Sonic Advance 2

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Sonic Advance 2
System(s): Game Boy Advance, Virtual Console
Publisher: Sega (Japan, Europe) THQ (US)
Developer: Sonic Team, Dimps
Distributor: Infogrames (Europe)
Peripherals supported: Game Link Cable
Genre: Action
Number of players: 1-4
Official in-game languages: 日本語 English Français Deutsch Español Italiano
Release Date RRP Code Rating US 2003-03-12 $? AGB-P-A2NE AGB-A2NE-USA UK 2003-03-28 £? AGB-P-A2NP AGB-A2NP-UKV FI 2003-03-21 €? AGB-P-A2NP AGB-A2NP-UKV FR 2003-03-21 €? AGB-P-A2NP AGB-A2NP-FAH DE 2003-03-21 €? AGB-P-A2NP AGB-A2NP-NOE ES 2003-03-21 €? AGB-P-A2NP AGB-A2NP-EUR IT 2003-03-21 €? AGB-P-A2NP AGB-A2NP-EUR JP 2002-12-19 ¥5,800 (6,090) AGB-P-A2NJ AGB-A2NJ-JPN JP (Okaidoku-ban) 2004-06-17 ¥3,800 (3,990) AGB-P-A2NJ AGB-A2NJ-JPN-1 AU 2003 $? ? JP 2016-02-24 ¥650 (702) WUP-N-PCRJ
USK OFLC GRB

Sonic Advance 2 (ソニック アドバンス２) is a platform game for the Game Boy Advance and a sequel to Sonic Advance. It was released for the console in late 2002 for Japan, and early 2003 for all other regions. A preview trailer for the game was originally featured in Sonic Mega Collection.

This game marks the debut appearance of Cream the Rabbit.

Story

Advance 2's island setting, seen in the opening sequence.

The game begins with Sonic running through Leaf Forest. There, he witnesses Dr. Eggman kidnapping a young rabbit and her pet Chao. Chasing and defeating Dr. Eggman in his revamped Egg Hammer Tank II, he rescues the young rabbit and her Chao, whose names are Cream and Cheese. Then pursuing Eggman, Sonic later finds him attempting to carry Tails off in the Music Plant with his Egg Totem. After defeating the mech and rescuing his friend, Tails remarks that Eggman came from nowhere and that he has no idea what he possibly could be up to. Sonic then continues his pursuit of Eggman, until the Sky Canyon, where he intercepted by the Egg Saucer with Knuckles on board. After destroying the machine, Sonic confronts a rather emotional Knuckles, chiding him for allowing himself to be tricked by Eggman yet again. After this brief encounter, Sonic chases Eggman eventually reaching their final confrontation at XX.

Bad Ending: After the player's character defeats Eggman, he/she drops from outer space, with the destroyed Egg Utopia falling behind him/her. When he/she lands, he/she is greeted by a number of animal friends. After the credits roll, the player will be reminded to collect the 7 Chaos Emeralds.

Good Ending: This ending is obtained after Sonic obtains all 7 Chaos Emeralds, and Story Mode is cleared at least once with Tails, Knuckles, and Cream. A short time after the destruction of the Egg Utopia, Cream's mother, Vanilla, will be watching birds flying around the Leaf Forest when an odd, cloaked device vacuums her and the birds up and carries her off. Upon seeing this, Sonic and co. come running, but are too late. As Cream begins to cry, Sonic will turn into Super Sonic and pursue the device to True Area 53. After this final showdown, Sonic and Vanilla will fall out of the sky. Sonic will catch her and land safely, much to Cream's relief. After this, the credits roll.

Gameplay

Sonic Advance 2 departs from the gameplay seen in the original Sonic Advance (and in turn, the original 2D games on Sega Mega Drive), emphasising speed over exploration. It is a game more concerned with quick player reactions than precise platforming - a trend that would continue for 2D Sonic titles for years to come.

As a result of this change in direction, levels in Sonic Advance 2 are typically larger than those of Sonic Advance. Speed Boosters, Springs and Launchers are more plentiful, and grind rails are more abundant (with all characters now able to grind). The game encourages fast play, awarding more points should the player cross the finish line at faster speeds.

Cream in "Boost Mode", a high-speed state attainable by all characters, where they are pursued by their own afterimage.

Sonic Advance 2 introduces "Boost Mode", where if a character runs as fast as possible for a period of time without stopping or slowing down, they will shatter the sound barrier and leave a trail of afterimages behind them. While moving this fast it is possible to run over water and the button attack will become more powerful. The delay before reaching shattering can be decreased by collecting Rings, while certain objects in the level will instantly force the character into the state.

All characters can now perform Trick Actions in mid-air (while not curled in a ball). These are activated by being launched off of any spring, trampoline or ramp, holding a direction on the D-Pad and pressing the button. Some of these tricks can be used to destroy enemies in the air while not spinning or to reach high-up places. While the game can technically be completed without performing any tricks, Sky Canyon is designed so that several paths cannot be completed without using the button, with Techno Base and Egg Utopia using similar strategies.

Players are also tasked with accessing Special Stages to obtain Chaos Emeralds. In each Act, there are seven Special Rings, and when collected, will transport the player to a Special Stage at the end of a level. The stage accessed and Emerald obtained both depend on which Zone the player was in when they accessed the stage. Unlike Sonic Advance, Emeralds are not shared between characters. Obtaining all of the Chaos Emeralds as Sonic unlocks True Area 53, which consists of a boss fight as Super Sonic.

All bosses in this game, save for the final boss of XX, take place while running to the right, akin to the Mushroom Hill Zone Boss in Sonic & Knuckles. This style of fight is controversial among fans, as the speed of play prevents the user from recollecting any lost Rings after being hit. To compensate, Rings will appear in groups of three at regular intervals, though the need to run to the right makes all attacks apart from jumping, Sonic's Insta-Shield and Cream's ability to command Cheese to attack ineffective.

For unknown reasons, the idle actions were moved to a manual move called "Appeal". Players can view the character's idle animations by simply holding while standing still, though this removes the ability to look up and down to view the surroundings. If the player "Appeals" while using Knuckles, his punches will destroy any enemies in front of him.

This is one of several Game Boy Advance games to include the Tiny Chao Garden minigame. This game requires the player to complete the game with one character and all seven Chaos Emeralds to unlock it.

Playable characters

Unlike the original Sonic Advance where all four playable characters can be selected at the start, four of the five characters in Sonic Advance 2 need to be unlocked. This is achieved just by playing the game normally.

Sonic the Hedgehog

“	Sonic is the world's fastest supersonic hedgehog! He's basically carefree, but he can't stand evil. He can be short tempered, but it would go against his kind nature not to help someone in trouble.	„
— Sonic Advance 2 US manualMedia:SonicAdvance2 GBA US manual.pdf

Special moves

• Double Spin Attack (aka Insta-Shield): Performed by pressing jump again while in mid-air. It increases the range of attack, enabling you to attack things a little higher than you can normally reach and it increases the speed of your attack.
• Jump Dash: Performed by pressing or twice in rapid succession after jumping. Sonic does a sudden jumping dash.
• Skid Attack: Performed by pressing . Sonic slides along the ground and stops.
• Super Skid: Performed by pressing in Boost Mode. Allows Sonic to use the Skid Attack that has a large flame-like aura around hit feet and continue running. If at some of the lowest possible speeds in Boost Mode, the flame-like aura around Sonic's feet will be smaller and he will lose more speed.
• Homing Attack: Performed by pressing while jumping near an enemy. Sonic targets the enemy and then destroys it with a Spin Attack with afterimages behind him as he does it. These can be done in succession but a Homing Attack will only work if the enemy is below Sonic.
• Bound: Performed by pressing while jumping. Sonic stops mid-flight and Spin Attacks straight downwards. This can be used to open pathways under Sonic.
• Rushing Attack (Super Sonic only): Press or . In a blaze of light, Super Sonic will speed up and attack in the direction he is facing (including diagonally).

Cream the Rabbit

“	Cream is an adorable rabbit that takes her tiny Chao "Cheese" wherever she goes. She can act a little chidlish at times, but tries hard at everything she does, and never forgets her manners. She can fly by flapping her ears like wings.	„
— Sonic Advance 2 US manualMedia:SonicAdvance2 GBA US manual.pdf

Sonic Advance 2 inadvertently became the game which introduced Cream the Rabbit (and Cheese) to the Sonic series, after Sonic Heroes was delayed. Cream had been previously teased in the artwork gallery of Sonic Mega Collection and would later cameo in Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut. She is unlocked by beating the boss of Leaf Forest, Egg Hammer Tank II, as Sonic.

Cream acts as "easy mode", as not only can she fly faster than Tails, but she can use Cheese to kill an on-screen enemy or hit a boss just by pressing the button.

Special moves

• Chao Attack: Simply press to send Cheese the chao to focus in on nearby enemies.
• Step Attack: Performed by pressing in Boost Mode. Cream takes a long stride and "Cheese" circles around her as a shield. This destroys any enemies it comes into contact with.
• Flying: Performed by pressing pressing multiple times. Gain height by tapping , then use D-pad to control what direction Cream is going. Pressing the buttons makes Cream drop from where she is.
• Mid-Air Chao Attack: Cream sends "Cheese" to attack enemies while in mid-air.
• Chao Rolling Attack: Performed by pressing pressing + while jumping. "Cheese" spins around Cream as a shield from enemy attacks. This will destroy any enemies contacted.

Miles "Tails" Prower

“	Miles "Tails" Prower is a gentle fox with two tails, and dreams of being just like Sonic. He loves tinkering with machinery, and sometimes builds robots to help his hero. He can fly by spinning his tails like helicopter blades.	„
— Sonic Advance 2 US manualMedia:SonicAdvance2 GBA US manual.pdf

Tails is unlocked by defeating Music Plant's boss, Egg Totem, as Sonic.

Special moves

• Tail Swipe: Performed by pressing pressing . Attack enemies with a swish of his tails.
• Super Tail Swipe: Performed by pressing pressing while in Boost Mode. Allows Tails to use Tail Swipe while keeping speed.
• Propeller Flying: Performed by pressing pressing multiple times. Gain height by tapping , then use D-pad to control what direction Tails is going. You cannot stop him from flying until he lands on something. You can attack enemies while in the air if you hit them with his tails. Tails can fly in the air for 8 seconds.

Knuckles the Echidna

“	Knuckles is Sonic's friend and rival. With his enormous strength and spiked fists he packs a powerful punch and can climb walls easily. He is brave of heart and strong willed, but can sometimes be a little gullible.	„
— Sonic Advance 2 US manualMedia:SonicAdvance2 GBA US manual.pdf

Sonic has to fight Knuckles (piloting the Egg Saucer in Sky Canyon) to unlock him.

Special moves

• Spiral Attack: Performed by pressing while in Boost Mode. Knuckles spirals forward with his fists while keeping speed. This is similar to the move Knuckles performs in Sonic Adventure 2 when he punches while running.
• Drill Claw: Performed by pressing pressing while jumping. Just like the Sonic Adventure 2 move of the same name, Knuckles spirals straight downwards with his fists.
• Mid-Air Glide: Performed by pressing again while in mid-air. Glide sideways while losing little height. Press or to change what direction the character is gliding. Enemies in the path will take damage on contact. If the button is released Knuckles will fall. Knuckles cannot use Drill Claw while gliding.
• Wall Climb: If a wall is in the path while gliding, Knuckles will cling to it. Push or to climb on it or just press again to jump off it. When he gets to the edge of a ledge, Knuckles will pull himself up on it.

Amy Rose

“	Amy is a cheerful and peppy hedgehog who has decided she is Sonic's girlfriend. She may be cute, but her Piko Piko Hammer makes her a formidable foe.	„
— Sonic Advance 2 US manualMedia:SonicAdvance2 GBA US manual.pdf

While available as a starting character in Sonic Advance, Amy must be unlocked for this game. Players must collect all of the Chaos Emeralds with each of the four other characters. Collecting the Chaos Emeralds with Amy is optional as it unlocks nothing.

Special moves

• Head Slide: Performed by pressing pressing while in Boost Mode. Similar to the move of the same name from the first Sonic Advance, except Amy can keep speed afterwards.
• Super Hammer Attack: Performed by pressing pressing while jumping. Amy swings the hammer once, and is able to make more a more precise descent afterwards. Amy does not need this move to attack as she can already use Spin Attack by default. However, it will extend her attack range.
• Mid-Air Hammer Swirl: Press and while in the air. Swirl down toward the ground. If an enemy is hit Amy will bounce up again.
• Spin Dash (Listed under "Common Actions"): Amy may also use the Spin Dash in this game, but she runs in place in order to charge it. She still takes off rolling like the other characters.

Multiplayer

Like its predecessor, Sonic Advance 2 offers multiple game modes for up to four players using Game Link Cables.

Multi Game Pak Mode

Unlike Sonic Advance, this game's Multi-Pak mode only features a competitive race mode, with each player requiring their own copy of Sonic Advance 2 to play. All players must race each other in any regular Act from the main game, with only Zones cleared by at least one connected player being available. Item Boxes will rotate in contents in this mode, offering items that can help players or hinder their opponents. The first player to reach the goal at the end is declared the winner; if 10 minutes pass before either player reaches the end, the race is declared a draw.

Single Game Pak Mode

Gameplay of the Single Pak VS mode.

Another competitive game mode for up to four players is available to play, with only one copy of Sonic Advance 2 required for the host player. Just like in Sonic Advance, each player roams around a single stage, where the objective is to collect as many Rings as possible. Unlike Sonic Advance, the stage is a short downward circuit that loops endlessly, and players are awarded a Ring Bonus each time they complete a lap.

Attacking a player with a Spin Attack or Spin Dash will make them drop their Rings, which can then be stolen by the other players. Item Boxes will appear at random places in this mode, and breaking one will scramble opponents' screens with a mosaic effect for a short while. After three minutes have elapsed, the player with the most Rings is declared the winner.

Like in the previous game, each player is designated a character in this mode. Player 1 is Sonic, player 2 is Cream, player 3 is Tails, and player 4 is Knuckles. Character-specific abilities are not available, with only a basic skill set (Spin Jump, Spin Dash and Grinding) available for every character.

Unlockables

These are items which can be unlocked by performing certain tasks.

• Unlock Boss Option (Time Attack) : Beat the game with 3 characters, each having all 7 emeralds.
• Unlock Songs 58-63 on Sound Test: Beat Extra Zone as Sonic.
• Unlock Sound Test: Beat the game with 2 characters, each with all 7 emeralds.
• Unlock Tiny Chao Garden: Beat the game with 1 character, with all 7 emeralds.
• Unlock True Area 53: Beat the game with Sonic, with all 7 emeralds. Then, beat the game with Cream, Tails, and Knuckles.
• Unlock Amy: Beat the game with Sonic, Cream, Tails, and Knuckles with all emeralds.
• Unlock Cream: Beat Leaf Forest with Sonic.
• Unlock Knuckles: Beat Sky Canyon with Sonic.
• Unlock Tails: Beat Music Plant with Sonic.

Sound test

#	Title	Usage
01	Opening	Opening
02	Title	Title Screen
03	Character Select	Character Selection Screen
04	Zone Select	Zone Select
05	Zone 1-1	Leaf Forest Zone - Act 1
06	Zone 1-2	Leaf Forest Zone - Act 2
07	Zone 2-1	Hot Crater Zone - Act 1
08	Zone 2-2	Hot Crater Zone - Act 2
09	Zone 3-1	Music Plant Zone - Act 1
10	Zone 3-2	Music Plant Zone - Act 2
11	Zone 4-1	Ice Paradise Zone - Act 1
12	Zone 4-2	Ice Paradise Zone - Act 2
13	Zone 5-1	Sky Canyon Zone - Act 1
14	Zone 5-2	Sky Canyon Zone - Act 2
15	Zone 6-1	Techno Base Zone - Act 1
16	Zone 6-2	Techno Base Zone - Act 2
17	Zone 7-1	Egg Utopia Zone - Act 1
18	Zone 7-2	Egg Utopia Zone - Act 2
19	Final Zone	XX-Zone
20	Boss	Boss (Zones 1-6)
21	Boss-Pinch	Boss - Pinch (Zones 1-6)
22	Knuckles Boss	Sky Canyon Boss (1st time as Sonic)
23	7-Boss	Egg Utopia Boss
24	7-Boss-Pinch	Egg Utopia Boss - Pinch
25	Final Boss	XX-Zone Boss
26	Final Boss-Pinch	XX-Zone Boss - Pinch
27	Act Clear	Act Cleared
28	Boss Clear	Boss Destroyed
29	Final Clear	XX-Zone Cleared
30	Game Over	Game Over
31	Unrival	Invincibility
32	Drown	Drowning
33	1_Up	1-Up/Extra Life
34	Demo 1	Cream or Tails Rescued
35	Demo 2	Knuckles Rescued
36	Zone Select 2	Zone Select (after XX-Zone is unlocked)
37	In SP Stage	Special Stage Start
38	SP Stage	Special Stage
39	SP Stage-Pinch	Special Stage - Pinch
40	Achievement	Got Enough Rings for Chaos Emerald
41	SP Clear	Special Stage Cleared
42	SP Result 1	Succeeded in Special Stage
43	SP Result 2	Chaos Emerald Acquired
44	SP Result 3	Failed in Special Stage
45	Final Ending	XX-Zone Ending
46	Staff Roll	Credits
47	Message	Post-credits message (Collect All the Chaos Emeralds!)
48	TimeAttack 1	Time Attack Menu
49	TimeAttack 2	Time Attack Cleared (No New Record)
50	TimeAttack 3	Time Attack Cleared (New Record)
51	Options	Options Menu
52	VS Wait	Waiting for Communication (Single Pak)
53	VS 1	VS Menu
54	VS 2	VS Game (Single Pak)
55	VS 3	VS Game Results
56	VS 4	Try Again?
57	VS End	End of VS mode
58	Zone Select 3	Zone Select (after Extra Zone is unlocked)
59	Extra Demo 1	Extra Zone Demo 1 (Vanilla Abducted)
60	Extra Demo 2	Extra Zone Demo 2 (Super Sonic)
61	Extra Zone	True Area 53
62	Extra Clear	True Area 53 Cleared
63	Extra Ending	True Area 53 Ending

NOTE: There are a few tracks that are not accessible via the Sound Test:

• Demo 3 (When Cream, Tails, or Knuckles is unlocked)
• Message 2 (Sound Test Unlocked, Time Attack (boss) Unlocked, Amy Unlocked)
• Ring Bonus (VS Game (Single Pak))
• VS Success (Communication Successful)
• VS Miss (Communication Failed)
• Tiny Chao Garden
• Mini Game (Tiny Chao Garden - Mini Game)

Production credits

Main article: Sonic Advance 2/Production credits

Manuals

Main article: Sonic Advance 2/Manuals

Artwork

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Wallpaper

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Promotional material

• JP CM

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  JP reprint pre-order bonus (?)

Physical scans

Reception »

Game Boy Advance, US
Cover
Cart File:SonicAdvance2 GBA US manual.pdf Manual Poster

Game Boy Advance, UK
Cover
Cart File:SonicAdvance2 GBA UK manual.pdf Manual

Game Boy Advance, FR/NL

Game Boy Advance, DE

Game Boy Advance, ES/IT

Game Boy Advance, JP
Cover
Cart File:SonicAdvance2 GBA JP manual.pdf Manual

Game Boy Advance, JP (Okaidoku-ban)
Cover
Cart

Technical information

ROM dump status

System	Hash	Size	Build Date	Source	Comments
✔	CRC32 7efee7f7 MD5 3fb865c5f142a8fc1f82105bfc6b8935 SHA-1 7bcd6a07af7c894746fa28073fe0c0e34408022d	16MB	2002-10-25	Cartridge (US)
✔	CRC32 89509891 MD5 6664b43c51935ea8f06f5b37ce83feca SHA-1 b0f64bdca097f2de8f05ac4c8caea2b80c5faeb1	16MB	2002-10-25	Cartridge (EU)
✔	CRC32 513804ff MD5 a219b3042eb65899baafa5143c53560c SHA-1 dffd0188fc78154b42b401398a224ae0713edf23	16MB	2002-10-25	Cartridge (JP)
?	CRC32 6c6c65a3 MD5 9cdc062badfcb4d0993c4455a4cf3c52 SHA-1 2aa6ee2cf2b0ebfafbea6d6d24165b252a7e329e	16MB		Wii U Virtual Console (JP)
?	CRC32 7368a863 MD5 bb5388a63c4ced0f72dca1ce62775eff SHA-1 47db906c26dad6d17792d22d975ca0d851b8b65e	32MB		EPROM cartridge				Page

External links

• Nintendo catalogue pages: Game Boy Advance: JP, US, UK; Wii U: JP

References

Sonic the Hedgehog games for the following systems

2001  Sonic Advance | Tiny Chao Garden     2002  Sonic Advance 2     2003  Sonic Pinball Party | Sonic Battle     2004  Sonic Advance 3 | Sonic X: A Super Sonic Hero     2005  Sonic Advance & Sonic Pinball Party | Sonic Advance & ChuChu Rocket! | Sonic Advance & Sonic Battle | Sonic Battle & ChuChu Rocket! | Sonic Pinball Party & Sonic Battle | Sonic Pinball Party & Columns Crown     2006  Sonic the Hedgehog Genesis      Demos  Sonic Advance 3  Prototypes  Sonic Advance | Sonic Advance 2 | Sonic Advance 3  Unreleased  Sonic X: Chaos Emerald Chaos | Sonic Riders