- For other uses, see Crusher (disambiguation).
The crusher, also known as the press[1] (プレス[2] Puresu?), is an obstacle that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Generally speaking, they are moving blocks that can cause an instant defeat if the player gets squeezed by them.
Description[]
Crushers do not have any specific appearance and can be anything from moving or falling platforms to pillars that are a part of the Zone's environment to moving blocks in the Zones. The purpose of a crusher is to inflict instant death upon the playable character. If the crusher manages to press a player into a surface, it will lead to an instant loss of a life for the player, regardless of invincibility, super transformation, shield or amount of Rings.
Types of crushers[]
| Image | Title | Level examples | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Giant cylinder[3] | Long, different shaped pillars, which move up and down at different speeds. Marble Zone has light green transparent pillars that move at low speed, which the player has to pass under to proceed. Some of these pillars can be opened by pressing a switch. In IceCap Zone, they are long ice pillars that move up at high speed and slowly move down to repeat their patterns. These crushers can appear in succession and can have different timing patterns. There are some pillars, which will close the route behind the player and others, but will rise up if the playable character is standing on it. | |
 |
Spikes and weight[3] | Marble Zone (Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)) |
These only appear in Marble Zone. These are metallic crushers hanging from shackles set on the roof, which can either be small and cubic or wider with spikes beneath them. These crushers move slowly up to the roof, before they reach the top and fall down with greater speed. The player can also use these crushers to climb to higher pathways or cross pits. |
 |
Moving regular Block | Many of these blocks float in the air or on small, narrow routes in certain pattern. However, there is the chance that the player can get crushed between such two blocks, or one of these block and another surface. Flying Battery Zone Act 1 has a single yellow block on the upper pathway which moves laterally. If the player does not avoid this block and gets trapped in the hall's left side, he will be squashed. | |
 |
Small Block | These are rows of smaller blocks which are mostly floating around in larger groups. Like regular blocks, these blocks float either in the air or on small, narrow routes. The player can get crushed between two of these sliding blocks or between a block and another surface. | |
 |
Platform | Crushers such as these are platforms that can crush the player depending the game. This usually occurs when the player is unable to jump through the bottom of the platform. In Labyrinth Zone, there are platforms in the underwater sections that start floating up once the player walks on them and will eventually crush the player against the roof which has spikes hanging from it. | |
 |
Floating Block | Labyrinth Zone (Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)) |
These blocks only appear in Labyrinth Zone. This block sets on land and floats above water, resting on the tops of ceilings when the player is underwater. Whenever the water rises or sets, it can crush the player if they're between the block and the surface unless the water stops moving. |
 |
Side Mesh Pillar | Scrap Brain Zone (Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)) |
These crushers only appear in Scrap Brain Zone Act 1 during tight tunnel sections. These pillars constantly move straight left, up and then backwards in an endless cycle. Here, the player has to go into a recess on the far left and wait until the pillars moves away or risk being crushed against the recess's roof by the pillar. Similar pillars appear in Sonic Colors' Scrap Brain Zone based Game Land level, but these are not meshed. |
 |
Crushing Tube | These crusher are slightly similar to Regular Blocks, but are mostly set separately and move in linear patterns. These types of crushers can move at either low or high speed. In Wacky Workbench, they are completely harmless, and instead work as an automatic transport tube and lead to an alternate pathway or secret room. If the player gets caught between this type of crusher and the roof, he will be sent through through the tube below it. | |
 |
Egg Crusher piston | In the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr. Robotnik has four pistons in the Final Zone, which can squash the player easily. The player has to look out two of these pistons at one moves and also has to hit the one where Doctor Robotnik is seen inside. In the Metallic Madness Zone's mini boss in Sonic Mania, there are five crushers instead of four. | |
 |
Vine curtain[4] | These crushers only appears in Mystic Cave Zone, where these thin rock pillars are a part the level's structure. Unlike regular long pillars, these ones fall/rise quickly from the ground and move slowly backward constantly. Some of these can also block certain pathways, meaning that the player must time his/her movements to get pass through without getting crushed. | |
 |
Pounding Piston | These crushers are usually set on narrow part of the pathway or above conveyor belts in Industrial themed Zones. There are almost always a pair of these in one place and move at extremely high speed without giving any warning. In Mad Gear Zone, these crushers give off louder sounds and move slower. They can also appear in groups on long routes. For these crusher, the player can get by them by either going under them while they are still up, or walk over their crushing surfaces once they have gone down. | |
 |
Crusher Gate | The second type of crushers in Metropolis Zone are smaller and more rare, resembling black and dark yellow pillars, which move up and down at high speed. | |
 |
Crushing Door | Different types of moving level structures in Sonic the Hedgehog CD functions as crushers in some form. In past or future version of Tidal Tempest, these structures can suddenly close down the route which the player has to get through. On the lower routes of Wacky Workbench, there are also traditional up-and-down moving structures which are actually doors, but can crush the player if they try to backtrack through them while they are closing. | |
 |
Crushing Wall | These crushers are giant walls that start moving and follow the player for a certain amount of time at varying speeds. The player has to escape from being crushed while going through linear or non-linear sections. While many crushing walls are flat most of the time, Silver Castle Zone has crushing walls with spikes and Mad Gear Zone Act 3 has crushing walls with active drills. | |
 |
Rotating Pillar | In Hydrocity Zone act 2, some of the pillars there can move up and down with the player rotating on them. Others bounce in lateral directions on walls at medium speed. Because of this, the player can get himself/herself trapped between these pillars and a wall and thus being crushed. | |
 |
Crushing Spiker[5] | While being similar to many other crushers, this one has spikes and lands down at high speed and rises slowly up to repeat its pattern. These crushers are found on narrow paths, where they are usually set on large pillar above the level's structure. The Official Sonic 3 Play Guide book mentions Crushing Spikers being some sort of Badnik, but this hasn't been elaborated further outside of said guide book.[5] | |
 |
Spinning Wheel | Spinning Wheels in Carnival Night Zone have certain moving pattern in mid-air, where they can move sideways at high speed or move in a square pattern at low speed. Many of them can also pop out off the level's structure and block the pathway for few seconds. All of these types of crushers can squash the player if they get between them and another surface. | |
 |
Spiked Guillotine | These crushers resemble small guillotines with spikes on the bottom which appear in Launch Base Zone Act 1, where they rise up and fall down on to spikes. The player has to move past either when the guillotine rises above the spike set on the bottom or jump over. | |
 |
Magnetized Platform | Flying Battery Zone features crushers in the form of half-cut iron balls, with chains set on bottom, that are moved up when magnetic machines above it are activated. Should the magnetic machines go off while the player is below them, these crushers will fall down and squash the player. Some of these can crush the player against a ceiling if the player stands on top of one while the magnetic machines are activated. | |
 |
Giant Mechanized Crusher | Lava Reef Zone Act 1 features giant, mechanized crushers with spikes on the bottom which slowly moves up into the air, before falling down at high speed. These crushers are hard to undercut, but the player is also able to use them as rising platforms. | |
 |
Weight | Weights are a different types of crusher, which float in the air until the player gets below them, where they then fall down and squash the player. Unlike normal crushers, however, the player will not lose a life when squashed by a Weight, but instead take damage. After having fallen down, the Weight will rise up into the air again, and will crush the player once more if they get under it again. Weights have made numerous appearances in the 3D games after Sonic Adventure 2. The player can also climb on top of Weights, which function like rising and falling platforms. Only in rare cases is the player able to destroy Weights. | |
 |
Regular Block with Spikes | There are two types of these block crushers. The first types are like regular crushers, and the second type is different. The second mentioned (see picture on left) can sprout spikes out on itself if the player tries to go above the block. | |
 |
Crushing Side Pillar | These pillars rise from the side walls in the narrow pit section. The player has to climb on top of them to avoid being crushed. These pillars also appear during the second phase of the boss fight against the Egg Mobile in Lost Labyrinth Zone. | |
 |
Large Pressing Machine | Only one of these appear in MeteoTech Premises and is similar to the Thin Crushers in the Metropolis Zone. It does not hurt the player, but blocks the rider's path. There are three ways to get under this crusher: two upper and one lower. The player can take the lower route; therefore the playable character's way is not blocked and they can grab some Rings, or the player can navigate the playable character through one of the upper routes where a Dash Panel is located at. Good timing is needed for taking the upper route. | |
 |
Badnik-like Crusher | Several of these wide, industrial looking crushers appear throughout levels in Game Land. They will remain stationary until Sonic is either below or above one, which will cause them to lower slowly. Similar to the Moving Crates from Sonic Unleashed, these crushers have an animated face that makes them resemble a Badnik. However, it is unclear if they truly count due to there simple nature and indestructibility. |
In other media[]
Animation[]
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog[]
In the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog television series, a crusher appears in the episode "Lovesick Sonic", where it is used as a backup trap for Sonic. When Sonic was knocked out by the electricity magnet, he dodged it, also saving Breezie. Scratch refers it as "The Smash Stepper".
References[]
- ↑ Dimps (18 October 2013). Sonic Lost World. Nintendo 3DS. Sega. Area/Level: Silent Forest Zone 3. "Hint Ring: Getting caught by the press will make you lose a life, so try to get past very carefully."
- ↑ (in Japanese) ソニック・ザ・ヘッジホッグ2 メガドライブ公式ガイドブック. Shogakukan. December 1992. p. 28. ISBN 978-4091024145.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Prima Publishing (1993). "Sonic The Hedgehog for Sega Genesis". Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2: Sega's Official Player's Guide. Prima Publishing. p. 21. ISBN 1-55958-335-5.
- ↑ (in English) Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2: Sega's Official Player's Guide. Compute; Expanded edition. 1993. p. 113. ISBN 1-55958-335-5.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Official Sonic 3 Game Play Guide Review. YouTube. PompeyGamesRoom (1 April 2018). Retrieved on 29 June 2022.
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