And because the original Sonic Advance was a huge success for Sega on the handheld, a sequel was inevitable. Just about one year later the team responsible for the game worked up a new adventure for the hedgehog and his pals, and this sequel, while looking very similar to the game released last year, offers a faster, deeper, and, of course, a more fun gaming experience than the original Sonic Advance.
Features
- More than a dozen levels
- Five playable characters
- Cartridge save (one slot)
- Connection with GameCube's Sonic Adventure 2: Battle and Sonic Adventure DX
- Link cable support for four players (single and multi-cart support)
- Only for Game Boy Advance
The level designs in Sonic Advance 2 are far and away the biggest change to the Game Boy Advance series. Not only are these rounds absolutely massive, they're also balanced a lot better; players who found themselves frustrated by a strategically placed spike strip that "conveniently" pops up underfoot during a super speed sprint will definitely notice that these annoyances have been almost completely removed from play. The spike strips are still in the game (it's a Sonic staple, after all), but they're mostly positioned in locations that are clearly visible during some of the areas where players would be jumping and running at a more leisurely pace. Players still have to be quick with their jumping during a fast-paced run, since the crafty level designers put branching platforms all over the place...and the only way to get to certain areas in a level is to time the jumps perfectly to reach those particular platforms.
Just like the past games in the Sonic series, the idea is to run through the levels, collecting rings and defeating/avoiding enemies; taking a hit from a hazard will send all collected rings spilling all over the place, and without a ring in-hand, another hit will cause a painful death. All of the levels in this game feature their own network of platforms, tubes, rails, and other nifty platform elements that send our hero flying at top speed. In all honesty, Sonic Advance 2 isn't a terribly difficult game to beat the first time through. There aren't that many death gaps to fall into, or challenging jumps to perform. The first time through with Sonic will take only a couple of hours. But that's the absolute, bare minimum accomplishment in Sonic Advance 2.
But this Sonic platformer focuses more on exploration this time around. The designers encourage exploration by tossing seven Special Rings in each level; the only way players can enter the bonus rounds in order to collect the Chaos Emeralds is to hunt down all seven of these rings. This is not an easy task because, as mentioned above, the levels in Sonic Advance 2 are absolutely humongous and extend out in all sorts of different directions. The collection of these Special Rings is a task for the characters other than Sonic, since Sonic's strengths aren't really in the exploration category. Sonic is the character to use to complete the game, because he's the one players must use at the beginning of the adventure. Sonic will encounter the other three playable characters in the adventure during specific boss battles; when the boss is defeated, it unlocks that character as playable. Playable characters in the game include Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Cream, but none of these characters are playable until they've been unlocked; and even when they are, players have to complete every level with each character this time around. This game has tons of replay, definitely its biggest strength.
Cream the Rabbit is a brand new character to the Sonic the Hedgehog universe and the first character that's unlocked in the game. This rabbit has the speed and platform-hopping capabilities that are necessary in this adventure, but she, like the other playable characters, has abilities specific to her design. She's the most aggressive of the Sonic Advance 2 gang, because she can literally throw her partner (a tiny Chao critter named "Cheese") at enemies, which makes boss battles almost a cakewalk when playing as her. She can also hover around the levels for a short time, using her ears as wings, but her airborne time is limited (and much shorter than Tails'). She's also used in the new Tiny Chao Garden mini-game, a mode that's now hidden as an unlockable feature of Sonic Advance 2. As you've probably noticed by now, this sequel is all about replay and uncovering all of the extra goodies.
The other characters in this platformer also have their own moves and on top of the ability to run really, really fast. Knuckles can glide through the air and climb up vertical surfaces. Tails can fly huge distances and swipe enemies with his tails. Amy, a character who's only unlocked by completing the adventure 100% with Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Cream, swings a massive hammer as she runs through the levels. Each of these characters feels distinctly different, so it's not a huge chore to be forced to play through the same dozen levels again and again with the other members of the Sonic crew.
And just like in last year's Sonic Advance, the developers increase the replay of Sonic Advance 2 by including really fun multiplayer challenges, both in single and multiple cartridge modes. They're not much of a departure from what the GBA Sonic team offered in last year's game, but they're still an excellent addition to the standard Sonic experience, and shouldn't be missed.
