The levels also feel very obtuse in comparison to the Sonic I remember. This is an issue that occurs time and time again, but it is further troubled by the level design, which has absolutely no problem with forcing you to use these co-op moves with alarming regularity. It might not sound too bad on paper, but when you use these moves at least ten times a level, it really starts to kill any sense of momentum. Well those team moves I just mentioned are the demise of this speed, as they are preceded by a second-long start up animation. If you ask anyone what they loved about Sonic on the Mega Drive/Genesis, they’ll probably bring up the sense of speed. These co-op moves are a fun addition and don’t complicate the classic formula like you’d think, but they introduce a big problem that is the veritable death of Sonic 4: The lack of speed.ĭon’t let the nostalgia fool you, this is a wolf in hedgehog’s clothing. These range from making the duo fly, rolling up together into a big ball of death and even include the ability for Tails to use his namesake as a propeller underwater. This teamwork element introduced by Tail’s flying has been capitalised upon in Episode 2, with a dedicated button for activating team manoeuvres. Tails is as you remembered him from your childhood, complete with limited flying abilities and the nifty ability to carry Sonic along as well for a short amount of time. You may have guessed then that the biggest new inclusion is that of Sonic’s partner and cohort, Miles Tails Prower.

Sadly, none of these alterations serve to remedy the problems with the first Sonic 4 episode, with many of the gameplay tweaks adding their own host of issues rather than fixing them.Įpisode 2 brings back the classic 2D Sonic gameplay of old, but it features several inclusions that make it more like a re-tread of Sonic 2 than any other titles in the series. With a large gap between the two episodes, Sonic 4 Episode 2 feels more like a full sequel than an episodic add-on, with a large list of additions and changes.

Cue the expected hype around Sonic’s glorious return to the second dimension of old but, as you can read in our review, the first part of Sonic 4 wasn’t exactly the return to form that fans were hoping for. Having spent what feels like forever trying to dominate the 3D platformer, Sonic Team have finally noticed that they weren’t fooling anyone, and have since returned to the 2D realm with the help of co-developer Dimps.

Sonic 4 episode 2 final boss