Silver is a time-traveling Hedgehog who has returned to the past in order to stop Sonic from causing a global cataclysm known as the "Iblis Trigger". Silver has psychokinetic powers that allow him to pick up objects around the playing field and throw them at enemies, including projectiles like missiles and gigantic nearby items like wrecked cars and gigantic crates, all with his mind. This ability is useful for stopping bullets launched at Silver by his enemies, Matrix-style.
He also possesses the ability to levitate in the air for extended periods of time (using up his energy bar)making otherwise hard-to-reach platforms readily accessible. As long as he can keep his energy built up, he’ll keep things flying around the world. In fact, speaking of flying, his psychokinetic skills also seem to enable him to take flight for periods of time.
Silver also gains more abilities the more rings he collects. He can use his abilities to block and deflect oncoming attacks. This technique appears to drain his "energy" bar, as does his other psychic abilities. He can manipulate the environment too, thus expanding the playing areas. This can be activated by clicking on the green context sensitive pad. For example, while standing on the steel beam, he could bend it mentally and let it go, much like a springboard and then launch Silver across the level.
When Silver goes into psycho mode, buildings also bend and shatter with ease, cars fly and enemies can be ripped off their feet and thrown away like tiny insects before the mighty power of Silver. Silver can also pull enemy robots towards him, then throw them back at their mates, smashing them all in one blow.
Silver's levels, like the Chaos City one in the demo, are busier, urban, human worlds full of things for him to break, bend and throw. His stage takes place in what appears to be the aftermath of a large-scale war. Wrecked and abandoned cars litter the streets; the sky looks like something straight out of Oblivion, and it includes a number of buildings that have seen better days. His level is much more slow-paced than Sonic's, with a greater emphasis on platforming and puzzle-solving.
A new rival of Sonic's, Silver the Hedgehog has been confirmed to be playable in Sonic Rivals as well as the 15th anniversary version of Sonic the Hedgehog.
