Thanks to Wolfman for helping with edits.
I have a sizable backlog of unfinished games (that’s what partially inspired me to start this series). A running theme for “Beat the Backlog” this year, however, has been revisiting games and usually trying to complete them. Some of my attempts were successful, while others weren’t. Festering in the latter camp is Sonic Advance 3, a side-scroller whose antagonistic level design and convoluted means of accessing Special Stages ultimately dissuaded me from getting the final Chaos Emerald. After abandoning that handheld Sonic, however, I began replaying another: Sonic the Hedgehog 2—the Game Gear version.
Sonic 1, the second Sonic 1, and this Sonic 2 all sport multiple Zones with three Acts each, the third of which always closes with a boss fight. (Image: SEGA)
The first Sonic the Hedgehog was a big deal, giving the SEGA Genesis a foothold against the Super Nintendo. It’d receive a few direct sequels in the coming years, which were also successful. However, a secondary line of Sonic side-scrollers ran concurrently on SEGA’s 8-bit machines, the Master System and Game Gear. The first of them was outsourced to third-party studio Ancient and shares its name, setting, and story with the hero’s pioneering platformer. It’s actually a solid facsimile of its namesake that introduces new stage archetypes—jungles and Dr. Eggman’s flying fortresses, namely—to the franchise. Still, even if its stage layouts are unique, its more technologically impressive big brother overshadows it; it’s the “lesser” Sonic 1.
Sonic 2 and CD, the console original’s follow-ups, were spearheaded by Sonic Team veterans Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima, respectively. Meanwhile, SEGA recruited Aspect to handle another Sonic 2, succeeding Ancient’s version. Yes, it shares its name with the Genesis classic, but this Sonic 2 hit store shelves first and is a vastly different—and substantially inferior—game.
If you sustain damage while holding at least one Ring, Sonic will survive, but his collection scatters. Rings are plentiful in each Zone’s first two Acts, though each third Act lacks them. (Image: SEGA)
Now, I’ll give Aspect some leeway. This was their first crack at a simultaneously big and nascent franchise, one still figuring out its strengths. Considering the harsh hardware constraints Aspect was contending with, their Sonic 2 was never going to attain the highs of the Sonic 2. This 8-bit Sonic does, nevertheless, surmount some of its predecessor’s shortcomings: players can now reclaim lost Rings, and the Master System version contains the Speed Shoes power-up (Rings replace it on the Game Gear). Visually, the game is fine, as is its soundtrack (two of Sonic 2’s composers, Naofumi Hataya and Masafumi Ogata, later scored CD; Green Hills’ theme and CD’s main theme share a melody).
And Aspect’s Sonic 2 does, to its credit, introduce a few worthwhile concepts to the greater franchise. It’s inadvertently the debut of Sonic’s sidekick, Tails. It features the first robotic Sonic doppelgänger (Sonic CD and the better Sonic 2 introduce metallic Sonic simulacrums, too). Sonic 2 refreshingly starts in an underground cave, not a Green Hill-esque stage. Though that quota is later filled by Green Hills, 2’s roster of Zones is otherwise wholly new. One of them, Eggman’s translucent (and uncharacteristically bright) Crystal Egg base, remains a novel backdrop even today. This is also the first Sonic game where collecting every Chaos Emerald has a purpose beyond merely altering the ending; entering Crystal Egg requires them. Finally, some aspects of this Sonic resurface in Mania.
Green Hills Zone Act 3 asks you to bounce atop springs until you reach the boss. Unfortunately, you cannot see the springs or spikes until you’re just about to land on them, leading to unfair deaths. (Image: SEGA)
Nevertheless, Sonic 2 is subpar, introducing every issue that would plague Aspect’s reign over the hedgehog’s handheld adventures. Stages oscillate between bland and frustrating. Some try emulating the Genesis games’ multilayered maps, though to less sophisticated results; there are two routes at most, even if there are efforts to differentiate them with new elements or mechanics. Other Acts are vertical climbs, a change from Sonic’s traditionally horizontal stages. But obstacle placement throughout is slapdash, something the Game Gear’s small screen aggravates (if you ever try this Sonic 2, spring for the Master System version, which somewhat alleviates this issue). Oh, and there are no shield power-ups or checkpoints to be found, so if you die during a stage, you’re restarting it from the beginning.
Most Zones contain thematically-appropriate contraptions, the functions of which are usually self-explanatory (the manual covers them all). Sky High’s hang gliders rise as the most frustrating gimmicks, though others are harmless, like Under Ground and Gimmick Mt.’s short minecart rides. Act 1 of Aqua Lake is simple, while Act 2 combines Sonic 1’s notorious Labyrinth with large bubbles that ensnare Sonic, letting him reach higher routes. Thing is, these bubbles pop if they approach a wall or ceiling, which is a problem considering how claustrophobic the cave is. Gimmick Mt. also inherits Scrap Brain’s wheels and conveyor belts, though it’s a mostly straightforward romp regardless. Then Scrambled Egg Zone’s Acts employ warp tunnels, which propel Sonic forwards or backwards—and no, nothing telegraphs which tubes are the correct ones to enter.
Some walls or floors conceal hidden pathways. Since the first five Zones hide a Chaos Emerald somewhere in their second Acts, hunting them all down becomes tedious. (Image: SEGA)
Eggman can’t even be bothered to fight Sonic until the final Zone, delegating the job to his mediocre Master Robots. The first one, Pit Master, emerges as a truly miserable ordeal. Even calling this a “fight” is generous; all you do is dodge bombs that bounce into its pit. Plus, again, those playing on a Game Gear suffer; the smaller screen resolution and bombs’ altered tradjectory make for an unreasonably tough first boss fight (had I played Sonic 2 when it came out, I don’t believe I’d have gotten past here without cheating). Only Mecha Sonic provides a decent scuffle (oddly, the chrome copy can perform the Spin Dash—a move Sonic lacks in this game). Should you scrap Mecha while carrying the first five Emeralds, he’ll relinquish the final gem, whisking you off to the anti-climatic Crystal Egg. Otherwise, your quest stops here.
Anyway, yeah, Aspect’s first outing with the franchise is… turbulent. Thankfully, they did learn from the experience. Sonic 2’s sequels, Sonic Chaos and Triple Trouble, are considerably more polished, even if they still fall beneath their 16-bit brethren. Afterwards, Aspect developed Tails Adventure, an imperfect but surprisingly respectable crack at a Metroidvania. Somehow, none of this growth seeps into Sonic Blast, their dishonestly named swan song. For better or worse, though, Sonic’s 8-bit titles are generally forgotten about today—which, in this case, is for the better.
Only Tails’ apparition appears in the bad ending. When I saw it for the first time, I thought it was implying Eggman killed his abductee. (Image: SEGA)
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