When Sega first announced Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, many Sonic fans had their interest piqued with the idea of a Sonic game returning to its roots and giving the old school experience they had been waiting for after many lackluster entries in the franchise. However, when the game was finally released, not everyone was happy with the result. Despite generally positive reviews, I observed a wide berth of opinions. Fans varied from thinking the game was a successful attempt at recapturing the magic of the original to denouncing the game as a failed bid at returning disillusioned fans to a franchise they once loved. Regardless, the 2nd episode has come down the pipeline, with an attempt to improve on the problems many had with the first and provide a truly great Sonic experience. Does it succeed? Well, let’s explore that question.

Just as Episode I was meant to harken back to the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Episode II is clearly designed to bring back memories of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. There are callbacks all over the place in this game, with the most obvious being the inclusion of Tails. The Special Stages from Sonic 2 are also brought back and given a graphical update fitting with the times. Some of the stages are even directly inspired by some of the previous levels, such as the Oil Desert and Sky Fortress Zones having a striking similarity to the Oil Ocean and Wing Fortress Zones respectively. Other games are attributed to as well, such as the presence of Metal Sonic after he was left by the wayside all the way back in Sonic CD. I have to say that I do like that the creators are paying tribute to the older games with all these references being both clear to fans and implemented well.

Of course, the creators obviously didn’t want to directly copy their inspiration, so they tried to make the game feel more unique with the addition of the Tag Actions. These abilities are special moves performed with Tails that allow the pair to fly using Tails’ classic ability, spin extremely quickly to smash through enemies and obstacles, and swim through water very smoothly using Tails’ tails as a propeller. While the submarine is definitely the most useful of the bunch, finally making underwater sections in Sonic a bit more bearable, all three change up the gameplay in a good way and are a welcome change from the norm. As such, it’s unfortunate that the level design doesn’t live up to the potential these abilities have.

Why did you never do this before Tails?

I’m sad to say that I found the level design in Sonic 4 Episode II to be rather lacking. While there were levels I liked, such as Sky Fortress Act 2 and 3, the stages on the whole felt very average for a Sonic adventure and didn’t really stand out. Sylvania Castle felt like just another Green Hill Zone and the other stages fared no better. For almost the entire game, I couldn’t get away from the nagging feeling that I had already played through all these zones before, and this is where the clear inspiration from previous games does this one a disservice.

As much as I like to see these callbacks, they take away nearly all feelings of originality from the game. I think the problem can best be explained by using Sonic Generations as an example. Despite the fact that all the areas in Generations are made up of previous zones, they were designed differently and well enough that, taking away the nostalgia, they didn’t feel like rehashes. They were designed as new levels influenced by previous ones, and they were just that. The stages of Episode II, on the opposite hand, are generally akin to pale imitations. White Park Zone Act 2 is clearly trying to be Carnival Night Zone from Sonic 3, and it comes off as grasping at a successful past rather than a fresh take on an old favorite. At best, the levels can be a pretty fun ride, but at worst, they can be endlessly annoying both in terms of playing through and the design of the level itself.