Pandora

Pandora is one of the few final bosses in the Sonic Wings series who leans towards the grotesque rather than the comedic. It most often resembles a giant human skull with two twisted tentacles protruding from underneath. When it first appears, Pandora is always concealed in some kind of space craft, which falls apart when attacked by the player. Only after the craft is destroyed will Pandora be revealed. It primarily attacks through a barrage of fireballs spit from its mouth. Pandora appears in the first Sonic Wings game but does not return until Sonic Wings Special.

Pandora's name is possibly a reference to a figure of Greek mythology. The mythological Pandora was by some accounts the first human woman; she was sent to Earth with a vase containing all sicknesses and troubles (most commonly referred to as Pandora's Box). When Pandora opened her vase, unhappiness escaped and spread throughout the Earth; only Hope remained inside the vase, leaving humanity with one thing to sustain it against worldly troubles.^[1]

Sonic Wings[]

Pandora in Sonic Wings.

Stage: Space

Pandora (called "The Death Skull" in the Aero Fighters SNES manual) is one of two final bosses of the game, along with the giant monkey Osaru. After the battle with the Station Core, a shuttle launches from the space station. When it is damaged enough, it will fall away to reveal a golden capsule, which separates into sections and attacks the player piece by piece. The final piece falls apart to reveal the skull inside, which attacks by spitting fireballs at the player.

If the player is using Keaton in single-player mode, Pandora will crash into Keaton's aircraft after it is defeated. This causes the destruction of Keaton's plane and his apparent death; however, he returns as a cyborg in later games.

If the player allows Pandora to escape or does not defeat it within the time limit, a "bad ending" shows the Earth being destroyed by fireballs.

The bad ending was cut from the US SNES release. Nevertheless, the game's data included a translation for this ending: "The earth is in great peril. Don't give up. You still have one chance to save mankind." In contrast, the original Japanese text reads, "--Now it's here! My heart is pounding. We're in a big pinch!" (ああちきゅうはいま! ドキドキするほど、だいピンチだ!).^[2]

Sonic Wings Special[]

Swlpandora — Pandora in Sonic Wings Limited and Special.

Stage: Fight in Orbit

Pandora returns as the boss of Special's final stage if the player chooses to proceed to "Fight in Orbit"; again, it is housed in a capsule within a space shuttle. As before, Pandora attacks with fireballs. If allowed to escape, Pandora attacks the Earth, giving the "bad ending" of explosions covering the planet. The text accompanying the image reads, "You purposely let the enemy go to see this ending!" As in Sonic Wings, using Keaton in single-player mode to defeat Pandora leads to the destruction of his plane.

Sonic Wings Limited[]

Stage: Fight in Orbit

Pandora may appear as the game's final boss if the player has less than 600,000 points at the end of stage 6; sometimes Gurabura is the boss of "Fight in Orbit" instead. As in previous games, Pandora may appear from the capsule; however, it sometimes emerges directly from a white space shuttle instead. It attacks with fireballs as before. If allowed to escape, Pandora attacks the Earth, giving the "bad ending" of explosions covering the planet. The text accompanying the image reads, "You purposely let the enemy go to see this ending!"

Sonic Wings Assault[]

Pandoraswa — Pandora in Sonic Wings Assault.

Stage: The Moon

It appears that Pandora may have the ability to destroy Earth. Research suggests that its original purpose was to lead reconnaissance. Pandora will be revealed when the flying saucer and core station are destroyed. The final purpose of the enemy is to eliminate humans, or destroy the Earth.

—Ellen's briefing in Aerofighters Assault

Pandora returns as the true final boss of Sonic Wings Assault if the player has defeated all bonus levels and unlocked the Moon level after defeating Lar in the Ice Cave. Instead of being housed in a rocket as in previous games, Pandora is nested inside two other major bosses from the series: the UFO Gurabura (described by the Sonic Wings Assault Official Guidebook as Pandora's bodyguard) first appears, and if it is not defeated quickly enough, it unfolds into the Station Core. Again, if the Station Core is not defeated in time, it finally opens to reveal Pandora. If the player does enough damage to Gurabura or the Station Core, the final boss can be defeated without Pandora ever showing itself.

Pandora's physical appearance has also changed, as it now looks to be made of metal or some synthetic material. Its eyes have red centers instead of being hollow as in previous games. However, the greatest difference is that it now has vertebrae making up a spinal column, rather than the exposed red tentacles. If Gurabura, the Station Core, and Pandora are not all defeated within 300 seconds, Pandora launches for and destroys Earth.