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Sonic Advance 2

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SonicAdvance2 title.png
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Sonic Advance 2
System(s): Game Boy Advance, Virtual Console
Publisher:
Game Boy Advance
Sega (Japan, Europe)
Game Boy Advance
THQ (US)
Developer:
Distributor:
Game Boy Advance
Infogrames (Europe)
Peripherals supported:
Game Boy Advance
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
    Game Boy Advance
    US
    2003-03-12[1] $? AGB-P-A2NE
    AGB-A2NE-USA
    ESRB: Everyone
    Game Boy Advance
    UK
    2003-03-28[2][3] £? AGB-P-A2NP
    AGB-A2NP-UKV
    ELSPA: 3+ OK
    Game Boy Advance
    FI
    2003-03-21 €? AGB-P-A2NP
    AGB-A2NP-UKV
    VET: S/T
    Game Boy Advance
    FR
    2003-03-21[4] €? AGB-P-A2NP
    AGB-A2NP-FAH
    SELL: Tous Publics
    Game Boy Advance
    DE
    2003-03-21[5] €? AGB-P-A2NP
    AGB-A2NP-NOE
    Game Boy Advance
    ES
    2003-03-21[6] €? AGB-P-A2NP
    AGB-A2NP-EUR
    aDeSe: Todos los Publicos
    Game Boy Advance
    IT
    2003-03-21 €? AGB-P-A2NP
    AGB-A2NP-EUR
    ELSPA: 3+ OK
    Game Boy Advance
    JP
    2002-12-19[7] ¥5,800 (6,090)[7] AGB-P-A2NJ
    AGB-A2NJ-JPN
    Game Boy Advance
    JP
    (Okaidoku-ban)
    2004-06-17[7] ¥3,800 (3,990)[7] AGB-P-A2NJ
    AGB-A2NJ-JPN-1
    CERO: Free
    Game Boy Advance
    AU
    2003 $? ?
    Wii U Virtual Console
    JP
    2016-02-24[8] ¥650 (702)[9] WUP-N-PCRJ
    CERO: A

    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 B 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 R 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 R 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 Up 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[10]

    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 Left or Right twice in rapid succession after jumping. Sonic does a sudden jumping dash.
    • Skid Attack: Performed by pressing B. Sonic slides along the ground and stops.
    • Super Skid: Performed by pressing B 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 A 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 B 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 A or B. 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[10]

    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 B button.

    Special moves
    • Chao Attack: Simply press B to send Cheese the chao to focus in on nearby enemies.
    • Step Attack: Performed by pressing B 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 A multiple times. Gain height by tapping A, then use D-pad to control what direction Cream is going. Pressing the B 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 Down + B 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[11]

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

    Special moves
    • Tail Swipe: Performed by pressing pressing B. Attack enemies with a swish of his tails.
    • Super Tail Swipe: Performed by pressing pressing B while in Boost Mode. Allows Tails to use Tail Swipe while keeping speed.
    • Propeller Flying: Performed by pressing pressing A multiple times. Gain height by tapping A, 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[11]

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

    Special moves
    • Spiral Attack: Performed by pressing B 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 B 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 A again while in mid-air. Glide sideways while losing little height. Press Right or Left to change what direction the character is gliding. Enemies in the path will take damage on contact. If the A 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 Up or Down to climb on it or just press A 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[12]

    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 B 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 A 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 B and Down 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

    Sonic Retro emblem.svg Main article: Sonic Advance 2/Production credits

    Manuals

    Sonic Retro emblem.svg Main article: Sonic Advance 2/Manuals

    Artwork

    Wallpaper

    Promotional material

    Physical scans

    Segaretro-round.svg Reception »
    Game Boy Advance, US
    Sadv2 gba us cover.jpg
    Cover
    Game Boy Advance, UK
    Sadv2 eu boxart back.jpgNospine-small.pngSadv2 eu boxart.jpg
    Cover
    Game Boy Advance, FR/NL

    SA2 GBA FR-NL back.jpg

    Game Boy Advance, DE

    Game Boy Advance, ES/IT

    SA2 GBA ES-IT back.jpg

    Game Boy Advance, JP
    Sadv2 jp boxart back.jpgSadv2 jp boxart.jpg
    Cover
    Game Boy Advance, JP (Okaidoku-ban)
    SonicAdvance2 OkaidokuBan Back.jpgNospine-small.pngSadv2 pc jp.jpg
    Cover
    Sadv2 gba jp cart.jpg
    Cart

    Technical information

    ROM dump status

    System Hash Size Build Date Source Comments
    Game Boy Advance
    CRC32 7efee7f7
    MD5 3fb865c5f142a8fc1f82105bfc6b8935
    SHA-1 7bcd6a07af7c894746fa28073fe0c0e34408022d
    16MB 2002-10-25[13] Cartridge (US)
    Game Boy Advance
    CRC32 89509891
    MD5 6664b43c51935ea8f06f5b37ce83feca
    SHA-1 b0f64bdca097f2de8f05ac4c8caea2b80c5faeb1
    16MB 2002-10-25[13] Cartridge (EU)
    Game Boy Advance
    CRC32 513804ff
    MD5 a219b3042eb65899baafa5143c53560c
    SHA-1 dffd0188fc78154b42b401398a224ae0713edf23
    16MB 2002-10-25[13] Cartridge (JP)
    Game Boy Advance
     ?
    CRC32 6c6c65a3
    MD5 9cdc062badfcb4d0993c4455a4cf3c52
    SHA-1 2aa6ee2cf2b0ebfafbea6d6d24165b252a7e329e
    16MB Wii U Virtual Console (JP)
    Game Boy Advance
     ?
    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 Advance 2
    SonicAdvance2 title.png

    Main page
    Comparisons
    Maps
    Credits


    Manuals
    Magazine articles
    Video coverage
    Reception


    Development
    Hidden content
    Bugs

    Sonic the Hedgehog games for the following systems
    Game Boy Advance
     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