Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II is a platform game developed by Dimps and Sonic Team, and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, iOS, Android, and Windows in 2012. It was ported to the Ouya and Nvidia Shield in 2013.

Set after Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I (2010), it follows Sonic and Tails as they attempt to once again stop Doctor Eggman and a revived Metal Sonic from using Little Planet to power the Death Egg mk.II space station. Like its predecessor, Episode II is a 2D side-scrolling video game with players guiding Sonic and Tails through levels, collecting rings and rolling into enemies. Collecting Chaos Emeralds also requires players to access special stages by ending a stage with enough rings.

Development began shortly after the release of Episode I in late 2010 and lasted around a year and a half. The developers altered the gameplay after negative feedback for Episode I. In addition to the return of Tails, Episode Metal was created for players who had purchased both games, allowing players to play as Metal Sonic through shortened versions of stages from the first game. Additional ports to the Windows Phone and Wii as part of the WiiWare service were cancelled due to space constraints. In preparation for the release of Episode II, Sonic CD (1993) was re-released to act as a "prequel".

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II received generally average reviews; many critics cited it as an improvement, with praise for its better physics engine, visuals, and multiplayer functionality, but criticism for its music, boss fights, and level design. While a moderate commercial success, Episode II sold fewer copies than Episode I, and Episode III was cancelled shortly after. In spite of the relatively poor performance, it influenced the development of Sonic Runners (2015). Another major 2D Sonic game was not released until Sonic Mania in 2017.

Gameplay

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II is a 2D side-scrolling platformer reminiscent of the original Sonic games for the Sega Genesis, and plays similarly to its predecessor, however levels are rendered in full 3D. Sonic and Tails are the playable characters across the game, although Tails can only be controlled in multiplayer, as he otherwise follows Sonic's movements. Both characters are able to move left or right to gain speed, jump, and roll into a ball to either gain speed down slopes or attack enemies. Pressing jump in mid-air allows Sonic to use the "homing attack" from the 3D games, which moves Sonic to the highlighted object (usually enemies or objects). New to Episode II are tag-team actions, such as Tails being able to fly up Sonic to areas Sonic cannot reach, or both rolling into a singular ball to perform a fast spin attack.

Episode II takes place across four levels ("zones"), each divided into three acts and a special fourth act dedicated to the boss. Each level contains several set pieces including slopes, loops, springs, boost pads, and bottomless pits. Like many Sonic games, rings act as a form of health and protect them from a hit, but are scattered before disappearing; if a player is hit without any, gets crushed, or falls into a pit, they will lose a life, and losing all lives will result in a game over. Most of the stages take inspiration from locations Sonic 2 or Sonic & Knuckles (1994).

Finishing an act with at least 50 rings will give the player an option to access a Special Stage, in a similar vein to Sonic the Hedgehog (1991). Special Stages in Episode II are based on the half-pipe format introduced in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992), in which the game switches to a front-facing perspective as they move left and right on the board, collecting rings and avoiding hazards. Getting enough rings will reward the player with a Chaos Emerald. The game features Red Star Rings, reappearing from Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, with one Red Ring hidden per act, although they only unlock an achievement and have no effect on gameplay.

Owners of both Episode I and II on the same system can unlock free "Episode Metal" content in Episode II. "Episode Metal" explains how Metal Sonic was revived after being defeated in Sonic CD. Players can control Metal Sonic through four acts, all of which are reworked from the first act of each zone in Episode I.