"It's time to revolutionise an industry and become a video game icon!
UGGHH WHEN WILL THEY INVENT THE SPINDASH"
UGGHH WHEN WILL THEY INVENT THE SPINDASH"
Not Enough Rings
is a Sonic the Hedgehog fancomic by Taeshi, the creator of Bittersweet Candy Bowl. It presents a lighthearted take on the original four Sega Genesis Sonic games: Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and Sonic & Knuckles, examining their various quirks.
This webcomic features these tropes from the Sonic games:
- Action Bomb: Sonic appears to be intimidated by Bombs.
- Artificial Stupidity: Tails inadvertently foils Sonic's attempt to complete the Sonic 2 Special Stage.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: The subject of the very first two strips, in which Sonic gets frustrated with the first game's oddities.
- Invincibility Power-Up: Sonic has the invincibility powerup in effect for his very first encounter with Eggman. Poor Eggman.
- Kaizo Trap: Sonic manages to trap himself on the wrong side of a pit while fighting Eggman in Spring Yard Zone.
- Oxygen Meter: Which lead Sonic to his doom in "Scrap Brain Zone Act 3."
- Oxygenated Underwater Bubbles: And Sonic won't let Tails have any.
- Rise to the Challenge: In "Labyrinth Zone Boss." Sonic is undaunted.
- The Spiny: Caterkiller. "OH COME ON"
- Video Game Cruelty Potential: Sonic allows Tails to drown in "Aquatic Ruin Zone Act 2."
Additionally, this webcomic provides examples of:
- Anti-Climax Boss:
- "Emerald Hill Zone Boss" provides an impressive entry for Eggman. The boss fight in question was once the page image for Warmup Boss. You do the math.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: In Chemical Plant Zone, Sonic gets distracted by that jumping blue caterpillar thing.
- The Chew Toy: Sonic sometimes, particularly in the Sonic 1 strips, but really picked up with Tails - though Sonic does at least (usually) care that bad things happen to them.
- Continuity Nod:
- The comic starts out with Sonic complaining about his inability to spindash in Sonic 1. When the Sonic 2 arc rolls around, the very first thing Sonic does is try out the spindash.
- At the end of Scrap Brain Zone Act 2, when Sonic finds himself on a trap door, with Eggman at the trigger behind an unbreakable glass wall, Sonic asks Eggman if he's still bitter about the critique on his Boss-Arena Idiocy that he made two comics ago. He's not.
- Cover Innocent Eyes and Ears: Sonic to Tails in "Hill Top Zone Boss", as Eggman's cracked ship sinks into the lava.
- Foregone Conclusion: Once "The Doomsday Zone" rolls around (or possibly "The Doomsday Zone Boss"), the comic will be over.
- Goddamned Bats/That One Level: One gets the impression that Taeshi finds Marble Zone and Metropolis Zone frustrating.
- Good Thing You Can Heal: Having infinite lives makes putting Tails in otherwise lethal situations easy.
- Guide Dang It!: You know that bobbing drum from Carnival Night Zone Act 2? "Oh... my... God. This is so EASY."
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: The strips are named after stages, so the first is "Green Hill Zone Act 1," the fourth is "Special Stage," and so on.
- Only Sane Man: Sonic, the only voice of reason in a world full of vindictive robots and immature would-be-world conquerors. Tails takes up this role somewhat in the Sonic 2 strips.
- Ping Pong Naïveté: Tails goes between being the Only Sane Man to Sonic quirks (reflecting the random quirks the average player tends to have, like being addicted to the Casino Night Zone machines), or childish and unhelpful (reflecting the times his original AI was unhelpful, like the special stages).
- Pragmatic Adaptation: This series has Tails continue to follow Sonic around in the Sonic & Knuckles set (whereas Tails was nowhere to be seen during the game itself), thus maintaining the style of humor and dynamic that the two had developed over the previous two sets.
- Precision F-Strike: "Hydrocity Zone Act 2".
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Sidetracked by the Gold Saucer:- Sonic gets distracted in Casino Night Zone.
- Also happens with the spinner in "Marble Garden Zone Act 1". Lampshaded by the Alt Text.
- Title Drop: The title is the message that appears when you fail a Sonic 2 special stage. So naturally, when the Sonic 2 arc's "Special Stage" episode rolls around, he ends up having some trouble.
- Troll: Whenever Sonic and Tails reach a path where Knuckles blocks them, the latter always taunts them.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Thank you for rescuing me! NOW GET OUT!
- Viewer Gender Confusion: At first sight, Tails thinks Knuckles is a girl, and according to the Alt Text for "Angel Island Zone Act 1", so did the artist as a kid.
- Vomit Indiscretion Shot: Sonic does this in "Special Stage" (Sonic 1), and "Lava Reef Zone Act 2" (Sonic & Knuckles), due to dizziness.
