The Wisps: The Colorful Aliens of Sonic Colors

Small, energetic alien creatures that give Sonic colorful powers: these are the Wisps. First appearing in Sonic Colors in 2010, they brought a real breath of fresh air to the series. A closer look.

🦔 To place this game in the grand narrative, (re)read the rise of Sonic the Blue Hedgehog.

Who are the Wisps?

The Wisps are an alien species introduced in Sonic Colors, released in November 2010 on Wii and Nintendo DS. Their unique characteristic: they are entirely composed of an energy called "Hyper-go-on".

Small, floating, and colorful, they lend their name and hue to the famous powers that Sonic will unlock.

Eggman's Plan

True to form, Dr. Eggman has an ulterior motive. He has built a huge amusement park in space — Dr. Eggman's Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park — but it's just a facade: he's capturing the Wisps to harness their energy and power a mind-control ray designed to enslave Earth.

🎪 Eggman's interstellar amusement park was never more than a party backdrop, put up to siphon the energy of the Wisps: our Sonic birthday decorations set up the same kind of scene in your living room, with no ulterior motive.

🥚 Another domination project for his trophy cabinet: here is the rise of Dr. Eggman.

Explosion of Colors

Poster "Sonic Everywhere"

A colorful poster, in the rainbow spirit of the Wisps.

€24.90

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Sonic's Color Powers

By freeing the captive Wisps, Sonic gains "Color Powers": transformations linked to each Wisp's color. The Wii version offers eight:

• White Boost — a speed boost
• Cyan Laser — a ricocheting laser
• Yellow Drill — a drill for ground and water
• Orange Rocket — upward propulsion
• Pink Spikes — a spike ball that climbs walls
• Green Hover — hovering flight
• Blue Cube — transforms certain blocks into rings
• Purple Frenzy — a devouring Sonic that swells

The Nintendo DS version, meanwhile, has five Color Powers, two of which are unique to it (Red Burst and Violet Void).

⚡ Sonic has many other metamorphoses: (re)read Sonic's transformations.

🧗 Of the eight Color Powers in the Wii version, Pink Spikes is the one that turns Sonic into a spike ball and sends him climbing walls: our Sonic stickers climb the ones in your bedroom without a single drop of Hyper-go-on.

Yacker, the Wisps' Ambassador

Not all Wisps are mere powers: Yacker, a white Wisp, serves as an ambassador for his species. He's the one who alerts Sonic and Tails to the plight of his enslaved kin by Eggman, and who forms a bond of friendship with our heroes.

The Boosted Hero

Sonic The Hedgehog Figurine

The Sonic who frees the Wisps and inherits their Color Powers.

€26.90

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🖐️ Yacker has to plead his people's case without a single limb to wave, and it takes Tails to decipher his language; you make yourself understood with one gesture, and a pair of Sonic gloves keeps the hands that do it warm.

Their Returns in the Saga

The Wisps' success led to their return in many games:

• Sonic Generations (2011)
• Sonic Lost World (2013)
• Sonic Forces (2017)
• Team Sonic Racing (2019), where they serve as bonuses in item boxes
• Sonic Colors: Ultimate (2021), the remaster, which adds a new power (Jade Ghost)

🏁 Their role as racing bonuses is detailed on the teams' side: (re)read the saga's great teams.

Summary Table

FAQ

• In which game do the Wisps appear?
  In Sonic Colors, released in 2010 on Wii and Nintendo DS.
• What is Hyper-go-on?
  It's the energy that the Wisps are made of, and which Dr. Eggman covets.
• What are Color Powers?
  Transformations that Sonic obtains by freeing the Wisps, each linked to a color (boost, laser, drill…).
• Who is Yacker?
  A white Wisp who serves as an ambassador for his species and befriends Sonic and Tails.
• Have the Wisps returned since Sonic Colors?
  Yes, notably in Generations, Lost World, Forces, Team Sonic Racing, and the Colors: Ultimate remaster.

🔎 To learn more: The biggest Sonic fan communities, the complete Sonic games discography, and Sonic Frontiers and its open world.