The developers wanted to take Sonic into the modern era, while building on the series' successes. In 1996, Wallis said: "We plan to have all of familiar Sonic elements in the game, as well as additional ones. We're giving Sonic new moves, because Sonic is a hedgehog of the times, we're bringing him up to speed." In line with other "Sonic" games, "X-treme" emphasized speed and featured collectable rings. Additions included the abilities to throw rings at enemies, create a shield from rings, do spinning midair attacks, strike enemies below with a "Power Ball" attack, jump higher with less control than normal, and execute a "Sonic Boom" attack, in concert with the shield, that struck in 360 degrees. Surfing and bungee jumping were included as activities considered cool at the time.