Here's a crazy idea: what if you just gave Super Sonic active shield abilities (with some Super buffs) using Jump+Spin, replacing his hover ability until the shield is deactivated? It would balance out gameplay such that players would need to choose whether they wanted a particular shield's active ability more than hover for a segment of the level. Here are some scenarios where shields may be more useful:
Main Shields
- Low on rings: Grab the Attraction Shield to stock up on rings, or use homing-attacks on several enemies in quick succession. Maybe add a +1 ring multiplier bonus for every enemy you chain together in one jump. Alternatively, grab the Armageddon Shield and clear out a whole area of both enemies and rings in one single blast.
- Precise platforming: Grab the Force Shield and use its insta-stop ability to cancel Super Sonic's crazy momentum when traversing pits you cannot otherwise jump or hover across. (I cannot begin to tell you how many times I went flying off a platform in CEZ and ACZ, only to hover and realize I have nowhere to hover toward except to a death pit below). As an added safety net, maybe buff the insta-stop with hover-descent, so Super Sonic gradually sets down rather than just drops. Helpful if you activate the insta-stop too early/late and need to reach the ledge.
- Avoid crush death: Possible retooling of Force Shield's passive ability. Since Super Sonic cannot ordinarily take damage, but can be crushed, this will let him survive 2 crushes before the shield deactivates.
- Destruction ground pound: Grab the Elemental Shield to destroy enemies and spikes within a certain radius of Super Sonic after hitting the ground, and break open floors only meant for Amy and Fang. Buffed ground-pound also makes it easier to reach the very bottom of the goo pits in THZ and HHZ.
- Resist water currents: Possible expansion to Elemental Shield's passive ability. Along with not drowning, this buff means Super Sonic won't be swept away by water currents in GFZ, THZ, DSZ, etc, allowing him to preserve momentum and access areas only Tails or Knuckles can.
- Reach areas that are too high up: Grab the Whirlwind Shield to essentially double Super Sonic's jump height (either by buffing the standard jump boost, or adding a second consecutive jump boost).
Edit:
Sonic 3 Shields
- Destruction flame dash: Grab the Flame Shield to break open walls only meant for Knuckles and Amy using a flame dash. To distinguish it from the thok, the flame dash wouldn't cover as much distance, as per usual.
- Jump warp: Grab the Lightning Shield to zap or "warp" twice in the direction you hold. Basically, Shadow's Chaos Control ability, but using the standard Lightning Shield sprites. (Would be a lifesaver in AGZ for sure.)
- Escape death pits: Grab the Bubble Shield to floor-bounce off anything, including spikes, water, and death pits. To make things fair, bouncing into a death pit would "pop" the bubble (i.e. deactivating the shield) and launch Super Sonic back out to safety.
Of course, a potential issue with this plan is how to deactivate shields at will and return his ability to hover once more, since Super Sonic cannot get hurt. A time limit, similar to
Invincibility and
Speed Shoes, wouldn't be fair for certain shields with really useful passive abilities, like the
Elemental Shield. A potential option is to give each shield a limited number of active ability usages.
Armageddon Shield already deactivates after 1 use, but maybe
Attraction, Elemental, Force, and
Whirlwind Shields deactivate after, say, 10-20 homing attacks, ground-pounds, insta-stops, and double jumps, respectively. Ditto for Sonic 3 shields. So if you value that shield's passive ability, don't spam its active ability. Otherwise, if you want hovering back, spam away until the shield is gone.
Anyway, that's my pitch. What do you think?
