Advent Hill Zone - ACT 10!

Welcome! You've just pressed start on another Act of the Advent Hill Zone, where Sonic the Hedgehog, toys, and Christmas come together to help us count down to the big day itself.

Loooooooooong one today!

It appears that on the tenth day of our stay in the Advent Hill Zone, we've been gifted...THREEEEEEEEEE GOLLLLLLLLLLLLD RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGS...something doesn't seem correct about that.

Star Post #1: General Info 

If you've played a Sonic game, you know what Rings are and what they're for. They serve as Sonic's "health" and protection, ensuring that he and his friends can persevere on their adventures as long as they're holding at least one. Without them? One hit'll spell your end. They're also used for a variety of other things depending on the game such as earning extra lives and continues, gaining access to and passing Special Stages, turning Super, purchasing items and upgrades, and fueling your boost meter or other special abilities. Being such an iconic element of the series, they've also shown up in various comics and cartoons, either being used similarly to how they are in the games or acting as a straight-up power-up for Sonic. They also feature in the Sonic the Hedgehog films, though they're used for warping to different locations and worlds rather than in a physically protective way.

Star Post #2: Trivia 

Speaking of Rings in other media, while SatAM and Sonic X made heavy use of them in multiple episodes, Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog only used them a scant few times. One such use was in Episode 55, "The Mobius 5000," wherein Sonic and Tails enter an auto race to try and save an orphanage. However, Robotnik's forces oppose them at every turn, eventually leading to them having to take a shortcut to the finish line through the Special Zone. Like its equivalent in Sonic the Hedgehog 2, AoStH's Special Zone is a half-pipe crawling with Rings that requires a specific number of them to be collected before the heroes can pass through it. They do so with ease. (It helps that said Rings are apparently ALL situated in exactly two places for the whole Zone in this world. Talk about easy compared to what inspired it.) A unique thing about how the Rings are depicted in this episode is that they're Blue instead of Gold or Yellow, a very AoStH-style touch. (Though, oddly enough, they ARE a more traditional golden color in a previous AoStH appearance, Episode 50, "Robotnik's Pyramid Scheme.") Despite that oddity, though, this whole scene was a neat random video game element wedged into an otherwise pretty basic cartoon premise. I remember being so surprised by that when I first watched the episode all those years ago on Toon Disney.

Goal Plate: Closing Thoughts 

Rings are always neat to have. I like that Amy can actually hold them. Gives me SatAM vibes.

That's Act 10, but we've still got another two weeks left, so keep it parked here for more Advent Hill Zone!