Sonic Colors

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What a colorful bunch.

Dr. Eggman: "This amusement park was constructed entirely out of a sense of remorse for my past transgressions, and is in no way associated with any sort of evil plot or premeditated misdeeds." Sonic: "Well, that's a relief."

Released in late 2010, Sonic Colors is a main series installment of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, exclusive to Nintendo's Wii and DS platforms. Though the Wii and DS versions have slightly different stories to each other, the general premise of the game is the same.

After apparently developing a sense of remorse for his past indiscretions, Dr. Eggman supposedly turns a new leaf and builds an intergalactic amusement park up in space, made up of several planet sized attractions. However, the amusement park is actually an assembly of planets that Eggman has pulled together, so that he might be able to capture the alien inhabitants here, known as Wisps, and harness their colored energy for his latest nefarious experiments. A Wisp named Yacker informs Sonic who, accompanied by Tails, embarks on a journey through the many attractions of Dr. Eggman's amusement park to free the imprisoned Wisps inhabiting each planet and thwart the Dr.'s Evil Plans.

Much like Sonic the Hedgehog 4, this is one of Sega's answers to the fanbase's pleas for a better Sonic game. While Sonic 4 focuses on the classical gameplay aspects, Colors focuses on the constant speed that had become a staple of the Dimps-developed 2D Sonic games. The Wii version's stages are reminiscent of Sonic Unleashed's daytime stages (behind-the-back high-speed 3D sections combined with classic 2D-- or "2.5D"-- platforming segments, though with a higher concentration of 2D sections), whereas the DS version is essentially Sonic Rush 3 under a different name. In both versions, Sonic undertakes the high-speed platforming action he's well-known for. He can also harness the energy of the Wisps himself to activate special powers and clear new paths through the stages (though this gimmick is surprisingly not as prominent as one would expect from a Sonic game).

By most accounts, the game's Wii version is what finally broke Sonic through the Polygon Ceiling that he had suffered under for so long. A hilarious script penned by the writers of MadWorld and Happy Tree Friends and dubbed by new voice actors from Studiopolis certainly helped. The blue blur's future is looking bright.

Tropes used in Sonic Colors include:

• Action Commands: Appears in a few spots in the DS version and to get AMAZING airtime off ramps in the Wii version. You only have to press the jump button in the latter case, though.
• Added Alliterative Appeal: Rotatatron's Japanese name, Big Boy.
• Affectionate Parody: Of recent Sonic plot and dialogue conventions. In fact, the game doesn't give you really any indication that it will be serious. The very first cut scene has lots of humor. In fact, the page quote up above is from the first cut scene in the game.
• Airborne Mook: The Buzzbombers.
• Alien Sky
• All Your Colors Combined: Used as a finishing move on Eggman's Nega-Wisp Armor.
• Amusement Park of Doom: The setting of the game takes place in an intergalactic version of these, made by Dr. Eggman. The dangerousness of the park is constantly lampshaded by Eggman's Announcer Chatter.
• Announcer Chatter: With two announcers: Eggman and another, unnamed announcer who calls your attacks. The latter also does this for Eggman's Wisp attacks.
• Anti-Grinding: You can't get infinite points when using the same wisp over and over, though you can get many nonetheless, insofar that spamming the drill can be a good way to get an S rank... if you don't take too long. After a certain time, depending on the stage, any bonuses you get are nullified.
• Asteroid Thicket: Theme park within a show example: Asteroid Coaster.
• Attack Its Weak Point: The way to defeat some of the bosses.
  • Go for the Eye: The trick to defeating the Rotatatron and Refreshinator robots. The same is true for the Nega-Mother Wisp, a DS-only optional boss.
• Automatic New Game: A textbook example; pressing the "start" button on a fresh file actually, get this, starts the game. Not even a cutscene until Act 2 is finished.
• Arbitrary Skepticism: The genius fox with helicopter tails finds it hard to believe that a supersonic hedgehog onboard an amusement park space station surrounded by chained planets is able to absorb energy from aliens to briefly change into alternate forms.
• Awesome but Impractical: Super Sonic, while fun, disables Wisp powers, which makes getting a good rank with him very difficult.
• Badass: Sonic, as in Nearly-Outran-The-Grasp-Of-A-Black-Hole Badass.
• Badass Boast: Sonic likes to make a point of yapping on about how hard he's gonna kick each boss's ass... even if they don't respond to his boasts in any way whatsoever.

Sonic: You guys don't talk much, do you?

• The Berserker: Void (The DS-only Violet Wisp's ability) and Frenzy (the Wii-only Purple wisp) turns Sonic into one, able to absorb/chomp through nearly anything in his path.
• Big Bad: Dr. Eggman, finally averting The Man Behind the Man common within the console games. He's even fully visible in his egg pod during the final boss fight!
• Big Eater: The Frenzy Wisp form, which looks like a giant set of crocodile jaws and chomps through enemies and obstacles alike. And it grows larger the more it devours, if you manage to keep it going for a while it becomes huge. On top of that-- the more it eats and the bigger it gets, it soon becomes able to chomp through things even faster, making it that much easier to get him to the next level in terms of size, until you're able to mow through everything without any trouble.
• Bilingual Bonus:
  • In-universe: Tails is fluent in binary.
  • Out-of-universe example: At the ending, when you can see the hexadecimal codes of the translator. This translates pretty well into English.

THANK YOU FOR SAVING US / YOU ARE WELCOME / ...IF YOU CAN READ THIS YOU'RE A GEEK

• Black Comedy: Some of Eggman's P.A. announcements.
• Black Hole Belly: Sonic literally becomes one of these upon absorbing Violet Wisps. Anything he sucks up into his void is consumed, never to see the light of day ever again.
• Blatant Lies:

Eggman: "Would Sonic the Hedgehog please report to the security office? Sonic the Hedgehog, please report to the security office. We've found your... ehh... your keys! Yes, that's it, we've found your keys! No need to be ready for a trap, since we only wish to return your keys." Eggman: "Please do not be concerned if you encounter any screaming aliens. The screams are how they communicate. Really. I promise."

• Bonus Boss: In the DS version, the Nega-Mother Wisp.
• Book Ends:
  • With the title screen of all things. The shot of Sonic running through space with all eight Wisps flying beside him is mirrored at the end of the Nega-Wisp Armor fight, right before the Final Color Blaster.
  • Also, Sonic and Tails' adventure begins and ends in the hyper-accelerating elevator from the world to Eggman's interstellar amusement park. Only, the way back down is a lot more epic.
• Boss Remix: The use of an orchestrated version of Reach For The Stars in the later part of the Nega-Wisp Armor fight.
• Bottomless Pits: Present in a lesser quantity than other Sonic games. Most of them are marked by a "!" sign on screen, as long as the Navigator option is turned on. (The game features a lot of pits that Sonic has to drop down in 2D segments, and it'd be slightly annoying to know what to avoid and which pits are safe without this option.)
• Brainwashed and Crazy: Tails, albeit very briefly, when Eggman zaps him with a mind control beam. Eggman's master plan is to do this to the entire planet.
• Bragging Rights Reward: Super Sonic, unlocked after you collect all 180 Special Rings and clear all levels in the Sonic Simulator.
• Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick:

Tails: "Where'd you run off to?" Sonic: "I did a little shopping, grabbed a bite to eat, and trashed a giant killer robot." Tails: "Really? They've got shopping here, too?" Sonic: "This place has everything!"

• Breaking the Fourth Wall
• Brief Accent Imitation: Eggman uses this to mock Cubot.
• Brutal Honesty: Roughly half of all Dr. Eggman's announcements in this game are this.

Eggman: "Please feel free to fill out a brief survey after your visit. Your opinions matter to us! -- Unless you didn't have fun. Then we don't care." Eggman: "Please do not touch or lean on the glass, as it is the only thing between you and ten million gallons of freezing wet death." Eggman: "We seem to be losing pressure on Level 17. Please hold your breath against the harsh vacuum of space until you pass out from oxygen starvation. After that, you won't care. Enjoy the ride!"

• Buffy-Speak:

Sonic: "You know, as alien as this place is, there is something very... Eggman-ish about it."

• Calling Your Attacks: LASER! DRILL! This is even done for Eggman's Wisp attacks in the final battle.
• Camera Screw: Averted, thanks to the Fixed Camera.
• Captain Obvious:

Orbot: "I think that's the wrong chip."

• Chaos Emeralds: The Trope Namers are optional once again for the first time in the modern era.
• Character Portrait: Used in the DS version, much like the Sonic Rush titles.
• Chekhov's Gun: The arm of the first boss (Rotatatron in the Wii game, Globotron in the DS game) gets stuck into Eggman's mind control cannon, causing it to backfire when he tries to fire it. In the scene it ends up stuck, it is focused upon for a few seconds, making it clear that it is going to be important later on.
• Circling Birdies: The star variation pops up when one is jumped on by another player in Co-Op Mode.
• Color Coded for Your Convenience: The titular colors; Boost, Spikes, Burst, Rocket, Drill, Hover, Laser, Cube, Frenzy, Void.
• Color-Coded Multiplayer
• Combination Attack: Usable in the co-op mode. Also appears twice during the final boss fight:
  • The boss itself, the Nega-Wisp Armor, will sometimes mix attacks -- Cube/Spikes or Cube/Laser are the most common.
  • The Final Color Blaster, which is all of the Wisps joining Sonic in one supercharged Homing Attack/Sonic Boost.
• Comic Trio: Eggman (schemer), Cubot (follower), and Orbot (straight man) form this.
• Conspicuously Light Patch: In Asteroid Coaster Act 1, there are asteroid rings floating in the open space areas, one of which are brighter than the others in each ring. Guess which ones can be homing attacked on.
• Continuing Is Painful: Unlike the more recent Sonic games, your score doesn't reset to zero when you are killed. Unfortunately, neither does your time; it continues from where it was when you died, and can significantly damage your rank. And since once you reach a certain point timewise in a level, you cannot earn any more points at all.
• Continuity Nod:
  • The Miles Electric from Sonic Unleashed reappears as a translator.
  • The top of the satellite holding all the planets together has what looks a lot like the Death Egg, or at least the ARK.
    • The mind-control cannon's firing sequence in the DS version looks suspiciously like the ARK's.
  • Sonic also has all the new moves he gained in Unleashed from the get-go. Wall-jumping, stomping, air boost, etcetera.
  • The planets are literally chained to the amusement park. Eggman fails to fire a giant cannon at the Earth, but manages to hit the moon. The moon is totally fine from the small blast, though, due to its being a mind-controlling ray, instead of a laser cannon.
  • When the Nega-Wisp Armor explodes in the Wii version, a Robotnik head appears in the explosion as fireworks, akin to Sonic CD's bad ending.
  • The DS version of Tropical Resort Act 1 has a hang-glider section, akin to the one in Altitude Limit from Rush. It is skippable on repeat playthroughs, though.
  • The planet below in Terminal Velocity is the same one from Unleashed.
• Co-Op Multiplayer: This game features it through the use of "Robo-Sonics" as playable characters.
  • Miis can be playable here as well. But instead of a regular-looking Mii, it's a Mii head on Sonic's body.
• Crate Expectations: Planet Wisp and Tropical Resort have a few of them which are easily destroyed. In Aquarium Park, crates can be pushed to destroy enemies.
• Creative Closing Credits: Sonic can destroy the names of the people who were involved in making the game during the credits, not unlike that of New Super Mario Bros Wii. Good thing, too--they're well over twelve minutes long.
• Cut Lex Luthor a Check: Eggman's reformation may be fake, but look at the stuff he's done trying to cover it up. The dude built a Space Elevator, for goodness' sake... and then builds a theme park at the top. Reed Richards Is Useless, maybe?
• Damn You, Muscle Memory!: Good luck getting used to the controls if you've played Sonic Unleashed for the Wii.
  • For that matter, adjusting from playing Unleashed and Generations on an HD console to Colors using Remote + Nunchuk is no picnic either.
• Dark Reprise/Triumphant Reprise: The second part of the Nega-Wisp Armor theme is a combination of these.
• Dead Character Walking: There is an infamous glitch which crept from the infamous Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 to the otherwise excellent Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations which makes Sonic, if he receives mortal damage while on a autoscrolling sequence, still slide with his dead body on the track. He can even be controlled sometimes with the directional pad!
• Deadpan Snarker: Eggman, in his announcements over the park tannoys.
  • Tails too. "Are you talking to the busted robot who can't hear you?"

Tails: "We did it, dude!" Sonic: "We? I don't remember you fighting off any insane robots." Tails: "True. Well, good job to you on inventing a translator that allowed us to speak to the aliens and figure out exactly what we needed to do so we weren't running around the park looking like idiots. Oh wait, no -- that was me!"

• • Sonic has become this after the previous games downplayed it.
• Demoted to Extra: Longtime Sonic regulars such as Amy, Knuckles, and Shadow are completely excised from the Wii version, but in the DS version, they make short appearances in the cutscenes between levels and sometimes give Sonic missions.
  • The Chaos Emeralds also go from being a central plot point of the series to an optional extra sidequest in both versions.
• Denser and Wackier: The story and dialogue overall is much more cartoony and surreal than recent titles, especially compared to the previous Darker and Edgier titles in the series. The occasionally insane dialogue is toned down slightly in the DS version, but still extremely lighthearted and whimsical in tone.
• Descending Ceiling: Some areas in Starlight Carnival have them. They are usually bypassed through the use of the Blue Wisp.
  • There's also an example in Aquarium Park Act 1 where there's spikes lining the ceiling, and the platform you're on rises towards them. Thankfully, you don't get crushed.
• Development Gag: Aquarium Park is based on an old concept for a Japan-themed zone that originates from preproduction sketches of the original Sonic the Hedgehog game.
  • Ever wonder why there is a pool ball in the Sonic Simulator/Game Land stages? In the first, original Sonic game, Eggman's checker ball weapon was actually a stage obstacle in preproduction, and it did basically the same thing the pool ball does.
• The Dev Team Thinks of Everything: Turning Super Sonic on retools the levels to make them completeable without Wisps or Super Sonic.
• Die, Chair, Die!: Destroying some of the objects found in the level (whether by lightly bumping into them or running at high speed into them) yields you some points.
• Dissimile:

Eggman: "The unfiltered starlight from the lovely constellations above you is full of deadly radiation! Help yourself to our complimentary SPF 3000 starblock. And by "complimentary", I mean quite expensive." Eggman: "Welcome to the Sweet Mountain. Insulin will be provided at a marginal extra cost. And by "marginal", we mean enormous."

• Don't Explain the Joke: Orbot has to explain one of Sonic's quips to his much slower counterpart, Cubot.
• Double Jump: Not counting his Werehog form in Sonic Unleashed, this is the first 3D Sonic game since Sonic R where Sonic can use this ability.
  • In the Quick Time Events, Sonic can jump multiple times while The Announcer shouts "Good! Great! Awesome! Outstanding! Amazing!"
  • With the Red Wisp, Sonic can perform an infinite number of double jumps as long as he has the Wisp power.
  • Sonic has learned to jump underwater infinitely.
• Duct Tape for Everything: Subverted. The space-age polymer holding Eggman's theme park together is not duct tape. It may look and feel like duct tape, but it's actually a highly-advanced material called... space... tape.
• Dynamic Loading: This is achieved in part by hiding the level loading underneath the title screen for each level, which the player expects to see for a few seconds just as is traditional with the series. It flows so naturally that one hardly notices.
• Either World Domination or Something About Bananas: When Tails tests out his translator, it brings up a "translation" that isn't even remotely contextual to what's actually said. Cue Face Palm from both Sonic and the alien. The translator works correctly in the DS version from the get-go, though.
  • "The Wisps are "either being used for their magical powers by an evil man, or to make underwear to be worn by salad."
• Eleventh-Hour Superpower: In the DS version.
• Escape Sequence: Terminal Velocity in general.
• Everything's Better with Rainbows: When the two Robo-Sonics perform their Combination Attack, a rainbow-colored trail appears behind them.
  • Three words: Final. Color/Prism. Blaster.
• Everything's Squishier with Cephalopods: The strangely cute wisps have this appearance.
• Every Ten Thousand Points: Averted for the first time in the series (except games with infinite lives, like the storybook games). Collecting 100 rings does not give you an extra life (no, not even when you touch the checkpoints). However, getting an A-rank will give you a free life at the score tally screen, and an S-rank will give you three.
• Evil Knockoff/Robot Me: The Robo-Sonics in the Multiplayer Mode.
• Exposition Fairy: Tails and Yacker, simultaneously. Yacker doesn't give hints during gameplay, though the information he relays to Tails for translation does help Sonic and Tails figure out what Eggman is up to.
• Expy: Orbot and Cubot strangely resemble Decoe and Bocoe from Sonic X, who themselves are expies of Scratch and Grounder from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.
• Extreme Omnivore: When Sonic absorbs a Purple/Nega or Violet/Nega Wisp, he seems to become one of these. It's difficult to tell whether he's actually eating everything in his way or just crushing it with his jaws, though.
• Face Palm:
  • Sonic and Yacker (facetentacle in the latter's case) do one when Tails' translator isn't working properly at first.
  • Tails gives one when he catches Sonic talking to a broken robot, though it's more amused than exasperated. Sonic then does one shortly after when Tails refuses to drop the "talking to dead robots" subject.
  • Eggman does a facepalm when he remembers why he changed Cubot's voice chip.
  • Orbot makes a facepalm too when Cubot thought Eggman literally wanted them to get cheeseburger and a shake.
• Fake Longevity: Totally and completely averted. The red rings and the S ranks are completely optional. In fact, you can't fight any boss as Super Sonic (gotten through the red rings). So all of that really is for fun and not for completion of the regular game. It can take 40+ hours to finish the game if you are going for all red rings and S ranks, but only 10-15 if you are going for the regular game only.
• Fan Nickname: Sonic Skittles, referring to either the game itself or the Final Color Blaster.
• Fast Tunnelling: The Yellow Wisps, used to get to secret rooms and alternate routes through a given level.
• Fighting Your Friend: Subverted: Eggman's mind control ray on Tails runs out of energy just before he and Sonic can fight.
• Final Boss: Dr. Eggman. At least in the Wii version.
• Finishing Move: The Final Color Blaster, used on the Nega-Wisp Armor: UNLIMITED COLORS! LASER! DRILL! SPIKE(S)! ROCKET! CUBE! HOVER! FRENZY! FINAL COLOR/PRISM BLASTER! URAAGHHH!
• Fission Mailed: Terminal Velocity - Act 2. It's impossible to get to the 'end' and get a rank on it, since the black hole sucks Sonic in, no matter what you do. Good thing the Wisps bail him out of it, though.
• Fixed Camera - The solution for the seemingly never ending camera issues of the previous games.
• Flash Back: In the Wii version, a flashback, shown at the beginning of the game, showed how Sonic and Tails got to the Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park. On the DS, this scene is instead shown where it chronologically belongs.
• Flash Step: The Quick Step, as in Sonic Unleashed, though it's now limited to designated areas.
• Flying Car: Some can be seen in the background of Tropical Resort. In a couple of places, some even have springs on!
• Fusion Dance: How each of the power-ups work--Sonic combines with the Wisp to gain its powers.
• Fun with Acronyms: Best Boss Beating Ever
• Frickin' Laser Beams: The Cyan Wisp can turn Sonic into a laser beam, able to shoot through enemies and bounce along electric coils and crystals. The laser-spamming bosses are present too, like standard in Sonic series.
• Flight: The Orange Wisp turns Sonic into a rocket, allowing him to blast straight up into the air, destroying enemies and obstacles along the way.
• Gameplay and Story Segregation: One can easily tell that during Terminal Velocity Act 2, Sonic is supposed to be running at top speed, but since it's a playable act - especially having no boost available - it sure doesn't look like it.
• Genre Savvy:

Sonic: Experience has taught me to investigate anything that glows. Boss appears Sonic: Experience has also taught me that the best way to solve problems is to kick giant robot butt.

• • I'll harness their hyper-go-on power and then nothing will stop me! I know, I say that every time, but this time, really, nothing will stop me!
  • Once more, by Cubot of all people, during the post-credits scene.

Cubot: "By the way, did we destroy Sonic this time? Duh, sorry, dumb question. We never destroy Sonic!"

• • Cubot did it another time previously when calling out Eggman about how Sonic foils all of his previous schemes. When Eggman retorts that Sonic didn't ruin all of them, Cubot dares him to "Name one."
  • Dangerously Genre Savvy: Eggman prevents Sonic from learning about the existence of his planetary mind-control weapon until it's too late to stop it from firing. Fortunately, Sonic had already critically damaged the weapon... entirely by accident... due to the results of the first boss fight in the game.
• Giant Enemy Crab: One pops up as a miniboss in Aquarium Park and Terminal Velocity; it rapidly turns into That One Boss if you can't figure out how he telegraphs his moves.
• Giant Space Flea From Nowhere: In the DS version.
• Gratuitous English: Sonic in the Japanese version - it's practically tradition for him, after all. The names of the Wisps are in English in both versions (both colour and name - for example, "Yellow Drill" is still "Yellow Drill" in the Japanese version, though "Pink Spikes" (plural) is "Pink Spike" (singular) in Japanese). The level names are unchanged between versions, too (even Game Land and Options Satellite have the same names in both versions).
• Gravity Screw: Asteroid Coaster.
• Green Aesop: Finally makes its appearance as the main theme of a Sonic game again in over 10 years. Eggman's using living creatures to power his machines and even some enemies, his most well-known trick from the Genesis days. It's most blatant in the Planet Wisp area, especially if you saw the intro movie, which showed off just how happy those cute little alien squids were before Eggman came along and messed with them...
  • Lampshaded by several of the park PA announcements.

Eggman: "The foliage you see was pilfered from various environmentally-fragile climates. Please enjoy them, as they are the last of their kind." Eggman: "This exotic aquarium contains many rare and endangered species. Enjoy them with a delicious soy glaze at the Bucket O' Sushi restaurant!" Eggman: "We here at Eggman's Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park consider ourselves the universe's first fully "green" amusement park! ...Although the green is from all the nausea and vomiting, but still -- green is green!" Eggman: (in high-speed "disclaimer" voice) "Some displacement of indigenous population and destruction of natural resources may occur. Eggman Enterprises not responsible."

• Green Rocks: The Wisps.
• Ground Pound: Unlike in the HD versions of Sonic Unleashed, he can now do the Stomp from the beginning of the game. The Blue Wisp grants a more powerful version that destroys all enemies and Wisp Blocks on screen.
• Guide Dang It: Some of those red rings are next to impossible to find without at least exploring the stage you're on.
  • A relatively minor one by comparison: you can only obtain one chaos emerald per world in the DS version, and Terminal Velocity does not have an emerald. For most people, it will never dawn on them that the last emerald is actually located in the versus section of the game.
• Hailfire Peaks: Sonic Colors is made of this trope.
  • Tropical Resort is Palmtree Panic meets Amusement Park.
  • Sweet Mountain is three levels in one, combining Bubbly Clouds, Remilitarized Zone, and Level Ate.
  • Starlight Carnival is a Space Zone with a Pinball Zone aesthetic for good measure, with a few Band Land elements.
  • Planet Wisp is a Green Hill Zone level, in the process of being demolished by large Eternal Engines.
  • Aquarium Park is a combination of Wutai and Under the Sea.
  • Asteroid Coaster is another three-for-one: Amusement Park of Doom, Eternal Engine, and Space Zone, with a dash of Prehistoria thrown in.
• Hard Light: Starlight Carnival, with a hint of Scenery as You Go.
• He Knows About Timed Hits: Used in the tutorial for both versions.
• Helpful Mook: One of enemies, besides dropping spike balls, also drops a lot of rings.
  • Same with the Invincible Minor Minion below.
• Hesitation Equals Dishonesty: Many of Eggman's PA announcements, like the one in the Blatant Lies trope.
• High Speed Battle: Like in Sonic Unleashed, three of the game's bosses are this sort of battle: the Frigate Orcan in Starlight Carnival, the Frigate Skullian in Asteroid Coaster, and the Nega-Wisp Armor, but only in the Wii version.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: In one of the PA announcements, Eggman encourages guest to leave all their valuables in their vehicles since they will be "perfectly safe" and "In no way will roaming bands of robots break [into them]". In another announcement, he mentions that a "white hovercar shaped like an egg" has been broken into...
• Hover Tank: The Wii-exclusive Green Wisp's power is to turn Sonic into an organic version of this, which also allows him to fly across trails of rings.
  • The DS-exclusive Violet Wisp is a mix of this (aside from ring trail abilities) and the ability to suck a lot of things up.
• Hundred-Percent Completion: One must get all the Red Rings and S Ranks to achieve this.
• Incredibly Lame Pun: After Eggman says a few puns in a row:

Sonic: "I know you're trying to be clever with this whole amusement park pun thing, but it's just coming off lame."

• Invincible Minor Minion: A few acts in Starlight Carnival have metallic Spinas in them, which can be homing attacked indefinitely but can't be destroyed in any way. Justified in that they must be used as stepping stones via the homing attack to reach higher platforms.
• Invisible Wall: Makes itself apparent in a few locations.
• Irony: An in-universe example of Situational Irony: after getting defeated, Dr. Eggman gets to hear the exact same "your safety is most important to us" speech he recorded himself just as his amusement park is collapsing into a black hole.

Eggman: "Oh, shut up!"

• Is This Thing Still On?:

Eggman: "Please beware of the spikes on the Asteroid Coaster, they are sharp. ...Really, we have to warn people about spikes? Like they won't notice the spikes; I mean, come on, the cars are nothing but spikes! Unbelievable! -- Wh -- uh -- my what is still on?"

• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: The Pink Wisps are this according to the official website.
• The Jimmy Hart Version: Asteroid Coaster's music sounds almost like the work of Joe Satriani.
  • Aquarium Park's music sounds like the theme song to Love Hina. Also, compare Tropical Resort Act 1 to "I'll Do A Little Bit More" by The Olympics.
• Katanas Are Just Better: The Egg Pawns in Aquarium Park.
• Large Ham Announcer
• Law of One Hundred: Traditionally, getting 100 rings would earn you an extra life, but strangely, this is averted in the Wii version.
• Let's Play: By the goons who did Sonic the Hedgehog 2006. They're having a lot more fun this time around.
• Level Ate: Sweet Mountain Zone, especially Act 2, parts of which have Sonic going around a giant cheeseburger filled with cake and jellybeans. Eggman's PA Announcements deconstruct food-themed stages a bit.

Eggman: "We know they may look delicious, but please refrain from licking the rides... That would be disgusting. Do you know where those rides have been?! People have been sitting on those rides! With their butts! ...Okay, go ahead; lick them. Don't say we didn't warn you." Eggman: "There's no line at "Bake-Me-Crazy", the ride that simulates what it's like to be baked like a cake! The ride itself lasts an amazing 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Not recommended for our guests who are sensitive to temperatures exceeding 350°." Eggman: "We hope you are enjoying this sunny day here at the park. Sadly, a sunny day means that the Choco Coaster is out of order... due to melting."

• Levels Take Flight: Two stages in the Wii version, one in Starlight Carnival and another in Aquarium Park, have Sonic needing to keep up with some flying device with springs at its top, causing Sonic to constantly bounce. It flies slowly but steadily to the end of the stage.
• Lighter and Softer: Its general presentation, especially in comparison to Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2006.
• Loads and Loads of Characters: Averted like in Sonic Unleashed, as far as the Wii version is concerned; the only reoccurring characters in the game are Sonic, Tails, Yacker, Eggman, Orbot, and Cubot.
  • The DS version, on the other hand, plays this straight to an extent: only Sonic, Tails, Eggman, Orbot, Cubot, and the Wisps actually have an effect on the general plot; the others are relegated to simple side-missions one can (of course) easily ignore.
• Marathon Level: The EGG Shuttle (also known as Challenge Mode), which requires you to play through the entire game in one sitting, with no cutscenes or world map...or Super Sonic. While Sega's online leaderboards for this mode are designed for score attacks, sites like The Sonic Center have set up time attack leaderboards for this mode too.
• Mascot with Attitude: Sonic. It really shows this time around in this game.
• Mega Manning: The Nega-Wisp Armor uses Wisp Powers throughout the Final Boss fight. He can even combine two powers together. And the announcer calls out his attacks!
• Mind Control Device.
• Mini Boss: In Asteroid Coaster, there is a giant eyeball mini boss at the end.
• Morphic Resonance: Most of Sonic's Wisp forms share the same design aspects; yellow, pupiless eyes, ears and spiky protusions. All of these design aspects resemble the normal form's eyes, ears and quills to a great extent.
• Motor Mouth: Cubot, during the ending.
• Mythology Gag: This isn't the first time that Tails ended up brainwashed by Eggman, however briefly.
• Near-Victory Fanfare:
  • In the Wii version, an orchestrated version of "Reach for the Stars" plays when Eggman's Nega-Wisp Armor is down to its last two hits of damage.
  • In the DS version, the same theme plays when Sonic fights his way through the Nega-Wisp Armor in the Final Color Blaster form, and throughout the fight with the Nega-Mother Wisp.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: When Sonic destroyed Rotatatron/Globatron, an arm got lodged into a nearby structure, which turned out to be part of the mind control cannon. When Eggman tried to fire it, the cannon backfired. The resulting energy created two things: a Nega Hyper-Go-On black hole that consumed the amusement park and, if evidence is correct, the primordial essence known as the Time Eater. Basically, Sonic caused Sonic Generations to occur by destroying the first boss of Colors.
• Nitro Boost: Aside from the usual boost pads present in the series, this game also has the White Wisp, used as fuel for the Sonic Boost instead of rings.
• No Animals Were Harmed: Parodied during one of Eggman's public announcements:

Eggman: No aliens were harmed in the creation of this park. ...They? were harmed after the park was created.

• No Endor Holocaust: The instruction manual mentions crowds gathering for the opening day of the amusement park, but not a single visitor is seen in the course of the game. Then again, the first cutscene features Sonic and Tails mentioning that they've snuck in before the real opening, so it's very possible that no-one else was in the park.
• No Indoor Voice: The Announcer; justified for this very reason.
• No OSHA Compliance: Eggman has taken so many budget cuts with the amusement park, he doesn't even try to hide it.

Eggman: "Please refrain from peeling off the special space-age polymer holding the starship together. It may look and feel like duct tape, but it's not; it's called -- erm -- Spacetape. Very advanced stuff." Eggman: "Due to cost restraints, some of the doughnuts in this ride are of the day-old variety. We apologize for this cost-cutting measure, and hope that you enjoy the ride." Eggman: Next stop: Planet Wisp. This attraction is currently off-limits, as it is still under construction and may not be dangerous enough for visitors yet.

• Nostalgia Level: Certain levels of Game Land use designs from Sonic 1. Act 1-1 resembles Green Hill Zone, with Marble (2-1), Spring Yard (4-1), Labyrinth (5-1), Star Light (7-1), and Scrap Brain (3-2) all appearing as well.
• Oblivious to His Own Description: One of Eggman's PA messages has him informing the "owner" of "a white hovercar shaped like an egg" that said car was broken into. He only realizes what happened once he repeats the message.
• Offscreen Start Bonus: Act 4 of Aquarium Park contains a red ring, several other items and an alternate path on the left of the starting point.
• One-Hit-Point Wonder: Sonic is this again without rings, after ditching this mechanic in Sonic Unleashed.
• Ominous Latin Chanting: Both halves of the final boss music use this, although the initial half uses it more.
• Outrun the Fireball: Sonic does this after the Nega-Wisp Armor and actually fails, because it's a black hole.
• Painfully-Slow Projectile: In Aquarium Park, the Crabmeats shoot very slow missiles at you.
• Palmtree Panic: Tropical Resort. The dirt even has the same texture as the ground in Palmtree Panic.
• Phlegmings: Sonic in Purple Frenzy form appears to spew copious amount of dark saliva whilst he's rampaging about.
• Pinball Scoring: You can easily earn over a hundred thousand points in the first thirty seconds of a level, with the S-rank frequently surpassing the one million point mark. Compare, for example, Sonic the Hedgehog 2006, wherein fifty thousand points was the default bar for top rank.
• Pinball Zone: Starlight Carnival appears to be one of these, at least with its neon motif.
• Playing with Fire: The DS-exclusive Red Wisp gives Sonic the power to turn into a fireball, much like the fire shield from Sonic 3 and Knuckles.
• Polygon Ceiling: Finally averted in the Wii version. The camera is generally good when you're in control, the levels are streamlined to fit the pace of the game, and the controls are fixed for the most part.
• Power Glows: White Boost, Pink Spikes, Red Burst, Orange Rocket, Yellow Drill, Green Hover, Cyan Laser, Blue Cube, Violet Void, and Purple Frenzy.
• Rainbow Motif: The Wisps, with White, Cyan, and Pink added.
• Reconstruction: Specifically, of the general themes of the classic Sonic games.
• Recurring Riff: The main theme of the game, as it is a standard in each main Sonic game.
• Reflecting Laser: The Cyan Wisps turn Sonic into one. As you aim the laser, it shows you how he'll reflect off of the environment, up to a certain distance.
• Retraux: Game Land. See Nostalgia Level.
• Reverse Cerebus Syndrome: After the likes of Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 and Shadow the Hedgehog, Sega finally decided that "the franchise had begun to take itself too seriously and the story too profound".
• Ridiculously Cute Critter: The Wisps.
• Roar Before Beating: The Nega-Wisp Armor utters a loud roar before the battle commences.
• Sarcasm Mode: "Bah! Not nearly enough aliens!" "Do you want us to get more?" "No, I want you to get me a cheeseburger and a shake!"
  • "That'll be easier! Cheeseburgers don't run as fast as them little alien varmints."
    • "Idiot! Get me more ALIENS!"
    • "... Y'all want fries with that?"
• Scenery as You Go: Present throughout Starlight Carnival in some auto-run areas of Acts 1, 3, and 5.
• Scenery Porn: The general consensus is that this game's graphics are in the same league as the PS3/360 version of Sonic Unleashed. On a Wii.
  • Crossed with Food Porn in Sweet Mountain Zone.
• Second-Hour Superpower: The DS version is basically Sonic Rush 3, but you do the first act without the boost. After the first zone, you get the first major wisp. The Wii version has the boost to start with, but the first major wisp isn't until Act 3 of Tropical Resort.
• Series Continuity Error: Sonic acts surprised at the thought of Eggman kidnapping an entire planet as if he's never done that before, despite that Eggman has done just that before.
  • Though to be fair, the planet in Sonic CD was called Little Planet for a very good reason. These 5 planets (technically 3, plus a star fleet and an asteroid field) were significantly larger than Little Planet.
• Shark Tunnel: The Wii version has one at the beginning of Aquarium Park Act 1.
• Shout-Out:
  • At one point, while Eggman is yelling at Cubot, the two go through the famous quote from Taxi Driver.
  • "Nobody said there'd be math..."
  • In one of the PA announcements in Asteroid Coaster, Eggman mentions a "yellow car with the license plate 1NOM155" that's in the path of an asteroid and about to get sma-- oh, um... never mind." Oh well, Axel's cab has taken worse hits.
  • "In space, nobody can hear you scream. Except for the person next to you, so please be considerate of others. Nobody likes a screamer."
  • "Sonic just used Prism FinalIllusion!"
  • So, you're saying Eggman wants to brainwash the universe into liking him? Now, where have we seen something similar to that before?
  • At the beginning of the Tails' Translator cutscene, after Sonic passes Tails, he moonwalks to back up to him.
• Songs in the Key of Panic: The "nearing the end" variation can be found in the DS version's Special Stages.
• Soundtrack Dissonance: The "Yellow Drill" jingle is a high-tempo gabber beat, something you'd probably never expect to hear in a Sonic game.
• Space Does Not Work That Way: Just about everything, not that that's necessarily a bad thing.
• Space Elevator: The main means to enter the Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park from Earth.
• Space Is Noisy: Eggman wishes for "the maddening silence of space" as his henchmen annoyingly bicker while pushing his broken egg-craft though the vacuum.
• Space Zone: Asteroid Coaster and Starlight Carnival.
• Spike Balls of Doom: Pink Wisps allow Sonic to turn into one of these.
• Spiritual Successor: Mainly to Sonic CD, as the vast majority of the game's stages are puzzle-like, the inclusion of the Past-like Retraux stages, a bigger emphasis on stage gimmicks, etc.
  • Sega has all but admitted that the DS version is Sonic Rush 3, retooled to be a companion game.
  • It's also one to Sonic Unleashed, in terms of general presentation, gameplay, and the appearances of things like Orbot and the Miles Electric.
• Spell My Name with a U: This game is called Sonic Colors in American English regions (including Canada), Sonic Colours in British English ones.
• Story to Gameplay Ratio: Average for a Sonic game (that is, mostly gameplay). What sets it apart is that the gameplay starts mere seconds after pressing Start, with absolutely no introductory cutscene.
• Super Drowning Skills: Averted, unlike almost every other 3D Sonic title.
• Super Mode: Obtained in the Wii version after collecting all 7 Chaos Emeralds and 180 Red Rings. In the DS version, it's used only for the True Final Boss.
• Suspiciously Specific Denial: "This amusement park was constructed entirely out of a sense of remorse for my past transgressions, and is in no way associated with any sort of evil plot or premeditated misdeeds."

Sonic: "Well, that's a relief."

• Taking the Bullet: Tails jumps in front of a Mind Control Device to push Sonic out of its way.
• Techno Babble: When Tails was converting the Miles Electric into a translator:

Tails: "Gotta connect the framistatic capacitor to the maximizing modulationizor..."

• Temporary Platform: The Wii-exclusive Blue Wisp can temporarily turn blue rings into blocks and vice versa, similar to a P-switch.
• Tempting Fate:
  • I know, I say that every time, but this time, REALLY, nothing will stop me!
  • When Eggman says that nothing could have been more annoying than Cubot's cowboy accent.
  • When Orbot and Cubot decided that a missing robot arm "can't matter too much".
• Terrible Trio: Eggman, Cubot, and Orbot.
• Theme Music Power-Up: An instrumental version of the main theme plays during combination attacks in co-op mode and when one is Super Sonic.
• The Other Darrin: Both Colors and Sonic Free Riders are the first games to feature the series' new VAs in five years -- while Mike Pollock reprises his role as Eggman, Roger Craig Smith voices Sonic and Kate Higgins voices Tails.
• The Stinger - The 15 minute credit sequence is followed by a scene of Eggman, Cubot, and Orbot blaming each other for the latest failure.
• This Is a Drill: The Yellow Wisp, which allows Sonic to drill through soft ground. Some of the enemies also have drill noses and will track you down. There is also the boss of Planet Wisp in the DS version, which uses drills.
• This Is Gonna Suck: Sonic: *facepalm + sigh* This might not end well. His words before trying to outrun a Black Hole
• Throw It In / Woolseyism The cutscenes script for the Wii version was handled by the writers of Happy Tree Friends, and you can pretty much tell that they were having a lot of fun doing the cutscenes.
• Tractor Beam: Used by Eggman to gather the planets together for use in his Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park.
• Transformation Trinket: Most of the Wisps play this role for Sonic.
• Traveling Pipe Bulge: The elevators in Tropical Resort in the DS version do that when Sonic enters them. So do the pipes when Sonic goes into them with the Yellow Drill power.
• Turns Red: Some of the bosses turns reddish in color when they are down to their last hits.
• Under the Sea: Aquarium Park But still, Sonic can actually swim... sorta. He can Spin Jump infinitely to get to the top quickly, although Aquarium Park's water is so deep that you might be better off using the air bubbles. And, unlike a real hedgehog, Sonic can easily jump high out of the water. (Real hedgehogs can swim but have trouble getting out of water.)
  • In the Wii version, at least. The DS version gives Sonic his traditional inability to swim.
• Unexpected Gameplay Change: Averted Trope.
• Unit Confusion:

Eggman: "Attention--the anti-gravity toilets on this level are out of order. We are sorry for this inconvenience, and hope that you can hold it for the next 20,000 light years."

• • Is that true Unit Confusion? Since light years is a measure of distance, and "can you hold it for a few miles" is common road-trip lingo, and the level that announcement sounds off in is the spaceship fleet... Either way, the entirety of Eggman's Interstellar Amusement Park is very far from being even one square light year, and doesn't appear to be going anywhere.
• Variable Mix:
  • When Sonic does a speed boost, the bass instruments of the background music are much more quiet while the high-pitched drum sounds are louder.
  • Aquarium Park's (and other themes in the DS version) theme is muffled when Sonic is underwater.
• Vent Physics
• Villainous Breakdown: Eggman is reduced to this right before the Final Color/Prism Blaster.

You. You... You..! Yoooou...! YOU HORRID LITTLE HEDGEHOG!!!

• • Could this be a Mythology Gag to Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog?
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Between Sonic's Character Rerailment back to being a Mascot with Attitude, and Tails developing a Deadpan Snarker streak, they've got quite used to tearing verbal strips off each other.
• Voice Grunting: Present to some extent.
• Walk On Water: The running variant appears in Aquarium Park.
• Wall Crawl: The Wii-exclusive Pink Wisp, which covers Sonic in spikes (more so than usual) and allows him to climb walls and ceilings.
• Wasted Song: "Nega-Wisp Armor - Phase 2", in the DS version, at least. The piece lasts for a while, actually. Nega-Wisp Armor Phase 2 takes about ten seconds to beat though; you'll probably win just as you realize that it's an arrangement of the theme song.
  • True to a lesser degree with the second part of the Wii final boss theme. The song is three minutes long, but most players will finish off the boss in a minute or less.
• Who Writes This Crap?: One of Eggman's PA announcements has one too many "ocean" puns for his taste, leading him to wonder "who writes this drivel?". As it turns out, he does!