Fuck the the last few levels. Fuck the special stages.
Sonic 2 is a a fairly large improvement from it’s sequel and is a Sonic game that I still find quite enjoyable; however, there are a few issues I have with the game.
Sonic 2’s level design is generally good and is a large improvement over Sonic 1’s level design but I can’t help but feel that it gets a bit shallow a lot of the time. Playing through a lot of stages and completing them in less than 2 minutes without even trying to speedrun is very unfullfilling and the general quality of the level design falls off after Mystic Cave Zone. My favorite stages were easily Aquatic Ruin and Mystic Cave Zone but even these stages don’t reach the quality of any stage in Sonic 3 or Mania.
I still find the aesthetics to be very solid, the music being great, and the general story good for what it is (the ending is still fantastic) but the more and more I replay it, the more and more I find the game less appealing.
Shout out to the 2013 mobile port for improving the special stages, adding a playable Tails and Knuckles, adding the cut hidden palace zone, a steady 60 FPS, and widescreen. It definitely brings the game up by a bit.
8/10
Sonic 2’s level design is generally good and is a large improvement over Sonic 1’s level design but I can’t help but feel that it gets a bit shallow a lot of the time. Playing through a lot of stages and completing them in less than 2 minutes without even trying to speedrun is very unfullfilling and the general quality of the level design falls off after Mystic Cave Zone. My favorite stages were easily Aquatic Ruin and Mystic Cave Zone but even these stages don’t reach the quality of any stage in Sonic 3 or Mania.
I still find the aesthetics to be very solid, the music being great, and the general story good for what it is (the ending is still fantastic) but the more and more I replay it, the more and more I find the game less appealing.
Shout out to the 2013 mobile port for improving the special stages, adding a playable Tails and Knuckles, adding the cut hidden palace zone, a steady 60 FPS, and widescreen. It definitely brings the game up by a bit.
8/10
there is not much to say that hasn't been said, Sonic 2 is a good game.
Sonic 2 is one of those games where I really really hate it at points, but at other times it is amazing, honestly this game leaves me with a lot of mixed emotions.
This game or well the original version of it, introduces Spin dashing (which was possible in the sonic 1 port for mobile devices as well), Super Sonic, Tails, and two acts per zone instead of three (meaning more unique zones in total). These are all pretty good features and have become a staple in the series since and why I like the franchise.
Sonic 2 honestly has pretty good level design, half of the time, and well the other half of the time it falls flat right on it's face. I am glad the level design for the most part has improved since Sonic 1 because I don't think I could handle more of that. Unfortunately 2 of the worst zones Chemical Plant starting with ACT 2 and both Aquatic Ruins acts are as bad as the worst levels from sonic 1 for me and it especially sucks they're the 2nd and 3rd zone respectively. Chemical Plant Act 2 just has downright unfair level design that punishes you for making a simple mistake and it's especially true for Aquatic Ruins (the worst of the two for me) where sometimes you get hit by random dropping pillars or an arrow that shoots from the left of the screen at random and is hard to see which is a problem the stage has in general because it's colours are wayyyyy too bright. Luckily unlike sonic 1, there are zones I enjoy more than just the first one (in this case Emerald Hill Zone) with Casino, Hill Top, Mystic Cave, and Oil Ocean) all being highlights for me as well as the first stage.
However, the rest of the stages are pretty mediocre and feature not great level design like what was seen in the first game. Metropolis zone ACT 1 and ACT 2 are mediocre with some minor unfair level designs that could kill you randomly, but for some reason this stage has 3 ACTs and the third one is EXTREMELY hard and unfair and I'm not really sure how I got past it. Lots of cheap deaths in this level in particular. Sky Chase zone is unique and that you're on a plane flying throughout the whole level, but there's no ground and Tails will go under you when you fly and it just doesn't feel quite right and like I'm about to fall at any moment along with some minor enemy spam. Wing Fortress is solid, but there's one part where you can't see very well to the right of you and you're expected to make basically blind jumps and hope you get to the other side which basically ended most of my runs on this level and was frustrating.
Then there's Death Egg zone which is the stage I'm the most mixed on, this game is downright unfair on the original version of this game and I would have rated this game like 2 stars otherwise, but it gets an extra half star due to saving. Without saving you're expected to fight 2 boss fights in a row (20 hits total) with zero rings and the bosses have a set pattern as well that you're expected to memorise. I HATE these bosses, but I found myself having more and more fun trying to speedrun this stage the more I tried it and I ended up loving it. However what isn't fun is the hitbox on Eggman, the game doesn't properly display how to beat this boss and it is frustrating as hell without looking it up and even with looking up how to beat the boss it took me 2 hours, and I... kind of liked it? It felt fun towards the end and felt extremely satisfying to defeat the bosses and see the credits roll. Honestly, if I didn't have fun on this stage by the end, I would have rated this game 2 stars even with the saving feature.
Besides the levels, the rest of the bosses are pretty okay to fun. There is one weird oddity with the mobile version in particular, which is the fact there's a Hidden Palace Zone (which was scrapped from the original release of Sonic 2), it's an okay stage (not anything too special), however if you die on the stage it sends you back to Mystic Cave (which is how you enter it) which is annoying for trying to find the level again. I ended up not defeating the boss due to this.
Overall, I love and hate this game and it's left me feeling very mixed about it. The level design is all over the place from very high highs to very low lows without too much in-between.
This game or well the original version of it, introduces Spin dashing (which was possible in the sonic 1 port for mobile devices as well), Super Sonic, Tails, and two acts per zone instead of three (meaning more unique zones in total). These are all pretty good features and have become a staple in the series since and why I like the franchise.
Sonic 2 honestly has pretty good level design, half of the time, and well the other half of the time it falls flat right on it's face. I am glad the level design for the most part has improved since Sonic 1 because I don't think I could handle more of that. Unfortunately 2 of the worst zones Chemical Plant starting with ACT 2 and both Aquatic Ruins acts are as bad as the worst levels from sonic 1 for me and it especially sucks they're the 2nd and 3rd zone respectively. Chemical Plant Act 2 just has downright unfair level design that punishes you for making a simple mistake and it's especially true for Aquatic Ruins (the worst of the two for me) where sometimes you get hit by random dropping pillars or an arrow that shoots from the left of the screen at random and is hard to see which is a problem the stage has in general because it's colours are wayyyyy too bright. Luckily unlike sonic 1, there are zones I enjoy more than just the first one (in this case Emerald Hill Zone) with Casino, Hill Top, Mystic Cave, and Oil Ocean) all being highlights for me as well as the first stage.
However, the rest of the stages are pretty mediocre and feature not great level design like what was seen in the first game. Metropolis zone ACT 1 and ACT 2 are mediocre with some minor unfair level designs that could kill you randomly, but for some reason this stage has 3 ACTs and the third one is EXTREMELY hard and unfair and I'm not really sure how I got past it. Lots of cheap deaths in this level in particular. Sky Chase zone is unique and that you're on a plane flying throughout the whole level, but there's no ground and Tails will go under you when you fly and it just doesn't feel quite right and like I'm about to fall at any moment along with some minor enemy spam. Wing Fortress is solid, but there's one part where you can't see very well to the right of you and you're expected to make basically blind jumps and hope you get to the other side which basically ended most of my runs on this level and was frustrating.
Then there's Death Egg zone which is the stage I'm the most mixed on, this game is downright unfair on the original version of this game and I would have rated this game like 2 stars otherwise, but it gets an extra half star due to saving. Without saving you're expected to fight 2 boss fights in a row (20 hits total) with zero rings and the bosses have a set pattern as well that you're expected to memorise. I HATE these bosses, but I found myself having more and more fun trying to speedrun this stage the more I tried it and I ended up loving it. However what isn't fun is the hitbox on Eggman, the game doesn't properly display how to beat this boss and it is frustrating as hell without looking it up and even with looking up how to beat the boss it took me 2 hours, and I... kind of liked it? It felt fun towards the end and felt extremely satisfying to defeat the bosses and see the credits roll. Honestly, if I didn't have fun on this stage by the end, I would have rated this game 2 stars even with the saving feature.
Besides the levels, the rest of the bosses are pretty okay to fun. There is one weird oddity with the mobile version in particular, which is the fact there's a Hidden Palace Zone (which was scrapped from the original release of Sonic 2), it's an okay stage (not anything too special), however if you die on the stage it sends you back to Mystic Cave (which is how you enter it) which is annoying for trying to find the level again. I ended up not defeating the boss due to this.
Overall, I love and hate this game and it's left me feeling very mixed about it. The level design is all over the place from very high highs to very low lows without too much in-between.
A game probably less in need of "saving", but this port still does so regardless. Playing any other version of the game now that a widescreen, controller supported, pixel perfect and convenient port exists is a sin.
Divertido, mas é mais legal de jogar sem o Sonic
Played this game more times than I can count. Every level is fun and Hidden Palace Zone is a nice addition
Lixo
This review contains spoilers
"Running Away From Some Issues, Running Right Into New Ones"
After the disappointment that was the first entry in the series, I was excited to try out this much lauded sequel. I hoped for some tighter controls, fair enemies, a better Chaos Emerald minigame, and tighter level structure. What I experienced instead was a mixed bag, though a grand improvement overall. While the controls were still frustrating, the minigame still underwhelming, and there still being a good amount of cheap enemies and poorly designed levels, it was to a much lesser extent than the first title. Sonic Team instead opted to add some new fun to the formula, with more levels akin to Green Hill Zone and less like Labyrinth or Scrap Brain Zone. This led to a new experience with Sonic that was more positive than the last - though it may still not be something I would recommend.
First, I have to talk about the visuals and sound design - excellent yet again! There are a bunch of punchy tracks and great zones to experience visually, and sound effects are crisp and unique. The music is incredibly catchy and iconic in feel. There is a wider range of color throughout, and it gives the game a nice breath of fresh air that the first game unfortunately stumbled with the farther you got into the journey. The presentation here is no joke, and easily the best aspect about the game in terms of quality and consistency!
Unfortunately, this level of quality didn’t get translated to other aspects of the game. The controls are still a bit weird, especially because even the slightest of movements can disable the ability to Spin Dash. This makes timing certain moves insanely tricky and raises the skill cap to unnecessary heights. Avoiding some tougher enemies becomes trickier without this extra flexibility unless you are already aware of their movements and locations, something that new players would be unaccustomed to. The tighter levels help to make use of this feature as well, but the controls just need to be a bit more forgiving for activating it and maintaining momentum.
Speaking of the Spin Dash, this was a welcome addition to the franchise! While I’ve already encountered it in the first classic Sonic remaster, it has come to my attention that the move did not exist in that game upon original release. What a shame that is considering it could’ve used some tweaking in this title, but it allows for so much more movement potential in each level. It helps set up jumps and attacks while quickening the pace of gameplay - huge positives in my book. As mentioned before, if the controls would’ve been freed up just a bit to let this move be used more dynamically, it could’ve allowed for new players to unlock more enjoyment within the game. Instead, only skilled players can really access this enjoyment, which would be fine if it didn’t have something related to the enjoyment of levels wrapped into the mechanic itself…
Enemies in this game are very annoying. They’re often placed in areas where you aren’t able to react to their presence unless you already know the level, which is a very cheap way to cause players to lose rings and lives. The level that is the worst offender is Metropolis Zone, which has annoying star enemies and grasshoppers with homing attacks on the players’ location. There are so many instances where you have to make a blind jump or boost and one of these a-holes are in the way, and it just makes this set of levels suck so badly. It's at its worst in Metropolis Zone, but some other levels suffer from this stuff as well (Wing Fortress Zone, Chemical Plant Zone, Mystic Cave Zone).
Lastly, the Chaos Emerald minigame is improved greatly, but it's still reliant on vapid memorization or extremely quick reflexes. The 3D levels are neat, but the blind turns when moving around the half-pipe are too sudden and difficult to gauge properly. If the turns could be signaled much earlier it would help with the experience. It’s still much better than the first games’ version, which relied heavily on luck and had little structure as a proper minigame.
“Sonic the Hedgehog 2: Classic” was a much improved sequel to the first title. It introduced a new Spin Dash move for Sonic to use, had a greater consistency and flow to gameplay, and still provided the fantastic visual charm the first game presented. However, it was still a frustrating experience with cheap enemy placements, annoying level mechanics, and a disappointing minigame for collecting Chaos Emeralds. Despite its noticeable improvements, I would still Not Recommend this one since the overall game feel wasn’t that fun still. If you enjoyed the first then this is a must play, but if you found that one to not be that fun then you may very well still find this one unfun. The “blue blur” has started to figure out his gaming identity, but these first few games haven’t convinced me to turn into a fan.
Final Verdict: 5/10 (Average)
After the disappointment that was the first entry in the series, I was excited to try out this much lauded sequel. I hoped for some tighter controls, fair enemies, a better Chaos Emerald minigame, and tighter level structure. What I experienced instead was a mixed bag, though a grand improvement overall. While the controls were still frustrating, the minigame still underwhelming, and there still being a good amount of cheap enemies and poorly designed levels, it was to a much lesser extent than the first title. Sonic Team instead opted to add some new fun to the formula, with more levels akin to Green Hill Zone and less like Labyrinth or Scrap Brain Zone. This led to a new experience with Sonic that was more positive than the last - though it may still not be something I would recommend.
First, I have to talk about the visuals and sound design - excellent yet again! There are a bunch of punchy tracks and great zones to experience visually, and sound effects are crisp and unique. The music is incredibly catchy and iconic in feel. There is a wider range of color throughout, and it gives the game a nice breath of fresh air that the first game unfortunately stumbled with the farther you got into the journey. The presentation here is no joke, and easily the best aspect about the game in terms of quality and consistency!
Unfortunately, this level of quality didn’t get translated to other aspects of the game. The controls are still a bit weird, especially because even the slightest of movements can disable the ability to Spin Dash. This makes timing certain moves insanely tricky and raises the skill cap to unnecessary heights. Avoiding some tougher enemies becomes trickier without this extra flexibility unless you are already aware of their movements and locations, something that new players would be unaccustomed to. The tighter levels help to make use of this feature as well, but the controls just need to be a bit more forgiving for activating it and maintaining momentum.
Speaking of the Spin Dash, this was a welcome addition to the franchise! While I’ve already encountered it in the first classic Sonic remaster, it has come to my attention that the move did not exist in that game upon original release. What a shame that is considering it could’ve used some tweaking in this title, but it allows for so much more movement potential in each level. It helps set up jumps and attacks while quickening the pace of gameplay - huge positives in my book. As mentioned before, if the controls would’ve been freed up just a bit to let this move be used more dynamically, it could’ve allowed for new players to unlock more enjoyment within the game. Instead, only skilled players can really access this enjoyment, which would be fine if it didn’t have something related to the enjoyment of levels wrapped into the mechanic itself…
Enemies in this game are very annoying. They’re often placed in areas where you aren’t able to react to their presence unless you already know the level, which is a very cheap way to cause players to lose rings and lives. The level that is the worst offender is Metropolis Zone, which has annoying star enemies and grasshoppers with homing attacks on the players’ location. There are so many instances where you have to make a blind jump or boost and one of these a-holes are in the way, and it just makes this set of levels suck so badly. It's at its worst in Metropolis Zone, but some other levels suffer from this stuff as well (Wing Fortress Zone, Chemical Plant Zone, Mystic Cave Zone).
Lastly, the Chaos Emerald minigame is improved greatly, but it's still reliant on vapid memorization or extremely quick reflexes. The 3D levels are neat, but the blind turns when moving around the half-pipe are too sudden and difficult to gauge properly. If the turns could be signaled much earlier it would help with the experience. It’s still much better than the first games’ version, which relied heavily on luck and had little structure as a proper minigame.
“Sonic the Hedgehog 2: Classic” was a much improved sequel to the first title. It introduced a new Spin Dash move for Sonic to use, had a greater consistency and flow to gameplay, and still provided the fantastic visual charm the first game presented. However, it was still a frustrating experience with cheap enemy placements, annoying level mechanics, and a disappointing minigame for collecting Chaos Emeralds. Despite its noticeable improvements, I would still Not Recommend this one since the overall game feel wasn’t that fun still. If you enjoyed the first then this is a must play, but if you found that one to not be that fun then you may very well still find this one unfun. The “blue blur” has started to figure out his gaming identity, but these first few games haven’t convinced me to turn into a fan.
Final Verdict: 5/10 (Average)
An amazing port that enhances greatly the original game and also corrects many of the short-comings which almost ruined the original experience for me.
Special stages still sucks, but now that they're running decently in 3D, I can finally get all emeralds! Also, it's great not having to redo the whole game if you get a game over against the death egg robot.
While it didn't bother me to endure ads between levels (because I didn't pay for it), I got really annoyed by them playing each time I paused the game and between each bosses in the boss rush mode. This sucks and I'm pretty sure they're financially stable enough to remove them altogether.
Also I which Tails had a super-form like they did later on in Mania but oh well.
Other than that this remaster is excellent and everything you'd want from a Sonic 2 port if you can endure touch-screen control. Can't wait for it to be playable with a controller in Sonic Origins.
Special stages still sucks, but now that they're running decently in 3D, I can finally get all emeralds! Also, it's great not having to redo the whole game if you get a game over against the death egg robot.
While it didn't bother me to endure ads between levels (because I didn't pay for it), I got really annoyed by them playing each time I paused the game and between each bosses in the boss rush mode. This sucks and I'm pretty sure they're financially stable enough to remove them altogether.
Also I which Tails had a super-form like they did later on in Mania but oh well.
Other than that this remaster is excellent and everything you'd want from a Sonic 2 port if you can endure touch-screen control. Can't wait for it to be playable with a controller in Sonic Origins.
This port just makes my favorite Sonic game even better.
this is probably my most replayed game ever
Sonic 2 holds up remarkably well for what it is, and the Android enhancements (real-time 3D special stages and widescreen support) update the experience for modern audiences to the point where I'd recommend this version in an instant. Hopefully they patch Origins to get rid of the bugs because I consider that the most accessible version.
Bastante divertido e envelheceu bem, alguns momentos são monótonos e o último boss é bem esquecível, porém, mesmo tendo um nível de complexidade mais simples que seu antecessor, consegue ser mais divertido.
just sonic at his best really
A solid port of a classic, but the latter stages still are terrible, even with the smooth performance & save feature.
Talk about a remaster that pisses on the original game
POGGGGGGGGG remaster
it’s a nice game. Not much more to say tbh. Big step up from the first but it didn’t wow me or anything. Just a nice time.
(Played on Switch)
Switch port of the decomps is still phenomenal, but worth noting that it is a few versions behind the PC build (so no mobile menu for example) but the game itself is still the best it's ever been, and it's great to play it on the TV or on the go thanks to Switch.
Switch port of the decomps is still phenomenal, but worth noting that it is a few versions behind the PC build (so no mobile menu for example) but the game itself is still the best it's ever been, and it's great to play it on the TV or on the go thanks to Switch.
A fantastic sequel that expands on the first game with more creativity, better level design and better bosses. It increases the sense of scope for the series aswell. It looks amazing on my phone, so clean. Fuck the final boss though, hated that lol
A very fun platformer and Sonic game. Hidden Palace zone was also a cool edition!
ft @cellerepe (PC, port da versão mobile) [Minha milionésima vez, primeira dela]
Como se já não bastasse o upgrade no impecável design visual e na absurda trilha sonora, TUDO é 30X MELHOR! Se conseguir, você É a velocidade e passa correndo por níveis muito variados e bons de se explorar. Tails e Super Sonic são adições incríveis e os chefes são muito marcantes.
Como se já não bastasse o upgrade no impecável design visual e na absurda trilha sonora, TUDO é 30X MELHOR! Se conseguir, você É a velocidade e passa correndo por níveis muito variados e bons de se explorar. Tails e Super Sonic são adições incríveis e os chefes são muito marcantes.
is amazing how much jank and obtuse desing the remaster improves, tbh the best thing taxman did is his remasters from 2012
Um jogo perfeito e atemporal. Grande evolução do 1
I don't remember it being bad, so I might come back to this but not this version
See Sonic Origins review.
absolute classic
Experiencia mil vezes melhor que a original, 16:9 60fps, menu com save files, time attack, conquistas, fase deletada que foi restaurada, Knuckles é jogavel, Tails é funcional, Special Stages agora são mais previsiveis, isso suaviza bastante a gameplay mas ainda sim consegue irritar um pouquinho, mas não TÃO quanto a versão original.
Recomendo.
Recomendo.
good 2