Sandworm (Sonic Lost World)

The sandworms^[1] are creatures in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a non-anthropomorphic breed of giant worms found in desert regions on the Lost Hex and Sonic's world.

Description[]

Anatomy[]

Sandworms resemble the common earthworm. They come in several, but large, sizes: some are as big as houses while others are as tall as towers. They have mostly light blue skin with purple and cream yellow stripes, a wide mouth flanked with blunt teeth, and small pupil-less, cyan eyes. In the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Lost World, sandworms also have a yellow stripe of skin that marks their weak point.

Powers and abilities[]

The Sandworms are very fast burrowers who can tunnel through sand as it was water despite their size. They are capable of excreting purple acid from their mouths.

Game appearances[]

Sonic Lost World[]

In the Wii U version, PC version and Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Lost World, the Sandworms appear as either enemies or obstacles (depending on the version of the game).

In the Wii U/PC version, sandworms are only found in Desert Ruins Zone 1. In this version, they cannot be defeated by any means. They first appear in the 3D sections as towering obstacles that rise from sticky sand sections and remain stationary. Some sandworms spit acid balls which splash on the ground. The player will take damage by touching these sandworms and can get eaten by one while flying. In the 2.5D sections of the same Zone, different sandworms will charge in from the left, right or lower part of the screen when the player reaches a certain point. Getting eaten by these sandworms will cost a life while touching them only cause damage.

In the Nintendo 3DS version of the game, sandworms appear in Desert Ruins Zone 1 and 3. These sandworms come in two variants, each with a different size and attack pattern. Medium-sized sandworms can be found burrowing between holes in a linear pattern around arenas. Their only attack is spitting acid balls. On several occasions, defeating a sandworm is mandatory for opening Cases, which is needed to progress in the Zone. To defeat this sandworm, hit it with a Homing Attack or Somersault to reveal its yellow weak spot, but avoid its mouth. Then target the weak spot with a fully-charged Focused Homing Attack to defeat the sandworm. Alternatively, the player can dash the Gray Quake into its weak spot for greater damage. In Hard Mode, these sandworms will not be destroyed unless Sonic hits them with the fully-charged Homing Attack; attempting to hit their weak points with anything less will just make them keel over momentarily.

Another giant sandworm appears near the end of Desert Ruins Zone 1 in the Nintendo 3DS version. Upon encountering it, the player must keep moving forward. Meanwhile, the sandworm will track Sonic underground and occasionally pop out to try and eat him. When climbing hills, the giant sandworm will pop out from the wall to attack the player. A bumping shadow on the wall will indicate where it is about to emerge. At the end of the route, the player must use the Indigo Asteroid and built up its Asteroid Ring while the giant sandworm emerges from the ground to attack Sonic. As the sandworm emerges, hit its weak point three times to defeat it and unlock the local Case.

Sonic Forces[]

In Sonic Forces, a Sandworm can be seen in the sandy background of Lost Valley. Its appearance in Green Hill territory is a result of the local desertification caused by Dr. Eggman's industries.^[2] This sandworm will follow Sonic through the stage for a while, burrowing through the sand and occasionally resurfacing.

Trivia[]

• The sandworms may be based on the famous sandworms of Arrakis from Frank Herbert's science fiction series, Dune. Like in this game, the sandworms of Dune are massive monsters that live in the open desert and attempt to eat anything that passes on the surface of the sand. In Dune, an approaching sandworm displaces copious amounts of sand as it draws near, a phenomenon called "wormsign"; this is replicated in the Nintendo 3DS version of Sonic Lost World, which shows the shadows of worms moving below the surface.

Gallery[]

Concept artwork[]

Screenshots[]

Gallery
Sonic Lost World (Wii U) Sonic Lost World (Wii U) Sonic Lost World (Wii U) Sonic Lost World (Nintendo 3DS)

References[]

↑ Dimps (18 October 2013). Sonic Lost World. Nintendo 3DS. Sega. Area/Level: Desert Ruins. "Hint Ring: This is a huge sandworm. If it swallows you up, you'll lose a life, so be careful!" ↑ Sonic Team (7 November 2017). Sonic Forces. Nintendo Switch. Area/Level: Lost Valley. "Sonic: Man! Look at the size of that thing! Guess all kinds of things show up when your neighborhood turns into a desert."