Link: https://shc.zone/entries/contest2024/1117
Multiplayer
The main game mode on display is quite fun! With all the slowdown gone, more zones to play, and the new monitor options, having a round or two with a friend is a blast.
…at least, when it all works correctly. What soured my experience with the game is that over the course of around an hour of play, I encountered multiple game breaking bugs in the new zones, completely ruining the entire match. The two instances I can remember are conveyor platforms having no collision for P2 and the OOZ balls getting stuck, trapping the character inside.
The new monitors are a great addition to the game, and it’s cool to have a “negative” version of every single “positive” to screw your opponent over :3
The new Super form mode is also a great idea. Nothing negative to say here — it’s just a blast to play! In any other context, the game switching from splitscreen to normal would be distracting, but here it actually serves the gameplay. Great job!
The new music for the zones, where it is present, sounds really good as well. My only gripe is that it sticks out against the original 2P music. Maybe in the final there could be an option for an all new OST, including the likes of EHZ and CNZ?
Overall, it’s an extremely fun experience for a few runs through zones. Unfortunately, the game breaking bugs currently prevent me from recommending it for a full game match. Hopefully it doesn’t stay that way, and the problems get resolved.
UI changes
As many people have said, the new title screen, for the most part, is absolutely spectacular. The clever usage of the hardware really pays off (okay, the entire background on sprites, with the seam hidden by the window plane??), and the it really shows how good of a presentation Sock Team can deliver.
Same can be said for a few other screens. The design and timing on the 1P Special Stage results as well as the 2P title cards is immaculate!
With that said, I still have a few problems with the presentation as a whole:
- Many people have reported that the checkers on the flag are way too small, leading to the waving animation being really hard on the eyes. I can tolerate it, but quite a few people I know absolutely can’t stand looking at the flag wave.
- The intro went to great lengths to take the Knuckles sprite and reshade it (quite faithfully, in fact!) to the style of Sonic 2, which I very much commend. But then… the title screen itself features Sonic very obviously from Sonic 1? With the context of the whole game around it, it dawned on me how this is the one thing here that sticks out from the rest of Sonic 2 the most. Don’t get me wrong, there was clearly a lot of effort put into the animation, which I think looks great in a vacuum, but it just makes me wish the sprite itself fit more with how Sonic 2 shaded large sprites; I think it’d look quite spectacular.
- Not a problem per se, but the “old” UI stuff does look mildly underwhelming when put against the new. What’s there in the “new” style is great, it just makes you wish for more every time you see a more “standard” Sonic 2 screen.
- The previous point is especially apparent with the title cards: the new 2P title looks absolutely brilliant and I wish that could also be present in the 1P mode.
- The extension of the Options theme seemed to make a few slightly jarring harmonic choices, though after a while my ears got used to it. Maybe worth looking into and rechecking if any dissonant notes were left in by mistake?
Special Stages
Not much I can say about how they look that hasn’t already been said. These are a technical feat, and look and play miles better than they ever did in the original game.
There are a few new stages that are exclusive to the level select menu where they truly shine, with free movement options, boosters and twists. I hope these gimmicks get added to the main game in some way later, as they bring a lot of excitement to the experience. It’s a shame these features seem to be level select-exclusive for now.
The Sonic Heroes reference is also great, and works fairly well as a 2P intermission bonus stage. I do think that the music track there specifically seems a little unfinished. The lead instrument doesn’t seem to sound all that pleasant, and the song doesn’t progress past the intro. Placeholder?
Trophies awarded
- Radiant Emerald Trophy - Best Special Stage Design
- Rivals Trophy - Best Multiplayer Entry