The S is an Item Box power-up that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. When obtained, the playable character will enter their Super State and get 50 Rings. Unlike many other power-ups, the S item boxes are not seen in regular gameplay. Because of this, the player is only able to create them with Debug Mode.
Item Boxes containing an S usually display the text "S" on their screens. The appearance of this S differs between appearances, being either a thin, red and yellow S or a wide, blue S with a yellow border.
When obtained in most games, the S will grant the playable character fifty Rings and make them enter their Super or Hyper State automatically. If the user is already in their Super/Hyper State, the S Item Box will simply grant them fifty Rings.
Game appearances
Sonic the Hedgehog CD
In Sonic the Hedgehog CD, the S is a power-up that can only be placed with Debug Mode. When broken, it grants the player the Invincible and Power Sneakers at once. These effects only last for about thirty seconds however. There is also a hidden S Item Box underneath the arena where the EGG-HVC-001 is fought.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles
In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, S Item Boxes can only be placed using Debug Mode. Unlike in Sonic the Hedgehog CD, they now grant the user fifty Rings and their Super State when broken. Like Sonic the Hedgehog CD though, the player has to activate Debug Mode in order to place it in a level (here, the S is represented by a blank Item Box). In Sonic's case, after he breaks the Item Box, he will instantly transform into Super Sonic. In Tails' case though, although he still unofficially transforms into "Super Tails", his sprite will be glitched, as Tails is not intended to have a Super State in that game.
In the lock-on game Sonic 3 & Knuckles, S Item Boxes transform Sonic and Tails into Hyper Sonic and Hyper Tails respectively. When playing as Knuckles, the "S" is colored red instead of blue and when used, Knuckles transforms into Super Knuckles although he will emit afterimages as if he was Hyper Knuckles. He is still susceptible to drowning and is unable to create a shockwave upon gliding into a wall.[1] If "Blue Knuckles" (a glitched state of Knuckles) breaks an S Item Box, he will become yellow with glitched afterimages and gain Super Knuckles' abilities.
In Sonic Mania and its expansion Sonic Mania Plus, the S Item Box possesses a similar appearance and the same mechanics as in Sonic 3 and Knuckles. It does not appear normally in the Zones, and can only be placed while in Debug Mode.
Trivia
During development of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, S Item Boxes were apparently conceived to be featured, though they would be scrapped. Despite this, unused sprites of Item Boxes with S on it were discovered in the files. According to an issue of Computer & Video Games, this power-up would have granted both Invincible and Speed Sneakers at once.[2]
Due to Sonic and Knuckles sharing different color palettes in Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the S Item Boxes is colored red instead of blue when the playable character is Knuckles. The Aqua Shield and the Invincibility sparkles share this trait. This has been fixed in the Sonic Origins remaster where the aformentioned items have their original color palette even while playing as Knuckles.
In the original version of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, each time the playable character breaks an S Item Box while he was already in his Super/Hyper State, he will still perform his transformation animation. This no longer happens in the subsequent appearances of the S Item Boxes (including the Sonic Origins remaster of Sonic 3 & Knuckles ).
In the original version of Sonic 3 & Knuckles, should the player destroy multiple S Item Boxes at once, their controls may suddenly be locked. If the player then presses Start, they will be redirected to the game of Sonic & Knuckles and will play through the levels there.
This is the only way to enable the use of Debug Mode (let alone S Item Boxes) in said game.
In the 2013 remaster of the original Sonic the Hedgehog, there is a glitch that the S Item Boxes may not grant its abilities when broken.
Sometimes, when breaking an S with many Rings, the player may get a 1-Up for collecting a single Ring (for a short period of time).
As of version 1.03 of Sonic Mania, the S Item Box's icon is present in the top-right corner of the screen whenever the playable character is ready to transform into their Super State (having all seven Chaos Emeralds and at least 50 Rings).
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In Sonic the Hedgehog CD, the S is a power-up that can only be placed with Debug Mode. When broken, it grants the player the Invincible and Power Sneakers at once. These effects only last for about thirty seconds however. There is also a hidden S Item Box underneath the arena where the EGG-HVC-001 is fought.
In Sonic the Hedgehog 3, S Item Boxes can only be placed using Debug Mode. Unlike in Sonic the Hedgehog CD, they now grant the user fifty Rings and their Super State when broken. Like Sonic the Hedgehog CD though, the player has to activate Debug Mode in order to place it in a level (here, the S is represented by a blank Item Box). In Sonic's case, after he breaks the Item Box, he will instantly transform into Super Sonic. In Tails' case though, although he still unofficially transforms into "Super Tails", his sprite will be glitched, as Tails is not intended to have a Super State in that game.
