Red Burst (レッド・バースト Reddo Bāsuto?) is a transformation that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is the Color Power gained by absorbing a Red Wisp and its Hyper-go-on, which turns the user into a sentient fireball.
Appearance
When using the Red Burst, the user turns into a orange-red fireball that constantly gives off an aura of flames. In Sonic's case, his entire body turns into a large version of his own head with no facial features except for his eyes, which do not have pupils and are yellow, and his ears which do not have ear canals. Additionally, his quills take the shape of flames, his ears become slightly curved, and he gains a stubby curved horn on his forehead.
Game appearances
Sonic Colors
The Red Burst made its first appearance in the Nintendo DS version of Sonic Colors. In this game, the Red Burst is the first Color Power introduced in the game (not including the White Wisps), and is unlocked in Sweet Mountain. In gameplay, while transformed into the Red Burst, Sonic can destroy any enemy or weak obstacles simply by touching them. The Red Burst is also able to jump, and can even perform midair jumps. The latter can be pulled off in succession and as many times as needed, allowing the player to move through midair in semi-flight, similar to Scale. In addition, the Red Burst can charge explosions when preparing to jump. The longer the explosion is charged, the larger the it becomes, which in turn enables bigger jumps and more offensive explosions. An explosion charged to the maximum is capable of destroying all nearby destructible enemies, traps and obstacles, dealing heavy damage to bosses, and opening Wisp Capsules and Item Boxes. While charging a jump/explosion in midair, the Red Burst's descend through midair is slowed down. As the Red Burst, the player also cannot lose a life due to damage, even if the player has no Rings on them, though Sonic can still lose Rings from damaging obstacles, like spikes, or attacks from bosses. While transformed into the Red Burst, the player also automatically moves forward.
The Red Burst can be used in conjunction with certain gimmicks in the game. It can stand in hot air balloons in Sweet Mountain to make said balloons ascend, board the passenger cars on Ferris wheels in Tropical Resort which will ignite them and launch the player forward through midair, and enter popcorn cannons in Sweet Mountain which will shoot the player out of them like a cannonball.
To use the Red Burst in gameplay, the player must possess a Red Wisp. Once transformed into the Red Burst, the player's Boost Gauge starts to deplete, and once it runs out, Sonic will revert back to normal. To extend its duration, the player has to collect more Red Wisps. Noticeably, using certain gimmicks, like the Ferris wheel and the popcorn cannons, will make the Boost Gauge freeze temporarily. In gameplay, the Red Burst is activated by pressing 
. To jump on both the ground and in midair, the player has to press 
/
//
, and to build up jumps/explosions the player has to hold down ///.
Sonic Generations
In the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Generations, only Classic Sonic can use the Red Burst. In this game, the Red Burst can only be used in Tropical Resort Act 1 as the Red Wisps can only be found there. In gameplay, while transformed into the Red Burst, Classic Sonic can destroy any enemy simply by touching them. The Red Burst is also able to jump, and can even perform midair jumps. The latter can be pulled off in succession and as many times as needed, allowing the player to move through midair in semi-flight, similar to Scale. In addition, the Red Burst can charge explosions when preparing to jump. The longer the explosion is charged, the larger the explosion becomes, which in turn enables bigger jumps and more offensive explosions. An explosion charged to the maximum is capable of destroying all nearby destructible enemies, traps and obstacles, and opening Wisp Capsules. While charging a jump/explosion in midair, the Red Burst's descend through midair is slowed down. The Ferris wheels gimmick for the Red Burst from Sonic Colors also makes a return.
To use the Red Burst in gameplay, the player must possess a Red Wisp. Once transformed into the Red Burst, the player's Wisp Gauge starts to deplete, and once it runs out, Classic Sonic will revert back to normal. To extend its duration, the player has to either collect more Red Wisps or touch flames found in the Act, the latter of which will not hurt Classic Sonic while he is transformed into the Red Burst. Noticeably, using the Ferris wheel will make the Wisp Gauge freeze temporarily. In gameplay, the Red Burst is activated by pressing . To jump on both the ground and in midair, the player has to press , and to build up jumps/explosions the player has to hold down .
Sonic Lost World
In the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Lost World, the Red Burst makes an appearance. Unlike in previous titles, the Red Burst can be used in the 3D sections of the Zones. In this game, it is first used in Lava Mountain Zone 1. In gameplay, while transformed into the Red Burst, the user can damage any enemy simply by touching them. The Red Burst is also able to jump, and can even perform midair jumps. The latter can be pulled off in succession and as many times as needed, allowing the player to move through midair in semi-flight, similar to Scale. In addition, the Red Burst can charge explosions when preparing to jump. The longer the explosion is charged, the larger the explosion becomes, which in turn enables bigger jumps and more offensive explosions. An explosion charged to the maximum is capable of destroying all nearby destructible enemies, traps and obstacles, and dealing heavy damage to bosses. While charging a jump/explosion in midair, the Red Burst's descend through midair is slowed down.
To use the Red Burst in gameplay, the player must tap the icon of the Red Wisp on the touchscreen while in possession of a Red Wisp. If the player is in an area not suited for the Red Burst however, the Red Wisp will go dormant (which is illustrated by its on-screen icon sleeping), thus preventing the player from becoming the Red Burst. Once transformed into the Red Burst, the player's Wisp Gauge starts to deplete, and once it runs out, Sonic will revert back to normal. To extend its duration, the player has to either collect more Red Wisps or touch flames found in Zones, the latter of which will not hurt Sonic while he is transformed into the Red Burst. To jump on both the ground and in midair, the player has to press /, and to build up jumps/explosions the player has to hold down /.
Team Sonic Racing
In Team Sonic Racing, the Red Burst makes an appearance as a product of the Red Wisp Item Box power-ups that can be obtained on the race tracks. In this game, rather than transforming the playable character when using the Red Burst, the game manifests the Red Burst's power instead for the playable character to use.
To use the Red Burst in gameplay, the player has to press 
/
/
while in possession of a Red Wisp. Once activated, the Red Burst lets the user leave a flaming tire track trail behind their vehicle for a short time that will damage any rival racer who makes contact with it. By activating the Red Burst on narrow roads, the player can block the way for rival racers.
Powers and abilities
As the Red Burst, the user obtains limited pyrokinetic abilities. The user can either form a shield of flames around themselves that instantly incinerates anything it touches, and they can create explosions of fire by combusting into flames without inflicting harm on themselves. These explosions can be channeled to shoot the user higher into the air or be charged up to trigger large-scale and powerful explosions that destroys nearly anything within its range. In addition, the user's speed increases while using Red Burst.
In certain instances, the Red Burst also grants the user immunity to fire, similar to the Flame Shield.
Weaknesses
The main weakness of the Red Burst is that it can only be used for a few seconds and requires more Hyper-go-on from Red Wisps or large sources of fire, such as the flames from the 3DS version of Sonic Lost World to be maintained. In addition, making contact with water while in Red Burst form will cancel the transformation, regardless of how much Hyper-go-on the user may have had left.
Jingle
| Game | Name | Artist(s) | Length | Music track |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonic Generations (Nintendo 3DS) | "Tropical Resort - Color Power / Red Burst" | Tomoya Ohtani | 0:26 | |
| Sonic Lost World (Nintendo 3DS) | "Color Power - Red Burst" | Tomoya Ohtani | 0:25 |
Trivia
- The Red Burst can deal extra damage against Globotron and Captain Jelly in the Nintendo DS version of Sonic Colors.
- In the Wisps' native tongue, Red Burst is translated as "8&6#WM%$^".
- Out of the four Color Powers to return in Sonic Lost World and its different versions, the Red Burst is the only one to have the music entirely changed; the other returning Wisps have their respective themes slightly changed.[1]
- The Red Burst is the only Wisp in the entire series to be able to replenish its Hyper-go-on without the use of a Wisp Capsule.
References
