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Every zone in this game is a visual treat.

The Blue Blur Returns

Coming hot off the heels of its esteemed predecessor, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was released only a year after the original game. Developed by a team based in the US — while a Japan-based team simultaneously worked on Sonic CD — Sonic 2 was a smash hit, bringing everything that made the original game great, but polishing it to a mirror shine.

It’s not a stretch to say that this is one of the games that made the Genesis, and planted Sonic as a — at least for the time — firm rival to Nintendo’s Mario.

Not only was Sonic back for more high-speed platforming action, but this time he had backup — in the form of Tails, a criminally-adorable two-tailed fox, who was able to fly by spinning his tails around like a helicopter.[1] The levels are bigger and better, the gameplay is more polished and streamlined, and there’s even a split-screen two-player mode where you can race through various levels against your friend.

Let’s take a journey together through Sonic the Hedgehog 2, and I’ll unashamedly babble about much I love this dumb game.

The Basics

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 involves navigating through various levels, divided into themed “zones”, collecting golden rings to protect Sonic from damage, navigating various hazards, and facing the mad-scientist Dr. Robotnik,[2] Sonic’s bitter enemy and primary antagonist of most of the series.

Most of the zones are divided into two “acts”[3] — the objective of the first act is to simply reach the signpost at the end of the level intact, while at the end of the second, Dr. Robotnik shows up with some diabolical flying contraption intended to defeat the blue hedgehog once and for all (it’s a boss fight, in other words). Golden rings are scattered around each stage, which let Sonic take a hit from an enemy or other hazard without dying (at the expense of dropping all of his rings), and other power-ups are hidden in boxes around the stage.

As well as animal-themed robots employed by Robotnik, various other hazards include spikes, lava, toxic chemicals, flying arrows, and more — there’s no shortage of things trying to kill Sonic, but if you use your head and stay as cool as this game’s namesake, the challenge is usually reasonable and fair.

What’s Changed?

Yeah yeah okay, you knew there was gonna be an Emerald Hill Zone screenshot in here somewhere.

First and foremost, the controls definitely feel better. The physics of Sonic’s running and jumping are largely identical to its predecessor, but Sonic now has a new move — he can spin up rapidly on the spot, then release to zoom forward as a deadly ball of spikes. It may not sound like much, but this “spin dash” is a greatly-appreciated addition to the gameplay, and one that thankfully remains in its sequels.

It’s two-player now! Well… kinda. Sonic now always accompanied by his foxish buddy, Tails, who can help collect rings and power-ups for Sonic, and remains somewhat impervious to damage.[4] If you’re playing single-player, Tails will accompany you with simple AI, following Sonic and copying his actions where possible. At any point, another player can take control of Tails with the second gamepad, and conversely, Tails will return to the computer’s control if left alone for long enough.

This was an absolute genius move by Sega, because Tails — being largely indestructible, returning to Sonic’s side with no penalty upon death — makes for the ideal “younger sibling” character. Got a little brother, sister or cousin who wants to join in, but isn’t very good at gaming? No problem! They can help out as Tails, without penalizing player 1 with their mistakes.[5] Everyone wins!

The Special Stage in Sonic 1 — which was just confusing and frustrating, honestly — has been replaced with something vastly superior. Collect 50 (or more) rings before touching one of the checkpoint lampposts in Sonic 2 and a ring of stars will appear above it. Jump in, and you’ll be transported to a faux-3D half-pipe which twists and turns, and where Sonic and Tails must collect a certain amount of rings to progress and collect the Chaos Emerald at the end, while dodging clusters and rings of bombs.

Sonic 2’s Special Stage is just an absolute delight, and a surprising challenge once you get past the first couple of Chaos Emeralds. Not to mention, aside from being required for the ‘true’ ending, collecting all seven Chaos Emeralds will allow Sonic to become Super Sonic during the regular levels, consuming 50 rings in the process. Super Sonic is a vibrant yellow, runs even faster, and is impervious to most damage, making this feel like a true reward for collecting all seven Emeralds.

I’m Just Gonna Keep Going

It could be said that the zones in Sonic 2 are somewhat derivative — Emerald Hill Zone is clearly inspired by Green Hill Zone in Sonic 1, Chemical Plant Zone and Metropolis Zone both borrow heavily from Scrap Brain Zone, Casino Night Zone is just an enhanced Spring Yard Zone, and so on.

But here’s the thing: it doesn’t matter, because Sonic 2 does such a goddamn good job of it. Exploring the labyrinthine factory of the Chemical Plant Zone, for example, is a sheer joy — from the multiple branching paths, to the top-notch aesthetic, to the incredible soundtrack. The music in this game somehow manages to be even better than the original, making great use of the Genesis’ sound hardware.

Is it a perfect platformer? No, it still suffers from some of the problems the first game had — namely, encouraging the player to go fast at all times, while the level layouts are perilous and labyrinthine enough to reward slower, more methodical play. However, Sonic 2 improves upon its predecessor greatly in this regard, especially in stages such as Casino Night Zone where you can bounce around inside a giant pinball machine.

Despite its flaws, it’s a platformer that absolutely everyone must play at least once, and I’ve rambled on about it more than enough already. So without further ado…

The Verdict

Footnotes

[1] Don't think about it. The more you think about it, the less sense it makes.
[2] Also known as Dr. Eggman. No, I'm not going to go into it here.
[3] Metropolis Zone has 3, and the last three zones after that have one act each.
[4] Tails can die, but he returns a few moments later to rejoin Sonic.
[5] The one exception being the Special Stage, where the Tails player can run into bombs and lose rings, but
this is honestly almost as bad with the computer-controlled Tails anyway. That little fox is a goddamn liability.