Battle Mode
Duke it out with other players in action-packed arenas! Score points, collect the Chaos Emeralds, or be the last racer standing to win!
Battle Mode is only available in splitscreen or online Multiplayer.
Three Ways to Win!
Battle Mode is a chaotic brawl, and you’ll need a cool head and sharp nerves to win—but HOW do you win?
- Reach the Score Limit, then Knock Out a player who’s out of bumpers.
- Collect all seven Chaos Emeralds from Monitors or other players.
- Be the last one standing in Overtime, by any means necessary!
Bumpers
Players spawn with three Bumpers, acting as health. Gain bumpers by successfully damaging other players, or by getting the Bumper Restock Power-Up. You’ll lose Bumpers if you take damage or fall out of the arena.
Once you run out of bumpers, it’s your Last Chance: one hit will KO you and cause you to lose points!
Combat Configuration!
If you’re hit while standing still, your Bumpers will deploy, pushing you away from the attacker. They’ll push harder if you keep taking hits in quick succession; use Directional Influence to take control of that force and steer away from combos. (See “Advanced Techniques”.)
When you lose your final Bumper, your Ring Racer will destabilize, bouncing off anything you come into contact with. This is your final opportunity to avoid a follow-up hit—DI for your life, off any and every surface!
Scoring
Rack up score by damaging players! Players with high scores will have the TARGET reticle placed over them.
- +1 point: Damaging a player through any normal means.
- +2 points: Damage a player who’s out of bumpers for a KO!
- +3 points: Damage the player with the TARGET reticle!
The Score Limit is displayed on the left side of your screen. Once you’ve reached the Score Limit, you’ll see “K.O. READY!” in the center of your screen, and the score tracker will flash. After that, any extra points are for tiebreakers; focus on finding a KO to win the round!
Item Monitors
During Battle, Item Monitors will appear in the arena. Damage them by running into them or using an Insta-Whip; when they crack, the items inside will spill onto the floor.
After breaking a monitor, the items inside will be briefly marked with your color; before they become available to other players, you’ve got first dibs!
TIP: Heavyweights have an easier time breaking monitors, but everyone can deal some damage if they get up to speed.
Overtime
If no players have managed to win by the time limit, Overtime begins! A barrier will gradually shrink from the edges of the map down to the Kiosk, which shows on the minimap. Players that get KO’d or get knocked into the barrier are eliminated—for good!
During Overtime, the Kiosk will spawn items and Chaos Emeralds. The last player standing will take victory!
The Sphere Gauge
Blue Spheres are scattered throughout the arena; collect them to build the Sphere Gauge and speed up your Racer. The energy collected will decay over time, and will decay faster while charging up an Insta-Whip.
When you E-Brake, your Ring Racer will project a protective Guard, draining your Sphere Gauge. Guard protects you from everything but direct bumps, but will disappear when you’re out of Spheres. Use a well-timed Guard to reflect items and slap the Insta-Whip away!
TIP: During his battles with Sonic, Dr. Robotnik’s learned plenty about high-speed impacts. In Battle Mode, when you take damage, your Ring Racer will convert part of the kinetic energy into Sphere Gauge.
Rock, Paper, Whip!
Battle has a three-way triangle of main tools, revolving around Insta-Whip, Guard, and Bumping. (For more on the Insta-Whip, see the “Advanced Techniques” section.)
- Insta-Whip is blocked by Guard, leaving the attacker in a poor state.
- Guard is shattered by bumping, leaving the defender tumbling.
- Bumping does nothing to protect against the Insta-Whip.
Earning points isn’t as easy as blind-firing away; you’ve got to get an attack past your opponent’s defenses. The interplay between these three tools can lead to some serious tension; use staggered attacks, other players, and the element of surprise to make your punches land!
REMEMBER:
- When you see WHIP, E-Brake to GUARD!
- When you see GUARD, SLAM ’EM!
- And when someone’s driving normally, go for a WHIP!
Can you master the Attack Triangle?
The Combat UFO
As time passes, a “Combat UFO” will spawn at a select location in the arena. You can drive underneath the UFO to be beamed up to it, then destroy it with an Insta-Whip or item.
When broken, UFOs will drop one of several Power-Ups. Play for the UFO, and it can lead to a massive edge—but strong players will make you work for it…
- Super Power: Become invincible, speed up, and tumble other players when you hit them. Insta-Whip is your only weakness!
- Mega Barrier: Total protection from items and Insta-Whip, like a permanent Guard. Just don’t get slammed!
- Rhythm Badge: Powers up your Insta-Whip—no charging, no cooldown, no limits. Only Guard can stop you!
- Super Flicky: Four superpowered Flickies orbit your Ring Racer, flying out to divebomb nearby enemies. Huge combo potential!
- Bumper Restock: Grants 5 bumpers. Go fight like a maniac!
- Bonus: Grants 6 points. Sneak into scoring position for the final KO…
If your enemy is on a power-up rampage, aim for an Insta-Whip to knock it out of them—and grab it for yourself!
Chaos Emeralds
Certain Item Monitors have a telltale sparkle… When you crack them, in addition to the normal prizes, a Chaos Emerald will appear!
When you take damage, you’ll drop one of your Emeralds—but if you can collect all seven, you’ll instantly win the round!
When you’re in the lead, your TARGET markers will show the location of the Chaos Emeralds, and your Insta-Whip will break monitors in one hit. Everyone wants your Ring Racer in flames, so choose wisely; do you want to win via KO, or go for the Emeralds?
Keep your eyes peeled for anyone trying to steal the win. In dire situations, you’ll need to drop everything to stop them—even if that means protecting an enemy!