The Rival Aircraft (ライバル機) is a small enemy plane used to determine the player's route in Sonic Wings 3.
Description[]
Referred to as "the so-called 'Rival Aircraft'" by the Sonic Wings 3 Strategy Special guidebook, it resembles a blue aircraft with two large guns and a checkerboard pattern on both wings. In Sonic Wings 3, it has a large eye clinging to it with red and blue tentacles.
Metal Rabbit[]
Several Rival Aircraft can be seen on advertising artwork for the unreleased game Metal Rabbit.
Turbo Force[]
Here, the Rival Aircraft is a common enemy in stages two and five which serves no special purpose. It attacks by firing delayed homing missiles and 4-round bursts from a rear twin-barreled turret.
Sonic Wings 3[]
Stage: Stages 1, 4, and 7
The Rival Aircraft returns to fulfill a vital function: it allows the player to choose their route through the game. After defeat of the final boss of stage 1, 4, or 7, the Rival Aircraft will appear. It does not attack but instead hovers in place until the player damages it enough to break off one wing. The other wing breaks off immediately after, and the aircraft disappears
The game's next stage is determined based on which wing is shot off first. Only shooting the Rival Aircraft's left wing throughout the game will always lead to the Bermuda final stage, while exclusively shooting the right wing will always lead to the Mars final stage. The Sonic Wings 3 Strategy Special guidebook points out that homing ammunition can interfere with the stage selection, because the player cannot control which wing of the Rival Aircraft is hit.
While not present in Turbo Force, a round blue eye now clings to the Rival Aircraft using red and blue tentacles. It resembles both the Hildroid creatures and the final boss Pseudo-Bagarius, suggesting that the eye creature controls the Rival Aircraft as those enemies control their hosts.
