The Beetle Series[1][2][3][4][5] (ビートル・シリーズ[1] Bītoru Shirīzu?) is a group that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is an army of mass-produced, beetle-based robots created by the Guardian Units of Nations.
Description[]
The Mono Beetle, the most basic model of the Beetle Series, from the console/PC version of Sonic Generations.
Overall, the robots in the Beetle Series resemble beetles; they are roughly spherical robots with blue outlines and armor on the front. At the top, they have a sharp blue cap with a red-striped edge. Below, reaching from just behind the edge of their front armor to far behind their back, they have a horizontal yellow turbine disk with a red and blue-striped frame. On their "face", they also have a single red eye. All Beetle Series models are marked with a number, usually "01", although on certain occasions it's been switched for "05".[6]
Like most other G.U.N. robots, the Beetle Series models are powered by Chaos Drives, crystallized Chaos Emerald energy which makes them fully automatic, unmanned machines.[3] Additionally, they are capable of fight, and some are armed with weapons from cannons to bomb throwers. They are often deployed in groups.
History[]
Past[]
Fifty years ago after the aftermath of Project Shadow, G.U.N. started to use Chaos Drives to power up their machines, including the Beetle Series.[3]
Sonic Adventure 2[]
Beetles first appeared in Sonic Adventure 2 as enemies. There were four types: Mono Beetles, Gun Beetles, Beetle Bombers, and Gold Beetles.
Mono Beetles are the basic model and primarily served as stepping stones for linking homing attacks together, in order for Sonic and Shadow to gain height or cross large gaps (such as in Metal Harbor). They are typically stationary.
Gun Beetles are equipped with a small cannon on the underside and tend to be much more mobile. They are especially dangerous to Tails and Eggman, who move slower and make for much bigger targets to hit.
Beetle Bombers are slow moving, and often stay high above the play area to bombard the player with large explosives.
Gold Beetles are Mono Beetles with a gold coloration that appear once in every stage. They appear suddenly in a set location for a couple seconds before disappearing. Once the disappearing animation has started the Beetles become invulnerable, even if an attack (such as a homing attack) had been started by the player, targeting the enemy. If a player successfully destroys a Gold Beetle, they are awarded 1000 points, making them essential to obtain an A rank in score-based missions.
Shadow the Hedgehog[]
Beetles have a very similar variety and function in Shadow the Hedgehog as they did in Sonic Adventure 2. Gold Beetles now simply appear as an alternate coloration of Mono Beetles, and their color scheme is now much closer to the standard Beetle color scheme.
In most stages, destroying Beetles increase the player's Dark score, and add to the Dark Gauge.
The Beetle series' alignment in Shadow the Hedgehog is with GUN, and can be seen attacking the Black Arms and Eggman Empire.
Sonic Generations[]
In the console/PC version and Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations, and its remaster Sonic X Shadow Generations, the Beetle Series features in both acts of City Escape and Radical Highway, sharing their functionality and overall design with the originals from Sonic Adventure 2, since both stages are recreations of the counterparts from that game.
Shadow Generations[]
In Shadow Generations, the Beetle Series appear in Space Colony ARK and Radical Highway, sharing their functionality and overall design with the originals from Sonic Adventure 2, since both stages are recreations of the counterparts from that game.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Enemy Datafile: Normal" (in Japanese). Sonic Adventure 2 Perfect Guide. Enterbrain. October 29, 2001. p. 216. ISBN 4-7577-0625-1.
- ↑ Prima Development (June 20, 2001). "Enemies". Sonic Adventure 2: Prima's Official Strategy Guide. Prima Games. p. 16. ISBN 978-0761536147.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Enemies" (in Japanese). Sonic Adventure 2 Hero/Dark Manual. SoftBank. July 16, 2001. p. 26. ISBN 978-4797317152.
- ↑ Flynn, Ian; Sega (December 8, 2021). "Sonic Adventure 2/Sonic Adventure 2: Battle". Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia. Dark Horse Books. p. 117. ISBN 978-1506719276. "Beetle Series: Floating pods armed with bombs, guns or searchlights. Gold ones are worth 1,000 points!"
- ↑ Flynn, Ian; Sega (December 8, 2021). "Shadow the Hedgehog". Sonic the Hedgehog Encyclo-speed-ia. Dark Horse Books. p. 156. ISBN 978-1506719276. "Beetle Series: Flying pods outfitted with guns, electric barriers, or rocket launchers; includes Gun, Mono, Rocket, Spark and Gold Beetles"
- ↑ Shadow the Hedgehog
