It is not known where Rings come from and no backstory has been given for them, except that they are spread all over the world of Sonic the Hedgehog. Aside from the main setting on Earth, Rings are known to exist in underground caverns, on-board space stations, in outer space, on natural satellites and alien planets, inside cyberspace and even in alternate dimensions. Often the most common item in the games, Rings can be found everywhere in the primary playable levels.

Generally, they are arranged in large clusters or in strings along pathways, off ramps, above springs, around shuttle loops, along Grind Rails, or simply in midair. In general gameplay, the player can collect Rings by simply touching them. When this happens, they disappear, only leaving behind a small sparkle effect while a chime can be heard. Once hit, Rings will spread out from the playable character in a circular pattern. The most recognizable and prevalent attribute of Rings is their function to prevent their holder from being defeated. In general, possessing even a single Ring prevents a character from losing a life upon taking damage from things such as impacts with enemies, enemy attacks or damage-inducing obstacles. If a ( unshielded or non- invulnerable) character takes damage while holding Rings, they drop their Rings which are then scattered in a circular pattern and bounce around the environment, while the player gets stunned and pushed backwards. However, there are certain dangers Rings cannot protect against, such as being crushed, falling into bottomless pits, failing missions with a time limit and drowning. In the pre-mentioned cases, the player's Ring count will reset to zero should they restart the level. Taking damage without a Ring will result in the character's aforementioned defeat.ĭuring the brief period where the players drop their Rings after taking damage, there is a chance to collect the scattered Rings, but they will eventually all disappear after a while.

Also, upon taking damage and dropping the Rings, the player is given a momentary period of invulnerability (which is represented by the playable character rapidly flashing between visible and invisible). The amount of Rings the player drops when taking damage varies between games. In most cases, the player will drop all of them when taking damage, while in other games, only a portion of them will be dropped. The Rings' scattering pattern also varies in many later games, like in Sonic Rush where they bounce farther away the more hits the player takes. However, the player will not usually lose Rings if the playable character possesses any type of Shield and/or invincibility. In several games, fewer 'recoverable' Rings are displayed on-screen when they are dropped than the number actually lost.

Sprite from sonic 1