The Uber Caterkiller[1] is a character that appears in Sonic Mania. It is a giant variant of the Caterkiller model that was used to intercept Sonic, Tails and Knuckles. So far, only two known units of this robot have appeared.
Appearance
Based on the common caterpillar, the Uber Caterkillers are basically giant versions of the Caterkillers with design elements borrowed from the Bead Worm Boss added to it. Surmised, these robots are made up of a string of ten giant pink spheres, with the one up front acting as the head. The head sphere has a mouth with sharp teeth, golden antennas on the side, cartoonish eyes with rectangular black pupils, and a glass dome covering the brain circuitry underneath the scalp. The rest of their spheres have yellow underbellies and gray spikes covering them.
History
Two Uber Caterkillers attacked Sonic, Tails and Knuckles shortly after their arrival in the Mirage Saloon Zone. After being separated from Knuckles and forced through a horde of Badniks, Sonic and Tails (while riding the Tornado) met the Heavy Magician, who turned a RattleKiller into an Uber Caterkiller that attacked them. Fortunately, the duo managed to destroy it. Meanwhile, Knuckles beat another Uber Caterkiller that attacked him while he tried to catch up to his friends.
Powers and abilities
The Uber Caterkillers are super-fast burrowers despite their size, capable of moving through sand like it is water and reaching extreme heights when leaping out of it. Their backs are also covered in spikes while their underbellies are too tough to get damaged by blunt attacks, making it nearly impossible to hurt them.
Like the common Caterkiller, the Uber Caterkillers can detach their numerous spiked segments from each other. Unlike their predecessors however, Uber Caterkillers can separate their body segments at will and throw them like massive projectiles.
Weakness
The Uber Caterkillers' only vulnerable spot are their heads, which are both unprotected and hide their most vital circuitry.
Battle
Sonic and Tails
The Uber Caterkiller is one of the two mini-bosses of Mirage Saloon Zone and the fifteenth overall boss of Sonic Mania. It is with fought with Sonic or Tails at the end of their version of Mirage Saloon Zone Act 1.
Boss guide
This boss battle is initiated when the Heavy Magician appears and makes a RattleKiller appear out of her hat, which then turns into the Uber Caterkiller
The entire battle is fought aboard the Tornado. The Uber Caterkiller's attack patterns consist of it burrowing through the sand in the background for a while before leaping out of the sand to attack the Tornado, much like the Sandworm in Sonic & Knuckles. These leaps can come from either the back, the front or the sides of the screen, but are easy to dodge. Also, the player can easily track the Uber Caterkiller by keeping an eye out for digging activity in the sand.
To damage the Uber Caterkiller, the player must attack its head when it is directly above the Tornado; hittings its underbelly will do no harm, and hitting its back will only damage the playable characters. This can also be tricky when it jumps from the front or back of the screen as the head is only level with the player for a short amount of time.
After landing a total of six hits, this boss will be destroyed. The player can then touch the Goal Plate that falls from the sky and finish the Act.
Music
| Title | Artist(s) | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danger on the Dance Floor | Tee Lopes, Falk Au Yeong (mixing) | 0:56 |
Video
Sonic Mania Boss 16 - Big Caterkiller
Knuckles
The Uber Caterkiller is one of the two mini-bosses of Mirage Saloon Zone and the fifteenth overall boss of Sonic Mania. It is with fought with Knuckles at the end of his version of Mirage Saloon Zone Act 1.
Boss guide
Upon arriving in the boss arena, the Uber Caterkiller will rise up from the ground like a tower and begin the battle. During the battle, the Uber Caterkiller will attack by throwing its body segments at Knuckles. The first and third one will bounce across the screen, while the second will roll along the ground. For each body segment this boss detaches however, its head, which is its weak point, gets closer to the ground. It is after the third body segment that it the head reaches ground level, which is when the player is able to attack it in order to damage the Uber Caterkiller. However, this must be done quickly, as the Uber Caterkiller will then replace its body segments, causing its head to rise up into the air again, and begin the cycle anew.
After landing six hits, the Uber Caterkiller will explode. The player can then proceed to the Goal Plate and finish the Act.
Music
| Title | Artist(s) | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danger on the Dance Floor | Tee Lopes, Falk Au Yeong (mixing) | 0:56 |
Video
Sonic Mania Boss 15 - Big Caterkiller
Trivia
- The Uber Caterkiller is based on the Bead Worm Boss from Sonic Chaos. The boss fight against it in Knuckles' edition of Mirage Saloon Zone also uses the same pattern as the original.
References
- ↑ Live Sonic Mania Developer Playthrough (2:29:35). Stealth (20 August 2017). Retrieved on 22 August 2017. "Stealth: And so she comes back, and you think it's just gonna be another... another Rattlekiler trick, but no. This is Uber Caterkiller."