cookiefonster
Wiki Admin
Since I like rambling about my thoughts on things, I'm going to bump this thread with new thoughts on shields I've gotten from experimenting more.
Whirlwind shield: Still usually my number one shield. It's so much fun to use the shield not only to double-jump, but also to get a boost after jumping on a spring, walking off a ledge, zooming out of a dust devil, so much I'm forgetting. I just think it would be cool if it had a passive ability, even something small like protecting from Caranivore breath and maybe other hazards that slow you down.
Attraction shield: This shield's pseudo-homing attack is pretty fun and on some level strategic. You can use enemies to gain a boost in the direction they're facing, but it's somewhat risky and there are a lot of enemies it doesn't work on, making this ability feel more like a "just for fun" sort of thing than an ability useful for momentum.
Elemental shield: Quickly falling is handy in levels where you know the layout and want to speed through a downward jump, but I still find this ability a little underwhelming. The fire left behind when stomping and spinning is only useful on certain types of enemies and again useful mostly as a novelty. I do like that this shield allows you to go deeper into the Techno Hill goop and I'd love to see more levels have gimmicks that affect the elemental shield's physics.
Force shield: The force stop is useful for precision platforming, a lot more useful than I originally gave it credit. I'm generally a fan of precision platforming and I'm glad the 2.2 levels don't have a ton of that, but I imagine that the force shield would be more favorable if levels had more scenarios where careful, tight platforming invites rewards.
Armageddon shield: I've come to realize a bit more than before the intent behind this shield's design: grab the shield usually from somewhere obscure and take it to an area where it clears off a lot of hazards or gives a ton of points at the risk of losing it when you don't want to. Using the shield's ability only to be followed by another area full of hazards still is frustrating though, and I wouldn't mind having the shield turn into a pity shield after you deliberately use its ability.
I also have some thoughts on Sonic 3 shields I'd like to share.
Flame shield: This shield works surprisingly well in SRB2. It's an interesting alternative to the thok that doesn't go where the camera is facing and doesn't feel quite as much like a sharp burst of speed. Haunted Heights is the only zone in-game to have the flame shield, and it's unfortunately extinguished by the goop which is often a required part of the level. This issue makes me understand why SRB2 by default has a shield that protects you from fire and water—it's arguably more on par with the other shields that way. I'm very used to the workings of the thok, so the flame shield tends to surprise me a little with how it doesn't take you as far as the thok does, but then again I'm not as experienced with it as I am with the five SRB2 shields.
Lightning shield: Though this shield is incredibly fun in Sonic 3 and Mania, it's basically an inferior whirlwind shield in SRB2. Keeping the spin state in the double jump invites some scenarios where I imagine it's a compelling choice whether to use the lightning shield or the whirlwind shield, but I think it would only ever be preferable to whirlwind if an area has a lot of coins or a lot of flying enemies. The lightning shield works pretty well with Aerial Garden's open design and helps make the tight platforming feel a bit less monotonous.
Bubble shield: This shield isn't as exciting as the other two Sonic 3 shields since the bounce stops your momentum when you use it (much more noticeable in SRB2's large-scale level design than in the 2D games), but I think it has a lot of potential for fun interactions with slopes somewhat like a faster, smaller-scale version of Fang's bounce. If you bounce on a slope downhill with the bubble shield, you get a forward boost in the slope's direction; if you bounce on an uphill slope, you're knocked all the way back much more forcefully than if Fang bounces uphill. The bubble shield's bounce is also unique in that it can be chained, which again has potential for fun slope interactions if you know what you're doing. It's a shame the only level in-game to have this shield (Azure Temple) doesn't have slopes, making it really only a protective shield that allows for rarely useful slight height boosts. I'd love to see more fan levels with slopes take advantage of the bubble shield's unique slope interactions.
Whirlwind shield: Still usually my number one shield. It's so much fun to use the shield not only to double-jump, but also to get a boost after jumping on a spring, walking off a ledge, zooming out of a dust devil, so much I'm forgetting. I just think it would be cool if it had a passive ability, even something small like protecting from Caranivore breath and maybe other hazards that slow you down.
Attraction shield: This shield's pseudo-homing attack is pretty fun and on some level strategic. You can use enemies to gain a boost in the direction they're facing, but it's somewhat risky and there are a lot of enemies it doesn't work on, making this ability feel more like a "just for fun" sort of thing than an ability useful for momentum.
Elemental shield: Quickly falling is handy in levels where you know the layout and want to speed through a downward jump, but I still find this ability a little underwhelming. The fire left behind when stomping and spinning is only useful on certain types of enemies and again useful mostly as a novelty. I do like that this shield allows you to go deeper into the Techno Hill goop and I'd love to see more levels have gimmicks that affect the elemental shield's physics.
Force shield: The force stop is useful for precision platforming, a lot more useful than I originally gave it credit. I'm generally a fan of precision platforming and I'm glad the 2.2 levels don't have a ton of that, but I imagine that the force shield would be more favorable if levels had more scenarios where careful, tight platforming invites rewards.
Armageddon shield: I've come to realize a bit more than before the intent behind this shield's design: grab the shield usually from somewhere obscure and take it to an area where it clears off a lot of hazards or gives a ton of points at the risk of losing it when you don't want to. Using the shield's ability only to be followed by another area full of hazards still is frustrating though, and I wouldn't mind having the shield turn into a pity shield after you deliberately use its ability.
I also have some thoughts on Sonic 3 shields I'd like to share.
Flame shield: This shield works surprisingly well in SRB2. It's an interesting alternative to the thok that doesn't go where the camera is facing and doesn't feel quite as much like a sharp burst of speed. Haunted Heights is the only zone in-game to have the flame shield, and it's unfortunately extinguished by the goop which is often a required part of the level. This issue makes me understand why SRB2 by default has a shield that protects you from fire and water—it's arguably more on par with the other shields that way. I'm very used to the workings of the thok, so the flame shield tends to surprise me a little with how it doesn't take you as far as the thok does, but then again I'm not as experienced with it as I am with the five SRB2 shields.
Lightning shield: Though this shield is incredibly fun in Sonic 3 and Mania, it's basically an inferior whirlwind shield in SRB2. Keeping the spin state in the double jump invites some scenarios where I imagine it's a compelling choice whether to use the lightning shield or the whirlwind shield, but I think it would only ever be preferable to whirlwind if an area has a lot of coins or a lot of flying enemies. The lightning shield works pretty well with Aerial Garden's open design and helps make the tight platforming feel a bit less monotonous.
Bubble shield: This shield isn't as exciting as the other two Sonic 3 shields since the bounce stops your momentum when you use it (much more noticeable in SRB2's large-scale level design than in the 2D games), but I think it has a lot of potential for fun interactions with slopes somewhat like a faster, smaller-scale version of Fang's bounce. If you bounce on a slope downhill with the bubble shield, you get a forward boost in the slope's direction; if you bounce on an uphill slope, you're knocked all the way back much more forcefully than if Fang bounces uphill. The bubble shield's bounce is also unique in that it can be chained, which again has potential for fun slope interactions if you know what you're doing. It's a shame the only level in-game to have this shield (Azure Temple) doesn't have slopes, making it really only a protective shield that allows for rarely useful slight height boosts. I'd love to see more fan levels with slopes take advantage of the bubble shield's unique slope interactions.