Which Sonic game introduced the alien power-up creatures called Wisps?

Sonic Colors introduced the alien power-up creatures called Wisps. In the 2010 game, Sonic encounters the Wisps while investigating Dr. Eggman’s space amusement park and uses their color-based abilities to explore stages and defeat obstacles.

The Wisps are an alien species rather than ordinary items. Eggman has enslaved them to power a mind-control weapon, and Sonic’s adventure involves freeing them from the interstellar park. Their abilities transform gameplay: Cyan Laser lets Sonic ricochet through spaces, Yellow Drill burrows through ground and water, and Orange Rocket launches him vertically. Other Wisps provide hovering, wall-clinging, object conversion, or destructive powers.

Sonic Colors was designed to combine fast movement with more deliberate platforming. The power-ups gave players reasons to revisit earlier stages, because some paths and collectibles require a particular Wisp. The Wii and Nintendo DS versions differ in level design and available Wisp types, but both are associated with the creatures’ debut.

Wisps later returned in Sonic Generations, Sonic Lost World, and Sonic Forces, becoming a recurring part of the series.