Red Eye
The Red Eye[1] (レッドアイ[2] Reddoai?) is an antagonist that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. It is a mass-produced, eye-based Badnik created by Dr. Eggman, who first used it during the second part of the Angel Island incident.
Appearance[]
The Red Eye is a hovering Badnik with a red-colored eye. It has a laser cannon below it, and it is surrounded by two spiked platforms.
The Red Eye's pillar is a large, wide metallic column with the robot itself inside it. It is also surrounded by floating spheres.
History[]
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles[]
In Sonic & Knuckles, and the lock-on game Sonic 3 & Knuckles, a single Red Eye was left inside a pillar in Death Egg Zone. While they were there, Sonic and Tails were attacked by the Red Eye, although they managed to destroy it.
Sonic Forces[]
In Sonic Forces, multiple Red Eyes in their pillars appeared onboard the Death Egg. These units observed the members of the Resistance's progress.
Other game appearances[]
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing[]
In Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing, two miniature Red Eyes make a cameo holding up the finish line on the Egg Hangar course.
In other media[]
IDW Publishing[]
At one point, during the Angel Island incident, at least one model of the Red Eye was tasked to destroy Sonic the Hedgehog to prevent him from reaching Dr. Eggman.
After the Death Egg fell and crashed on a deserted rocky island in the middle of the ocean, it was forgotten. Over the years, it became a Scrapnik and is now one of the security cameras of Scrapnik Island.[3]
Amy's 30th Anniversary Special[]
Scrapnik Island[]
A Red Eye, from Sonic the Hedgehog #57.
When Sonic was looking around for Tails in Scrapnik Island's base, Red Eye spied on Sonic so that E-117 Sigma could understand the circumstances.[3]
Urban Warfare[]
A Red Eye helped two Apes and a Gekogeko in the defense of Eggperial City against Sonic and Tangle. Despite their best efforts, the Red Eye would be destroyed by Lanolin and Whisper, who successfully ambushed the robot.[4]
Powers and abilities[]
While in its pillar, the Red Eye can use floating spheres to protect itself against its enemies. Also, when hit, it can make one sphere explode and unleash a set of spikes.
Even if it is not in its pillar, the Red Eye is still a powerful enemy. It is capable of flight and shooting powerful lasers. It is also surrounded by two platforms, which it can use to avoid attacks from its enemies.
Battle[]
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The Red Eye is the sub-boss of Death Egg Zone in Sonic & Knuckles and Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and the thirteenth and twenty-sixth boss overall respectively. In Sonic & Knuckles, it is fought by Sonic, while in Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles, it can also be fought by Tails either alone or as Sonic's partner.
While it can only be fought by Sonic or Tails under normal circumstances in both games, it can also be fought by Knuckles in both games if both Level Select and Debug Mode are enabled. In Sonic Origins Plus, it can also be fought with Amy Rose.
Boss guide[]
Phase one[]
The Red Eye itself occupies a metal pillar in the middle of the arena, with eight spheres orbiting around it. Touching any of these spheres will damage the player's character. These spheres orbit around either the bottom of the pillar, or the top around the Red Eye itself where the pattern commences from at the start of the battle, changing positions between each interval. When the spheres are orbiting around the bottom, the orbiting radius of the spheres will lengthen to cover most of the floor for a brief moment before shrinking back to its normal radius and then returning back to the same level as the Red Eye itself. The pattern then repeats. To damage the Red Eye, the player must jump to hit the Red Eye though when this is done, one of the spheres will explode, firing off spikes in eight different directions which will also damage the player upon contact.
Ideally the best moment to attack the Red Eye without getting hurt by the spheres is when the spheres are orbiting along the floor though once the player lands enough hits to remove the spheres, it is also possible to attack the Red Eye unharmed even when the spheres are orbiting around it if there is an opening. When playing as Sonic, the player can make use of the Insta-Shield to damage the Red Eye while the spheres are orbiting around it to avoid getting hurt.
Additionally, if playing as Sonic with Tails as your partner, there is a way to speed up this battle. After attacking, Tails may get hurt and knocked to the opposite side of the arena when the orbs are on the ground. If you are able to make Tails jump as he is crossing back to your side of the arena, he can score another hit on the eye with proper timing.
When all of the spheres are gone, the next phase begins.
Phase two[]
The casing around the Red Eye explodes and drops away, enabling it to hover around the arena. Two spiked platforms emerge from the Red Eye itself and slowly orbit around it in either direction. The player must hit the red eye of the boss eight times. After hitting it once, the whole body of the mini-boss glows red and it will go berserk. At this state, the platforms will orbit around very rapidly, making it very difficult to score hits. In addition, the Red Eye will fire a large, laser beam towards the floor while moving towards the player; however it will not move closer than a certain distance from the player if they are at the stage boundary. Also, if the player is standing on the platform, they will not be hurt by the Red Eye's laser. Eventually, the Red Eye will calm down again, giving the player another opportunity to easily hit it.
After eight hits, the Red Eye will be destroyed, and the player will be able to proceed to Act 2.
Trivia[]
- If playing as Knuckles, this boss cannot be defeated without abusing Debug Mode to place objects to stand on or simply placing an invincible Knuckles (ie. Super or Hyper Knuckles) above the Red Eye as Knuckles cannot jump high enough to reach the Red Eye in its first form.
- In the 2022 remaster of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles in Sonic Origins, the previously unused C5 sound effect track from the Sound Test is now played when the Red Eye finishes using its laser attack (whereas in the original, no sound was played).
Music[]
| Name | Artist(s) | Version | Length | Music Track |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Boss 1" | Sega | Sonic & Knuckles/Sonic 3 & Knuckles | 1:05 | |
| Sonic & Knuckles Collection | "FM Synthesizer" | 1:22 | ||
| "General MIDI" | 1:24 |
Trivia[]
- While the Red Eye itself does not appear in the Sonic X comic series published by Archie Comics, a similar, unfinished robot created by Dr. Eggman called the E-73 Egg Babylon resembles the Red Eye. It was used by Bokkun when he took over Dr. Eggman's Fortress to destroy Sonic and Eggman, although he was defeated by the duo.[5]
References[]
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