Revisiting Sonic The Hedgehog 2

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is widely considered to be one of the best games of the 16-bit era. It was also the first console game I ever owned. It holds many special memories for me, and I still take time out every Christmas to play through it. Taking the nostalgia glasses off though, does it still hold up today?

Like many of the best games of that era, it certainly does. From its art style to its gameplay, everything just fits together perfectly. Well, for the most part.

The first Sonic game still stands as a great introduction to the franchise, and the first game to pose a serious threat to the Mario juggernaut. However, it wasn’t without its flaws. There’s only two levels that really make good use of Sonic’s unique abilities. That is, they offer a good combination of speed and momentum based platforming. The rest tend to stick to a more traditional platform formula, and are not nearly as fluid as Green Hill and Starlight Zones are. It tries to break the mold while at the same time playing it safe. Which works, but it could have been done a lot better.

Sonic 2, though, is where the series really found its identity. It strikes a good balance between that fast kinetic style and precise platforming that its predecessor was attempting to go for, and this time it keeps that consistent through most of the game.

Each level is split down to two “acts”, down from the original three act structure in Sonic 1. They’re just long enough offer a satisfying gameplay experience, but not too long as to wear out their welcome. They also tend to mix up styles and gimmicks, with a good mix of speed and platforming sections in each area.

The tight controls and physics also port over from the original. Something which a lot of the post-Genesis 2D games really struggled with. Not to say that Sonic 2 didn’t make some improvements. Namely the spin-dash attack, which allows Sonic to do a rolling burnout from a standstill. Thus making it easier to navigate up steep ramps and around obstacles. Something the first game desperately needed. Sonic 2 is where the formula was perfected, and the departure from this is where many of the modern games faltered.

However, it’s not all sunshine and roses. The first three quarters of Sonic 2 is a sheer masterpiece in 16-bit game design. Yet things seem to fall apart in the latter levels, starting with Metropolis Zone. There tends to be a lot of momentum breaking segments here, along with cheap enemy placement that makes it impossible not to take a hit. Sonic Team also expanded it into three acts, which causes this section to really drag.

For the next level we get a short forced scrolling segment, which is fairly straightforward. Then we make it to Wing Fortress Zone.

I absolutely hate Wing Fortress Zone. It commits my one cardinal sin of Sonic level design: bottomless pits. In later sky themed levels, like Flying Battery in Sonic & Knuckles, they used them fairly sparingly and skilled players could avoid them almost entirely by taking the high road. In Wing Fortress though, there’s a segment that forces you to jump on a series of moving platforms, which are the only things preventing you from falling into the abyss. It requires very precise timing to pull off. One slip up, and you die. These sections just feel cheap compared to the rest of the game. But it doesn’t stop there. The segment immediately after that commits my second cardinal sin of Sonic game design: leaps of faith. You have to make a running long jump to a platform you can’t immediately see on screen. This used to absolutely drive me nuts as a kid. Even as an adult, it’s still a tricky area.

Another questionable element are the Special Stages. Now, the ones in the first game were a tad too easy. With Sonic 2, they went in the opposite direction and made them a tad too challenging for their own good. They take place in this on-rails, psudo-3D half-pipe that has you collecting a set number of rings in order to advance. The first couple stages are pretty easy, but difficult ramps up frustratingly fast. Like Wing Fortress, this again requires precision to make it through. If you do manage to collect all the Chaos Emeralds, you unlock Super Sonic. Like in later games, if you collect 50 rings, you can go Super Sayian (this is literally where Yuji Naka got the idea), which makes you invincible, jump higher, and lets you run faster. Though I find I can’t be bothered most of the time. Getting all the emeralds is more chore than it’s worth, since unlike Sonic & Knuckles, it doesn’t unlock any additional content.

Most of my criticisms are fairly nit picky though. While I don’t think Sonic 2 is quite as good as Sonic 3 & Knuckles, it’s still stands out as one of the top three best games in the long running franchise. If you liked Sonic Mania, or even any of the 2D Mario titles, you should definitely give this one a try. It’s available on pretty much every gaming platform on the market right now, so it’s certainly not hard to find.