Blastoid

The Blastoid,^[1] later known in Japan as Ponter (ポンター^[2], Pontā^?), is an enemy that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a mass-produced, bunker-based Badnik created by Dr. Eggman.

Appearance

Resembling miniature versions of an artillery bunker, Blastoids are small blue and yellow robots with small eyes and a cannon.

Game appearances

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles

In Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and the lock-on game Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Blastoids^[1] are encountered in Hydrocity Zone.

In gameplay, Blastoids sit statically. When approached though, a Blastoid will fire three orange projectiles in the player's direction at a 40° angle, but it is unable to aim. Blastoids are not much of a threat, but they can catch the player off guard. They are commonly found on collapsing bridges, ledges, or on top of large loops, where they can be tough to avoid. In underwater sections, lone Blastoids are required to be defeated to make platforms crumble and open lower paths for the player.

The Spin Jump or Spin Dash defeats Blastoids easily. However, due to the fact Blastoids fire projectiles, precaution must be taken when timing a jump. The projectiles they fire can also be deflected by any shield available, like the Water Shield, which is common in Hydrocity Zone.

Sonic Mania

In Sonic Mania, and its expansion Sonic Mania Plus, Blastoids are enemies found in both Acts of Hydrocity Zone. In gameplay, they sit statically, commonly near collapsing bridges, ledges, or on top of large loops, where they can be tough to avoid. When the playable characters approaches them, they will fire three orange projectiles at a 40° angle. These projectiles can be deflected by using Shield-derived power-ups or through Mighty's Spin Attack. In underwater sections, lone Blastoids are required to be defeated to make platforms crumble and open lower paths for the player.

The player is able to destroy Blastoids by attacking them with a Spin Attack-related move, although this can be tricky due to them firing projectiles. Upon their destruction, they will release an Animal and award the player with 100 points.

Relationships

Friends/allies

• Dr. Eggman (creator)

Enemies

• Knuckles the Echidna
• Miles "Tails" Prower
• Sonic the Hedgehog

Trivia

• One of the enemies in Sonic Advance 3, the Clam, has an identical attack pattern to the Blastoid.
• In Sonic 3 & Knuckles, Blastoids are only ever encountered exclusively within Hydrocity Zone Act 1. They can be placed in Act 2 using Debug Mode. However, their sprite appears to use Jawz's textures (the latter of which is exclusive to Act 2). It is likely they use each other's sprites to match the corresponding Act's palette.
• The Blastoid's Japanese name, "Ponter," is actually a pun on bontai, meaning "out in 1-2-3 order."

References