Mecha Sonic[3] (メカソニック Meka Sonikku?), also known as Metal Sonic[1] or the Evil Sonic,[2] is a character that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. He is a powerful Badnik built by Dr. Robotnik that appeared in the game Sonic & Knuckles. Mecha Sonic attacks either Sonic the Hedgehog or Knuckles the Echidna, and appears in the Sky Sanctuary Zone in five separate boss battles across the two story lines of the game (three times against Sonic and twice against Knuckles). He can roll into a ball and Spin Dash just like his living counterpart, and can additionally float as a spiky ball and attack from above.
History
Mecha Sonic first appears as an enemy of Sonic and/or Tails (if playing Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles). He appears three times. In his first two appearances, he is piloting Robotnik's Egg Mobile, first with an attached checker-ball weight (identical to the one in Green Hill Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog), then surrounded by swirling orbs (as in Metropolis Zone in Sonic the Hedgehog 2). In his third and final battle against Sonic, he appears on foot, and the two fight hand-to-hand.
Although Sonic defeats his Mecha counterpart, the robot is shown to survive the battle. He reappears in Knuckles' story as his final boss of the game. Just prior to fighting Knuckles, he also attempts to kill Knuckles while Eggrobo restrained him, although Knuckles broke free of the restraints and glided away at the last second resulting in Eggrobo being destroyed instead. First, Knuckles defeats him in a simple one-on-one fight (as Sonic did). Mecha Sonic then flees to the Master Emerald, which he uses to achieve his own Super State. In this form, he is untouchable and does damage to whoever touches him. Knuckles is able to defeat him by striking when his power runs out and he is forced to go back to the Master Emerald for a short recharge. When Knuckles defeats the robot this time, he explodes, this time defeated for good. However, his destruction also takes the remains of the Sky Sanctuary with him. Knuckles barely escapes with Sonic's help, the latter piloting the Tornado.
Battle
At the end of Sonic's version of Sky Sanctuary Zone, Mecha Sonic is the end boss of the zone, appearing without any Egg Mobile add-ons unlike his previous attempts. The battle in Sonic's story takes place in a wide arena next to a tall tower, which is accessed by using a Warp Point below the arena. After transporting to the arena, Mecha Sonic dashes across the arena while destroying the Warp Point, forcing the player to defeat the mechanized robot in order to reach to the Death Egg. When Mecha Sonic reveals himself at the end of Knuckles' story, he destroys Eggrobo and is ready to face the echidna himself while the Floating Island is seen slowly swaying downward in the background. Battles on both stories are identical.
Mecha Sonic is known to have different attack patterns, which are loosely similar to the previous Mecha Sonic's attack movements from the Death Egg Zone of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. In his first attack pattern, Mecha Sonic starts off by making a medium-sized jump from the corner to the center of the arena, does his variation of the Spin Attack to the left corner from above, then returns back to his idle standing position for a moment. In the second one, he jumps and dashes from the corner before landing in the other corner, assuming his standing mode. During the third pattern, Mecha Sonic does a small leap to the arena's center in his spiky ball mode before doing a larger leap that reaches to the other corner. After that, he spins in mid-air for a second before he lands in his standing mode for a short time. The last pattern features Mecha Sonic floating and then dashing through the air directly to other corner.
The player must watch out during the end of some of the patterns, because after landing in the corner, Mecha Sonic may squat down and dash backward to the other corner before standing upright, attempting to poke the player with his spines as he dashes backwards. The only moment when the player is able to hit Mecha Sonic is when he is standing upright. During both fights, Mecha Sonic takes eight hits to defeat, as after that, he kneels down and starts to short circuit as electricity crackles across his body.
Naming
This robot was not named in the any instruction manuals accompanying Sonic & Knuckles, but the description on the back of the U.S. release box originally referred to him as "Metal Sonic".[1] In a Japanese strategy guide for Sonic & Knuckles and/or Sonic Jam, he was called "Mecha Sonic" (メカソニック). A third, unique name, "Evil Sonic", was also used to describe him in a Sonic The Comic Q Zone in the U.K.[2]
Mecha Sonic was confirmed as his current name in the backstory for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, released in the Story section of the official English-language website, implying that this Mecha Sonic is directly rebuilt from Sonic the Hedgehog 2.[3]
In other media
Sonic the Comic
A Metallix robot based on Mecha Sonic appeared in Sonic the Comic's adaptation of Sonic & Knuckles. He stole the Master Emerald from the Hidden Palace Zone and was followed by Sonic and Knuckles to the Sky Sanctuary Zone. As in the game, he super-charged himself with the Master Emerald's energy, becoming invincible. However, he was defeated by Super Sonic when Sonic tried the same trick.[4]
Archie Comics
Mecha Sonic in the Archie Comics.
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, Mecha Sonic was used for Dr. Eggman's invasion of Angel Island. While it failed to stop Sonic, Dr. Julian Snively used Mecha Sonic to try to steal the Master Emerald.
Trivia
- Mecha Sonic is the first villain to manage to achieve a Super State, the first inorganic character to ever use a Super State (the other being G-merl at the end of Sonic Advance 3), and the very first overall to trigger a transformation by use of the Master Emerald (the next would be Imperator Ix, over a decade later). Metal Sonic would also attempt to trigger a transformation via the Master Emerald in Sonic Mania Adventures, although Knuckles knocked him away before he could succeed.
- He is also the only character with a Super State that does not last long, forcing him to retreat to the Master Emerald for another charge up. The second half of the battle displays him remaining in his Super State and no longer needing the Master Emerald to maintain it, though he is seen periodically reverting back to his normal form and then quickly powering up afterwards, hinting that his Super State is also the only Super State that is not stable.
- The first phase of Mecha Sonic's battle theme during Knuckles's playthrough is the same as the one that plays during the battle with Big Arm (in Sonic the Hedgehog 3) and Great Eggman Robo, and his battle theme during the second phase is the same as the music that plays in The Doomsday Zone.
- Mecha Sonic's fate in Knuckles's story depends on whether or not the player has collected all of the Chaos Emeralds (or Super Emeralds if playing Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles). If the Emeralds aren't collected, then Knuckles will lose the Master Emerald, and Mecha Sonic will reactivate with the Master Emerald in his possession again. If all Emeralds are collected, then Mecha Sonic will be last seen breaking apart and Knuckles will reclaim the Master Emerald.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Play as Knuckles and tackle Robotnik and Metal Sonic with bare-fisted attacks, high-speed glides and wall-climbing power!" - Sonic & Knuckles back of the U.S. box.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Sonic the Comic #44, "Sonic & Knuckles Special Part 2"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode I (English). Sega. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved on 26 January 2015. "As Knuckles finished his showdown with Mecha Sonic, the real hedgehog chases Eggman through space, ultimately destroying his doomsday plans - with it, the Death Egg saga comes to a close."
- ↑ Sonic the Comic #49 and #50, "Count Down to Disaster"
External links
- Mecha Sonic at Sonic Retro
Template:Sonic 3 & Knuckles info