7][8][note 1],Ōkina Ringu?), the Special Ring[9] (スペシャルリング[10][11][12],Supesharu Ringu?), the Dimension Ring,[13][14] the Factory Ring[15] (ファクトリーリング[16],Fakutorī Ringu?) and the Huge Ring (巨大リング[17][18],Kyodai Ringu?) is an object that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a larger variant of the Rings which usually serves as the means of entering the Special Stages or other locations when certain requirements are meant. However, Giant Rings have also been used for other purposes.
Like regular Rings, albeit much larger, Giant Rings closely resemble golden brass rings that spin in midair. Like regular Rings, there is no explanation for their origin. However, unlike regular Rings, Giant Rings are not common objects, as they are either located near the Goal Plate or hidden in numerous rooms hidden behind walls.
While normal Rings are collected by the player when touched, Giant Rings instead generally serve as transportation devices. When the user touches the Giant Ring, it and the playable character disappear into thin air, and the user is sent to another location, such as the Special Stage. However, it usually requires that the player collects (usually fifty) rings before the Giant Ring appears. There are also different variants of Giant Rings that have appeared throughout the series.
Game appearances[]
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)[]
In the 16-bit version of Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), and its numerous ports and remasters, Giant Rings are referred to as Big Rings (大きなリング[6],Ōkina Ringu?). In this game, they only appear at the end of an Act if the player has at least fifty Rings at that point. If the requirements are met, the Giant Ring will appear right above and behind the Goal Plate. If the player jumps into the Giant Ring, they will be transported to one of the six Special Stages, where they can collect one of the Chaos Emeralds.
It should be noted that Giant Rings do not appear in the third Acts, Scrap Brain Zone, and Final Zone. Additionally, if the player has collected every Chaos Emerald, Giant Rings will not be present throughout the rest of the game.
Sonic the Hedgehog CD[]
In Sonic the Hedgehog CD, Giant Rings are used in the same way as in the original Sonic the Hedgehog. In this game, Giant Rings are called Special Rings[9] (大きなリング[7],ōkina ringu?, lit. "Big Ring"). They can be found floating right above the Goal Plate at the end of each Rounds' first and second Zone in every timeline. Having collected fifty Rings at that point will make the Giant Ring appear, and jumping into it will transport the player to a Special Stage where they can obtain a Time Stone.
Sonic Chaos[]
In Sonic Chaos, Giant Rings are referred to as Large Rings[19] and are only featured in the first and second Special Stages of the game. Unlike in previous games, Giant Rings are here seen mostly in large groups, and instead of transporting the player when touched, they give the player ten extra Rings before disappearing.
The first Special Stage's groups of Giant Rings actually form words such as "SHIMA", "RAY" and "5OO". Meanwhile, the last group of Giant Rings holds a Chaos Emerald in the middle, which the player has to collect within a time limit.
Unlike in the original Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog CD, giant Rings in these games are hidden in rooms throughout the Zones, with no prerequisite to make them appear. Such rooms can usually be found behind breakable walls, inside small holes, on hidden routes or other places where only a certain playable character is able to get. Like in previous games, touching a giant Ring in these games will transport the player to a Special Stage where they get the chance to obtain a Chaos Emerald. Once all seven Chaos Emeralds have been collected in each of these games, touching a giant Ring will grant the player fifty Rings instead.
In Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the giant Rings have a variant known as the Super Ring[22] (スーパーリング[26],Sūpā Ringu?), which flash in multiple colors instead of just being gold. Touching one will transport the player to Hidden Palace Zone, where they will be able to play the Special Stages from Sonic & Knuckles to obtain a Super Emerald. If the player has all seven Chaos Emeralds collected, all giant Rings from Mushroom Hill Zone onwards will be replaced with the Super Rings (though the first giant Ring in each character's respective starting locations in Mushroom Hill Zone Act 1 will always be a Super Ring), otherwise they remain as regular giant Rings. Also, after completing the game with all seven Chaos Emeralds, but not all seven Super Emeralds, the giant Rings from Angel Island Zone to Launch Base Zone will grant the player fifty Rings.
Upon completing the game and unlocking the Level Select (only applies to Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic 3 & Knuckles), all Giant Rings will respawn, allowing the player to nab any Chaos and/or Super Emeralds they missed, though the latter are still only obtainable from Mushroom Hill Zone to Lava Reef Zone. Because the game autosaves each time an Emerald is collected, the player can abuse this and collect every remaining Emerald from the same Giant Ring by exiting and reentering their save file.
Knuckles' Chaotix[]
In Knuckles' Chaotix, the giant Ring[3] (スペシャルリング[11],Supesharu Ringu?, lit. "Special Ring"), also alternatively spelled Giant Ring,[2] have two different functions. There are several Giant Rings hidden around all five levels of each Stage of the game, but they will only appear if the player has twenty or more Rings. Touching one of these Giant Rings transports the player to the Bonus Stage. Additionally, a Giant Ring will appear at the end of each Attraction's Levels, excluding Level 5, if the player has 50 or more Rings. Touching this type of Special Ring takes the player to the Special Stage for a chance to obtain a Chaos Ring.
In the Japanese release, the Giant Rings play a large role in the game's story. Dr. Robotnik discovered a Super Ring, an ancient Special Ring, identical to those on the Floating Island. The Special Ring was supposed to lead to the Master Emerald, but the Emerald had already been relocated to the Floating Island since ancient times. However, the dimensional space created by the Special Ring was filled with the Master Emerald Pillar's energy, some of which had crystallized into six Chaos Rings. After studying the Special Ring, Robotnik managed to crystallize the energy for himself, creating the artificial Dark Rings, which he used to power his machines.[27] In a cut-scene before the final boss, Robotnik transformed his Special Ring into a giant Dark Ring.
Sonic 3D Blast[]
In Sonic 3D Blast (known as Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island in Europe), the Giant Rings are called Dimension Rings[13] (ビッグリング[28],Biggu Ringu?, lit. "Big ring") and are more generally featured. In the game's storyline, it is told that Flickies are able to travel between dimensions by using Giant Rings. When Dr. Robotnik notices this, he creates a "Dimension Ring Generator" to capture Flickies from their dimension and turn them into robots. As Sonic arrives to Flicky Island, he starts a self-appointed operation to rescue all the Flickies.[13]
In gameplay, the player has to collect Flickies from the levels and then deliver them to a Giant Ring which has a red band to spin around it. Once all five Flickies are in one section are collected, the player can pass through the Giant Ring and move on to the next section of the Act. Giant Rings can be found in two or three places in the first and second acts of most Zones. The first two Giant Rings open new sections and function as check points, while the last one works as goal and transports the player to the next Act. However, the first act of Panic Puppet Zone only has one Giant Ring and the second act contains none at all, as the player has to reach the entrance of Robotnik's giant statue.
In the good ending, Sonic is transported back to Flicky Island through a Giant Ring after defeating Robotnik, while in the bad ending in the Saturn version of the game, a Giant Ring appears nearby Sonic that shows Robotnik with at least four Chaos Emeralds.
Sonic Blast[]
In Sonic Blast, the Giant Ring is called the Big Ring[5] (スペシャルリング[12],Supesharu ringu?, lit. "Special Ring") and Giant Ring.[4] Ironically however, Big Rings are about half the height of Sonic and Knuckles in this game.
In gameplay, the Big Rings function similarly to those in Sonic 3 & Knuckles. There is one Big Ring hidden in the first two Acts of every Zone. As with previous games, touching one will transport the player to a Special Stage. Unlike in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, where Special Stages cycle in a set order, the Special Stages in Sonic Blast are specific to the Zone and Act they are entered. Additionally, the Big Rings in the first Acts give access to a Special Stage where the player can earn an extra life, while those in the second Acts gives access to a Special Stage where a Chaos Emeraldfragment can be collected. Also unlike in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the character does not respawn near the Big Ring after exiting the Special Stage, but is rather sent back to a specific point in the Act.
Sonic Adventure[]
In Sonic Adventure, a downloadable content from the Dreamcast version called "Y2K Celebration" features thirty-five spinning Giant Rings[29] scattered around the Action Stages. These Giant Rings are large Rings with cyan bases in the middle with the text "MILLENIUM 2000 WELCOME!" written on them. One stationary Giant Ring can also be found in front of the train station in Station Square. If the player touches this Giant Ring, the background music of Japanese Palmtree Panic's present mix from Sonic the Hedgehog CD starts playing in the background.
Sonic Advance 3[]
In Sonic Advance 3, there are two types of Giant Rings, the first of which are named Factory Rings[15] (ファクトリーリング[16],Fakutorī ringu?). Each Zone Map in the game contains one Factory Ring which will take the player to the Sonic Factory, where they can move between Zone Maps, enter the Chao Playground and switch characters. The second type of Giants Rings in the game is called the Act Ring[30] (アクトリング[31],Akuto Ringu?), which the player uses to access the game's various Acts.
Sonic Unleashed[]
In the mobile version of Sonic Unleashed, Giant Rings are found on their dedicated rooms on each Stage. Upon touching the Giant Ring, it vanishes and fifty-four Rings are scattered around the room to be collected.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4[]
In Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I and II, the Giant Rings have a role similar to the one in earlier games where they transport the player to a SpecialStage where a Chaos Emerald can be obtained. In both games, they appear right above the Goal Plate at the end of the first and second Act of each Zone, if the player holds at least fifty Rings when reaching that point and has not already completed a Special Stage accessed via that Act.
Sonic Lost World[]
In the Nintendo 3DSversion of Sonic Lost World, Giant Rings serve again as the only means of entering the Special Stages of the game. Here, they are depicted exceptionally as golden sharp-edged hoops. If the player clears a Zone with fifty Rings on hand, the Giant Ring appears, and the player is given choice to enter the Special Stage. If the player chooses "Yes", Sonic is transported to the Special Stage via the Giant Ring.
Sonic Mania[]
In Sonic Mania and its expansion Sonic Mania Plus, the Giant Rings, here referred to as Huge Rings (巨大リング[18],Kyodai Ringu?), are featured again to serve as portals that can take the player to a Special Stage when entered where a Chaos Emerald can be obtained. In this game, they appear as three-dimensional, polygonal rotating rings, as opposed to the sprite-based rings of the classics. After the Special Stage is cleared, the Giant Ring that was entered becomes a wire-frame and can no longer be entered until the player completes the game and revisits the Zone through a completed save file.
Like in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and its continuation Sonic & Knuckles, Giant Rings can be found throughout the different Zones' Acts where they are hidden inside small rooms. However, the Giant Rings cannot be entered in Time Attack mode or Competition mode. Generally speaking, Giant Rings can be found along the upper routes in the Acts,[32] although the entrances to their rooms are not always easily spotted and such routes may require a specific playable character or be equipped with a specific shield to access them. Similar to Sonic 3 & Knuckles, after all the Chaos Emeralds are collected, the Giant Rings will no longer transport the player, but instead they grant fifty Rings.
In Sonic Mania Plus' Encore Mode, Giant Rings are mostly in different places than those in Mania Mode.
In Debug Mode, if the player places a Giant Ring in an Act, using it will always grant fifty Rings regardless of the player's number of Chaos Emeralds (prior to Version 1.03 for consoles, they would function as normal).
Sonic Superstars[]
The Giant Rings have appeared in Sonic Superstars, where like before, touching them within a Zone will take players to a Special Stage for a chance to obtain a Chaos Emerald. The game also features blue Giant Rings that will take the player to the same Special Stage, except that completing them will award the player Medals.
Other game appearances[]
Sonic Jam[]
In Sonic Jam, after completing all the World Missions in Sonic World, a single Big Ring (ビッグリング[33],Biggu Ringu?) appears above the river in front of the waterfall. The player can reach it by jumping onto the moving platform that will get the player into the range of it. This Giant Ring transports Sonic to somewhere unknown, while the game transitions to the end credits, before returning the player to the title screen.
Sonic Jam (Game.com)[]
In the Game.comversion of Sonic Jam, the Giant Rings are hidden in their dedicated rooms in there respective Zones, much like in Sonic 3 & Knuckles. When the player finds a Giant Ring, it provides them with an entrance to the Special Stage.
Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure[]
In Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure, the Giant Ring, here called simply as large rings[34] (大きなリング[8],ōkina ringu?, lit. "big ring"), repeats its role from original Sonic the Hedgehog, where they appear at the end of the first Act of each Zone, if the player holds at least fifty Rings at that point. The player has to jump immediately to it when the Goal Plate falls down to the ground, which take them to the Special Stage.
Sonic Speed Simulator[]
In Sonic Speed Simulator, Giant Rings are present in every World of the game. Here, they remain stationary in the mid-air as their size varies between being about five times larger than the playable character or gigantic. In circular market place of the Green Hill, Giant Rings are usually found surrounded by the piece of level terrain of that World where they transitioned the player into, and the World number text hovering above them. There are also additional Giant Rings with gear edges on them, which send the player into one of obstacle courses of the game. With the version 0.6.1 update being released, Giant Rings also received particles and images of Worlds and Obbies. Simply heading towards the Giant Ring will transition the player to the different World.
When the player chooses to change the playable character, said character drops into the World via a Giant Ring that disappears soon afterwards.
The Super Ring (スーパーリング[26],Sūpā Ringu?) is a variant of the Giant Ring that has only appeared in Sonic 3 & Knuckles. They look like the normal Giant Rings, except that they flash in multiple colors. Also, like normal Giant Rings, Super Rings teleport the player to a Special Stage.
Chaos Rings are six powerful multi-colored rings that actually are larger variants of normal rings in Knuckles' Chaotix. In the game's storyline, they were accidentally created when Dr. Robotnik contacted a Special Ring, an artifact once used by the Knuckles Clan which Robotnik used to transform Metal Sonic into Metal Sonic Kai. Chaos Rings can be collected by completing Special Stages of the game.
There exist larger variants of Dark Rings in Knuckles' Chaotix. As normal, synthesized rings are featured to being powering up Badniks, larger variants of Dark Rings are seen being powering Eggman's vehicles at the end of fifth act for each zone in the game. After defeating the boss, it pops out the destroyed vehicle and evaporates into the air as ash. Near the end of the game, Robotnik uses one to power up Metal Sonic and transform him into Metal Sonic Kai.
Goal Rings are another variant of the Giant Ring that were first introduced in Sonic Adventure 2. It has then become the recurring object that is located at the Goal of each level for completing it on the most of recent games.
In the Sonic the Comic series and its spin-offs published by Fleetway Editions, several items appear that are based on the Giant Rings from the games. Sonic once used a Giant Ring for a short cut but got himself sent to the Special Zone. The use of Giant Rings (and rings in general) was quickly phased out of the series. The Giant Rings' role of providing instantaneous travel between Zones was taken over by Star Posts. Other variants of the Giant Rings would also appear, like the Mobius Ring and the Ring of Eternity.
The Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics also features Giant Rings, which are known as Warp Rings. The Warp Rings were created by Doctor Finitevus and when charged up with Chaos energy allow instantaneous transport for anyone who uses them. They can seemingly penetrate any security measures and allow travel to any location, regardless of distance.
The continuity also featured the Super Warp Ring; a more powerful version of the Warp Ring that can provide transport through time and between dimensions.
Formations of Giant Rings in Sonic Chaos refer to designers of the game (M. Shima, Ray and 5OOZO) who are also listed in the game's end credits.
As the classic act of Mushroom Hill in Sonic Generations recycles its level layout from the first act of the original game, hidden Giant Rings are replaced with eight normal Rings on large Ring formation.
Giant Rings make several appearances in the Sonic the Hedgehog Level Pack for LEGO Dimensions. In that game, they are more angular (due to being made of rectangular bricks) and have a yellow vortex in their center.
In the original versions of Sonic the Hedgehog 3, Sonic & Knuckles, and the locked-on game, respectively, the player can locate hidden Giant Rings by looking at the game's HUD; if it starts to turn yellow, then a Giant Ring is nearby. This is because the palette gets updated when a Giant Ring loads, and the HUD uses the same palette the Giant Ring uses. However, this has since been corrected in Sonic Origins and its expansion Sonic Origins Plus, due to the different game engine.
↑In early Japanese game manuals, the Big Ring's name, "大きなリング", used native hiragana syllabary for adjectival noun (大きな = big, large, great). The Japanese manuals of Sonic 3D: Flickies' Island (Sega Saturn) and the Sonic Jam Official Guide have the name "ビッグリング" with adjectival noun written in katakana (ビッグ = big).
↑Flynn, Ian; Sega (8 December 2021). Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia. Dark Horse Books. p. 100. ISBN 978-1506719276. "Y2k party: Back when we thought the turn of the millennium was going to be a problem, the game celebrated with Giant Rings that would play the Japanese version of Palmtree Panic Zone, as well as character-specific plans for the new year."