Hard-Boiled Heavies

"A powerful robot army built by Dr. Eggman. Loyal to his orders, the Heavies successfully retrieved the mysterious gemstone, but its power seem to have loosened a few of their screws."

- The Sonic Mania manual description of The Heavies.

The Hard-Boiled Heavies, or HBH for short, are a group of elite robots created by and ultimately answers to Dr. Eggman. After getting struck by the power of the Phantom Ruby, they became surprisingly intelligent and strong, going over the standards of what Eggman thought they were capable of.

They were created by Christian Whitehead, and their theme song was made by Tee Lopes and Falk Au Yeong.

Creation
Interestingly enough, the concept for the Hard-Boiled Heavies was created when Christian Whitehead imagined that Dr. Eggman slumped into a depression after the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles and wouldn't even try to go after Sonic anymore. Instead he would just chill at home in his pyjamas. Meanwhile his abandoned Eggrobos would “go a bit mad”, which sparked the idea for the Hard-Boiled Heavies.

Sonic Mania
The Hard-Boiled Heavies were originally a group of five normal Eggrobos that served Dr. Eggman, and were sent to Angel Island after Eggman detected a powerful energy residing there. When the Eggrobos unearthed the Phantom Ruby, which was the source of the reading, it’s energy transformed them into powerful elite robots with different personalities and unique abilities. The HBH returned to Eggman with the ruby but their rebellious antics made it difficult for the doctor to control them. So Eggman snatched the Phantom Ruby from the Heavies, which sent them on their way.

The Heavies would then attempt to destroy Sonic the Hedgehog and his allies within various Zones, only to be defeated each time before returning to the Titanic Monarch Zone. During the battle against the Phantom Egg, the heroes might be sent to briefly fight the HBH once more, except now they have been transformed into the Phantom Heavies by the Phantom Ruby’s power. Afterwards, the transformed Heavy King betrayed Eggman and attempted take the Phantom Ruby for itself. However both villains were eventually defeated by Super Sonic.

Heavy Gunner
The Heavy Gunner is described as a loose cannon and wields a missile launcher. He is fought in the Studiopolis Zones 1st act while riding a helicopter and fires missiles at the heroes during a high speed pursuit. The slower moving blue missiles can be deflected back at him, eventually destroying his helicopter and forcing him to flee.

He is later fought again as the Phantom Gunner during the Phantom Egg boss fight. In this form, the Gunner has traded his arms and legs for more firepower. However the blue missiles he fires can still be deflected back at him.

Heavy Shinobi
The Heavy Shinobi is a skilled ninja and is fought in the Press Garden Zones 2nd act. He wields a unique sword that freezes his foes and throws Asterons as shurikens. He takes eight hits to defeat and can be stunned if he’s damaged while jumping.

As the Phantom Shinobi, he has eight large blades attached to his now-limbless body and resembles an shuriken. He will spin around in midair before stretching his blades out to try and harm his foes. However, this also makes his body vulnerable to attacks.

Heavy Magician
Described as a mystic performer, the Heavy Magician uses her magical talents to inconvenience the heroes. She first uses her abilities to create the Uber Caterkiller during the Mirage Saloon Zones 1st act, and in the 2nd act she goes on the offensive by using her shape-shifting hat to attack as either Fang the Sniper (A.K.A. Nack the Weasel), Bean the Dynamite or Bark the Polar Bear. She takes eight hits to defeat.

As the Phantom Magician her appearance does not change, but her magical abilities seem to be greatly enhanced. She will hide in one of three giant cups which will move around, forcing the player to try and memorize what cup she’s in. The correct cup will have the Phantom Magician inside it, vulnerable to attack, while the wrong cups will fire powerful energy blasts.

Heavy Rider
The Heavy Rider is a thrill-seeking robot that races around on her trusted Motobug, Jimmy. She is fought by Sonic and/or Tails in the Lava Reef Zones 2nd act while performing dangerous stunts, such as jumping across ramps and swinging around a flail at speed. She takes eight hits to defeat, after which she will fall off Jimmy, who will then flee.

After becoming the Phantom Rider, her appearance does not change, but Jimmy is modified to resemble more of a motorcycle. The Phantom Rider will then race the heroes while making harmful obstacles appear in front of them. However, the heroes can also use a booby trap to try and harm the Phantom Rider as well.

Heavy King

 * Main Article: Heavy King

As leader of the Hard-Boiled Heavies, The power-hungry Heavy King is more serious than the groups other members and seems to command them through intimidation. He is first fought by Knuckles in the Lava Reef Zones 2nd act while attempting to steal the Master Emerald. During the battle, the Heavy King will harness the Master Emerald’s power to achieve flight and fire energy bolts from his sceptre. Like the other Heavies, he takes eight hits to defeat.

He eventually reappears in the Egg Reverie Zone as the Phantom King and betrays Dr. Eggman by trying to take the Phantom Ruby for himself. The King’s appearance has been very altered by his transformation, losing his legs and gaining bigger arms along with other changes. While empowered by the Phantom Ruby, the Phantom King will regain the ability to fire energy bolts, except now they are powerful enough to bypass Super Sonic’s invulnerability, and he can even use them to form a shield around himself.

Trivia

 * Heavy Rider’s Motobug, Jimmy, is named after “Polygon Jim”, a Sonic fan and game modder who passed away in a car accident. Polygon Jim was well known for creating a Sonic game mod that made a Motobug as a playable character.
 * While the group is considered scapegoats, because only doing their job and being possessed, Heavy King is no doubt the evilest of The Heavies, most likely ruling the group with an iron fist. And isn't a scapegoat at all.